A whopping 34 new and returning titles from South Korea are headed to Netflix in 2023, from thrillers and comedies, to documentaries and reality series. Check ’em out.
The worldwide fandom for K-content is continuing to grow. Within the Netflix universe, more than 60 percent of the streamer’s global subscribers watched titles from South Korea in 2022. To satisfy fans’ interest in K-content and to further expand this sub-genre’s popularity, Netflix is bringing viewers a diverse array of 34 new and returning Korean TV series, films, and unscripted shows in 2023.
Said Don Kang, VP of Content (Korea):
“The global popularity of K-content has continued apace over 2022, with Netflix bringing a wider variety of stories and genres to fans around the world. Over the last year, Korean series and films have regularly featured in our Global Top 10 list in more than 90 countries, and three of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever are from Korea. This year, we’re pushing the envelope even further with the stories we tell and how we tell them. With this lineup of Korean titles, Netflix will continue to be the ultimate destination for compelling, diverse and must-watch Korean storytelling.
Details for each of the 34 titles are below.
SERIES
Love to Hate You (Friday, February 10, 2023)
In this romantic comedy, rookie entertainment lawyer Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) hates losing to men, while A-list actor Nam Kang-ho (Yoo Teo) harbors a deep mistrust of women. The series follows these two characters, who don’t believe in love, on their journey — from their hostile first encounter, shaped by misunderstanding and suspicion due to biases, to their coming to understand each other. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
The Glory, Part 2 (March 2023)
Part 1 of The Glory was the most-watched non-English TV show on Netflix during the week of January 2, 2023, racking up 82.48 million viewing hours. The series tells the story of Moon Dong-Eun (Song Hye-kyo), a woman broken by bullying and school violence who has dedicated her life to a meticulous web of vengeance, as well as the people who are entangled in her plot. Part 2 follows the destruction of the perpetrators of school violence led by Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon) as they fall, one by one, into the trap designed by Dong-eun. (Trailer is from Part 1)
Bloodhounds (Q2 2023)
Based on the webtoon Bloodhounds by Jeong Chan, this action-crime drama tells the story of two young people who get caught up in a web of dark forces after turning to loan sharks for money. Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) steps into the world of loan sharks to pay off his debt. Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) first meets Geon-woo as his boxing opponent, but ends up working with him. Meanwhile, vicious loan shark Myung-gil (Park Sung-woong) is driven solely by money in everything he does, while Mr. Choi (Heo Jun-ho), once considered a legend among loan sharks, now helps the sick by lending money with no interest. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Celebrity (Q2 2023)
This drama depicts the reality of the glamorous and competitive life of celebrities encountered by Seo A-ri (Park Gyu-young), a young woman who becomes a celebrity overnight with her bold moves that set her apart from all the other influencers. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Queenmaker (Q2 2023)
This drama follows the story of Hwang Do-hee (Kim Hee-ae), a PR guru who, after overseeing the Corporate Strategy Team in Eunsung Group, dives into the campaign of human rights lawyer Oh Kyung-sook (Moon So-ri) to get her elected as the mayor of Seoul. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Black Knight (Q2 2023)
Based on a popular webtoon, this sci-fi action series set in 2071 depicts a post-apocalyptic world where only one percent of the human race has survived and strict social stratification has been established in the deserted lands of the Korean Peninsula. Here deliverymen play critical roles in a society that has stopped functioning properly, such as “5-8” (Kim Woo-bin), a legendary deliveryman with extraordinary battle skills, who is unmatched by anyone. Trying to follow in his footsteps is Sa-wol (Kang You-seok), a refugee boy who aspires to become a deliveryman and looks up to 5-8. Meanwhile, Ryu Seok (Song Seung-heo), the sole heir to Chun-myung Group, controls the world by capitalizing on oxygen, as survivors depend on respirator masks to breathe due to extreme air pollution. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
A Time Called You (Q3 2023)
In this remake of the classic Taiwanese sci-fi romantic drama Someday or One Day, this series follows Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been), who misses her boyfriend Gu Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop), who passed away a year ago, then magically goes back in time to 1998 and meets Nam Si-heon (also Ahn Hyo-seop), who looks identical to her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Jung In-gyu (Kang Hoon) struggles between friendship and love after finding out that his long-time crush, Kwon Min-ju (also Jeon Yeo-been), likes his best friend Si-heon… (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Song of the Bandits (Q3 2023)
Set in the 1920s, during the tumultuous period of Japanese colonial rule over Korea, this western action-adventure drama about a group of people who, for various reasons, end up in the lawless land of Gando and become united in protecting Joseon for the Korean people. As the story unfolds, different groups with their respective motives — including Japanese troops, the Korean Independence Army, hitmen, bandits, and Joseon migrants — face one another in the anarchic land of Gando. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
D.P.: Season 2 (Q3 2023)
Based on the webtoon D.P. Dog Day by Kim Bo-tong, this action-crime drama series follows Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) of the Deserter Pursuit Unit of the Korean military. As they set about capturing army deserters, they learn the painful realities endured by enlistees during their compulsory call of duty. (Trailer is from Season 1)
Mask Girl (Q3 2023)
Based on the webtoon of the same name, this dramedy thriller centers on Kim Mo-mi, an ordinary office worker by day who, due to her insecurity about her looks, transforms into a masked internet personality by night — and gets caught up in a dramatic turn of unforeseen and unfortunate events. Playing Kim Mo-mi in different timelines are Go Hyun-jung and Nana. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Gyeongseong Creature (Q4 2023)
Set in spring 1945, one of the darkest times in Korean history, this creature thriller is about two young people struggling to survive as they face a monster born out of human greed. They are Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-jun), the wealthiest man in Seoul and owner of the Golden Treasure Pawnshop, and Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee), a sleuth famous for her ability to track down anyone, even the dead. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Sweet Home: Season 2 (Q4 2023)
In the new season of this fantasy-horror drama based on the webtoon by Kim Kang-bi, Hwang Young-chan, the residents of Green Home — Cha Hyun-Su (Song Kang), Pyeon Sang-Wook (Lee Jin-uk), Seo Yi-Kyung (Lee Si-young), Lee Eun-Yu (Ko Min-si), and Yoon Ji-Su (Park Gyu-young) — must risk their lives once again if they are to survive, as they face a whole different kind of terror. (Trailer is from Season 1)
Doona! (Q4 2023)
Based on the webtoon The Girl Downstairs by Min Singa, this drama follows the romance between university student Won-joon (Yang Se-jong) and former K-pop idol Doona (Suzy), as they cross paths in a shared house for students. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Daily Dose of Sunshine (Q4 2023)
This drama, based on the webtoon Morning Comes to Psychiatric Ward, explores the world inside a psychiatric ward and the stories of people in it, as encountered by Jung Da-eun (Park Bo-young). Newly transferred from the hospital’s internal medicine department to the mental health department, she is unfazed by her struggles at work, caring deeply about her patients while experiencing personal and professional growth. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Goodbye Earth (Q4 2023)
Based on the novel Shūmatsu no Fūru by Kotaro Isaka, this sci-fi drama depicts an Earth in crisis and chaos — there are but 200 days left before an asteroid destroys the planet — and follows the stories of those living out their final days knowing the end is nigh. Jin Se-kyung (Ahn Eun-jin) used to be a home economics teacher in middle school, but after news about the asteroid breaks, she started volunteering in the juvenile department of the Woongcheon municipal office, struggling in silence to protect the children. Ha Yoon-sang (Yoo Ah-in), a researcher at a bio-engineering research institute and a long-time lover of Se-kyung, returns to Korea from the US in order to stay by Se-kyung’s side. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Behind Your Touch (W/T) (date tba)
In this supernatural mystery drama, Ye-boon (Han Ji-min) has always dreamed of becoming a vet in the small town of Mujin in Chungjeong-do, but she’s stuck doing grunt work, like delivering calves and vaccinating halibuts, in order to make ends meet. During a visit to a cow farm, she gets psychometric powers. After realizing that Ye-boon isn’t a total freak, passionate detective Jang-yeol (Lee Min-ki) begins to rely on her and her powers to solve his cases, from petty crimes to serial murders, and the two grow closer as they solve each case.
Crash Course in Romance (date tba)
This romantic comedy revolves around Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung Ho), a hotshot instructor at the Daechi District, known as the education hotspot in Korea, and Haeng-sun (Jeon Do Yeon), an ex-handball athlete on the national team who now runs a side dish store near Chi-yeol. The two get involved after Haeng-sun enters the world of private education as her daughter must prep for a rigorous college entrance exam, and they soon find their bittersweet romance becomes scandalous due to Chi-yeol’s fame. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
The Good Bad Mother (date tba)
This touching comedy series tracks the journey of recovery between a mother and son. Widowed at a young age, Young-soon (Ra Miran) is a simgle mother who runs a pig farm while raising her son, Kang-ho (Lee Dohyu). As a “bad mother,” Young-soon is hard on her son because she doesn’t want him to grow up penniless or powerless. Thanks to her discipline, Kang-ho grows up to be a prominent prosecutor, but an accident causes him to loses his memory, leaving him with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, so Young-soon decides to become a “bad mother” again for her son.
King the Land (date tba)
This romantic drama sees Gu-won (Lee Jun Ho), the charismatic and intelligent heir of King Group, attempt to recover memories of his mother by returning to King Hotel, where Cheon Sa-rang (Lim Yoon A) is known as King Hotel’s queen of smiles and hospitality. She worked her way up from the front desk to the glamorous “King the Land” space, where she meets Gu-won.
Destined with You (date tba)
In this romantic drama lawyer Shin-yu (Ro woon) must secure the temple on the outskirts of Onju Mountain because of a curse that’s been in his family for 350 years. But after Hong-jo (Cho Boah), a civil servant of Onju City, appears before him to demolish the temple due to an accidental death there, Eun-wol, the shaman who has guarded the temple for over 60 years, declares, “The long-standing curse will end. The owner of the wooden box appeared…” As such, Eun-wol gives permission for the demolition, and Hong-jo comes in possession of the wooden box, which has held a forbidden document and been hidden deep inside the temple, and now gives Shin-yu hope that the spells can free him from the curse by Hong-jo…
See You In My 19th Life (date tba)
Based on the webtoon of the same name, this spirited love story follows Ban Ji-eum, who has the extraordinary ability to remember her past lives, and Moon Seo-ha, whom she is destined to meet. Ban Ji-eum has no attachments to her previous lives, but when she loses Moon Seo-ha to an accident after meeting him in her 18th life, she begins her 19th life to reconnect with him. The series stars Shin Hye-sun, Ahn Bo-hyun, Ha Yoon-Kyung, and Ahn dong-goo.
FILMS
JUNG_E (Friday, January 20, 2023)
Already streaming on Netflix is this sci-fi action drama, in which a desolated earth in the 22nd century is no longer habitable due to climate change. Amid the chaos, an internal war breaks out in the shelter built for human survival. An end to the war hinges on finding a way to clone the legendary mercenary JUNG_E into a scalable robot.
Unlocked (Friday, February 17, 2023)
The story of this crime thriller could happen to just about anyone in real life. It centers on Na-mi (Chun Woo Hee), a startup marketer who can’t live without her smartphone. It holds everything, from photos, videos and texts, to her social security number, banking information, and details of her personal life. On her way home from work one day, Na-mi loses her phone, but thanks to Jun-yeong (Yim Si-wan), who finds it, she gets it back — after he installed spyware on it. Now he tracks her life and learns all he can about her, and approaches her by concealing his true identity. Meanwhile, police detective Ji-man (Kim Hie-won) finds evidence of his son, Jun-yeong, at a murder crime scene and secretly investigates him while fearing the worst, as Na-mi’s life is turned upside down and spirals out of control and she finds herself in danger… (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Kill Boksoon (Q1 2023)
Jeon Do-yeon stars in this action thriller as Boksoon, who leads a double life as a mother of a teenage daughter and as a legendary professional killer at top-tier killing agency MK. Caught between the missions of killing someone and raising someone, Boksoon refuses to complete an assignment and is thrown into an inevitable fight. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
The Match (Q2 2023)
Set during a time when the strategy game of Go was more popular than the World Cup, this historical drama follows Cho Hoon Hyun (Lee Byung-hun), a grand slam winner who took in Lee Changho (Yoo Ah-in) as a student when he was ten years old, as he showed much promise. The lad worked tirelessly to match and surpass his teacher, and now the two rivals will play the match of their lives. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Believer 2 (Q4 2023)
This sequel to the 2018 action crime thriller Beleiver follows detective Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong) as he continues his search for “Rak,” who disappeared after Brian’s (Cha Seung-won) incarceration, while still tracking the elusive drug cartel. (You can set a reminder for it now.) (Trailer is from Believer)
Ballerina (Q4 2023)
This drama follows Okju (Jun Jong-seo), a former bodyguard who has no physical limits when it comes to her self-defense skills, swordsmanship, agility with guns and motorbikes. Okju’s best friend is Minhee (Park Yurim), a ballerina, and Choi (Kim Ji-hun) is the target of her revenge scheme. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
REALITY & VARIETY SHOWS (UNSCRIPTED)
Physical: 100 (Tuesday, January 24, 2023)
Another show that’s already streaming on Netflix is this extreme survival program designed to find the person with best physique and the strongest physical capabilities amongst the 100 men and women competing in the challenge.
Siren: Survive the Island (Q2 2023)
This combat survival show features 24 women with extraordinary physical capabilities and strategic thinking skills, who form 6 teams according to their jobs — police officers, firefighters, bodyguards, stuntwomen, military women, and athletes — that fight for survival on an unknown island over six nights and seven days until one team emerges as the winner. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Nineteen to Twenty (Q3 2023)
This reality series follows the lives of 19-year-old Gen Zers in the week before they turn 20, during which they attend “19 School” to learn about adulting and prepare then for adulthood. Afterward, they stay at “20 House,” where they are independent from their parents and teachers. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Zombieverse (Q3 2023)
In this competition series, Seoul has been turned into a zombie world and participants must complete quests to survive — from finding food, transportation or a safe have, to deciding whether to save a colleague who has been infected by a zombie. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
The Devil’s Plan (date tba)
Participants in this mind-bending survival competition include celebrities and influencers as well as ordinary contestants. Hosted by “the devil,” the show awards up to 500 million Korean won to the winner. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
DOCUMENTARIES
In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal (Friday, March 3, 2023)
This eight-episode true-crime documentary explores the self-proclaimed messiahs in modern Korean history and the shocking events behind them. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong’s Unreleased Short Film (W/T) (Q4 2023)
This documentary follows the quest for Oscar®-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s unreleased short film, Looking for Paradise. The 22-minute film was screened for ten members of cinephile club Yellow Door on Christmas 1992, and has never been seen since.
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