Baby It's Cold Outside

How about some K-dramas to keep you warm?

I get asked quite often which K-dramas I would recommend for people who are new to Korean shows, for viewers who want to watch something a little different, for bingers who want to finish a series within a day or two etc. I thought about all of that as I put together these suggestions from 2024, which I hope viewers will find helpful.

As for my own family, we’re watching the second season of “Squid Game” together. (I had previously watched screeners of the show three or four times already as I was writing my review. But I’m still enjoying it.)

° “Doctor Slump”
° “Flex X Cop”
° “A Killer Paradox”
° “Love in the Big City”
° “My Happy Ending”
° “Queen of Divorce”
° “A Shop for Killers”
° “The Trunk”
° “Welcome to Samdal-ri”

As always, my reviews are based on a ☆☆☆☆ system. Be sure to let me know what you’re watching or re-watching this winter!

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“Love in the Big City”

대도시의 사랑법 ☆☆☆☆
Go Young (played by Nam Yoon-su)
Sim Gu-ho (played by Jin Ho-eun)
Choi Mi-ae (played by Lee Soo-kyung)
Kim Nam-kyu (played by Kwon Hyuk)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Before I get into the controversy surrounding "Love in the Big City," here's an excerpt from my Teen Vogue review:

Based on Sang Young Park’s bestselling novel of the same name, the K-drama adaptation was overshadowed by the film version, which stars Kim Go-eun (Little Women) and Steve Sanghyun Noh (Pachinko). But this series is so relevant as it matter-of-factly addresses homosexuality — a topic not often depicted in South Korean media in any meaningful way.

Four directors tackle each arc in our protagonist’s life. Go Young’s sexuality makes him neither a hero nor villain, but rather a young man trying to live a joyous life that matters. Lead actor Nam Yoon-su offers depth and heartaching vulnerability, making viewers root for his happiness. The tragedy in this series isn’t that Young is gay.

It’s the narrow-minded, often well-meaning people who view his sexuality as something that’s fixable, when there’s nothing that needs to be fixed. Love in the Big City is a unique K-drama experience with an ending that feels right, even as it breaks your heart.

Controversy: Shortly after TVING released the official trailer to promote this series, conservative, homophobic South Korean organizations demanded that the streaming service take it down. TVING acquiesced, but later posted the trailer again.

Airdates: Eight episodes (ranging from 47- to 53-minutes each) released on TVING on October 21, 2024. (I watching this on Viki.)

Spoiler Alert: The first relationship we are introduced to is between Young and Nam-kyu (Kwon Hyuk) — a photographer who quickly fell in love with the college student. While Nam-kyu dreams of a future together, Young feels restricted by anything more than a physical relationship. Nam-kyu would later die in a car crash. But it isn't a stretch to say that he died of a broken heart long before that tragedy.

We see scenes of Young’s childhood, where it's clear he is gay. After his mother catches him making out with another boy teenage boy, she has him shipped off to get conversion therapy to not be gay. Years later, he is an author who references his relationships in his books.

When his mother is dying of cancer, he finds her scrapbook. There are newspaper clippings of book reviews and interviews with him. But on the last page, she included a photo he had taken with Nam-kyu. It was her way of showing that she had finally accepted who he is.

The series also looks at Young's affair with Yeong-su (Na Hyun-woo), a closeted philosophy student who is too scared to be open about his homosexuality.

But the pivotal relationship is with sweet Gu-ho.

In Episode 5, we learn that shortly before he started his mandatory military duty, which is required of almost all able-bodied South Korean men, Young slept with his ex-boyfriend, who gave him HIV. When Gu-ho tells him he'd like them to date, Young reveals that he's HIV positive, but Go-ho isn’t scared off. As their relationship becomes more complicated, Gu-ho is given an opportunity to work for a couple years in China. Though he’d like Young to go with him, Young isn't ready for that kind of commitment, even though it’s clear to the rest of us that Gu-ho is the love of his life.

Riding the train back home after dropping Gu-ho off at the airport, he says to himself, "I probably won't exist in the future you dream of." Which is poetic, but also profoundly sad.

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“Welcome to Samdal-ri”

(웰컴투 삼달리) ☆☆☆☆
Jo Yong-pil (played by Ji Chang-wook)
Cho Sam-dal (played by Shin Hye-sun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Set in Jeju-do/제주도, “Welcome to Samdal-ri” explores the relationship between childhood best friends Yong-pil (Chang-wook) and Sam-dal (Shin Hye-sun). From the time she was a child, Sam-dal wanted to escape her small town and make a name for herself as a photographer in Seoul. The two dated for a while, with Yong-pil happy to follow her to the big city and support her dreams.

After a sudden breakup, she moves on, but he is unable to do the same. She is his 첫사랑 (first love).

Is this show good? Yes. In fact, so much so that I picked it as one of my picks for the best K-dramas of 2024 for my annual Teen Vogue list:

This K-drama explores the romance between childhood friends Yong-pil (Ji Chang-wook) and Sam-dal (Shin Hye-sun), but it’s their ongoing friendship that ties this series together. Their relationship is complicated by the death of one of their mothers and a bitter father who blames the survivor (and her innocent child). Secrets are kept to the detriment of everyone involved. As an adult, Yong-pil is a weather forecaster in his hometown. Though he has opportunities to work in a higher profile position in Seoul instead, he chooses to stay home. As for Sam-dal, she left for Seoul after high school and is now a prominent fashion photographer. But after a jealous former assistant accuses Sam-dal of abuse, her career is destroyed. Welcome to Samdal-ri moves at a pleasantly languid pace, showcasing the beauty of Jeju-do. But even more importantly, it depicts the emotional growth of these characters, whose friendship is unconditional. Welcome to Samdal-ri aired from December 2023 to the end of January 2024. (Netflix)

After moving back home to the town she had wanted to escape, Sam-dal reunites with Yong-pil and, of course, the two end up together. That was never in question. But how they get to that stage was truly heartwarming to watch.

For those who haven’t seen this series yet, I’ll include a few plot points in my Spoiler Alert below.

Airdates: Sixteen 70-minute episodes aired on JTBC from December 2, 2023 through January 21, 2024. (I watched this on Netflix.)

Spoiler Alert: Sam-dal and Yong-pil’s mothers met as young married women who worked as haenyeo/해녀 — women who dive around 10 meters (without any scuba diving gear) to catch shellfish. They bonded over their shared given name of Mi-ja, having babies the same age and their love of real-life Korean pop singer Cho Yong-pil. During inclement weather, Sam-dal’s mother insists on doing a few more dives. Wary of leaving the inexperienced haenyeo alone, Yong-pil’s mother stays with her and tragically dies.

Distraught and unable to move on from his wife’s death, Yong-pil’s father blames the surviving Mi-ja and forbids his son from dating Sam-dal. When his son won’t listen, he secretly orders Sam-dal to break it off with his son … which she does. Of course, this doesn’t give Yong-pil any closure as to why Sam-dal cut off communication with him.

Cancel culture is also explored in this K-drama, showcasing how quickly someone’s career can be ended when there’s even a hint of a scandal. For Sam-dal, the beginning of the end starts when her boyfriend cheats on her with her assistant, Eun-ju (Jo Yun-seo). Eun-ju wants to be a star photographer, just like Sam-dal. But she has little interest in putting in the time or effort to better her skills.

Instead, Eun-ju sets her boss up, saying that Sam-dal was abusive to her at work. Knowing that no one else would corroborate her lies, Eun-ju gets the public on her side by pretend-attempting suicide. Did she ever really endanger herself? No. It wasn’t her life she wanted to end, but Sam-dal’s. And it works. The media release inflammatory, one-sided reports on Sam-dal. And even her clients, who had fawned over her keen eye, cite the morality clause in their contracts to extract themselves from working with her.

The ending offers promise for Sam-dal and Yong-pil’s future together. But the element I loved the best was that Sam-dal is able to re-evaluate why she became a photographer in the first place. It wasn’t for the glitz or the money. It was for the pure love of creating art.

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“The Trunk”

트렁크 ☆☆☆☆
Noh In-ji (played by Seo Hyun-jin)
Han Jeong-won (played by Gong Yoo)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Jeong-won (Gong Yoo) grew up with an abusive father and an unstable mother who feared her husband. Yet as an adult, he chooses to continue to live in the stark home that his father had built. He hates it, but is emotionally tied to the house.

When his wife, Seo-yeon (Jung Yun-ha), divorces him, he is completely lost. When she weirdly tells him they will both enter into contract marriages with other people, he is distraught, going to night clubs, excessively drinking and taking drugs.

But, ultimately, he follows Seo-yeon’s orders.

In my review of the series that I wrote for Teen Vogue, I said:

Adding a twist to the contract marriage trope, The Trunk tackles the plot device from a film noir perspective. When his manipulative ex-wife Seo-yeon (Jung Yun-ha) orders Jeong-won (Gong Yoo) to enter into a one-year contract marriage, he marries In-ji (Seo Hyun-jin), who works for a high-end company that pairs up clients with suitable temporary spouses. Initially, all Jeong-won wants is Seo-yeon, who dangles the possibility of their getting back together after their respective contract marriages end. But as his relationship with In-ji becomes more real than fake, Seo-yeon’s unhinged behavior escalates. While the titular trunk is seldom seen, it works well as an allegory in this quiet thriller. We think we know who it belongs to, but what secrets does it hold? While the nudity and sex scenes may turn off some viewers who prefer their K-dramas cute and innocent, the stellar acting, gorgeous cinematography, and twisty plot will keep viewers engrossed. (Netflix)

Jeong-won is filled with guilt that he couldn’t save his mother. For him, the nutritionally-rich seaweed soup/미역국 — which Korean women eat after giving birth and cook for their children on their birthdays — doesn’t represent life, but death. His mother didn’t have a mom who made the soup for her after she was born. There was no one who cared enough about her to look out for her health.

So when In-ji makes it for him, he is flooded with emotions he can’t fully process. Gratitude. Embarrassment. Longing.

Throughout this series, life, death and birth are explored in a quiet way that leaves the character nonplussed. (Check out the Spoiler Alert below for more.)

Airdates: Eight episodes — ranging from 59- to 72-minutes each — dropped on Netflix on November 29, 2024.

Spoiler Alert: The trunk that starts off this thriller doesn’t hold a dead body, as viewers are led to believe. Both In-ji and Seo- yoon had identical trunks.

While pregnant with Jeong-won’s baby, Seo- yoon is hit by a car. She said it was an accident. But Jeong-won witnessed her deliberately walking into traffic. Did she try to kill herself? He thinks yes, but that’s not how she remembers it.

When the trunk is finally opened, we see that Seo-yoon had filled it with all the baby clothes she had for her unborn child. It’s not clear whether she did this out of love. But the fact that she didn’t throw the items away indicates that her baby’s death meant more to her than she was willing to let on to Jeong-won. Or herself.

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“A Killer Paradox”

살인장난감 ☆☆☆☆
Lee Tang (played by Choi Woo-shik)
Jang Nan-gam (played by Son Suk-ku)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

In Korean, the literal meaning of this series is The Murderer’s Toy. And it’s no coincidence that the detective in this K-drama is named Jang Nan-gam / 장난감, which in Korean translates to toy.

Best of: This series made my year-end best-of list for Teen Vogue:

If you accidentally murder a serial killer, are your actions justified? Or are you just as evil as the man you killed? That’s the moral dilemma Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik, Parasite) faces in this darkly humorous series, which pits the newbie killer against gung-ho detective Jang Nan-gam (Son Suk-ku, My Liberation Notes). Upon first meeting, it appears that the calm cop has the upper hand. But A Killer Paradox clues viewers in as to where this series is headed. The title in Korean (살인장난감) translates to The Murderer’s Toy. So who will Lee trifle with? Jang, obviously. Jang knows Lee is the killer, and Lee knows that Jang knows. After his first kill, Lee is suicidal. But after he murders a second victim, who also turns out to be a serial killer, Lee is emboldened. He justifies his actions as a form of divine intervention to rid the world of immoral trash. Never mind that he has crossed over into that category himself. The once-bullied student who was too frightened to fight back finds his killing sprees to be thrillingly liberating. And redemption is something he’s not actively seeking. (Netflix)

Airdates: Eight episodes, between 45 to 63 minutes each, dropped on Netflix on February 9, 2024.

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“Queen of Divorce”

끝내주는 해결사 ☆☆☆☆
Kim Sa-ra (played by Lee Ji-ah)
Dong Ki-joon (played by Kang Ki-young)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

Equal parts comedy and revenge, Queen of Divorce tackles the dirty deeds that occur during divorce proceedings. Sa-ra (Lee Ji-ah) is a brilliant attorney, whose husband and monster-in-law set her up for a crime she never committed. After being sentenced to prison, her manipulative husband divorces her. While she loses her license to practice law, she gains a will to fight. Literally. Since she can’t resume her legal career, Sa-ra opens a divorce resolution business, where her newfound martial arts skills are put to use. The team’s unorthodox methods may not be one hundred percent legal, but they get the job done. Throughout it all, Sa-ra works diligently to get back custody of her own child, while simultaneously meting out punishment on those who set her up. (Kocowa)

The excerpt above is from my Teen Vogue review. But the major beef I had with K-drama is that it set up the heroine to be a strong fighter who can more than hold her own against men trained in martial arts. And yet, she’s unable to free herself when confronted by her not-particularly powerful ex-husband. We’ve already seen that she is amazing at hand-to-hand combat. So why can’t she break free from his grip?

This trope repeats itself in shows like “Cinderella and the Four Knights” and “Boys Over Flowers,” and I’m honestly tired of it. For this to be believable, I need a more plausible reason. One woman against a group of men? OK, I get it. But not this.

Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on JTBC from January 31 to March 7, 2024. (I watched this on KOCOWA.)

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“A Shop for Killers”

킬러들의 쇼핑몰 ☆☆☆½☆
Jeong Ji-man (played by Lee Dong-wook)
Jeong Ji-an (played by Kim Hye-jun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

From my review in Teen Vogue:

This fast-paced K-drama kills off its protagonist (Lee Dong-wook) early on, but we see him throughout the show in flashbacks. He was the owner of a mysterious online mall where buyers could order mundane gardening hoses. But after his death, his niece (Kim Hye-jun) realizes her uncle had led a double life. He was a retired assassin who ran a site on the dark web selling military-grade weapons. As his enemies send teams of well-equipped mercenaries to kill her, she recalls the lessons he taught her — which seemed random at the time. And though she doesn’t realize it yet, viewers ascertain early on that uncle and niece are more alike than not. (Hulu)

Airdates: Eight 50-minute episodes aired from January 17 to February 7, 2024 on Disney+. (I watched the first six episodes on screeners that Disney+ provided. The rest aired on Hulu in the U.S.)

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“Doctor Slump”

닥터슬럼프 ☆☆☆☆
Yeo Jeong-woo (played by Park Hyung-sik)
Nam Ha-neul (played by Park Shin-hye)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

I included this review in my best-of list for Teen Vogue:

Former high school rivals Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) form a truce as adults after both face slumps in their medical careers. Celebrity plastic surgeon Jeong-woo loses his lucrative practice after a patient dies during surgery. Anesthesiologist Ha-neul takes a break from her career when she can no longer tolerate her abusive and sexist boss, who steals her ideas and promotes men over her. Jeong-woo’s well-connected family is less concerned about his mental health than how his failure can impact negatively on his father’s medical career.

And Ha-neul’s image-conscious mother tries to push her daughter back to work, fearful that she will be deemed a failure if Ha-neul is no longer a physician. Thankfully, Ha-neul works out her feelings of obligation, disappointment, and confusion with the help of a therapist who is there to do what few in her life are willing to do: listen. Her influence also helps Jeong-woo realize what really matters in life. As Ha-neul says, “Life is a long journey. I’m not worthless because I didn’t reach a specific goal at a designated time. Good fortune exists and is waiting for me.” (Netflix)

Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on JTBC from January 27 to March 16, 2024. (I watched this on Netflix.)

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“My Happy Ending”

☆☆☆☆
Seo Jae-won (played by Jang Na-ra)
Heo Soon-young (played by Son Ho-jun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

There is a lot going on in this K-drama that could’ve been resolved if the protagonists had a long conversation to discuss misunderstandings. Then they would’ve learned that:

° Jae-won is bipolar. But because she was worried that Soon-young would leave her if he knew, she kept it a secret even after they got married. Yes, there is a stigma against depression and mental health issues, but if the man you're with won't accept you unless you're perfect, then he is not for you. When he later found out, he wasn’t upset that she had a medical issue. He was upset that she hadn't told him about it when she had so many opportunities to.

° Instead of asking her if she had cheated on him, Soon-young just assumes that Jae-won had an affair and that their daughter, Ah-rin, isn’t his. So what does he do? He concocts a whole different persona and cheats on her with her best friend, Yoon-jin (So Yi-hyun).

° Yoon-jin is about as unhinged as they come. She decides that she wants to ruin Jae-won’s marriage, because Jae-won had “slept” with Yoon-jin’s fiancé years ago. [SPOILER ALERT: On a work conference, Jae-won was forced to drink excessively to keep up with her bosses. Yoon-jin’s fiancé had targeted her, put a date-rape drug in her drink and then raped her. Jae-won was unaware of this at the time.]

° By Episode 5, the show’s pacing picks up and we learn that her stepdad had killed her mother with pesticide. But was he really guilty? Or is there more to this story than they’re initially letting on.

Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on TV Chosun from December 30 2023 through February 25, 2024. (I watched this on Viki.)

SPOILER ALERT: By Episode 10, Jae-won’s husband is found dead. Cause of death? Pesticide. Like step-father, like step-daughter? The police can’t hold her, though, because they have nothing but circumstantial evidence. Because her home and office are surrounded by reporters, she goes to stay with … a male colleague, Te-oh (Lee Ki-taek), who clearly is infatuated with her. Hello? Why not stay with her female secretary or check into a hotel instead? If word gets out that she is bunking with a young man, gossip mongers and the media can spin it that she killed her husband because she was having an affair with Te-oh.

To his credit, he tells her he’ll stay at a hotel and she can stay at his apartment with his sister, who’s visiting from the U.S. [Both siblings were adopted.]

In Episode 11, Te-oh comes up with the idea to have his sister, Rachel, take Jae-won’s daughter to the U.S. where she can stay with his adoptive parents. While the explanation is that she will be safer that way, it also seems clear that the writers wanted to get the child out of the plot so that they could have an easier time building romantic tension between Jae-won and Te-oh.

As with many K-dramas, there is a backstory that shows how the male and female lead have been tied together since childhood. Te-oh was eight years old before he was adopted. The boys at the orphanage who weren’t adopted blame him for ruining their chances of getting their own families. When three other boys bully him, Jae-won saves him by scaring them off with a knife. She was older than him and viewed him as a little kid. But that’s when he fell in love with her. He asked for her school name tag as a memento, and held onto it ever since.

There is a happy ending. She takes time off from her job, sees a therapist, moves her daughter, Ah-rin, back from the States to Korea, and convinces her father to live with them. And she finally accepts Te-oh as a romantic suitor.

When Ah-rin flies back to Seoul, she travels alone (in Business Class, natch). Te-oh’s sister, Rachel, shared this info on social media, and hashtagged the little girl’s flight number. If nothing else, I hope this series warns viewers not to share personal information with everyone on the internet.

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“Flex X Cop”

재벌X형사
☆☆☆☆
Jin I-soo (played by Ahn Bo-hyun)
Lee Gang-hyun (played by Park Ji-hyun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

“Flex X Cop” takes the chaebol trope, mixes it up with a cops-and-robbers theme, and adds a dash of comedic elements to keep things interesting.

I-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun) is a wealthy heir with a lot of time on his hands and a wild imagination. He’s smart, good looking and fit, but there are no expectations of him. Why? Because he is his father’s illegitimate younger son. Thankfully, his older step-brother treats him well and sticks up for him..

A fan of solving crimes — and with the wealth to create game simulation-style fake-kidnappings where he can test his mettle — he manages to get a job at the local police force. Gang-hyun (Park Ji-hyun), the leader of his team, is beyond annoyed at having to babysit a pampered rich boy. But what she learns is that despite his privileged upbringing, I-soo has a knack for thinking out of the box… and the money to fund whatever is needed that the police department can’t handle.

Meta moment: In Episode 2, Gang-hyun’s mother tries to set her up with the local pharmacy owner’s son who, she says, looks just like actor Song Joong-ki. Song and Park were co-stars in the superb series “Reborn Rich.” Also, if you’re the type who skips the credits and heads directly to the next episode, don’t. You’ll miss out on the clever short bonus clips that end each episode.

Airdates: Sixteen hour-long episodes aired on SBS from January 26 through March 23, 2024. (I watched this on Hulu.)

Spoiler alert: I-soo’s father had a long-term extra-marital relationship. He was planning on divorcing his wife and starting a new family with I-soo and the boy’s mother. But when his wife learned that her husband was going to leave her, she planned on killing herself rather than deal with the humiliation of divorce. Her son (who is I-soo’s half brother), Seung-ju (Kwak Si-yang), poisoned I-soo’s mom to keep his family together. Later, he killed his father, too. When I-soo figured out the chain of events, he got a confession from his brother.

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WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO:

(1) I was a guest on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour to talk about the second season of “Squid Game”:

While we're talking about things that work really well in the season, let's pause to give thanks for the fact that there are no appearances by American VIPs.

(2) I wrote an explainer about how “Squid Game” season two explores Korean culture and political history for Teen Vogue. But I also included a bit about Gong Yoo’s extended role this season:

The fact that the Salesman looks simultaneously hot and deranged explains some of his popularity. But even the most hard-pressed stan will be sickened by his revelations during a game of Russian Roulette.

(3) And I explained why South Korea’s (now) impeached President called for martial law (for Teen Vogue):

Strongman leadership and military dictatorship in South Korea didn’t end until the country’s constitution was revised in 1987. Roh Tae-woo became the first president of South Korea to be elected by direct popular vote.

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