K dramas addiction on Netflix!

Your soundtrack, your beauty shelf, and your precious Netflix binge time are all infused with Korean culture. Hallyu (the Korean wave of pop culture) has been introduced to a larger audience because of Netflix’s extensive library of K-dramas. The large selection of highquality TV series with abbreviated plot lines across a variety of genres has helped these shows acquire appeal. CJ ENM and its subsidiary, Studio Dragon, have signed a multi-year content production and distribution agreement with the OTT streaming behemoth to generate more original content for the platform and to have the streaming rights for its existing shows.

If you haven’t been carried away by Hallyu yet, or if you’re seeking more episodes to feed your addiction, City First brings to you the top selections from the Netflix Kdramas.

HER PRIVATE LIFE Her Private Life tells the narrative of Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young), a top curator at the Cheum Museum of Art by day and an idol fangirl by night. She has to hide the fact that she is not only Cha Shibiggest an’s a fanboy, but also the editor of Korea’s most popular Cha Shi-an fanzine. Sung needs to keep this information hidden from her boss, as there’s a good probability he’ll fire her if he finds out. Deok-new mi’s boss is Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook), a New York-based art curator and former artist. From shared tragedy-filled pasts to phoney courting, the show has it all.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH SECRETARY KIM? When Lee Young-(Park joon’s Seo-joon) dependable secretary Kim Mi-so (Park Minyoung) gives her one-month notice, his world is turned upside down. He now embarks on a mission to persuade her to stay, swiftly discovering how he had taken her for granted for so long. They begin to spend more time together than they did as boss and secretary, and they realise they have feelings for one another. Kim Miso can’t shake the feeling that they have a deeper bond because of shared trauma.

KINGDOM What could be better than a well-crafted zombie miniseries? A well-crafted zombie miniseries set in a historical era with little access to modern technologies. Kingdom, Netflix’s first Korean original series, is set in Korea during the Jose period, a few years after Japan invaded the country in 1592-1598. When Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) learns of his father’s death and travels to see him, he discovers that his father (or who used to be his father) has transformed into a mediaeval zombie. Now he has to figure out what’s causing the plague and stop it from spreading to Hanyang, all while dealing with complicated palace politics.

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN This heartbreaking narrative about loss of life, love, and heartache is a fan and critic favourite. Captain Yoo She Jin (Song Joon-ki) of the Korean Special Forces meets surgeon Dr Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye-ko) at the Haesung hospital. They face peril together in a country torn apart by war (fictional, of course). The event is recognised with attracting more tourists to Korea than any other source.

CRASH LANDING ON YOU The series is still continuing strong, with a few more episodes to go. So, if you’re the kind to binge-watch a show in one sitting, you’ll have to wait until mid-February to get your hands on this one. It follows Yoon Seri (Son Ye-jin), a South Korean heiress who has a terrifying paragliding mishap that causes her to crash land in North Korea. She encounters Ri Jung-hyuk (Hyun Bin), a member of the North Korean army, who assists her in evading the authorities. The show has received praise for portraying life in North Korea and the cultural differences between the two countries accurately.

MY ID IS GANGNAM BEAUTY You’d have to be living under a really huge rock not to be aware of the globalisation of the Korean beauty industry and standards. When it comes to outward appearances, Kbeauty, as it’s known, is famed for having punishingly high aesthetic standards. The show tackles this harmful trend by highlighting its superficial character as well as the country’s widespread prejudice based on appearance.

To avoid mockery at her institution, Kang Mi-rae (Im Soo-hyang) decides to get cosmetic surgery. Her bullies, on the other hand, discover new methods to mock her appearance, causing her to have a confidence problem.