K-drama fans, buckle up because Netflix is beefing up their Korean content this year with even more films and TV shows to choose from. After the success of their original K-series, including Sweet Home, Extracurricular, and Kingdom, the streaming site is doubling their efforts and investing a whopping $500 million on original Korean content for 2021.
Excited for what’s to come? We won’t keep you in the dark any longer. Below, we round up 10 upcoming Netflix original K-dramas dropping on the platform this year.
1. The Silent Sea
This futuristic sci-fi horror drama is set on a dystopian Earth where water and food are scarce due to desertification and climate change. In a bid to survive, a group of elite agents are sent on a reconnaissance mission to an abandoned research base on the moon where they're tasked to retrieve mysterious samples for analysis.
Starring: Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon
2. Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Ahead of the release of Kingdom's much-anticipated third season is a special episode dedicated to Jun Ji Hyun's character, Ashin, "the heiress to a northern Jurchen town." According to Netflix, this sidequel will depict "what happened in the past to the mysterious character Ashin, encountered by Lee Chang (Ju Ji Hoon)’s group on their northbound mission to uncover the truth behind the resurrection plant."
Starring: Jun Ji Hyun, Park Byung Eun
3. D.P.
The story of D.P. starts when army private An Jun-ho is unexpectedly assigned as an arrest officer to the Deserter Pursuit unit, a team tasked to seize military officers who've left their posts while on a mission. Hesitant about his new title, the young soldier constantly ends up in confusing and complicated situations. Accompanying him in his job is Corporal Han Ho-yeol, an ill tempered free spirit who’ll be providing his amateur recruit with some much-needed investigation know-how.
Starring: Jung Hae In, Koo Kyo Hwan, Kim Sung Kyun, Son Seok Koo
4. Hellbound
Based on a popular Naver webtoon, Hellbound is premised on supernatural angels appearing on Earth to condemn people to hell. At the center of it all is Jung Jin-soo, the charismatic yet mysterious leader of the New Truth Church. The group is a religious cult that openly preaches of the vengeful angels’ visits, proclaiming that they’ve been sent by the “divine.”
Starring: Yoo Ah In, Park Jeong Min, Kim Hyun Ju, Won Jin Ah
5. Squid Game
Desperate for money after being fired from his job, Ki Hoon joins a mysterious survival game with $40 million on the line. Along with the other participants, the players find themselves risking their lives as they’re forced to make decisions while caught in extreme situations.
Starring: Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo
6. Move to Heaven
After his father dies, Geu-ru, a man with Asperger’s syndrome, takes over his family’s trauma cleaning business named “Move to Heaven.” Accompanying him is his uncle and new guardian Sang-gu, a former martial artist and released convict. Together, the unlikely duo embarks on a heartwarming journey as they unearth the secrets and stories left behind by the deceased.
Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Tang Jun Sang
7. All of Us Are Dead
Based on a webtoon titled Now at Our School, this thrilling horror series revolves around a group of students who are trapped inside their high school as they try to escape the zombie virus wreaking havoc across the institution.
Starring: Yoon Chan Yeong, Park Ji Hu, Cho Yi Hyun, Yoo In Soo, Park Solomon
8. So Not Worth It
A group of students hailing from different countries all cross paths and experience the woes of youth while living together in a dormitory in Seoul. This Netflix original sitcom will also feature K-pop idols Minnie of (G)-idle, and Youngjae of GOT7.
Starring: Park Se Wan, Shin Hyeon Seung, Choi Young Jae, Minnie, Han Hyun Min
9. Love Alarm: Season 2
This romantic drama’s second season will take place four years after the creation of the Love Alarm app, now accompanied by a new update that shows users a list of people who could potentially like them in the future. Netflix’s synopsis reads: “While they have graduated from high school and have become adults, Kim Jo-jo, Lee Hye-yeong, and Hwang Sun-oh still have unresolved worries and conflicts. Jo-jo, who still hides her feelings, will come across a variety of small and large changes in society influenced by the app.”
Starring: Kim So Hyun, Jung Ga Ram, Song Kang, Ko Min Si
10. My Name
In the aftermath of experiencing a tragic loss, the vengeful Yoon Ji-woo joins an organized crime ring. When she’s tasked by the group to infiltrate the police as an undercover cop, she uses the opportunity to investigate the truth behind her father’s death.
Starring: Han So Hee, Park Hee Soon, Ahn Bo Hyun, Kim Sang Ho
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