Cover Here are some of the best Korean dramas to watch this Mother’s Day (Photo: tvN)
Here are some of the best Korean dramas to watch this Mother’s Day (Photo: tvN)
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As we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 10, we put the spotlight on Korean dramas starring the kind of mothers you can look up to
Korean dramas never fail to offer a variety of storylines and genres, whether it’s sports dramas, webtoon adaptations, inspiring female leads or swoon-worthy love stories.
See also: Makjang excess: 9 guilt-free, over-the-top K-dramas to watch
This Mother’s Day, we list out some Korean dramas that feature powerful mothers and maternal figures—from a mother posing as a high schooler to save her daughter from bullies to a mother fighting back against the stigma of being a single parent. Happy binge-watching.
Don’t miss: 9 Korean Drama Female Leads Who Inspire Us to Be Our Best Selves
1. Hi Bye, Mama!
Hi Bye, Mama! centres around Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) who died five years ago in a car accident while still pregnant with her daughter.
She remains a ghost because she simply can’t leave behind her husband and child. She’s given a chance to become human again. But she must—as a ghost—undergo a series of trials in 49 days to win back her place in the family or she will never be human again.
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2. Angry Mom
As a teen, Jo Gang-ja (Kim Hee-seon) is known for being a bit of a fighter. But after giving birth to her daughter A-ran (Kim Yoo-jung), she becomes different and turns her life around.
As A-ran enters high school, she becomes bullied. The school and law enforcement don’t take the bullying seriously. In order to protect her daughter, Gang-ja disguises herself as a student in the school.
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3. When The Camellia Blooms
When the Camellia Blooms might be a thriller-comedy but at the heart of it is the loving Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother living in the small town of Ongsan. To make ends meet, she runs a bar restaurant called Camellia while taking care of her son Pil-gu (Kim Kang-hoon).
But being a single mother comes with stigma and the villagers often gossip about Dong-baek as many men visit the bar. Regardless, she remains nonchalant and does her best to care for her son.
4. Marriage Contract
You might want to prepare some tissues for this one. Marriage Contract tells the story of single mother Hye-soo (Uee) and her daughter Eun-sung (Shin Rih-ah). Following the death of her husband who left behind a huge debt, Hye-soo is constantly harassed by loan sharks.
To save money, she starts working at a restaurant owned by Ji-hoon (Lee Seo-jin), a man from a rich family. One day, Hye-soo overhears that Ji-hoon is looking for a liver donor for his ill mother and is willing to pay a large sum. To make the donation legal, the two enter a marriage contract. But unknown to Ji-hoon, Hye-soo actually has a brain tumour and only has a few months left to live.
5. Second 20s
Second 20s tells the story of 38-year-old Ha No-ra (Choi Ji-woo) who always wanted to be a dancer. However, she became a mother unexpectedly when she was just 19 years old and put her focus on becoming a good wife and mother.
Still wanting to achieve her dream, No-ra decides to go back to school as Min-soo and live life as if she were 20 years old.
See also: From consigliere to crown prince: the essential Song Joong-ki K-drama watchlist
6. Go Back Couple
Another story of second chances is Go Back Couple. It follows the life of married couple Choi Ban-do (Son Ho-jun) and Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra). Ban-do feels burdened as the family’s breadwinner while new mom Jin-joo has low self-esteem.
The two feel that marrying at a young age stopped them from living their lives. Then they receive the chance to travel back in time to their 20-year-old selves, hoping they’d never met. But they soon realise that being a father and a mother and husband and wife might just be the life they wanted after all.
7. Green Mothers’ Club
This ongoing drama on Netflix depicts the friendship, motherly love and growth of five different mothers. They are connected through their children who go to the same elementary school.
Each of them has her own struggles and by talking to other mothers, they start to develop and grow as people.
8. Mother
Mother is a remake of the 2010 Japanese drama of the same name and follows a young girl named Hye-Na (Heo Yool). She is abused by her mother Ja-young (Ko Sung-hee).
When Hye-na’s temporary teacher Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) becomes aware of her situation, she decides to become her surrogate mother.
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Jianne is a Hong Kong-born, bred and based Filipino. She graduated with a degree in International Journalism from Hong Kong Baptist University and went to work in Japan a travel writer. Upon returning to Hong Kong, she joined Tatler as a digital writer.
