10 fan-favourite siblings in K-drama: from ‘Our Unwritten Seoul’ to ‘Reply 1988’

The K-drama may be known for the gothic romance between Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) and Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji), but the complex relationship between the Moon brothers is also central to the plot. Moon Gang-tae, the younger of the two, has dedicated his life to the care of his older brother, Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se), who has autism spectrum disorder.

Like in Our Unwritten Seoul, the bond shared by the Moon siblings is tight. Their relationship explores sacrifice, unconditional love and the challenges of caregiving. The drama depicts their shared journey of healing from resentment, guilt, anger and deep childhood trauma, leading them through forgiveness and acceptance and toward a newfound sense of independence.

The K-drama may have played Deok-sun (Lee Hye-ri) and Bo-ra’s (Ryu Hye-young) antagonistic relationship for laughs, but anyone who grew up with a sister knows that the show perfectly captures that special sibling dynamic. It is chaotic and defined by jealousy, non-stop bickering and petty squabbles. Yet, beneath the surface, it’s also full of love, support and profound understanding. Sometimes sisters just need to outgrow that stage in their relationship or, like Deok-sun and Bo-ra, eventually grow up.

See also: 8 slice-of-life K-dramas with no villains—just love, growth and healing

Geum-myeong (IU) and Eun-myeong (Kang You-seok)’s relationship is complicated by the weight of their parents’s expectations. Their names—Geum-myeong, named after gold, and Eun-myeong, named after silver—soon begin to reflect their place within the family. The dreams of Geum-myeong, the first-born daughter and overachiever, often take precedence over the needs of troublemaking Eun-myeong. This obvious favouritism even drew warnings from village elders to their mother, Ae-sun, about its potential dangers.

Fortunately, none of that impacts their relationship. (Eun-myeong’s resentment is with his parents.) They may bicker and fight, but they share a deep love for each other and a bond forged by a shared loss in their childhood.

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Here’s another set of twins, but they couldn’t be more different from Mi-ji and Mi-rae of Our Unwritten Seoul. In ‘Study Group’, audiences are first introduced to Lee Hyun-woo (Park Yoon-ho), a menacing bully who gets into serious trouble after a stabbing incident. It may be easy to peg him as one of the villains, but his backstory reveals a more nuanced and deeply conflicted character—he is both bully and bullied. We also learn that he has a twin, Lee Ji-woo (Shin Soo-hyun), whom he cares for deeply and is fiercely devoted to.

It is a testament to the writing and the chemistry between Park Yoon-ho and Shin Soo-hyun that fans are deeply invested in the twins despite Lee Hyun-woo being away in juvenile detention for most of the series. Their short reunion in the finale has fans hoping that they will see more of them in the now-confirmed second season.

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In this loose K-drama remake of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about the March sisters, we are introduced to the Oh siblings: Oh In-joo (Kim Go-eun), the eldest sister, is constantly preoccupied with making money to provide for her siblings. In-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun), the middle sister, is a journalist with high moral standards. Finally, In-hye (Park Ji-hu), the baby of the family, is a talented painter doted on and, despite their financial troubles, spoiled by her two older sisters.

Like the March siblings, poverty and money loom heavily over the lives of the Oh sisters, too, but here, In-joo, In-kyung and In-hye are drawn into a world of greed, murder and corruption when they become entangled with the poisonous Won Sang-a.

When you have a mother who is constantly pitting her sons against each other in a bid to winnow out who should inherit the family business, it does not exactly inspire brotherly affection. So it is no surprise that Beom-woo (Kang Ha-neul) and Sun-woo (Bae Na-ra) do not get along. Their relationship is defined by fierce competition and deep-seated resentment.

Both driven by ambition and the desperate desire for their mother’s elusive approval, the two constantly engage in a battle for dominance, validation and, ultimately, the family legacy. But when Beom-woo finally gives up his stake in the company to pursue his own happiness, Sun-woo softens toward his brother and, in a gesture of goodwill, helps resolve a misunderstanding between Beom-woo and Mo Yeon-joo (Go Min-si), the object of his brother’s affection.

When Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) and In-jae’s (Kang Han-na) parents separate, Dal-mi chooses to stay with their father while In-jae moves out with their mother. This his-and-hers setup sends them on entirely different paths. When their father dies not long after the separation, Dal-mi grows up with their grandmother, who constantly struggles to make ends meet. Meanwhile, their mother’s marriage to a wealthy man affords In-jae a privileged upbringing.

When the sisters’s paths cross again as adults, old feelings of resentment, abandonment and intense rivalry surface. Each is determined to prove their past choice was the right one: Dal-mi’s to stay, In-jae’s to leave. However, life eventually pushes them to confront their shared past, leading them to ultimately make peace with each other.

Seok-ryu (Jung So-min), the eldest of two children, is an overachiever. Meanwhile, her younger brother Dong-jin (Lee Seung-hyub) is a bit of a loafer. Their parents expect much from Seok-ryu and often criticise Dong-jin. Seok-ryu, who is severely burnt out from a high-pressure life, envies Dong-jin. Their parents often bail him out of ill-conceived schemes, and he lives at home as a freeloader. But to Dong-jin, who feels perpetually undervalued by their parents, Seok-ryu is the clear favourite, the one they constantly boast about to their friends.

It has bred resentment on both sides that bubble up as bickering and sharp exchanges. When things finally blow over, the siblings see each other’s struggles more clearly, leading to a newfound empathy and understanding.

In this K-drama remake of the C-drama hit Go Ahead, Joo-won (Jung Chae-yeon), San-ha (Hwang In-yeop) and Hae-joon (Bae Hyun-sung) become siblings by way of found family. They may not be related by blood, but they’re certainly soul siblings and practically tied at the hip. Inseparable since childhood, Joo-won’s two older “brothers” protect her from, well, everything.

But things get complicated as they grow older, and no matter how much Joo-won may dislike it, their dynamic begins to change. Distance threatens to fray their tight bond, hidden feelings bubble up to the surface and past traumas resurface. Yet, through all the challenges, their profound love and commitment to their chosen family push them to confront these obstacles, ultimately seeking to understand and heal together, proving that family truly extends beyond bloodlines.

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