Cover These K-dramas turning 10 in 2026 show just how stacked Korean entertainment was in 2016 (Photo: Disney)
These K-dramas turning 10 in 2026 show just how stacked Korean entertainment was in 2016 (Photo: Disney)
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These K-dramas turning 10 in 2026 demonstrate why 2016 was a vintage year for Hallyu entertainment
Ten years ago, Gong Yoo was a goblin, Song Joong-ki was a soldier, Lee Joon-gi had everyone choosing the wrong prince and Lee Sung-kyung was deadlifting her way into our hearts. Which is to say: 2016 was apparently a very long time ago.
It was also one of those rare years when the K-drama calendar seemed almost unfairly stacked. Descendants of the Sun became a ratings and Hallyu phenomenon, Signal turned a supernatural premise into a gripping crime thriller, W made webtoons part of the plot and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo became a beloved cult favourite. Then, just as the year was ending, Goblin arrived.
Was 2016 actually the best year for K-dramas? That may be impossible to prove. But check out the K-dramas turning 10 in 2026. They make a compelling case that it was definitely one of the most memorable.
In case you missed it: 12 K-dramas you won’t believe are already 10 years old
1. ‘Descendants of the Sun’ (2016)
Above Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo turned a soldier-and-doctor romance into one of the biggest K-drama phenomena of the decade
At one point, it felt as though everyone was watching Descendants of the Sun. Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki), a captain in South Korea’s special forces, falls for Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo), a doctor working with a medical organisation, but their relationship has little chance of being straightforward when his job routinely puts him in dangerous situations.
The pair are eventually sent to the fictional war-torn country of Uruk, where natural disasters, military missions and medical emergencies repeatedly test their relationship. The drama was a genuine ratings juggernaut: its finale reached 38.8 per cent nationwide according to Nielsen Korea, while its popularity helped turn its leads into major stars across Asia.
Why it still matters: it is difficult to talk about the global K-drama boom without talking about Descendants of the Sun. It helped establish the polished, high-budget romantic blockbuster as an international export, and remains one of the defining Hallyu dramas of its era.
2. ‘Signal’ (2016)
Above Two detectives separated by decades use a mysterious radio to solve cold cases—and discover that changing the past comes with consequences
Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) is a criminal profiler in 2015 who discovers a walkie-talkie that allows him to communicate with Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong), a detective living in 1989. Together with Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo), a detective in Hae-young’s present, they begin reopening unsolved cases.
But Signal isn’t interested in treating time travel as a convenient plot trick. Every attempt to alter the past can change the present, and the investigators gradually realise that solving one crime may create another problem decades later. The drama’s ratings climbed steadily throughout its run, reaching a 10.456 per cent nationwide average for episode 11 according to AGB Nielsen.
Why it still matters: the premise remains clean: crime procedural plus time-slip plus moral dilemma. One of the most talked-about K-dramas turning 10 in 2026, Signal still feels less like a product of its era than a blueprint for the kind of high-concept Korean thriller that followed.
See more: 13 must-watch detective K-dramas if you love a little mystery
3. ‘W: Two Worlds’ (2016)
Above When a surgeon is pulled into the webtoon created by her father, she falls for a fictional hero who may be the only person capable of saving her
Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo) is a cardiothoracic surgeon whose life takes a bizarre turn when she is suddenly transported into the fictional world of W, a webtoon written by her father. There she meets Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk), the wealthy former Olympic shooting champion who is the comic’s protagonist.
The problem is that Kang Chul’s world has a villain who is determined to destroy him—and Yeon-joo begins to realise that her father’s unfinished story is somehow becoming her own reality. As characters cross between the real and fictional worlds, the drama keeps playing with the question of who actually controls the story. W was one of the year’s most distinctive concepts, and its premise was singled out by contemporary viewers as one of 2016’s strongest pieces of writing.
Why it still matters: in an era when webtoons have become a major source of K-drama adaptations, W feels almost prophetic. It was playing with the relationship between comics, adaptations and their audiences before that became an entire ecosystem.
See more: 8 webtoon K-dramas that completely changed the ending
4. ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ (2016)
Above IU is transported into Goryeo, where her new life puts her in the middle of a brutal royal succession battle and an even more brutal love triangle
Hae Soo (IU) is a modern woman who wakes up in the body of a young woman in Goryeo, where she becomes entangled with the princes of the royal family. Among them are Wang So (Lee Joon-gi), the fourth prince who wears a mask to hide the scars on his face, and Wang Wook (Kang Ha-neul), the seemingly gentle eighth prince.
What begins as a strange new life becomes much darker as Hae Soo learns that the princes are competing for the throne. Her growing relationship with Wang So is inseparable from the political violence around them, leaving her trapped between the future she knows is coming and the people she has come to love.
Why it still matters: Moon Lovers may not have been universally embraced for its ending, but that almost misses the point. Its international fandom has remained unusually passionate, and IU and Lee Joon-gi’s characters are still among the most recognisable tragic couples in modern K-drama. The drama’s time-slip, historical-romance and melodrama combination remains catnip for a certain kind of viewer. Contemporary fan polls even singled it out for producing the year’s most painful ending.
5. ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’ (2016)
Above An aspiring Olympic weightlifter discovers that first love is considerably more complicated than winning a medal
Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) is a university weightlifter who has spent most of her life training for one goal: becoming a successful athlete. Then she reconnects with Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk), a swimmer from her childhood who has grown into a teasing, slightly chaotic presence in her life.
Joon-hyung initially treats Bok-joo as a friend to annoy, but his feelings change as they spend more time together. Meanwhile, Bok-joo develops a crush on Joon-hyung’s older cousin, a doctor, leading her to pretend to be interested in dieting and weight loss—something that clashes painfully with her identity as an athlete.
Why it still matters: Bok-joo remains refreshing because the drama never asks her to become smaller, prettier or more conventionally feminine to deserve romance. Lee Sung-kyung’s performance won her an Excellent Actress award at the 2016 MBC Drama Awards, and the show’s warm friendship group and body-positive heroine helped it develop the cult following that continues today.
6. ‘Goblin’ (2016–2017)
Above An immortal goblin needs a human bride to end his centuries-long curse, only to discover that ending his loneliness may be more complicated than expected
It may be surprising to see Goblin on a list of K-dramas turning 10 in 2026 because its impact has barely waned.
Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) has lived for nearly a millennium as an immortal dokkaebi, cursed to remain alive until he finds the human bride who can pull the sword from his chest and finally release him. That woman turns out to be Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun), a high school student who can see ghosts and has spent much of her life being treated as an outsider.
Their relationship is complicated from the beginning, particularly because Eun-tak is still a teenager and Kim Shin is centuries old. Meanwhile, the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook), who has his own mysterious connection to Kim Shin, moves into the same house and develops an unexpected relationship with Sunny (Yoo In-na).
Why it still matters: Goblin arrived at the very end of 2016, but it is impossible to leave it out of a conversation about the year. Its combination of fantasy, romance, comedy, melancholy and that Gong Yoo-Lee Dong-wook bromance became one of the defining K-drama aesthetics of the period.
7. ‘The Legend of the Blue Sea’ (2016–2017)
Above Jun Ji-hyun plays a mermaid who follows her human love from the Joseon era into modern Seoul, where he happens to be a professional con artist
Shim Cheong (Jun Ji-hyun) is a mermaid who finds herself stranded on land and eventually crosses paths with Heo Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho), a charming con artist who bears an uncanny resemblance to the man she loved centuries earlier.
Joon-jae initially sees Shim Cheong as a strange but potentially useful target, while she becomes increasingly attached to him. Their modern romance is interwoven with the story of their Joseon-era counterparts, revealing that the two have been connected across lifetimes.
Why it still matters: can you imagine a more gloriously 2016 combination: two enormous stars, reincarnation, fantasy, comedy, beautiful locations and a mermaid behaving badly in Seoul? The drama also remains a useful snapshot of the maximalist romantic fantasy that dominated much of the era. The Legend of the Blue Sea reached a 21 per cent peak nationwide rating according to compiled historical ratings data.
8. ‘Another Oh Hae-young’ / ‘Another Miss Oh’ (2016)
Above Two women with the same name, one mistaken identity and a very complicated love story make this one of 2016’s most emotionally messy romances
Oh Hae-young (Seo Hyun-jin) is an ordinary woman whose life becomes entangled with that of another Oh Hae-young (Jeon Hye-bin), a seemingly perfect former classmate who has always overshadowed her. Meanwhile, Park Do-kyung (Eric Mun), a sound director with the ability to see fragments of the future, mistakenly blames Hae-young for a past heartbreak.
When the mistake is finally exposed, the characters are already far too emotionally entangled to walk away. What follows is an unusually adult romance about insecurity, jealousy, regret and the slightly humiliating business of wanting to be loved.
Why it still matters: Hae-young’s insecurity feels considerably more recognisable than the polished heroines who populated many earlier rom-coms. Contemporary retrospectives highlighted the drama’s unusually tangible portrayal of adult love, and its mix of romance, fantasy and emotional chaos still feels unmistakably tvN.
9. ‘Age of Youth’ (2016)
Above Five young women sharing a house discover that surviving your 20s is easier when someone else is in the kitchen with you
Yoon Jin-myung (Han Ye-ri), Jung Ye-eun (Han Seung-yeon), Song Ji-won (Park Eun-bin), Yoo Eun-jae (Park Hye-soo) and Kang Yi-na (Ryu Hwa-young) are five women with radically different personalities and problems who end up living together at Belle Epoque.
At first, they are more roommates than friends. But secrets, romantic disasters, financial problems and painful family histories turn their awkward household into a genuine support system. The series isn’t afraid to let its characters be selfish, insecure or occasionally difficult, which is part of what makes their friendship convincing.
Why it still matters: Age of Youth, also known internationally as Hello, My Twenties!, arrived before the current wave of K-dramas built around female friendship and ensemble storytelling. Its emphasis on women who are figuring themselves out rather than simply finding husbands remains one of its strongest qualities. It was also one of the 2016 dramas fans later singled out as deserving more attention.
10. ‘Love in the Moonlight’ (2016)
Above Kim Yoo-jung disguises herself as a eunuch and ends up falling for the crown prince she is supposed to serve
Hong Ra-on (Kim Yoo-jung) has spent years disguising herself as a man while making a living as a relationship counsellor. Her life changes when she encounters Lee Yeong (Park Bo-gum), the Crown Prince Hyomyeong, without initially realising his identity.
Ra-on eventually enters the palace as a eunuch and finds herself working directly for the prince. As Yeong becomes increasingly fond of her, the two are pulled together by feelings that are politically dangerous as well as personally complicated.
Why it still matters: this is the kind of light, swoony sageuk that made 2016 feel like an embarrassment of riches. Kim Yoo-jung and Park Bo-gum became two of the year’s most recognisable young stars, while the drama was one of the major winners at the 2016 KBS Drama Awards alongside Descendants of the Sun.
11. ‘Dr Romantic’ (2016–2017)
Above An eccentric surgeon hiding out in a rural hospital teaches two young doctors that being brilliant is not enough if you forget why you became a doctor
Kang Dong-joo (Yoo Yeon-seok) is a young surgeon whose ambition is fuelled partly by the class prejudice he experienced while growing up, while Yoon Seo-jung (Seo Hyun-jin) is a talented doctor whose career is derailed after a traumatic incident.
Both find themselves at Doldam Hospital under the supervision of Kim Sa-bu (Han Suk-kyu), an unconventional surgeon who deliberately rejects the prestige-driven culture of the larger hospitals. Under his guidance, the younger doctors are forced to confront the difference between chasing status and actually treating patients.
Why it still matters: unlike many K-dramas turning 10 in 2026, Dr Romantic did not simply become a beloved relic. It became a franchise. The original drama grew into multiple seasons, proving that its central questions about medicine, ambition and professional ethics had enough staying power to survive well beyond its original run. Historical ratings data puts the first season’s peak nationwide rating at 27.6 per cent.
12. ‘Uncontrollably Fond’ (2016)
Above Two former sweethearts meet again as adults, only to discover that one of them is running out of time
Shin Joon-young (Kim Woo-bin) is a hugely successful actor and singer who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. No Eul (Bae Suzy), meanwhile, is a documentary producer struggling with financial problems and a difficult family history.
The two were once close as teenagers but separated badly. Years later, No Eul is assigned to make a documentary about Joon-young, forcing the former sweethearts back into each other’s lives just as he begins confronting his own mortality.
Why it still matters: this is a 2016 melodrama in its purest form—beautiful people, unresolved first love, terrible timing and a terminal diagnosis. Yet it also belongs in the decade’s conversation because its international audience was enormous: contemporary reporting noted that the drama accumulated four billion views on Youku in China during its run.
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
