Cover Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop in 'A Time Called You' (Photo: Netflix)

This year, Netflix is debuting a diverse array of K-dramas, films, and unscripted shows with its largest-ever slate of Korean content

Fact: Over 60 per cent of all Netflix members watched Korean titles last year, reflecting the exponential growth the global fandom for K-content has had. All through 2022, Korean series and films have regularly featured in the streaming giant's Global Top 10 list in more than 90 countries. In fact, three of Netflix's most-watched shows ever are from Korea: Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Read more: Exclusive: Lee Jae-wook's tips on visiting South Korea

In keeping with being the ultimate destination for compelling, diverse, and must-watch Korean storytelling, Netflix is doubling down on its South Korean content for 2023. The platform just announced its largest ever line-up of South Korean content, with 34 upcoming and returning titles, from K-dramas to films, and unscripted shows.

Check out the full list below.

1. Love to Hate You

Starring: Kim Ok-vin, Yoo Teo, Kim Ji-hun, Go Won-hee 

Synopsis: Love to Hate You is a romantic comedy about a woman named Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) who really hates losing to men and a man named Nam Kang-ho (Yoo Teo) who harbours a deep mistrust of women. They are at odds with each other at first but soon find themselves 'healed' through their relationship.

Release: February 10, 2023 

2. The Glory (Part 2)

Starring: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Sung-hoon, Jung Sung-il 

Synopsis: In the second part of The Glory, the hit series which centres around Dong-eun who is broken by school violence that set her on a path of vengeance, continues the intrigue of Part 1 as Dong-eun lays her trap for her remaining targets. The star-studded cast is led by the incomparable Song Hye-kyo.

Release: March 10, 2023  

3. Bloodhounds

Starring: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Park Sung-woong, Heo Jun-ho 

Synopsis: Starring Woo Do-hwan, Bloodhounds is a story about two young people who find themselves embroiled in the dark world of loan sharks. Having charmed viewers in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Lee Sang-yi takes on the grittier role of Woo-jin who first meets Geon-woo as his opponent in boxing but ends up working with him.

Release: June 9, 2023

4. Celebrity

Starring: Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Dong-gun, Jun Hyo-seong

Synopsis: Expect glamour and high drama in Celebrity—like its name suggests, it depicts the ups and downs of a celebrity influencer and the competitive nature of the scene. The series is directed by Kim Cheol-kyu, who was nominated at the official competition of the first Cannes International Series Festival for Mother.

Release: June 30, 2023

5. Queenmaker

Starring: Kim Hee-ae, Moon So-ri, Ryu Soo-young, Seo Yi-sook

Synopsis: Queenmaker follows Hwang Do-hee, a PR genius who used to oversee the Corporate Strategy Team in Eunsung Group, diving into an election campaign for human rights lawyer Oh Kyung-sook to get her elected as the mayor of Seoul.

Kim Hee-ae plays Hwang, while Moon So-ri transforms herself into human rights lawyer Oh in their historic first performance together. 

Release: April 14, 2023

6. Black Knight

Starring: Kim Woo-bin, Song Seung-heon, Kang You-seok, Esom

Synopsis: In this sci-fi series set in 2071, humans are depending on respirator masks to breathe due to extreme air pollution. Based on a popular webtoon, it depicts a world where only one per cent of the human race has survived and strict social stratification has been established in the deserted lands of the Korean Peninsula, where deliverymen play critical roles in a society that has stopped functioning properly.

Release: May 12, 2023

7. A Time Called You

Starring: Ahn Hyo-seop, Jeon Yeo-been, Kang Hoon 

Synopsis: A Time Called You is a time-slip romance where Jun-hee (Jeon-Yeo-been), missing her boyfriend who passed away a year ago, goes back in time to 1998 to meet Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop), who looks identical to her boyfriend. Kang Hoon, a rising star from Little Women, plays Jung In-gyu, who struggles between friendship and love after finding out that his long-time crush Min-ju likes his best friend Si-heon, depicting the young, pure love of an 18-year-old boy. The series is a remake of Someday or One Day, a classic Taiwanese romance.

Release: September 8, 2023

8. Song of the Bandits

Starring: Kim Nam-gil, Seo hyun, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Ho-jung

Synopsis: Song of the Bandits is an action-adventure set in the tumultuous period of Japanese colonial rule over Korea about a group of people who, for various reasons, end up in the lawless land of Gando and become united in protecting Joseon for the Korean people.

Release: September 22, 2023

9. D.P. (Season 2)

Starring: Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, Son Suk-ku, Ji Jin-hee , Kim Ji-hyun 

Synopsis: D.P. follows Jun-ho and Ho-yeol of the Deserter Pursuit unit in the Korean military as they encounter the realities unknown to them until they chase after the deserters with various backstories. The first season of D.P. was highly acclaimed for its social commentary and resonated with many audiences.

Release: July 28, 2023

10. Mask Girl

Starring: Go Hyun-jung, Ahn Jae-hong, Yeom Hye-ran, Nana

Synopsis: Mask Girl is a story about Kim Mo-mi, an ordinary office worker by day insecure about her appearance, and a live-streamer by night who covers up her face with a mask. She becomes embroiled in an unforeseen incident and undergoes a dramatic turn of events.

Release: August 18, 2023

11. Gyeongseong Creature

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Above Photo: Netflix

Starring: Park Seo-jun, Han So-hee, Claudia Kim, Kim Hae-sook, Cho Han-cheul, Wi Ha-jun

Synopsis: A creature thriller set in the spring of 1945—one of the darkest times in Korean history—Gyeongseong Creature is about two young people struggling to survive as they face a monster born out of human greed. South Korea’s top talents Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee team up for the first time through this series.

Release: Q4 2023

12. Sweet Home (Season 2)

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Above Photo: Netflix

Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jin-uk, Lee Si-young, Ko Min-si, Park Gyu-young, Yoo Oh-seong, Oh Jung-se, Kim Mu-yeol, Jin-young

Synopsis: Song Kang, Lee Jin-uk, Lee Si-young, Ko Min-si, and Park Gyu-young—the residents of Green Home who, in the previous season, delivered overwhelming tension as they risked their lives through bloody battles against their neighbours-turned-monsters—return in season 2 to offer more thrills and tension of a different kind.

Joining the cast in the new season are Yoo Oh-seon, Oh Jung-se, Kim Mu-yeol, and Jin-young, portraying the various dimensions of human nature and desires as they find themselves at a crossroad for survival.

Release: Q4 2023

13. Doona!

Starring: Suzy, Yang Se-jong 

Synopsis: Doona! portrays the romance between Won-joon, an ordinary university student, and Doona, a former K-pop idol, as they cross paths in a shared house for students. The series is based on a webtoon beloved for its heart-pounding romance and the nuanced depiction of emotions that bring the story to life.

Release: October 20, 2023

14. Daily Dose of Sunshine

Starring: Park Bo-young, Yeon Woo-jin, Jang Dong-yoon, Lee Jung-eun

Synopsis: Daily Dose of Sunshine explores the world inside a psychiatric ward and the stories of people in it. They include Da-eun (Park Bo-yung), a nurse in the mental health department who has been transferred from internal medicine. 

Yeon Woo-jin from Thirty-Nine and Marriage, Not Dating plays the quirky proctologist Dong Go-yun while Jang Dong-yoon will play Song Yu-chan, Da-eun’s close friend who always bickers with her.

Release: Q4 2023

15. Goodbye Earth

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Above Photo: Netflix

Starring: Ahn Eun-jin, Yoo Ah-in, Jeon Seong-woo, Kim Yoon-hye 

Synopsis: Goodbye Earth depicts the planet in chaos with only 200 days before an asteroid hits. It tells the stories of those living their remaining days on Earth. Ahn Eun-jin of Hospital Playlist plays Jin Se-kyung. Se-kyung was once a home economics teacher in middle school, but volunteers at the juvenile department of the Woongcheon municipal office after the news about the asteroid breaks, struggling in silence to protect the children.

Yoo Ah-in, who mesmerised audiences around the world with his performance in Hellbound, stars as Ha Yoon-sang. A long-time lover of Se-kyung and a researcher at a bio-engineering research institute, Yoon-sang leaves the safety of the US behind to return to Korea, a crisis zone, in order to stay by Se-kyoung’s side.

Release: Q4 2023

16. Behind Your Touch

Starring: Han Ji-min, Lee Min-ki, Ju Min-kyung, Suho 

Synopsis: Ye-boon, who has always dreamed of becoming a vet in the small town of Mujin in Chungjeong-do, is instead stuck doing menial work to make ends meet, like delivering calves and vaccinating halibuts. Then one day, she is given psychometric powers during one of her visits to a cow farm. She encounters the passionate detective Jang-yeol, who mistakes her for a pervert and attempts to tackle her. Subsequently, Jang-yeol relies on Ye-boon and her powers to solve his cases, from petty crimes to serial murder. The two grow closer as they solve each case, one by one.

Release: August 12, 2023

17. Crash Course in Romance

Starring: Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Kyung-ho 

Synopsis: Crash Course in Romance is a romantic comedy between a hotshot instructor Chi-yeol, who works at the Daechi District known as the education hotspot in Korea, and an ex-handball national team athlete Haeng-sun, who now runs a side dish store near him. Haeng-sun belatedly enters the private education field for a rigorous college entrance exam for her nephew and unexpectedly gets involved with Chi-yeol. Soon their bittersweet romance becomes scandalous due to the fame of Chi-yeol.

Release: January 14, 2023

18. The Good Bad Mother

Starring: Ra Mi-ran, Lee Do-hyun, Ahn Eun-jin 

Synopsis: The Good Bad Mother centres on a single mom who has been widowed at a young age, Young-soon runs a pig farm, and raises her son Kang-ho by herself. She becomes a 'bad mother'–hard on her son because she doesn’t want him to grow up penniless or powerless. Thanks to her discipline, Kang-ho grows up to be a prominent prosecutor, but loses his memory due to an unfortunate accident and becomes a seven-year-old again. Young-soon decides to become a 'bad mother' again for Kang-ho in this comforting and touching comedy series that tracks the journey of recovery between mother and son.

Release: April 26, 2023

19. King the Land

Starring: Lee Jun-ho, Im Yoon-ah

Synopsis: Graceful, charismatic, intelligent, and chic, the heir of King Group Gu-won (Lee Jun-ho) has everything but memories of his mother. In an attempt to recover his memory, he returns to King Hotel. Known as King Hotel's queen of smiles and hospitality, Cheon Sa-rang (Cheon Sa-rang) worked her way up from the front desk to now work at the glamorous 'King the Land' space, where she meets Gu-won.

Release: Q2 2023

20. Destined With You

Starring: Rowoon, Jo Bo-ah, Ha-jun, Yura 

Synopsis: Big-time lawyer Shin-yu has to secure the temple located at Onju Mountain because of a curse that’s been in his family for 350 years. One day, a YouTuber who trespasses the temple dies of an accident, and Hong-jo, a passionate civil servant of Onju City appears before Shin-yu to demolish the temple.

Release: August 23, 2023

21. See You in My 19th Life

Starring: Shin Hye-sun, Ahn Bo-hyun, Ha Yoon-kyung, Ahn dong-goo

Synopsis: Based on the webtoon of the same name, See You In My 19th Life is a spirited love story between Ban Ji-eum, who has the extraordinary ability to remember her past lives, and Moon Seo-ha. Ji-eum has no attachments to her previous lives, but when she loses Seo-ha to an accident after meeting him in her 18th life, she begins her 19th life to reconnect with him.

Release: June 17, 2023

22. JUNG_E

Starring: Kang Soo-youn, Kim Hyun-joo, Ryu Kyung-soo

Synopsis: JUNG_E portrays a desolate Earth in the 22nd century that is no longer inhabitable due to climate change. Amid the chaos, an internal war breaks out in the shelter built for human survival. The end of the war now hinges on finding a way to clone the legendary mercenary JUNG_E into a scalable robot.

Release: January 20, 2023 

23. Unlocked

Starring: Yim Si-wan, Chun Woo-hee, Kim Hie-won

Synopsis: Unlocked is a real-crime thriller following an ordinary woman whose entire life is upended after she loses her phone containing her personal information including her social security number and banking details. This movie will present a dreaded sense of spooky reality and horror to those who cannot live without their phones.

Release: February 17, 2023 

24. Kill Boksoon

Starring: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Si-a, Esom, Koo Kyo-hwan

Synopsis: Boksoon leads a double life—she is both a mother of a teenage daughter and a legendary professional killer at top-tier killing agency MK. Caught between the mission of assassination and raising someone, Boksoon refuses to complete an assigned mission and is thrown into an inevitable fight.

Release: March 31, 2023

25. The Match

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Above Photo: Netflix
Tatler Asia
Above Photo: Netflix

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Yoo Ah-in 

Synopsis: Teacher and student, but legendary rivals Cho Hoon Hyun (Lee Byung-hun) and Lee Changho (Yoo Ah-in) play the match of their lifetime in the game of Go.

Release: Q2 2023

26. Believer 2

Starring: Cho Jin-woong, Cha Seung-won, Han Hyo-joo, Oh Seung-hoon, Kim Dong-young, Lee Joo-young

Synopsis: Believer 2 is a crime action sequel on the war among persistent detective Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong), Brian (Cha Seung-won), and a new character 'Big Knife' (Han Hyo-joo). The film follows Won-ho’s investigation into 'Rak', who disappeared after Brian’s incarceration as he continues to pursue the case of an elusive drug cartel.

Kim Dong-young and Lee Joo-young play Manko and Lona, the deaf siblings who are genius at making top-quality drugs. 

Release: Q4 2023

27. Ballerina

Starring: Jun Jong-seo, Kim Ji-hun, Park Yu-rim

Synopsis: This film depicts the beautiful and ruthless revenge by Okju, a former bodyguard of Minhee, her ballerina best friend. Jun Jong-seo portrays Okju, a highly skilled bodyguard. 'Choi', who is the subject of revenge, is portrayed by Kim Ji-hun while rising star Park Yu-rim plays Minhee. Versatile musician Gray is the musical director of the film.

Release: October 5, 2023

28. Physical:100

Synopsis: An extreme survival entertainment programme designed to find the best physique with the strongest physical capabilities. It's an intense competition among 100 men and women, regardless of age or gender, to determine the one person with the 'perfect physique'.

Release: January 24, 2023 

29. Siren: Survive the Island

Synopsis: Siren: Survive the Island is a combat survival entertainment show where 24 women of top combat skill and strategic thinking power are divided into six teams who compete in a game of survival on an unknown island.

Release: Q2 2023

30. 19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty)

Synopsis: 19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty) is a reality entertainment show that tracks the fresh and youthful lives of Generation Z in their last week of being 19 just before they turn 20. They attend '19 School' to learn practical things in preparation for adulthood. Then on January 1, they all stay at '20 House', a space where they are independent of their parents and teachers. 19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty) garners much attention as these 19-year-olds, who are on the cusp of adulthood, create unexpectedly vivacious and nostalgic moments throughout the show. Kyuhyun, Kim Ji-eun, and Lee Su-hyun from AKMU are the show's hosts.

Release: July 11, 2023

31. Zombieverse

Synopsis: In Zombieverse, participants must complete quests to survive in Seoul, which has been turned into a zombie world. They must complete quests such as looking for food, transportation, or a safe haven, as well as deciding whether to save a colleague who has been infected by a zombie.

Release: August 8, 2023

32. The Devil's Plan

Synopsis: Devil’s Plan is a mind game survival entertainment show that awards up to KRW500 million (about RM1.7 million) to the winner. Participants include celebrities and influencers and the game begins with the devil’s suggestion to take off their social masks and reveal their true identities.

The show is directed by maestro of mystery and genre entertainment producer Jeong Jong-yeon.

Release: September 26, 2023

33. In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal

Synopsis: In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal is an eight-episode true-crime documentary that explores the self-proclaimed ‘messiahs’ in modern Korean history and the shocking events behind them.

Release: March 3, 2023 

34. Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong's Unreleased Short Film

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Above Photo: Netflix

Synopsis: Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong’s Unreleased Short Film (a working title) is a documentary tracing the quest for the Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s unreleased short film, Looking for Paradise. This 22-minute film was screened for some 10 members of the cinephile club Yellow Door on Christmas in 1992 and has never been seen since. In the process of getting to the bottom of Bong’s mysterious filmmaking debut, the documentary pieces together the memories of the only witnesses to the film.

Release: Q4 2023

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