Korean Dramas in December 2023: What’s a holiday season without a slice of K-drama? It’s the last month of the year, and this holiday season brings you some of the most exciting Korean dramas to binge-watch. Whatever mood you are in, we have a K-drama recommendation for you. If you want to feel warm and fuzzy, we have romance and fantasy series like My Man is Cupid, and if you feel more adventurous, we have a fantastic line-up of thrillers and mysteries like Night Has Come. If you are missing a solid star cast with your favorite stars on screen, don’t forget to consume Gyeongseong Creature. Sit in your cozy corner, grab your hot cocoa, and hit play!
Sweet Home 2 | December 1 | Where to Watch: Netflix
Here’s some good news for Sweet Home fans! Season one of the show was released in 2020, and after a three-year wait, season two is being released. Sweet Home is an action horror drama about a group of people fighting the monsters within their apartment building. Season 2 is going to continue from where it left off. The group has managed to escape the apartment building from the monsters within. But their sigh of relief lasts a minute as they face challenges as soon as they step out. All the survivors meet at a baseball stadium and face not just the monsters but also some unpleasant people with secreted desires.
My Man is Cupid | December 1 | Where to Watch: Prime Video
My Man is Cupid is a fantasy romance drama about a fallen cupid and a veterinarian. The story is about Cupid Cheon Sang-Hyeok, who 500 years ago shot his arrow at his wings, and it burnt. He now had to restore those wings and had to go through metamorphoses. On his twenty-eight try, he again gets hit by his arrow. He always could make any woman fall in love with him. The veterinarian Oh Baek-Ryun is attractive, and many men have fallen in love with her beauty. There is a catch to this, though: every time she gets into a committed relationship, the men have had a close-death experience, which spooks the men away. Hence, she decided to stay away from dating. But Cheon Dang-Hyeok and Oh Baek-ryun’s paths cross, and it may lead to a romantic adventure.
Welcome To Samdalri | December 2 | Where to Watch: Netflix, TVING
Welcome To Samdalri is a slice-of-life romantic drama about two childhood friends who drift apart because of their careers but meet once again in their hometown (Jeju Island) later in life. Jo Yong-Pil becomes a weather forecaster because of a tragedy related to his mother. Due to misinformation, his mother had passed away because of bad weather. Yong-Pil was a perfectionist who had earned the title of stubborn and didn’t care about arguing with the older ones if he thought something was wrong. He had a friend, Jo Sam-Dal, but they grew apart when she left for Seoul to pursue a career in Photography. She worked hard for eight years and reached the peak of her career. But she lost her job because of some dire event. She moved back to Jeju and Yong-Pil and re-connect.
Night Has Come | December 4 | Where to Watch: Viki
Night Has Come is a mystery survival drama about a group of high school students who go on a school retreat. Imagine Battle Royale meets Squid Game but a little less gore. In the retreat, the students are asked to play a real-life mafia game or the Game of Death, which leads them to use psychological games to survive the Game. The story revolves around the three main characters. Lee Yoon-Seo is known to have keen observation skills and a logical mind, which she tries to use to survive the game. We then have Kim Joon-Hee, the class president and a responsible person who believes in justice. The third main character is Oh Jung-Won, who is a loner despite being academically excellent. In this game, she is forced to work with other students to survive.
Soundtrack #2 | December 6 | Where to Watch: Disney+
Soundtrack #2 is a musical romance drama about a young love that had to end because of growing up and focusing on individual careers. In fact, the second season is similar to the first in following a long friendship that turns into love. The story follows two lead characters, Hyun-Seo, the keyboardist of the college band, and Soo-Ho, a vocalist. They bonded because of their passion for music and eventually fell in love. But the relationship didn’t last because the reality of life hit them, and they had to separate. In a few years, we see Hyun-Seo as a piano teacher and Soo-Ho as the company’s CEO. At this stage in their life, they meet each other again. The story drives forward with what happens after the meeting.
Maestra: Strings of Truth | December 9 | Where to Watch: tvN, Viki
Maestra: Strings of Truth is a mysterious musical drama revolving around Cha Se-Eum, a violinist and the only female conductor in the world. This series is based on a French series called Philharmonia. Despite her success in her career, Cha Se-Eum has a deep, dark secret. She worked hard and was very passionate about her job. However, she is forced to face reality when mysterious events occur in the orchestra. She starts to investigate and can’t help but face the consequences.
Death’s Game | December 15 | Where to Watch: TVING, Prime Video
Death’s Game is based on a webtoon by the same name. When someone takes their life, they hope to make the difficulties and pain go away, but in this series, Death itself has other plans. Choi Yi-Jae faced many problems, from relationships to finances, and struggled for many years. He had lost all his savings because of a bitcoin scam. Subsequently, he decides to take his own life, and by doing this, he has offended Death. Death decides to teach him a lesson with a game. He had to evade Death in any one of the next 13 lives, and if he did, he would be given a chance to complete an entire life. The series takes us through the journey of Death and after with different lives.
Like Flowers in Sand | December 20 | Where to Watch: ENA
Like Flowers in Sand is a sports rom-com about Kim Baek-Doo, a Ssireum sports player. Ssireum is a traditional Korean wrestling sport. A time comes in every athlete’s life when they question how far they can go in their career, and Kim Baek-Doo’s life was no different. He was born into a prestigious Ssireum family. He was excellent and a prodigy Ssireum player as well. But now his team is thinking about disbanding, and he is thinking about retiring. He meets his childhood friend Oh Yoo-Kyung, who changes the course of his decision. Oh Yoo-kyung decides to step in as the team’s manager, and the story takes off.
Gyeongseong Creature | December 22 | Where to Watch: Netflix
Gyeongseong Creature is a historical thriller set in 1945. The story is set in Gyeongseong (today’s Seoul) during the Japanese occupation. Curiosity killed the cat, and that seems apt for our lead characters. A curious investigation leads to a path filled with action and tension. Apart from being wealthy, Jang Tae-Sang has a unique ability to react to things and has a deep insight into things. Yoon Chae-Ok has a knack for finding missing people. She visits Gyeongseong to find her mother, who had gone missing ten years ago. She meets Jang Tae-Sang and starts to investigate mysterious occurrences at a hospital. The show has a fantastic cast- Park Seo Joon(Jang Tae-Sang) from Itaewon Class and Han So Hee (Yoon Chae-Ok) from My Name.
My Happy End | December 30 | Where to Watch: Viki
My Happy End is a psychological thriller that revolves around Seo Jae-Won, the CEO of a furniture company. The story is about two people who studied together and had different lives. Seo Jae-Won has a wonderful family, a husband, and a great career. She is also a social media influencer with a huge following. She has a kind husband and a wonderful child. Kwon Yoo-Jin had studied with Seo Jae-Won, but her life was the opposite of Seo Jae-Won’s. She has a failed career and marriage. Subsequently, she gets in touch with Jae-Won, and seeing her life, she starts to envy her. Jae-Won’s life suddenly flips 180 degrees, and everything falls apart.
