South Korean pop culture has nailed almost every entertainment genre. For example, romantic comedies, mind-bending thrillers, haunting and suspenseful horrors and even frightening zombie stories.
If you think Korean office romance dramas or revenge thrillers are addictive, you haven't seen these empowering and thought-proviking K-dramas with strong female leads.
7 Top-favourite feminist k-dramas with strong female leads
1. 'My Name' (Netflix, IMDb: 7.8)
Credit: Studio Santa Claus Entertainment
• My Name follows a badass woman who is determined to find answers.
• It follows a strong female lead, Yoon Ji-woo, who witnesses the killing of her father at the hands of an anonymous person.
• Yoon Ji-woo adapts multiple identities to find out the truth and make sure whoever killed her father is punished.
• She is compelled to work for a gang leader and then as a mole for the police force to find out which group is really responsible for her father's murder.
• The revenge-driven lead character faces many combat and fight sequences as well as lies, betrayals and tragedies.
• Despite everything, she never deters from her path.
• Created by Kim Jin-min and Kim Ba-da, My Name stars Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-Hyun, Kim Sang-Ho, and Lee Hak-ju.
2. 'Thirty-Nine' (Netflix, IMDb: 7.7)
Credit: Lotte Cultureworks, JTBC Studios
• Thirty-Nine is a light-hearted Korean dramathat revolves around a precious friendship.
• Son Ye-jin, Jeon Mi-do, and Kim Ji-hyun, this k-drama revolves around three best friends.
• Cha Mi-jo (Son Ye-jin), Hong Yi-young (Jeon Mi-do), and Jang Sun-woo (Chae Jung-an) are flawed, resilient, complex and extremely relatable in this series.
• The girls grapple with the realities of adulthood as they all are on the brink of turning forty.
• The three best friends lean on each other through thick and thin and are always each others' biggest cheerleaders.
• This k-drama explores society's expectations of women to get married and start a family.
• It also touches upon how a woman is perceived if she is single and does not have kids after crossing a certain age.
• Apart from those themes, the series deals with infidelity and its consequences, sexual harassment and harrowing sexism in the workplace.
• If you are a woman navigating the ups and downs of being a 'grown-up', this one is definitely for you.
3. 'Crash Landing on You' (Netflix, IMDb: 8.7)
Credit: Studio Dragon, Culture Depot
• Crash Landing on You, released in 2019, is one of the beloved k-dramas.
• Love North Korea-South Korea tropes with a touch of heartwarming romance? Watch Crash Landing on You.
• a South Korean heiress and owner of a fashion company, Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), finds herself in North Korea due to a paragliding accident.
• A tornado in Seoul drops Yoon Se-ri in North Korea.
• She meets a soldier, Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) who is a captain in the Korean People's Army.
• He is convinced to help Yoon Se-ri hide and return to South Korea.
• Over time, after spending time with each other, the two fall in love.
• Apart from the intriguing love story angle, Crash Landing on You showcases a strong, independent and resourceful woman.
• Despite the circumstances, she does not hesitate to take charge of her destiny.
• It also touches upon issues like gender inequality in the workplace, societal pressure and gender-based discrimination.
4. 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' (Netflix, IMDb: 8.6)
Credit: AStory, KT Studio Genie, Nangman Crew
• As the name suggests, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is based on a young and ambitious lawyer with Asperger's syndrome.
• In spite of the autism spectrum disorder, Woo Young Woo (Park Eun-bin) boasts of an impressive, high IQ, wonderful memory and creative thought process.
• The series follows Woo Young Woo's life closely as she takes an attorney's job at one of the top legal firms.
• Despite her intelligence and creativity, the young lawyer struggles with every social interaction.
• The show emphasises her determination to tackle any kind of challenge in and out of the courtroom.
• It also spreads awareness around autism as well as a few specific challenges women face in the legal profession.
• Witness a strong and sharp woman who is not afraid of breaking stereotypes in her profession.
5. 'The Glory' (Netflix, IMDb: 8.1)
Credit: Hwa&Dam Pictures, Studio Dragon
• The Netflix k-drama features Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, and Aria Song in pivotal roles.
• The Glory follows a woman Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) who is on a mission of vengeance.
• The series showcases Moon Dong-eun as a victim of bullying in high school.
• The heart-wrenching bullying forced her to drop out of high school.
• Years later, she returns as a teacher in the same school, determined to exact revenge on those who wronged her.
• Moon Dong-eun's fierce and unshakeable determination to ensure she gets justice is a painful thrill to watch.
6. 'Love All Play' (Disney+ Hotstar, IMDb: 7.7)
Credit: Blitzway Studios
• It stars Park Ju-hyun, Chae Jong-hyeop, Park Ji-hyun, Kim Mu-Jun, Seo Ji-hye, In Gyo-jin, Harrison Xu, and Ren Hanami.
• The show revolves around two badminton players-Park Tae-yang (Park Ju-hyun) and Park Tae-joon (Chae Jong-hyeop).
• Their romance stands the test of the highly competitive field of professional badminton.
• Park Tae-yang has devoted her whole life to the sport of badminton.
• On the other hand, Chae Jong-hyeop views badminton as just a professional sport.
• He harbours other dreams than winning medals for badminton.
• He is just a person who wants to live a comfortable life after retirement.
• Park Ju-hyun's character is portrayed to be ambitious, hard-working and honest who can even put her career on the line to right the wrong.
7. 'Mother' (MX Player, IMDb: 9)
Credit: The Unicorn
• Mother, a remake of an eponymous Japanese series, is an underrated feminist Korean drama that definitely deserves a chance.
• Kang Soo-Jin (Lee Bo-Young) plays a substitute elementary school teacher.
• She notices that something isn't right with one of her students.
• She learns that her student is acting strange as she is being abused at home.
• Kang Soo-Jin does everything in her might to protect the child.
• Her methods are even considered questionable and unlawful.
• Mother skillfully dissects the psyche of maternal love and certain moral dilemmas.
• The cast of Mother includes Lee Bo-young, Heo Yool, Lee Hye-young, Go Sung-hee, Lee Jae-yoon, Kim Young-jae, Jo Han-chul, and Ko Bo-gyeol.
Social and lead images credits: AStory, KT Studio Genie, Nangman Crew and Lotte Cultureworks, JTBC Studios