I’ve kept my promise and I’m back with a part II of all the K-dramas you need to check out in 2022!
Do read part I before going through this list out, since I talk about all the K-dramas releasing between January to June this year, down to their dates and everything. You may find one you’re interested in that’s on air! You’re welcome for your next binge.
If you’re familiar with how K-dramas are produced, you know that release dates (and even sometimes filming) are announced only two months prior. So while I don’t have the fixed release dates for the following K-dramas, you can expect them to air after June 2022. (In any case, watch this space as we update regularly!)
So, here are the most-anticipated K-dramas that will air in the second half of 2022
1Money Heist: Korea – Joint Security Area
Money Heist took the world by storm in 2017 and finally ended its saga after 5 parts in December 2021. Soon afterwards, Netflix confirmed that there would be a Korean remake of the same, which was actually in development since 2020.
Remakes can go either of two ways and I’m really hoping this pleases fans as much as the original. As for the cast, Yoo Ji-tae, who we’ve seen more in Korean movies than dramas will be helming the role of The Professor.
Squid Game’s Park Hae-soo will be appearing as Berlin, while Jeon Jong-seo, Lee Won-jong, Kim Ji-hoon, Jang Yoon-ju and Lee Hyun-woo will play Tokyo, Moscow, Denver, Nairobi and Rio respectively.
2Youth
Youth is set to be a Sci-Fi series following the fictionalized version of the boyband BTS. As a fan myself who was super invested in the webtoon Save Me (which is set in the same universe), I’m excited to see the story carried forward in an actual K-drama.
However, the show’s production was halted due to a few fan objections and the pandemic. Filming is now said to have begun in January and is expected to air later in 2022.
3Glitch
After dazzling us in Vincezo, Jeon Yeo-bin returns to her next lead role in Glitch. Her character will be tracking down her missing boyfriend with the help of some UFO enthusiasts.
We’re officially venturing into the terrain of aliens and I can’t wait for this 10-episode K-drama to air. Netflix give us a date soon!
4Little Women
As you can tell by the title, the K-drama is inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel. Yet, the actual time period this series is set in hasn’t been revealed. Going from the synopsis, it might be a modern rendition.
Goblin’s Kim Go-eun will be playing the eldest sister, while Nam Ji-hyun and Park Ji-hu will be playing her young sisters, all of a poor household. Their lives go upside down when Park Ji-hu, who plays a lawyer, has to deal with a mysterious case that involves one of South Korea’s most influential families.
5The Sound of Magic
Choi Sung-eun will be staring in her first proper lead role as Yoon A-Yi, a student who has been abandoned by her debt-ridden parents. In order to support her sister and herself, she works a couple of jobs while managing to come first in class.
She then meets a magician played by everyone’s favorite Ji Chang-wook, who shows her a way to turn turns around. Cherry on top of this drama? Hwang In-yeop will be in it as well, making it his second show of 2022.
6Big Mouse
I can already hear you screaming. Yes, this is Lee Jong-suk’s first drama after getting discharged from the military!
Lee’s character is a talkative but rather unsuccessful lawyer with the nickname “Big Mouth.” Things get worse when he gets involved in a murder case and is mistaken for a swindler called “Big Mouse.”
His wife played by Lim Yoon-ah will swoop in to get him out of this mess.
7The Murderer’s Shopping List
Lee Kwang-soo has made me laugh in numerous Korean reality shows, so I’m super excited to see him in K-drama after a long time. Lee’s character is described to be smart but timid, who has failed his public official exam three times and is still hoping to pass it. In the meantime, he works at a convenience store
Joined by Seol Hyun playing his girlfriend, the duo will try to catch a murderer solely based on a receipt purchased at the very store Lee works at.
8The Chaebol’s Youngest Son
Song Joon-ki brings us a reincarnation story in The Chaebol’s Youngest Son. Working as a servant for a chaebol family loyally for 10 years does not turn out to be rewarding at all. Instead he is framed by embezzlement and killed by the family’s youngest son.
Right after he dies, he realizes his spirt is transported into the son who killed him and now it’s time for good ol’ revenge. Song is joined Hospital Playlist’s Shin Hyun-bin, as a presecutor in the anti-corruption investigation department.
9Monstrous
From the hits of Kingdom and DP comes Koo Kyo-hwan, who will be playing an ex-archeologist investigating a mysterious phenomenon in Monstrous. Along with Vincenzo’s Kwak Dong-yeon, Shin Hyun-bin will also be part of the main cast.
In the show, people are lured in by a dangerous force that ends up putting a curse of them. The team united by ill circumstances must now solve the mystery that is the cause of all their misfortune.
10If You Say Wish
This show’s concept is inspired by Netherland’s Ambulance Wish Foundation that tries to fullfil wishes of terminally ill patients. Ji Chang-wook will be playing Yoon Gyeo-Rye, who has had a rough childhood and even spent his teen years in juvie.
After another accident shakes up his life, he begins volunteering at a hospice. Veteran actor Sung Dong-il will be in this drama, and I honestly believe 2022 would be not be complete without seeing him in one.
11Our Blues
This slice of life drama will unfold many stories of the residents of the scenic Jeju island. The ensemble cast is made up of Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Kim Woo-bin, Han Ji-min, Lee Jung-eun, Cha Seung-won snd Uhm Jong-hwa.
(Lee Byung-hun… yes, Squid Game’s front man!)
I won’t blame you for reaching for your tissue boxes, this is after all, the first time we will see Kim Woo-bin in a K-drama after being diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer in 2017. It is also the first time we’ll be seeing him on screen with his real-life boo, Shin Min-a. This is a show you cannot miss!
Notable mentions:
I have wrapped up my list of the major 2022 K-dramas to look out for, but here are a few other K-dramas that have popped up on my radar and you may want to check out:
- The Accidental Narco
- Beyond the Memory
- Soundtrack #1
- Hunting Dogs
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