Let’s be honest, this year has been pretty wild, and not the best for mental health. However, we each have a coping mechanism that has helped us to this point. Mine is watching a copious amount of television and precariously living my best life through fictional characters. One of my favorite genres is Korean dramas, and 2020 has proven itself to be a great year for just that.
- Hi Bye, Mama!
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Actress Kim Tae-hee is often described as one of South Korea’s most beautiful women and has had a strong acting career in the past. This is why I was so excited to hear that she was coming back with another drama this year. She stars as Cha Yu-ri, a mom who got into an accident while carrying her baby and died on the operating table. Her spirit lingers on Earth as she watches her baby grow into a toddler. However, children have a stronger sixth sense and the longer she is near her child, the more spirits her child will be able to see. To be able to save her child, she makes a deal with the Big Man. This drama was a rollercoaster of emotions and I bawled for 95% of it. It’s a great one to see with the family and will probably warm your cold, dead heart.
- The World of the Married
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Where do I even start with this one? This 2020 series is the highest-rated drama in Korean television history. Even my South Korean friends were heavily raving about it while it was on-air. That should say something about it, right? Kim Hee-ae portrays Ji Sun-woo, a headstrong medical director who is married to a struggling movie director, Lee Tae-oh (played by Park Hae-joon). They have a son together and Ji Sun-woo thinks her life is perfect. Yet, she finds clue after clue that her husband is cheating on her and her loved ones are not who they seem to be. It’s a very dramatic story about betrayal and grief, but I promise that each episode will make you want to see more. It’s that good.
- It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
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Seo Ye-ji has proven herself to be a versatile actress and it’s quite obvious with her character, Ko Moon-young. She plays a children’s book author who also suffers from antisocial personality disorder. She meets Moon Gang-tae (played by Kim Soo-hyun) who works as a health worker at the psychiatric ward. Together, they unravel how they knew each other in the past and solve the loneliness crisis they have both put themselves in. This has become of my favorite dramas due to the amazing character development, chemistry between all the actors, and the witty scenes that catch you off guard. And to those who have seen it, remember that Moon Gang-tae belongs to Moon Gang-tae (cue tears).
- Record of Youth
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This is a series that is still in the on-air. I just started it this week and am loving it so far. Park Bo-gum (aka South Korea’s Boyfriend) plays Sa Hye-jun, a model who wants to make it as an actor and Park So-dam (who was in Parasite!) plays Ahn Jeong-ha, a make-up artist. Jeong-ha has been a fan of Hye-jun since his early modeling days and is now doing his make-up. The story follows these two as they try to succeed. I can’t wait to watch the rest of the drama and I highly recommend it as well!
You definitely won’t regret to give these a watch in your free time. Each story is captivating and 100% worth the time, in my opinion at least. Might as well pick something from this list rather than browsing Netflix for an hour.