The global appetite for K-dramas and Korean films has gone from strength to strength—and 2024 is packed with plenty more to chew on.
Netflix and Disney+ have been at the forefront of some of the strongest works in recent years from Squid Game—Netflix's reigning biggest show ever based on viewing times, trumping Stranger Things and Bridgerton—to Disney+'s recent breakout hits Moving and Big Bet.
Here, we unpack some of the most compelling new K-dramas and Korean films to look out for in 2024 across both streamers.
New K-Dramas and Korean Films Out on Netflix in 2024
My Name is Loh Kiwan
Release date: March 1
The new movie is the latest from Yong Film, the studio behind the BAFTA-winning film The Handmaiden by visionary filmmaker Park Chan-wook.
This character-driven drama follows the story of North Korean defector Loh Kiwan, played by famed actor Song Joong-ki (from Vincenzo, Reborn Rich and Descendants of the Sun), on a quest to fulfill his mother's dying wish for him to live freely on his own terms. He heads to Belgium in search of refugee status where he becomes drawn to Marie, played by Choi Sung-eun (from The Sound of Magic), who is battling her own inner demons.
Queen of Tears
Release date: March 9
Dubbed Netflix's "must-watch" rom-com of the year, Queen of Tears sees an estranged couple, played by Kim Soo-hyun (from It's Okay Not to Be Okay) and Kim Ji-won (from My Liberation Notes and Descendants of the Sun), try to weather a marital crisis. Trust and power dynamics come into play between a wealthy heiress and her husband, the son of a village chief, in this story about love, resilience and evolution.
The 8 Show
Release date: Second quarter of 2024
Squid Game fans may not want to miss this dark comedy series about eight people trapped inside a mysterious eight-story building. They participate in a tempting but dangerous game show where they earn money as time goes on and are forced to both collaborate and compete with each other.
The 8 Show marks the first Netflix project from director Han Jae-rim (known for various films like the Korean blockbuster Emergency Declaration, which screened at Cannes Film Festival in 2021).
The Frog
Release date: Third quarter of 2024
This mystery thriller drama sees one man's life begin to crumble via a series of chilling twists and turns when a mysterious woman shows up at his remote motel in the woods one summer. Its cast includes veteran actor Kim Yun-seok (from Escape From Mogadishu), Lee Jung-eun (who played the housekeeper in Parasite) and Ko Min-si (from Sweet Home and Youth of May).
The Great Flood
Release date: Fourth quarter of 2024
This sci-fi disaster film starring Squid Game star Park Hae-soo (also known from Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area and Narco-Saints) and Kim Da-mi (from Itaewon Class and Our Beloved Summer) is set on the last day of Earth. The movie follows a desperate struggle to save a child from an apartment after a flood sweeps across the planet.
The Trunk
Release date: Fourth quarter of 2024
The Trunk sees the lives of a music producer played by Gong Yoo (who will be reprising his role as the Salesman character in Squid Game this year), and a worker at a matchmaking organization played by Seo Hyun-jin (from You Are My Spring) take an unexpected intriguing twist. The pair discover a whirlwind of secrets behind a clandestine marriage service after a mysterious trunk is discovered at the bottom of a lake.
Uprising
Release date: Fourth quarter of 2024
The epic period film marks Netflix's first collaboration with The Handmaiden's Park, who is a producer and co-writer of the project.
Set in a tumultuous period in the aftermath of a war during the Joseon era, Korea's last dynasty, Uprising takes viewers on a compelling journey tracing the lives of two childhood friends-turned-enemies—Cheon-yeong, a slave with remarkable martial prowess played by Gang Dong-won (from Broker, which competed for the top Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival), and Jong-ryeo (played by Park Jeong-min from Hellbound), a descendent of Joseon's most influential military family.
New K-Dramas Out on Disney+ in 2024
Uncle Samsik
Release date: 2024
Set in South Korea in the 1960s, this societal drama sees an idealistic politician and a mysterious political fixer, played by Parasite star Song Kang-ho (who recently won the Best Actor Award for Broker at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival), join forces in a bid to transform a struggling post-war Korea into a prosperous nation. The latest work will mark the veteran actor's first-ever lead role in a drama serial.
Light Shop
Release date: 2024
This series adaptation of the webtoon Light Shop marks the next series from Kang Full, the visionary writer behind Moving, starring Zo In-sung and Han Hyo-joo. It drama follows a group of strangers who are each struggling to come to terms with a traumatic event from their past. They are drawn to a mysterious light shop that sits at the end of an alleyway, which may hold the key to their past, present and future.
Its star-studded cast includes Ju Ji-hoon (from the Kingdom series), Lee Jung-eun (from Parasite), Park Bo-young (from Daily Dose of Sunshine and Strong Girl Bong-soon), and Bae Seong-woo (Road to Boston, The King and The Great Battle).
Blood Free
Release date: 2024
Blood Free sees a former bodyguard wrestle with the failures of his past. He is led down a rabbit hole of tangled leads and deployed to protect the CEO of a controversial lab-grown meat company. The series stars Ju Ji-hoon and Han Hyo-joo (from Moving).
Unmasked
Release date: 2024
Starring veteran actress Kim Hye-soo (from Under The Queen's Umbrella and Juvenile Justice), this mystery series follows a team of investigative journalists in modern-day Seoul, who fight to save their careers after a controversial story is broadcast. They're given the impossible task of solving a 20-year-old cold case about a famed actor who disappeared without a trace.
The Tyrant
Release date: 2024
Starring veteran actor Cha Seung-won (from Believer 2, Night in Paradise, and Our Blues) and Kim Seon-ho (from Start-Up and Hometown Cha Cha Cha), Tyrant follows a U.S. government agent who attempts to recover a deadly new virus stolen from the South Korean government. Global intelligence agencies come together to battle against various parties to prevent the virus from spreading across the world in this action-packed drama series.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
Soo ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
