In recent years, K-dramas set in the 80s and 90s have become quite popular. K-dramas and movies have seen a cultural phenomenon in the ever-changing worldwide entertainment, captivating viewers with their endearing characters and their distinct stories on a global level. There is an unmistakable charm to the dramas set in the '80s and '90s- a decade marked by its fashionable trends, subtle cultural differences, and quick technological advancements. These dramas showed when things were simpler, giving the audience some kind of nostalgia. These dramas take the audience back to a time when Korea was experiencing social change and rapid economic growth.
1. Snowdrop
Snowdrop is a popular K-drama released in 2022, starring Jisoo and Jung Hae-In. This drama is set in 1987, when South Korea was ruled by a dictatorial government, and narrates the romance between Eun Yeong-Ro, a South Korean college student, and Lim Soo-ho, a North Korean spy. It is adapted from the handwritten notes from a man who escaped from North Korea’s political prison camp. Soo-ho is found by Yeong-ro, covered in blood, and who hides him in her dorm room from the government. The show was the acting debut of Jisoo, a member of the K-pop group Blackpink, as their lead character.
2. 1987: When The Day Comes
It is an eye-opening political thriller movie released in 2017, starring Ha Jung-woo, Kim Tae-ri, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Yoon-seok, Yoo Hae-jin, and Park Hee-soon. Based on a true story, it is set in 1987 and focuses on the events that led up to the June Democratic Uprising. Park Jong-Chul is a college student whose unjustified death and interrogation ignited the public to fight for the truth and to bring justice for him. This film reminds us of the value of remembering our past to avoid making these mistakes again.
3. Reply 1988
Reply 1988 is a drama released in 2015, starring Lee Dong-hwi, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, and Ryu Jun-Yeol. It starts in 1988 and revolves around five families and friends who live in the same neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong, showing how their fates will intersect. These all lean on each other to survive their hard teen years and to be able to set their path for their futures. The drama will show you how all the families and friends will do anything for each other.
4. 20th Century Girl
20th Century Girl is a romance drama released in 202, starring Kim Yoo-Jung, Park Jung-woo, Byeon Woo-seok, and Roh Yoon-seo. It is set in 1999, telling the story of first love and friendship. Bo-Ra is a 17-year-old high school kid, who is good at taekwondo with a bright personality. She is a member of the broadcasting club. Woon Ho is a member of the same club. Yeon Du has a crush on Hyun Jin, so she asks Bo Ra to find out everything about him while she goes to the U.S. to have heart surgery. During this period, she finds herself falling for Hyun.
5. Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a drama released in 2022, starring Nam Joo-Hyuk, Choi Hyun-Wook, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Ji-yeon, and Lee Joo-myung. It tells the romantic story of five characters from 1988 to 2021. The story is about coming of age and focuses on one’s life, including relationships with friends, partners, family, and a job. The plot traces the unfiltered and unpredictable development of young people as they go through challenges that arise with love and friendship.
6. Ditto
Ditto is a South Korean film released in 2022, starring Choi Yi-hyun, Na In-woo, Yeo Jin-goo, and Kim Hye-yoon. It is a remake of the 2000 film. The story is about friendship and love that takes place when a woman and man are living in different periods and who get to communicate through the radio by chance. Kim Yong is a college student who lives in the year 1999, and Mu-nee is a sophomore student who is living in the year 2022. They both get their hand on an old ham radio, and magically, during a total lunar eclipse, they can communicate with each other through the radio.
7. Girls Generation 1979
Girls Generation 1979 is a Korean drama released in 2017, based on the 2009 novel by Kim Yong-hee, starring Bona, Seo Young-Joo, Yeo Hoe-hyun, Chae Seo-Jin, Lee Jong-hyun, and Dohee. It is set in the late 1970s, in Daegu, which is a period of transition as the nation was recovering from the Korean War. It explores the ups and downs that a teenage student goes through, including the difficulties of living in an uncertain period, the memories of school, and the hurt of one-sided love, which is both nostalgic and bittersweet.
8. Twinkling Watermelon
Twinkling Watermelon is a Korean drama released in 2023, starring Choi Hyun-wook, Shin Eun-Soo, Ryeoun, and Seoul In-ah. The story begins in 2023, where Eun Gyeol is a high school student with a passion for music who travels back in time to 1995. There, he meets Ha Yi Chan, his father, as a high schooler. Yi Chan thinks Eun is a lunatic when he calls him Dad. There, he joins a band with his father and forms Watermelon Sugar, a band. Yi-chan has a crush on Choi Se-Kyung, known as the Cello Goddess in their school, and tries to win her heart.
9. Youth Of May
Youth of May is a drama released in 2021, starring Go Min-si, Keum Sae-rok, Lee Do-hyun, and Lee Sang-Yi. The story is set in the 1980s, telling the story of Hwang Hee-tae, a medical student, and Kim Myung-hee, a nurse who fell in love during the Gwangju Uprising. They both meet by coincidence several times before meeting formally on a blind date. However, Hee-tae isn't aware that she only covers for her friends by going on a date. It is one of the most beloved and tragic love stories, making you cry and fall in love with the storyline.
10. Best Friend
Also known as Good Neighbor is a comedy film released in 2020, starring Oh Dal-Soo, Kim Byung-Chul, Jo Hyeon-cheol, Kim Sun-kyung, Jung Woo, Kim Hee-won, Lee Yu-bi, Ji Seung-hyun, and Yeom Hye-ran. Set in the 1980s, Lee Eun Shikimori is a famous politician and presidential candidate who has just returned from abroad to find that he has been placed under house arrest. He is suspected of corruption, so intelligence officers are tasked with tracking him. The scouts as a cover move into the house next door, but they soon start believing that he is honest, and doesn’t have anything to do with corruption.
