The narrative of numerous K-dramas is given more realism and emotional depth by basing them on actual occurrences. These true-story plays include heartbreaking tragedies and uplifting stories of human resiliency and accomplishment. They provide insights into South Korean culture and history as well as a window into the lives of actual people.
1. Taxi Driver
The production team and performers involved in this Korean drama handled the tale engagingly. Kim Do-gi (Lee Je-hoon), a cab firm driver, is the gripping story's subject. It could appear straightforward, but the business caters to individuals seeking retribution. In this drama, Do-gi deals with a lot of instances that are based on true stories. One of these is the Cho Doo Soon case, which included releasing a renowned child rapist from custody and sparked fierce public outcry. In 2023, the second season of this hugely popular crime drama will air.
2. Crash Landing On You
This well-liked K-drama depicts the thrilling story of a wealthy woman named Yoon Se-ri who, due to a paragliding accident, ends herself in North Korea by mistake. She can return home with upright North Korean captain Ri Jeong-Hyeok. The program accurately portrays North Korean life, but only some people know it is based on reality. The actress Jung Yang was aboard a leisure ferry boat off the coast of Incheon in 2008 when the event occurred, according to the story's author Park Ji Eun. Bad weather carried them away, and they nearly breached the Northern Limit Line, which separates the South from the North. Ji Eun started composing Crash Landing On You after realising this was the closest one could go to the other side.
3. Hwarang
The Hwarang, sometimes called the "flower knights," were significant figures in Silla Kingdom society in the tenth century. They were a select group of young men with knowledge of philosophy, theology, the arts, and martial skills from prestigious households. The play "Hwarang" romanticises hwarang mythology, as it is often portrayed in popular culture.
4. Signal
Detective Lee Jae Han (Jo Jin Woong) and criminal profiler Park Hae Young (Lee Je Hoon) teamed up to reexamine a cold case after the former overhears a radio broadcast. Due to the intersection of two timelines—the past and the present—the two decide to solve related unsolved crimes and identify the offender. The 1997 Park Chorong Bitnari abduction case and the notorious Hwaseong serial killings between 1986 and 1994, which went unsolved for several years, are the real-life incidents on which "Signal" is based. The program's creators brought up these horrific instances to honour the victims and warn viewers not to forget what occurred in the past.
5. The Hymn Of Death
"Hymn of Death" tells the tale of Yoon Shim Deok (Shin Hye Sun), a music student who meets and falls in love with dramatist Kim Woo Jin (Lee Jong Suk), set against the backdrop of Japan's colonisation of Korea. However, Woo Jin has already been married, so they split up. Years later, Shim Deok, now a soprano singer, runs into him again, and they immediately fall in love. Do the lovers give in or take matters into their own hands since their connection is considered unlawful in the eyes of society? "Hymn of Death" is based on the tragic love affair between Kim Woo Jin, a literary critic, and Yun Sim Deok, Korea's first soprano singer. Yoon Shim Deok left behind a recording called "Eulogy of Death," different versions of the song she sang have been reworked over time.
6. Fight For My Way
According to the show's writer, a mixed martial artist named Choo Sung Hoon and his wife, Yano Shiho, are said to have inspired the tale of the television program Fight For My Way. He wrote about professional fighters and the ups and downs they experienced after seeing Shihi cry during her husband's battle. The show focuses on the charming relationship between Cho Ae Ra, an employee of a department store who dreams of being a television anchor, and Ko Dong Man, a former taekwondo competitor who is now an MMA fighter.
7. Queen For Seven Days
Based on the actual experiences of Queen Dangyeong, who Park Min Young portrayed in this well-known K-drama. The Joseon-era Queen rose to prominence in the early 1500s alongside Yeon Woo Jin's portrayal of King Jungjong. In one program episode, someone unexpectedly overthrew her rule after only seven days. This program, one of the finest K-dramas based on historical events, tells the story of Queen Dangyeong, renowned for having the shortest reign in history.
8. Listen To Love
A public forum inquiry may serve as the basis for a whole play. This play, a replica of a Japanese program, demonstrates that. This oddball story, also known as My Wife's Having an Affair This Week in other places, began when a guy posted a question on a siteThis week, my wife is having an affair. What should I do? was his well-received query. It became a viral online moment and made headlines because of a question that hundreds of couples having trouble maintaining their relationships could relate to. This humorous yet familiar story is brought to the big screen by Lee Sun-gyun as Do Hyun-woo and Song Ji-hyo as Jung So-yeon.
9. Misaeng
As it addresses the harsh realities and unflinching brutal facts of office life, Misaeng is a highly relatable drama. For instance, the company's culture encourages workplace bullying by not caring much about its employees, especially the junior ones. And how newbies are frequently at risk for abuse, such as being made to complete tedious tasks unrelated to their occupations. And sexual misconduct. How the male staff members would deliver innuendos while faking humour. And the terrible persistence of gender prejudice today. Women must stand out to develop in a company; otherwise, they risk being overlooked and possibly subjected to discrimination—incredibly trivial rules like being forbidden from wearing high heels subject women. The author of the drama based the story on his own experiences working in a setting like that.
10. The Crowned Clown
Literal drama" The Crowned zany" takes place during the Joseon Dynasty. King Yeonsan-gun, who was renowned for his unpredictable behaviour and violent temper, is the subject of the play, which is largely based on his life.
