Over the past few years, K-Dramas have ventured into multiple genres of storytelling, and addressing social issues has also been one of them. These dramas have touched on mental health, bullying, working-class problems, and more. The Korean industry has been evolving from the constrained stories of romance to a more subtle and real form of expressing them. They try to create a platform for the audience to address these issues and claim their rights. Let’s dive into some of the top 10 Korean dramas based on social issues:
1. Our Blues
This Netflix drama was released in 2022 and was written by the renowned writer, Noh Hee-Kyung. This drama stood out for the pure realism that had been portrayed through different stories of people living and working on Jeju Island. It addressed issues like depression, single mothers, abuse, teenage pregnancy, psychological diseases, and more. It ensured that the major social taboos are covered, so as to inculcate a feeling of courage and acceptance amongst the audience. The actors did a splendid job in portraying the emotions which helped the audience delve and live in the story.
2. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
This 2022 drama focused on portraying autism and spreading awareness about it. The story is based on a 27-year-old woman, who had autism but at the same time, was also gifted with amazing intelligence. It revolved around Woo Young Woo’s journey as a lawyer with autism and how she juggles the different phases of life. A pure and resonating expression of emotions was done by the lead actress, Park Eun Bin. This show aimed to create a change in the stereotypical portrayal of mental health diseases by showing how they are also capable of succeeding on professional grounds.
3. Dear, My Friends
This drama was released in 2016 and was once again written by Noh Hee-Kyung. This award-winning drama tried to bridge the gap between adults and their aging parents and a realistic portrayal of friends who stay through thick and thin. It revolves around a translator, Park Wan, who was often being nagged by her mother to meet her aged friends, one day agreed to do so. This show eventually takes the audience on a journey of these friends who sail through rediscovering themselves and enjoying life amongst friends and family.
4. When The Camellia Blooms
This 2019 drama is about self-discovery, divorce, single parenting, finding love, and courage. This drama is a rom-com thriller, which revolves around an orphan, Oh Dong-Baek who eventually becomes a single mother and finds love again, with a good-natured police officer. The plot also focuses on her finding courage amidst the struggles and obstacles that life throws at her. This drama also has a touch of thrill with its storyline, revolving around a serial killer, that hooks the audience till the end.
5. True Beauty
This webtoon adaptation revolved around a high school girl, Lim Joo Kyung, who was very insecure about her face since childhood when she was bullied for the same. She later used makeup as her saviour from her own insecurities and completely changed her look. This drama portrayed the reality of bullying, fighting back, and accepting ourselves the way we are. The romance in this drama was also pure in nature which taught the audience to love their partners the way they are.
6. Start-Up
This 2020, romance drama, revolved around the journeys of young individuals working in startup companies. Aspiring to become Steve Jobs of Korea, Seo Dal-mi a college dropout decides to work part-time jobs. The story later portrays her joining Sandox, the fictional Silicon Valley of Korea where she meets an intelligent man, who owns a struggling company. Start-Up also had a well-known cast of actors like Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-Ho, and Kim Hae-Seok. This drama attracted a massive fanbase for its portrayal of the reality of young entrepreneurs and how they found love in the chaos.
7. Something In The Rain
This romance drama was released in 2018 and revolved around a single woman, in her 30s, who lost hope in finding someone and eventually fell in love with a guy younger than her. Jin-ah was a district supervisor of a coffeehouse, who reconnected with her best friend’s brother after many years. This kindled a spark between them which later bloomed into a beautiful love story. This story focused on aspects of pure love and also portrayed the reality of workplace abuse. The star-studded cast, Son Ye-jin, and Yoon Jin-ah did a fantastic job of showing what the story really was.
8. Extracurricular
This 2020 drama focused on aspects like juvenile crimes, bullying, and the pressure for excelling in everything that one does. The story was based on Ji-Soo, an excellent student in the eyes of the teachers and someone who chose to focus on his studies rather than making friends. However, the tables are turned when the dark personality of Ji-Soo was shown to the audience, through different incidents of violence, abuse, and more. The story also touches on topics like sex trafficking and slavery, which makes it worth a watch!
9. Thirty-Nine
This heartfelt drama was released in 2022 and revolved around three friends who have been together through thick and thin and experience love, life, and heartbreaks before turning 40. It had a factual yet emotive perspective on the struggles of life. Every failure, sudden death, and psychological change in people was addressed. This drama moved the audience to tears with its storyline and the purity with which the emotions were portrayed. The show also fulfilled all expectations of the audience, through its amazing cast of actors like Son Ye-Jin, Jeon Mi-Do, and Kim Ji-Hyun.
10. Hello, My Twenties!
This 2016 drama, journeys around the lives of 5 girls, who are in their twenties with contrasting personalities, living in the same house. The plot shows different aspects of struggles like self-esteem, relationships, breakups, and struggling between part-time jobs and tuition fees, that people in their twenties generally go through. The realistic perception of adulthood and the cast of actors like Park Eun-Bin, Park Hye-Soo, Han Ye-Ri, and others, made it a binge-worth series of romance, comedy, and friendship.
