There are many K-dramas give us inspiring, hardworking, and memorable women. In this list, we will talk about some of the K-dramas which gave us unique female protagonists. We will talk about those female characters that make us root for them from the beginning till the end.
1. Strong Girl Bong-Soon
In this series, we follow our female protagonist, Do Bong-soon, a woman with extraordinary physical strength. This unique ability is only passed down among the women in her family. Her one goal in life is to develop a video game. Luckily, her path gets crossed with that of Ahn Min-Hyuk, the wealthy CEO of a video game company. Min-Hyuk makes a deal with her, which ends up with Bong-soon becoming his bodyguard. Throughout the series, we see Bong-soon come to terms with her powers and how they make her different from others. We see her love and accept herself, including her abilities. She is robust and resilient; we see her using her powers to protect her loved ones. By the end, fans are left satisfied and happy for our strong protagonist.
2. My Name
In My Name, we follow Yoon Ji-Woo, our female lead, on a journey to exact revenge. We learn that her father was brutally killed, which set Ji-Woo on a path of vengeance. We see that Ji-Woo had faced a lot of hardships in her life. She was forced to enter the crime world, work for a vicious crime boss, and fend for herself. Throughout the series, we see her becoming more vigorous and learn how to fight for herself. We see her stand up to her bullies and to any man who dared to lay their hands on her. From the very beginning, we are rooting for her to succeed in getting her revenge. Fans are left happy for Ji-Woo by the end as she can finally exact her revenge.
3. The Glory
In The Glory, our female protagonist, Moon Dong-Eun, has suffered horrific abuse from her bullies in high school. We see her suffer abuse from her bullies and at the hands of her teacher and mother. Time and time again, we see her get failed by the system that is supposed to protect her. Our rage grows with her. Finally, Moon decides to exact her revenge on those who have hurt and abused her, and we are there for the journey. The ending is highly satisfying. We see Dong-Eun transform from the victim to an intelligent and calculative woman, going to great lengths to achieve her revenge. We see her fall in love, and we are rooting for her every step of the way.
4. Crash Course In Romance
Here, in this series, we follow Nam Haeng-Seon, a single mother trying her best to look after and provide for her daughter and her brother, who has special needs. We discover that Haeng-Seon was once a talented athlete; however, after the death of her mother, she decides to open a shop and look after her family. We find that Haeng-Seon is exceptionally hardworking and kind. The most extraordinary aspect of this series is her relationship with her daughter, which causes fans to almost become teary-eyed. We root for her to find her way in life and happiness and love. Fans love the ending of this series, as our protagonist does indeed get what she deserves.
5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Here, we follow Woo Young-Woo, our main female lead, an extraordinarily talented and intelligent attorney who also falls on the autism spectrum. From the very beginning, we fall in love with Woo’s mannerisms and her nature. We see how she sees the world and develop a connection with her character. The conclusion of Extraordinary Attorney Woo is satisfying as she can find love and happiness.
6. Little Women
In this series, we follow our three main female leads who are sisters: In-Joo, the eldest. In-kyung, the middle child and In-Hye, the youngest. We see the sister try to navigate through their own lives and problems. We all see them try to deal with the massive debt collected by their father. We learn that sisters did not have a proper family to protect and look after them, and they were forced to look after and fend for not only themselves but also each other. We see the eldest of the three sisters, In-Joo, try her best to protect and look after her other two sisters. Despite the hardships and challenges faced by each of them, we are left extremely happy and satisfied by the ending.
7. Vincenzo
In Vincenzo, our female protagonist is Hong Cha-Yong, a spunky and brilliant lawyer. Even though her character is beloved by fans from the very first episode, we see her transform in the later episodes, especially after the death of her father. We see her trying to protect her people and avenge on those who harmed her father. She is a strong and fierce woman. However, with each passing episode, we grow fonder of her character and root for her. By the end, Cha-Yong can achieve what she had set out to do.
8. WWW
In this series, we follow Bae Ta Mi, Cha Hyeon, and Song Ga Kyung, all-powerful leading women in web companies. They are all in web companies that are competing. Several people assume that there would be a lot of drama and betrayal associated with this drama; however, it's clear that that is not the case. We see these women helping each other navigate through their lives. This series is an empowering series, making us root for all three women.
9. It's Okay To Not Be Okay
Despite fans not being sure how to first react to Ko Moon-Young, our female protagonist, due to her short temper and cold personality, we later find the reason behind her erratic behavior. It becomes clear that she has an antisocial personality disorder. We also learn about her past and find out that she was abused by her mother. By the end, we are rooting for as well as for our male protagonists to find love and security with each other. By the end, we love that our protagonists have been able to create a family of their own.
10. Hospital Playlist
In the Hospital Playlist, we have Chae Song-hwa, our female lead. She is the head of the neurosurgery department and the only female lead among the other five male protagonists. She is such a refreshing character. Not only is she dedicated to her work and her patients, but it’s clear that she has a deep bond with her friends and her family. She is headstrong, intelligent, kind, and empathetic. While working hard to build her career, she also has her own life. She is one of the healthiest characters I have seen. We root for her to find success in her work and her journey to find love and friendship.
