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Reena Koh
2023-02-20T08:50:59Z
- In recent years, South Korean dramas have been gaining massive popularity and attention globally.
- AfterSquid Game's success, Netflix's Korean dramas have reached and grown a large international following.
- Here are the top six K-dramas that have topped Netflix's Top 10 Global Non-English chart.
In recent years, South Korean entertainment has taken the world by storm, from K-pop, to K-dramas, and even K-survival shows.
Particularly on Netflix, Korean TV shows have been dominating global charts. Just last week, six of Netflix's Top 10 Global Non-English TV shows were Korean.
It's undeniable that the K-wave is huge, and it's here to stay.
Here are the six South Korean dramas that topped Netflix's Top 10 Global Non-English chart, and stayed in the top 10 for more than four weeks.
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6. The Glory
Inspired by true events that happened in South Korea, "The Glory" is centered on a woman named Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), who risks her whole life plotting an elaborate revenge on her high school bullies.
The show was released on Netflix on December 30 last year, and proceeded to top Netflix's Top 10 Global Non-English chart in the following week with more than 82 million hours viewed in that week.
Through compelling storytelling by renowned screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, the drama shines a spotlight on the severe bullying problem that plagues South Korea.
Season two of the show is slated to be released on March 10, according to Netflix.
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5. Juvenile Justice
Released on February 25 last year, "Juvenile Justice" topped and stayed on Netflix's Top 10 chart for seven weeks straight.
The story follows the protagonist Shim Eun-seok (played by Kim Hye-soo), a stern and seemingly unfeeling judge of the Juvenile Court.
Each episode features a unique case that highlights the various serious societal issues involving juveniles in South Korea. Certain episodes also drew inspiration from true cases that happened in the country in the past.
Unlike many other criminal justice TV shows, "Juvenile Justice" sheds light on the difficulties juveniles face in the social and legal system through heart-rending stories.
Although the show received overwhelming support for a second season, the production of season two was confirmed by South Korean news to be canceled in the pre-production process.
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4. All of Us Are Dead
Who doesn't like a good zombie series? The thrilling zombie apocalypse in "All of Us Are Dead" takes place in a high school, where a group of high-schoolers are left to defend themselves after a sudden zombie outbreak.
The show topped and stayed on the Top 10 chart for 11 weeks, and is the fourth most popular Non-English TV show of all time based on the hours viewed in its first 28 days on Netflix, right behind Money Heist: Part 4.
Based on a webtoon of the same title, the series had almost 561 million hours viewed within the first month of its release.
Netflix has announced the show's renewal for season two, though the release date has not been confirmed yet.
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3. Business Proposal
Based on a viral web novel and webtoon that garnered more than 450 million views worldwide even before the shows release, "Business Proposal" is a light-hearted rom-com about an office worker Shin Ha-ri (played by Kim Se-jeong) who gets unwittingly entangled in an office romance when she accepts to go on a blind date in place of her friend. Turns out that the date is actually her boss.
The show topped the chart for three consecutive weeks, and stayed on the chart for a total of 13 weeks.
Despite immense popularity, the show has not been renewed for a second season.
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2. Extraordinary Attorney Woo
The protagonist, Woo Young-woo (played by Park Eun-bin), is a young lawyer on the autism spectrum in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo". The show gained immense popularity for its positive and accurate portrayal of a person on the spectrum, raising awareness of the difficulties and prejudice that the community frequently face.
Following its immense success worldwide, remakes of the drama in the US and other countries are under discussion, according to South China Morning Post.
@hahasammiprank 우 to the 영 to the 우 동 to the 그 to the 라미🤗 #prank #koreangirl #koreanboy #koreancouple #tiktokchallenge #extraordinaryattorneywoo #wooyoungwoogreetings ♬ WooYoungWooGreeting - KOJOOBOO
The character's catchphrase has even been made into a trend on TikTok, with nearly 94,000 videos made with the sound "WooYoungWooGreeting".
According to a Korean this news source, the CEO of the production company that made the show announced that they will aim to release a second season sometime in 2024.
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1. Squid Game
Not hearing anything about this show that made history in both Korean and International media would have been virtually impossible in the last two years.
As the most watched show ever on Netflix, with at least 2.2 billion hours viewed, "Squid Game" has broken a series of records and received a few Emmies.
"Squid Game" revolves around a dystopian contest where 456 players compete to their deaths till one remains to go home with a $38 million cash prize.
The cultural impact that the nine-episode "Squid Game" series had on the international entertainment world has been mindblowing. Tons of content inspired by the show has since been created and sold on various platforms. According to CNBC, the show was said to have generated more than $900 million in impact value for Netflix.
According to director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the second season of the show will star some characters from season one. A release date for season two has yet to be confirmed.
Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.
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