14 Tremendous K-dramas You Need To Watch In August (+ 1 Netflix J-drama)!

It’s boiling hot outside so is there anything better than staying inside with the fan on, a big tub of ice cream, and an addictive K-drama to watch? Absolutely not. Get ready because, in August, 14 excellent K-dramas are coming out (and most of them will be released internationally so worry not!). Netflix is also releasing a new J-drama soon — so this month, we’re spoilt for choice!

Here are 14 brand-new K-dramas (+ 1 J-drama) that will keep you company this hot month of August:

• Release date: August 2nd, 2024
• Network: MBN (internationally, you can catch it on U-Next and Viki)
• Episodes: 16
• Main cast: Kim Jae-joong, Jin Se-yeon, Lee Jong-won and Yang Hye-ji
• Where have I seen these people before? Kim Jae-joong was the lead in KBS’s Spy, Jin Se-yeon led TV Chosun’s Queen: Love and War, Lee Jong-won was incredible in MBC’s Knight Flower and Yang Hye-ji was part of the supporting cast of Netflix’s Sweet Home 2 and 3 as well as SBS’s Revenant.
• Writer: Jung Eun-young (co-writer for tvN’s What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim)
• Director: Kim Na-young and Yoon Ji-hoon (this is their first title)

After a complicated injury, Lee Goon’s (Kim Jae-joong) future as a tennis player falls apart and his self-esteem is crushed. He undergoes a “memory erasing” procedure and regains his self-confidence. Surrounded by psychiatrist Kyeong Joo-yeon (Jin Se-yeon), his younger brother Lee Shin (Lee Jong-won), and translator Jeon Sae-yan (Yang Hye-ji), Lee Goon needs to discover who he truly is and heal his heart.

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• Release date: August 7th, 2024
• Network: TVING (internationally, you can catch it on KOCOWA)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Hwang Seung-eon and Im Seul-ong
• Where have I seen these people before? Hwang Seung-eon was one of the protagonists of MBC’s When I Was the Most Beautiful while Im Seul-ong was part of the supporting cast of tvN’s The Player 2 and SBS’s Mrs. Cop 2.
• Writer: Kim Yun-ah (this is her first K-drama title)
• Director: Min Doo-shik (from Viki’s Rich Man)

Seventy years after the end of the Korean War, a peace village project is implemented in the DMZ in Goseong, Gangwon Province. There, South Korean genius pianist Im Joo-hyung (Im Seul-ong) and North Korean skilled pharmacist Ha Na-kyung (Hwang Seung-eon) start living together. Their completely different backgrounds and personalities ignite a relationship that will change their lives forever.

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• Release date: August 10th, 2024
• Network: jTBC (internationally, you can catch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Ji Jin-hee, Kim Ji-soo, Son Na-eun, Choi Min-ho and Yoon San-ha
• Where have I seen these people before? Ji Jin-hee was incredible in jTBC’s Misty and tvN’s Designated Survivor: 60 Days. This is Kim Ji-soo’s first project since tvN’s High Class (2021) and Son Na-eun was in jTBC’s superb Agency (which should’ve received more attention). You might have seen Min-ho recently in Netflix’s The Fabulous.
• Writer: Kim Young-yoon (from OCN’s My Secret Romance)
• Director: Kim Da-ye (from jTBC’s Salon De Nabi)

Byeon Mu-jin (Ji Jin-hee) and Geum Ye-yeon (Kim Ji-soo) were married. They had two children together, Mi-rae (Son Na-eun) and Hyun-jae (Yoon San-ha). Mu-jin’s several failed businesses led him to bankruptcy and, eventually, divorce. Then, Ye-Yeon raised their two kids on her own and Mi-rae, seeing her mother’s struggles, grew up determined to become someone she could rely on. Eleven years later, Mi-rae is the one taking care of their family.

One day, Mu-jin returns — now as a multi-billionaire who owns the building where his family lives. He would like to get back together with Ye-yeon but Mi-rae is dead against the idea. Are they going to become family once again?

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• Release date: August 12th, 2024
• Network: ENA/Genie TV
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Son Hyun-joo and Kim Myung-min
• Where have I seen these people before? Son Hyun-joo paired up with Jang Seung-jo in jTBC’s excellent The Good Detective while Kim Myung-min led jTBC’s Law School.
• Writer: Kim Jae-hwan (from Coupang Play’s Boyhood)
• Director: Yoo Jong-sun (from tvN’s Secret Royal Inspector & Joy)

Song Pan-ho (Son Hyun-joo) is a well-known judge who has lived a righteous life led by his strong sense of justice. However, when his son commits murder, he’s conflicted and ends up covering up his crime. Meanwhile, Kim Gang-heon (Kim Myung-min) is a cruel mobster but a loving father. When his son is killed, he’s determined to find his killer. This is a remake of Showtime’s Your Honor (US, 2020), which, in turn, was a remake of the original Kvodo (Israel, 2017).

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• Release date: August 14th, 2024
• Network: Disney+
• Episodes: 4
• Main cast: Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo and Jo Yoon-soo
• Where have I seen these people before? If you watched tvN’s incredibly successful Our Blues, you’ll recognise Cha Seung-won. This is Kim Seon-ho’s first K-drama since tvN’s incredible Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. Kim Kang-woo was recently in MBC’s Wonderful World and this is Jo Yoon-soo’s first credit as part of a lead cast. Previously, she had a supporting role in tvN’s The Killer’s Shopping List.
• Writer and Director: Park Hoon-jung (this is his first K-drama but, recently, he wrote and directed The Childe, with Kim Seon-ho and Go Ara)

The Korean government was secretly developing a bioweapon that could enhance human abilities as part of the Tyrant Program. One day, a US intelligence agency discovered the project and demanded its immediate termination. When the bioweapon was being handed over to the US, an attack by Director Choi (Kim Seon-Ho) intercepted it successfully. That’s when foreign intelligence agent Paul (Kim Kang-woo) steps in: he has to recover and destroy it once and for all. To make things worse, former agent Lim Sang-won (Cha Seung-won) has been getting rid of everyone who has ever been involved in the project. With all these elements in play, a race starts to acquire the very last sample of the Tyrant Program. The Tyrant shares the universe of Park Hoon-jung’s feature The Witch.

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• Release date: August 14th, 2024
• Network: KBS2 (internationally, you can catch it on VIU and Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Park Ju-hyun, Yoon Se-ah, Kim Byung-chul and Kim Young-dae
• Where have I seen these people before? Park Ju-hyun was in MBC’s The Forbidden Marriage and KBS2’s Love All Play. Netflix’s fans will recognise Yoon Se-ah from recent releases: Sweet Home 2 and 3 as well as Hierarchy. I’m sure you remember Kim Byung-chul from jTBC’s Doctor Cha and Kim Young-dae from ENA/Genie TV’s Moon in the Day.
• Writer: the webtoon it’s based on (Perfect Family) was created by Nyangpa and Joo Eun
• Director: Yukisada Isao (this is the first time a K-drama is directed by a Japanese director; Yukisada is famous for 2001’s Go! and 2017’s Narratage)

Successful lawyer Choi Jin-hyeok (Kim Byung-chul) is married to former neuropsychiatrist and now housewife Ha Eun-joo (Yoon Se-ah). They are loving parents to their adoptive daughter Choi Sun-hee, a beautiful and intelligent student. Their seemingly perfect family starts to fall apart when Sun-hee gets involved in a murder case.

• Release date: August 16th, 2024
• Network: MBC
• Episodes: 14
• Main cast: Byun Yo-han, Go Jun, Go Bo-gyeol and Kim Bo-ra
• Where have I seen these people before? Before 2024, Byun Yo-han’s last project had been tvN’s Mr. Sunshine. But this year, we’ve been lucky: you might have also watched him in Disney+’s Uncle Samsik. Go Jun led KBS2’s Cheat on Me If You Can and tvN’s Oh My Baby. Go Bo-gyeol was part of the main cast of tvN’s Hi Bye Mama! while Kim Bo-ra had a supporting role in ENA’s Like Flowers in Sand.
• Writer: Seo Joo-yeon (from OCN’s Save Me 2)
• Director: Byun Young-joo (this is his first K-drama; he directed 2012’s Helpless) and Lee Kyoo-man (also his first K-drama, of 2022’s The Policeman’s Lineage fame)
• Adapted from: Nele Neuhaus’s novel Snow White Must Die

Ko Jung-woo (Byun Yo-han) was a promising student who was arrested at 19 and charged with the murder of two of his classmates. Since the bodies were never found and he couldn’t remember whether he’d really committed the crime, he goes to jail and spends the next 10 years there. When he’s released, he gets stuck in his hometown where he meets Detective No Sang-cheol (Ko Jun). Once an elite detective, Detective No’s life was derailed when his bride was murdered. Together, Detective No and Jun-woo look for the truth behind this 10-year-old mystery.

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• Release date: August 17th, 2024
• Network: tvN (internationally, you can catch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 16
• Main cast: Jung Hae-in and Jung So-min
• Where have I seen these people before? From a guest role in tvN’s Goblin and a supporting role in SBS’s While You Were Sleeping to leading jTBC’s Snowdrop and Netflix’s D.P., Jung Hae-in doesn’t need introductions. I think the same applies to Jung So-min: tvN’s Alchemy of Souls, KBS2’s Soul Mechanic, and (one of my all-time favourites) tvN’s Because This is My First Life are only a few of her credits.
• Writer: Shin Ha-eun (from tvN’s Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha)
• Director: Yoo Je-won (from tvN’s Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha)

From the creators of the extraordinary Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Love Next Door is probably one of the most anticipated K-dramas coming out this year.

When Choi Seung-hyo (Jung Hae-in) and Bae Seok-ryu (Jung So-min) were young, their moms became good friends. That led to the two of them spending most of their childhood together. Far from perfect, these years are full of awkward moments between the two. Years later, Seung-hyo is a charming young man who is also a talented and successful architect. Seok-ryu grew up to be a star student who got a job at a large company right after she graduated from university. After she decides to quit her job, the now unemployed Seok-ryu and famous architect Seung-hyo meet again.

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• Release: August 17th, 2024
• Network: TV Chosun (internationally, you can catch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 16
• Cast: Choi Si-won, Jung In-sun, Lee Tae-hwan, and Jung Eugene.
• Where have I seen these people before? Recently, Choi Si-won was in TVING’s Work Later, Drink Now series and ENA’s Love Is For Suckers. I believe you remember Jung In-sun in jTBC’s hilarious Welcome to Waikiki and MBC’s Terius Behind Me.
• Writer: Jung Soo-mi (from KBS2’s Born Again)
• Director: Sung Chi-woo (from MBC’s Tomorrow and Kairos)

Han So-jin (Jung In-sun) is a geeky genetic researcher who, after breaking up with her awful boyfriend, decides to find a genetically compatible partner. She meets OBGYN Shim Yeon-woo (Choi Si-won) and firefighter Seo Kang-hoon (Lee Tae-hwan). As they navigate love, genetics, and adult life, who’s going to become So-jin’s perfect match?

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• Release date: August 23rd, 2024
• Network: Apple TV+
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Kim Min-ha, Lee Min-ho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Jin Ha
• Where have I seen these people before? Before Pachinko, you might have watched Kim Min-ha in MBC’s Partners for Justice. And Lee Min-ho? Do I even have to mention it? SBS’s The King: Eternal Monarch? SBS’s Legend of the Blue Sea? Or the classic The Heirs (SBS)?
• Writer: Soo Hugh (the same writer as the first season)
• Directors: Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen, Lee Sang-Il (from 2022’s Wandering)
• Adapted from: Lee Min-jin’s novel Pachinko

Following the end of the first season, Sun-ja struggles to protect her family during WWII while Solomon needs a fresh start in 1989 Tokyo. Years later, elder Sun-ja is worried about her grandchild.

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• Release date: August 23rd, 2024
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Kim Yoon-seok, Yoon Kye-sang, Go Min-si and Lee Jung-eun
• Where have I seen these people before? This is Kim Yoon-seok’s first television project since MBC’s Love Me When You Can (2006). I hope you’ve seen jTBC’s beautiful Chocolate. If yes, you’ll recognise Yoon Kye-sang. This is Go Min-si’s third Netflix project in a row, after Sweet Home 2 and 3. And if you’re following jTBC’s Miss Night and Day (like I am!), you’ll wonder if Lee Jung-eun has had a day off this year.
• Writer: Son Ho-young (from tvN’s Drama Stage 2020: Everyone Is There)
• Director: Mo Wan-Il (from jTBC’s The World of the Married)

Koo Sang-joon (Yoon Kye-sang) used to run a vacation cottage deep in the woods. He and his family lived there together until an incident made them lose everything. Back then, Yoon Bo-min (Lee Jung-eun) worked as a police officer nearby. Twenty years later, the cottage is now run by Jeon Young-ha (Kim Yoon-seok), whose peaceful life is turned upside down by a mysterious guest, Yoo Sung-a (Go Min-si). Bo-min is now the chief of the local police station and she keeps an eye on Young-ha and his cottage.

When Ha Yoon-seo (Shin Hyun-bin) was young, she escaped her home with her baby brother because of domestic violence. She grows up to be an independent and rational person who now works as the team leader at a large company. Yoon-seo starts dating Seo Joo-won (Moon Sang-min), a younger staff member. In a proper soap opera twist, Yoon-seo finds out that Joo-won is actually the heir to the company when his mother reaches out to her, offering her money to break them up. Having seen the worst the world has to offer, Yoon-seo accepts the money and lets Joo-won go. However, Joo-won is a loving and optimistic person who decides to do whatever it takes to change her mind.

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• Release date: August 26th, 2024
• Network: tvN (internationally, you can catch it on Amazon Prime Video)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Shin Min-ah and Kim Young-dae
• Where have I seen these people before? This is a proper Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha month: you might remember Shin Min-ah as Dentist Yoon Hye-jin. Or from tvN’s Our Blues (with her powerful performance as Seon-ah). This is Kim Young-dae’s second K-drama this month (see Perfect Family above).
• Writer: Kim Hye-young (from tvN’s Her Private Life)
• Director: Kim Jung-shik (from jTBC’s Strong Girl Namsoon)

Son Hae-young (Shin Min-ah) is an expert in profit and loss calculation. She even calculates the break-even point in her relationships and hates losing money in any circumstance. When she’s about to be passed over for a promotion, she sets up a fake wedding to turn things around. To be her fake fiance, she finds Kim Ji-wook (Kim Young-dae), a young and kind-hearted part-time cashier. How will their fake marriage work?

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• Release date: August 29th, 2024
• Network: TVING (internationally, you can catch it on Amazon Prime)
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Jun Jong-seo, Kim Moo-yul and Ji Chang-wook
• Where have I seen these people before? You might have seen Jun Jong-seo in Netflix’s Money Heist or Ballerina. Kim Moo-yul was in Netflix’s Sweet Home 2 and 3 while Ji Chang-wook… where do I even start? Well, his latest title was jTBC’s Welcome to Samdal-ri but I’m sure you remember him in KBS2’s Healer or tvN’s The K2.
• Writer: Lee Byeong-hak (from 2014’s The Royal Tailor)
• Director: Jung Se-kyo (from 2020’s Oh! My Gran)

After King Gogukcheon of Goguryeo (Ji Chang-Wook) dies, Queen Woo (Jun Jong-Seo) needs to stand against five tribes that want to seize power and has 24 hours to establish a new king. Based on the real tale of the queen of Goguryeo, the first woman in history to become queen twice.

[J-Drama Bonus!] Chastity High

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• Release date: August 29th, 2024
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Mikami Ai and Miyase Ryubi
• Where have I seen these people before? Ai Mikami was part of the supporting cast of Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho while you might have seen Ryubi Miyase in TBS’s I Will Be Your Bloom.
• Writer: Shinozaki Eriko (from WOWOW’s Rakujitsu) and Shuto Rin (from WOWOW’s Ningen Kowai)
• Director: Yasukawa Yuka (from 2019’s 21st Century Girl), Matsumoto Soushi (from WOWOW’s Nagatan to Aoto: Ichika no Ryourijou) and Ota Ryo (from TV Tokyo’s Konya Sukiyaki Dayo)
• Recommended to K-drama fans who enjoyed Netflix’s Extracurricular, SBS’s Everything and Nothing, and OCN’s Class of Lies

During her second year of high school, Arisawa Ichika’s (Mikami Ai) elite girls’ high school merges with an all-boys school and becomes coeducational. The students’ excitement dies down quickly when the school implements a rule that forbids students from dating. If caught, students are immediately expelled. To make sure that they are respecting the rules, the school also starts a “rabbit hunt”, that is, constant monitoring by the student council of the neighbourhood and love hotels nearby.

Ichika, who doesn’t come from a rich family, starts working as a “love keeper” to help her mother. She gets paid to erase evidence of the students who have violated the rules. She becomes a sort of heroine to the pupils and, after she falls in love herself, she decides to sue the school and bring down their irrational policies.

Loosely based on real-life events, in which a young girl filed a lawsuit against a Japanese school that banned romance between students (can you believe that?)

So many good shows coming up! Have you chosen your favourite ones yet? Share in the comments the ones you’ll be watching (I’m still figuring out how to find time to watch most of them but you’ll definitely find me on Netflix on August 17th! *wink wink*).