Can you believe it’s June already? Half of the year is pretty much gone and we’ve had some intense obsessions during this first semester: did you watch Queen of Tears? Or maybe Lovely Runner? Marry My Husband, anyone? It’s time for a brand-new calendar with the releases for June. Are you ready?
- Release date: Premiered in April at Cannes. We don’t have an exact date yet, but we expect it to come out this June.
- Network: U+ Mobile TV (international release to be confirmed)
- Episodes: 7 (of 30 minutes each as presented at Cannes)
- Cast: Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Ha-sun, DEX, Go Gyu-pil, Seo Ji-hoon, Lee Joo-bin, Kim Sung-tae, Ham Eun-jung and Oh Yu-jin.
- Where have I seen these people before? Who doesn’t know Cho Yeo-jeong? Of course, you remember her as the matriarch of the rich family in Parasite. Recently, she was in tvN’s High Class too. But we also have Park Ha-sun from tvN’s Birthcare Center, Go Gyu-pil from tvN’s Crash Landing on You, Seo Ji-hoon from tvN’s My Lovely Liar, Lee Joo-bin from tvN’s Queen of Tears and so on. They are all leads of their own episode, though.
- Writer: Kyung Min-sun (from KBS2’s Gumiho Recipe)
- Director: Choi Byung-gil (from tvN’s High Class)
Even though Cannes didn’t feature a huge amount of Korean films this year, Studio X+U’s Tarot was officially invited to the Festival International des Sรฉries de Cannes (the TV show-equivalent of the Cannes Film Festival) and it premiered to praise from the local audience.
It seems that despite being produced and initially marketed as a short series, Tarot will be released in June as a film. On a later date, it’ll also come out as a short series.
This is the official synopsis from the festival website:
A cursed message that comes to you for no apparent cause or reason. Stories about urban legends that could happen to anyone, anywhere, in the backdrop of Seoul, 2024. As families, neighbors, and strangers go on with their daily lives, mysterious incidents that are hard to tell if they are dreams or reality start to occur. Every episode begins with the main character discovering a tarot card. They either choose to believe or ignore the tarot cards that supposedly predict the future, but no one knows how the story will end. Soon after, they experience extreme horrors, that are exactly the opposite of what the tarot cards foretold. Tarot cards may foresee the larger flow of your fate, but they also have reversed and double meanings depending on how they are interpreted, which resembles our lives. Tarot is an omnibus short-form drama where each episode delivers unexpected twists and turns.
- Release date: Jun 3rd, 2024
- Network: tvN (internationally, you should be able to catch it on Viki)
- Episodes: 12
- Cast: Song Seung-heon, Lee Si-un, Tae Won-seok and Jang Gyu-ri.
- Where have I seen these people before? Recently, you might have seen Song Seung-heon in Netflix’s Black Knight or tvN’s Voice 4.
- Writer: Park Sang-moon (from O’liveโs Dear My Room)
- Director: Go Jae-hyun (from KBS2โs Cafรฉ Minamdang) and So Jae-hyun (from TVING’s The Witch’s Diner)
Sequel to OCN’s Player (2018) with a few cast changes, Player 2 continues the tale of a highly-skilled group of swindlers (including scammers, hackers, fighters, and so on) that come together to (seize) illegally acquired fortunes.
- Release date: Jun 7th, 2024
- Network: Netflix
- Episodes: 7
- Cast: Roh Jeong-eui, Lee Chae-min, Kim Jae-won, Ji Hye-won and Lee Won-jung.
- Where have I seen these people before? I’m sure you remember Roh Jeong-eui in KBS2’s Dear.M, SBS’s Our Beloved Summer, and jTBC’s 18 Again. Lee Chae-min’s most recent role was in tVN’s See You in My 19th Life and Kim Jae-won was in jTBC’s King The Land.
- Writer: Choo Hye-mi (from tVNโs About Time)
- Director: Bae Hyun-jin (from MBC’s Big Mouth and tVN’s Alchemy of Souls 2)
Established by the conglomerate Jooshin Group, Jooshin High School is considered to be the most prestigious school in South Korea and only accepts children who were chosen at birth. As you can imagine, the body of students is composed of heirs to politicians, traditional families, and big conglomerates. When Kang Ha (Lee Chae-min) is strangely transferred to Jooshin, secrets start to come out and the establishment becomes threatened.
- Release date: Jun 12th, 2024
- Network: jTBC (internationally, you should be able to catch it on Viki)
- Episodes: 16
- Cast: Um Tae-goo, Han Sun-hwa, and Kwon Yool.
- Where have I seen these people before? Um Tae-goo was in tvN’s Hometown a few years ago, Han Sun-hwa played one of the leads in the Work Later, Drink Now series (TVING), and Kwon Yool is currently part of the main cast of SBS’s Connection.
- Writer: Na Kyung (This is her first TV screenwriter credit)
- Director: Kim Woo-hyun (from jTBC’s Ode to Our Youth) and Kim Young-hwan (SBS’s Today’s Webtoon)
- Based on the web novel of the same name by Park Soo-Jung & Yool-Pi.
Seo Ji-hwan (Um Tae-goo) used to be a gangster. He’s decided to embark on a journey of redemption for his past sins by dismantling gangs and reforming ex-convicts.
Meanwhile, his childhood friend Go Eun-ha (Han Sun-hwa) has grown up to become a kids’ content creator. One day, they meet again by chance. Optimistic, warm, and full of gratitude for their younger days, Eun-ha decides to help him build a better life.
- Release date: Jun 15th, 2024
- Network: jTBC (international release hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we’re guessing Netflix)
- Episodes: 16
- Cast: Lee Jung-eun, Jung Eun-ji, Choi Jin-hyuk, and Yoon Byung-hee.
- Where have I seen these people before? If you’re new to K-dramas, you probably remember Lee Jung-eun as the crazy housekeeper in Parasite. But let me tell you, she’s a talented veteran and recently, she’s been in Netflix’s marvellous Daily Dose of Sunshine and tvN’s Our Blues. Jung Eun-ji has been part of the cast of the TVING’s Work Later, Drink Now series and tvN’s Blind.
- Writer: Park Ji-ha (from SBS’s Good Casting)
- Director: Lee Hyung-min (from jTBC’s Chocolate and Strong Woman Do Bong Soon)
Lee Mi-jin (Jung Eun-ji) is a job seeker in her 20’s. She’s been making do with part-time jobs while studying to get as many certificates as possible. One day, she wakes up in the body of Im Soon (Lee Jung-eun), a 50-something-year-old.
What was supposed to be a one-day aberration becomes the norm when Mi-jin sees herself spending her days as the Im Soon persona and her nights as her 20s self. She decides to take advantage of this situation and manages to secure a job as an intern at Seohan District Public Prosecutors’ Office. An adroit and sociable professional, Im Soon succeeds under Prosecutor Kye Ji-woong (Choi Jin-hyuk) and receives the title of โall-rounder intern.โ
Im Soon might be one of the first to put up with Prosecutor Kye Ji-woong, whose strict attitude constantly drives his colleagues up the wall and makes them resign. Things get tricky when Ji-woong meets Mi-jin one night.
- Release date: Jun 17th, 2024
- Network: KBS2
- Episodes: 100
- Cast: Han Chae-young, Han Bo-reum, Choi Woong, and Kim Kyu-Seon.
- Where have I seen these people before? You might have seen Han Chae-young in MBC’s A Pledge to God and KBS2’s Bel Ami. Back in the day, she was also part of the cast of KBS2’s Boys Over Flowers. Han Bo-reum was in SBS’s The Escape of the Seven and she had a small role in tvN’s Memories of the Alhambra.
- Writer: Hwang Soon-young (from KBS2’s Red Shoes)
- Director: Choi Ji-yeong (from KBS1’s Apple of My Eye)
Moon Jung-in (Han Chae-young) is an ambitious woman who stole her husband’s fortune and ran away. She becomes very successful and opens an entertainment company. She meets an aspiring actor, Seo Jin-ho (Choi Woong), who is engaged to her estranged daughter Baek Seol-ah (Han Bo-reum).
The complicated relationship between Jung-in and Seol-ah becomes even worse when Jin-ho disappears.
- Release date:
Jun 22nd, 2024UPDATE: DNA Lover is now being released on August 17th instead ๐ - Network: TV Chosun (still waiting to hear on an international release)
- 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?
- Release date: Jun 28th, 2024
- Network: Netflix
- Episodes: 12
- Cast: Sol Kyung-gu and Kim Hee-ae
- Where have I seen these people before? This is the first TV show Sol Kyung-gu stars in since 1999’s Happy Together (SBS). Recently, he was in Kill Bok Soon (2023) and Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022). I’m sure you’ve seen Kim Hee-ae in Netflix’s Queenmaker and jTBC’s The World of the Married.
- Writer: Park Kyung-soo (from SBS’s Whisper and Punch)
- Director: Kim Yong-wan (from KBS2’s If You Wish Upon Me)
We thought this one was coming out in July but here it is! From the official Netflix release:
Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous political landscape in South Korea, The Whirlwind follows the colossal clash between the prime minister and the deputy prime minister, each driven by their own agenda. The tension escalates when the prime minister decides to assassinate the president, triggering a fierce power struggle that threatens to engulf the nation.
Fewer titles this month but we still have some interesting titles to pick up from. I’m quite looking forward to Miss Night and Day: Lee Jung-eun is a marvellous actress and I think this role will give her some room to stretch her incredible acting skills. Both DNA Lover and My Sweet Mobster have cute premises and good casts โ it all depends on how they work with the script.
And of course, The Whirlwind is also being released in June and that’s one exciting title!
Which ones are you looking forward to the most? Share your ideas and plans in the comments!
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