New Year, New K-dramas: The 7 Korean Dramas You Need to Watch in January 2025!

Merry Christmas! 🎄

Today, I have a little present for you: a brand-new calendar with 7 fantastic Korean dramas coming out in January 2025. Ready to choose your favourites? Let’s go!

If you don’t have time to read the entire list, why not pin this article? Our pins are at the bottom!

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• Release date: January 3rd, 2025
• Network: SBS (internationally, you can catch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Han Ji-min, Lee Joon-hyuk, Kim Do-hoon, and Kim Yoo-hye
• Where have I seen these people before? The wonderful Han Ji-min has led several dramas, including tvN’s Familiar Wife, jTBC’s The Light in Your Eyes, and MBC’s One Spring Night. Most recently, she led jTBC’s Behind Your Touch. Lee Joon-hyuk is rarely seen in a romantic drama but you might remember him in tvN’s A Poem a Day. I’m sure you remember him in tvN’s Stranger, which led to the recent TVING spin-off, Dong-jae, the Good or the Bastard. Kim Do-hoon was recently seen in ENA/Genie TV’s Your Honour while Kim Yoo-hye was part of the main cast of tvN’s Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born.
• Writer: Kim Ji-eun (from MBC’s Wonderful World)
• Director: Ham Joon-ho (from SBS’s My Strange Hero)

Kang Ji-yun (Han Ji-min) is the successful CEO of a headhunting company. Even though she’s extremely competent at work, she’s terrible at daily chores. That’s why her secretary Yoo Eun-ho (Lee Joon-hyuk) not only manages her work appointments but also her everyday responsibilities. Eun-ho is a single father who, unlike Ji-yun, is always considerate and attentive.

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• Release date: January 4th, 2025
• Network: tvN (internationally, you can catch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 16
• Main cast: Lee Min-ho, Gong Hyo-jin, Oh Jung-se, and Han Ji-eun
• Where have I seen these people before? Who doesn’t know Lee Min-ho? His most recent roles were in SBS’s The King: Eternal Monarch and Apple TV’s Pachinko. The lovely Gong Hyo-jin was last seen in KBS2’s When the Camellia Blooms in 2019 while we’ve just talked about Oh Jung-se in Netflix’s Mr. Plankton. Han Ji-eun was part of the main cast of TVING’s Stock Struck.
• Writer: Seo Sook-hyang (from SBS’s Jealousy Incarnate)
• Director: Park Shin Woo (from SBS’s Jealousy Incarnate)

Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho) is an OB-GYN who is currently dating Choi Go-eun (Han Ji-eun), the beautiful and intelligent heir of MZ Group, the greatest conglomerate in Korea. Ryong decides to travel to a space station as a tourist. There, he meets Kim Eve (Gong Hyo-jin), a top scientist and the commander of the mission. He also gets to know Kang Gang-soo (Oh Jung-se), a fruit fly research scientist who comes from a very important family.

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• Release date: January 6th, 2025
• Network: tvN (internationally, you can catch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Cha Joo-young, Lee Hyun-wook, Lee Yi-dam, and Lee Shi-ah
• Where have I seen these people before? Cha Joo-young was part of the main cast of KBS2’s The Real Has Come! while Lee Hyun-wook was last seen in Netflix’s Song of the Bandits. Lee Yi-dam was absolutely marvellous in Netflix’s Daily Dose of Sunshine while Lee Shi-ah’s last main role was in Genie TV’s Midnight Thriller.
• Writer: Lee Young Mi (from tvN’s Money Game)
• Director: Kim Sang-ho (from tvN’s Money Game)

This is the story of Queen Wongyeong (Cha Joo-young), who is considered to be one of the most audacious and political queens in the history of the Joseon Dynasty.

Young Queen Wongyeong was known as Lady Min, the descendant of a prestigious clan who is married to Yi Bang-won (Lee Hyun-wook), also known as Prince Jeongan. When Prince Jeongan isn’t chosen as his father’s successor to the throne, Lady Min becomes a kingmaker to transform Bang-won into King Taejong. They succeed, creating a new regime. As the Queen, she’s faced with new challenges as she clashes with her husband’s political decisions and his concubines.

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• Release date: January 10th, 2025
• Network: MBC (internationally, you can catch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lee Se-young, Na In-woo, Choi Min-soo, Kim Tae-hyeong, and Choi Hee-jin
• Where have I seen these people before? The wonderful Lee Se-young has done several popular shows, including SBS’s Doctor John, MBC’s The Red Sleeve and The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract. She, of course, led Coupang’s incredible What Comes After Love. Na In-woo’s popularity exploded internationally thanks to tvN’s hit Marry My Husband. Choi Min-soo was last seen in MBC’s Numbers, Kim Tae-hyeong in Coupang’s Decoy, and Choi Hee-jin in Disney+’s The Impossible Heir.
• Writer: Lee Seo-yoon (from MBC’s 365: Repeat the Year)
• Director: Kim Hyung Min (from MBC’s Love Scene Number)
• Adapted from Shim Yun-seo’s novel, Home, Bitter Home

Ji Kang-hee (Lee Se-young)’s father ran the Motel California, a small inn in their countryside village. She grew up there, surrounded by locals who would judge her because of her mother’s mixed-race background. As soon as she turned 20, Kang-hee moved to Seoul and became an interior designer. As an adult, Kang-hee doesn’t remember fondly her childhood but often thinks back on her first love and childhood friend Chun Yeon-soo (Na In-woo).

Meanwhile, Yeon-soo grew up to become the village’s veterinarian. As he’s only ever loved Kang-hee, he isn’t interested in romance but the village farmers are constantly trying to set him up with their daughters. To make that stop, Yeon-soo spreads a rumour that he’ll marry a fellow vet. That’s when Kang-hee returns to their hometown and the two childhood sweethearts reunite.

• Release date: January 15th, 2025 Broadcasting in January has been cancelled; the show is airing later in the year as a Wednesday-Thursday drama.
• Network: jTBC (international distribution is still TBC)
• Episodes: 14
• Main cast: Lee Dong-wook, Lee Sung-kyung, and Ryu Hye-young
• Where have I seen these people before? Does this cast even need an introduction? If you need a quick reminder, here we go: Lee Dong-wook has recently been in Disney+’s A Shop for Killers, tvN’s Tale of the Nine-Tailed series, and tvN’s Bad and Crazy. Lee Sung-kyung led the second and third seasons of SBS’s Doctor Romantic and Disney+’s Call It Love. Ryu Hye-young has just had a supporting role in Disney+’s Gangnam B-Side and she also led jTBC’s Law School.
• Writer: Kim Woon-kyung (from jTBC’s Yoo Na’s Street)
• Director: Song Hae-sung (this is his first K-drama as he’s always been a film director; he’s known for 2006’s Maundy Thursday)

We’re still waiting to hear more about the release of The Good Man but jTBC has confirmed broadcasting in 2025.

So far, we know this is the story of Seok Cheol (Lee Dong-wook), who comes from a long line of gangsters. The show follows his misadventures as he tries to balance the family business with his own career and love life.

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• Release date: January 15th, 2025
• Network: Disney+
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Kim Hye-soo, Jung Sung-il, and Joo Jong-hyuk
• Where have I seen these people before? The great Kim Hye-soo was last seen on TV in 2022, in Netflix’s Juvenile Justice and tvN’s Under the Queen’s Umbrella. Everyone probably remembers Jung Sung-il in Netflix’s hit The Glory and Joo Jong-hyuk in ENA’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo.
• Writer: Kim Ki-ryang (this seems to be her K-drama debut)
• Director: Yoo Seon-dong (from tvN’s The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch)

Oh So-ryong (Kim Hye-soo) is a determined and righteous reporter who now works as the team leader of Trigger, an investigative reporting program that looks into cases that even the police and prosecution couldn’t solve. So-ryong’s routine is changed when Han Do (Jung Sung-il), a production director with no social skills, joins her team.

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• Release date: January 23rd, 2025
• Network: TVING (internationally, you can catch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Hwang Min-hyun, Han Ji-eun, Cha woo-min, and Shin Soo-hyun
• Where have I seen these people before? Hwang Min-hyun was last seen in tvN’s My Lovely Liar. This is Han Ji-eun’s second drama this month, after tvN’s When the Stars Gossip (above). Cha woo-min was part of the main cast of U+ Mobile TV’s Night Has Come while Shin Soo-hyun had a supporting role in jTBC’s My Sweet Mobster.
• Writer: Eom Seon-ho (as his K-drama debut) and Oh Bo-hyun (who co-wrote Netflix’s Daily Dose of Sunshine)
• Director: Lee Jang-hoon (this is his first K-drama as he’s always been a film director; he’s known for 2018’s Be With You) and Yoo Beom-sang (who co-directed tvN’s Twinkling Watermelon)
• Adapted from Shin Hyung-wook and Ryu Seung-yeon’s webtoon of the same name

Yoon Ga-min (Hwang Min-hyun) studies at a vocational high school infamous for its troubled students. Ga-min has excellent fighting skills but his grades aren’t the best. He wants to do better, however, which is why he puts together a study group. And so, Ga-min becomes the “protector” of his study group members.

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• Release date: January 24th, 2025
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Choo Young-woo, Yoon Gyung-ho, Ha Young, and Jeong Jae-kwang
• Where have I seen these people before? Ji Ji-hoon kept himself busy in 2024: he starred in Disney+’s Blood Free and Light Shop as well as tvN’s Love Your Enemy, which has just aired its last episode. You might be watching Choo Young-woo in jTBC’s The Tale of Lady Ok, while you might’ve watched Yoon Gyung-ho in MBC’s Doubt and Ha Young in KBS2’s Face Me late last year. Jeong Jae-kwang was last seen in Disney+’s Gangnam B-side.
• Writer: So Hyun-kyung (from KBS2’s My Golden Life) and Choi Tae-kang (from tvN’s Adamas)
• Director: Lee Do-yoon (who wrote and directed 2014’s Confession, a feature film starring Ji Sung)
• Adapted from Hansan iga’s web novel of the same name

An experienced and skilled trauma surgeon, Baek Gang-hyeok (Ju Ji-hoon) goes from performing surgeries in war zones to working at a university hospital in Korea. As he navigates the team dynamics and the politics within the hospital, Baek Gang-hyeok turns the severe trauma department into an active unit that responds to emergencies and saves lives.

Why not pin this post to help you remember to watch them all?

So, which new Korean dramas will you be watching in January 2025? Tell me your favourites in the comments!

I hope you enjoy the holidays with your loved ones! If you don’t celebrate Christmas, have a marvellous day and I’ll see you on Friday for a very cinematic New Year post!