Save the Date: 9 New K-dramas Coming Out in August 2025!

August is a month full of new Korean dramas! If you need some help deciding which ones you’re adding to your watching list, I might be able to help. Today, we’re talking about 9 marvellous new K-dramas [+ 1 J-drama!] coming out in August 2025! I wonder which ones will become your favourites!

We’ll be updating this post with trailers, new dates, and international streaming services, so save this article for later! Our pin is at the bottom!

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• Release date: August 1st, 2025
• Network: MBC (we’re waiting to hear about international distribution)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lee Bo-young, Lee Min-ki, and Kang Ki-young
• Where have I seen these people before? Lee Bo-young has led several hit dramas, including SBS’s I Hear Your Voice, tvN’s Mine, and JTBC’s Agency. Lee Min-ki led two K-dramas last year: KBS2’s Face Me and ENA’s Crash while Kang Ki-young’s last role was in JTBC’s Queen of Divorce.
• Writer: Lee Su-a (from E-Channel’s Unemployed Romance)
• Director: Park Joon-woo (from ENA’s Crash)
• Remake of Tara Armstrong’s Mary Kills People (2017-2019, Global Canada)

Woo So-jeong (Lee Bo-young) is a doctor who, alongside her colleague Dr. Choi Dae-hyeon (Kang Ki-young), provides assisted suicide to terminally ill patients. Things get complicated when Detective Cho Hyeon-woo (Lee Min-ki), who is a terminally ill patient himself, starts investigating her.

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• Release date: August 2nd, 2025
• Network: JTBC (internationally, you can watch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lee Jin-wook, Jung Chae-yeon, Lee Hak-joo and Jeon Hye-bin
• Where have I seen these people before? Lee Jin-wook has just finished Netflix’s Squid Game, but you might also remember him in Netflix’s Sweet Home or ENA/Genie TV’s Dear Hyeri recently. In the past year, we’ve seen Jung Chae-yeon’s beautiful role in JTBC’s Family By Choice and Lee Hak-joo’s work in tvN’s The Potato Lab. Meanwhile, this is Jeon Hye-bin’s first drama since KBS2’s Revolutionary Sisters in 2021.
• Writer: Park Mi-hyeon
• Director: Kim Jae-hong (from SBS’s Flex X Cop)

The litigation team at Yullim Law Firm is led by the aloof but highly skilled Yun Seok-hun (Lee Jin-wook). Seok-hun is a demanding mentor and an unfriendly colleague, but he’s known for being excellent at his job. One day, Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon), a passionate young lawyer, joins his department. She might be inexperienced, but she has a strong sense of justice and is keen to learn. Seok-hun and Hyo-min have two very different personalities, but their dedication to their work is just as intense. In time, they both learn to become better lawyers.

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• Release date: August 2nd, 2025
• Network: Channel A (If you’re in Japan, you can watch it on NHK. Internationally, you can watch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Gong Seung-yeon, Yoo Joon-sang, Kim Jae-yeong, Hong Soo-hyun, and Oh Hyun-joong
• Where have I seen these people before? Gong Seung-yeon was part of the main cast of SBS’s The First Responders series as well as Netflix’s Karma. I’m sure you all remember Yoo Joon-sang in tvN’s Alchemy of Souls and The Uncanny Counter series. Kim Jae-yeong has become a popular name after SBS’s hit The Judge from Hell. This is Hong Soo-hyun’s first leading role since TV Chosun’s Red Balloon in 2022, while Oh Hyun-joong’s last K-drama was TV Chosun’s My Happy Ending in 2023.
• Writer: Jeong Hoe-hyun (from MBC’s Radiant Office)
• Director: Kang Sol (from ENA/Genie TV’s Delivery Man)
• Adapted from Harada Maha’s novel of the same name, which has already been adapted into a J-drama (NHK’s Tabiya Okaeri)

Former idol Kang Yeo-reum (Gong Seung-yeon) has been a travel reporter for five years. At work, she’s known for her optimism and positive outlook on life. When she’s alone, however, she’s often haunted by her failings and feels anxious about her future. Yeo-reum was brought into the entertainment industry by Ogu Entertainment CEO, Oh Sang-sik (Yoo Joon-sang). He’s known her for more than 15 years and, having faced his fair share of challenges himself, he feels that he can be of help to Yeo-reum as she tries to figure out how to live a life of her own.

My Lovely Journey Season 2 has already been confirmed and will air in the near future.

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• Release date: August 4th, 2025
• Network: tvN (Internationally, you can watch it on Viki and Viu)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Yeom Jung-ah, Park Hae-joon, Choi Yun-ji, and Kim Min-kyu
• Where have I seen these people before? You might be currently watching Yeom Jung-ah in ENA’s The Defects or you might remember her from JTBC’s hit Sky Castle. I’m sure everyone remembers Park Hae-joon as the unforgettable Gwan-sik in Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines earlier this year. This is Choi Yun-ji’s first leading role — she had supporting roles in Netflix’s The Trunk and tvN’s Love Your Enemy last year. Kim Min-kyu has had a few supporting roles recently, too, like in Wavve’s Bitch X Rich Season 2, and his last leading role was in MBN’s Missing Crown Prince last year.
• Writer: Seong Woo-jin
• Director: Yoo Je-won (from tvN’s Love Next Door and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha)

Lee Ji-an (Yeom Jung-ah) is a construction site manager who has always led a life with persistence and confidence. She’s the proud single mother of Lee Hyo-ri (Choi Yun-ji), an intelligent medical school student. Meanwhile, Ryu Jeong-seok (Park Hae-joon) has led a simple and contented life as a single father whose son, Ryu Bo-hyeon (Kim Min-kyu), has successfully run a flower field for years. When Hyo-ri starts to rethink her decisions in life and catches Bo-hyeon’s attention, Ji-an sees her life become entangled with Jeong-seok’s, her first love from ages ago.

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• Release date: August 9th, 2025
• Network: KBS2 (internationally, you can watch it on Kocowa and Viki)
• Episodes: 50
• Main cast: Jung Il-woo, Jung In-sun, and Yoon Hyun-min
• Where have I seen these people before? Jung Il-woo was last seen in the Chinese drama The Girls’ Lies (2023, Sohu TV). Back in Korea, his last role was in ENA’s Good Job back in 2022. Jung In-sun starred in TV Chosun’s DNA Lover earlier this year, while Yoon Hyun-min hasn’t been seen on Korean television since ENA’s True to Love in 2023.
• Writer: So Hyun-kyung (from KBS2’s My Golden Life)
• Directors: Kim Hyung-seok (from KBS2’s My Golden Life) and Park Dan-bi (who directed the 2024 KBS Drama Special The Two Women)

Lee Ji-hyeok (Jung Il-woo) has always been successful in his personal and work life. He has two close friends, Ji Eun-oh (Jung In-sun) and Park Seong-jae (Yoon Hyun-min). The cheerful Eun-oh is a hardworking, passionate café manager and interior designer. She once had a crush on Ji-hyeok, but as he didn’t feel the same way, she decided to remain friends. Raised in a wealthy, cold family, Seong-jae’s easygoing attitude hides a heart full of loneliness. As these three friends face new challenges together, they learn more about who they are and how to build a life that is truly meaningful to them.

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• Release date: August 18th, 2025
• Network: ENA/Genie TV (Internationally, you can watch it on Viki and Viu)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Uhm Jung-hwa, Song Seung-heon, Lee El, and Oh Dae-hwan
• Where have I seen these people before? Uhm Jung-hwa was last seen in JTBC’s Doctor Cha, while Song Seung-heon’s last starred in tvN’s The Player 2: Master of Swindlers. Lee El was part of the main cast of tvN’s gigantically messy When the Stars Gossip and Oh Dae-hwan has just had a supporting role in ENA’s Salon De Holmes.
• Writer: Park Ji-ha (from JTBC’s Miss Night and Day)
• Director: Choi Young-hoon (from SBS’s One the Woman)

Im Se-ra (Uhm Jung-hwa) used to be a beloved and talented actress, but after getting into an accident, she spent 25 years without working in the industry. She’s now an ordinary middle-aged woman who goes by the name of Bong Cheong-ja. Dokgo Cheol (Song Seung-heon) used to work as a detective but has recently been demoted to a traffic police officer. Unlike the tough persona you’d expect from such a job, Cheol is a romantic man who wanted to get married before he turned 40. Things didn’t work out the way he expected but, once he meets Se-ra, he realises she’s the one he’s been waiting for.

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• Release date: August 22nd, 2025
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 6
• Main cast: Lee Ha-nee, Bang Hyo-rin, Jin Sun-kyu, and Cho Hyun-chul
• Where have I seen these people before? The great Lee Ha-nee has led several hits in the past few years, including SBS’s The Fiery Priest, MBC’s Knight Flower, and SBS’s One the Woman. Meanwhile, Bang Hyo-rin has recently joined the industry and Aema marks her first K-drama. Jin Sun-kyu’s last leading role was in TVING’s Bargain (but he’s had supporting roles in SBS’s Revenant and tvN’s The Uncanny Counter Season 2: Counter Punch more recently). You might remember Cho Hyun-chul in Netflix’s D.P. series, JTBC’s Inspector Koo, or tvN’s Hotel del Luna.
• Writer & Director: Lee Hae-young (this is his first time writing and directing a K-drama. He’s directed and written films, such as 2018’s Believer, and was the chief producer of tvN’s Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938)

I’ll leave it to Netflix’s official description of the series:

In Aema, a bold new Netflix series set in the 1980s, Korea’s male-dominated film industry is booming. Amid the production of the country’s first mainstream erotic film, A-list actress Hee-ran and newcomer Ju-ae fearlessly confront the reality hidden behind the spotlight.

Lee Hanee stars as Jeong Hee-ran, an award-winning actress who refuses to play the lead role in the film “Madame Aema” after reading a script filled with risqué scenes. In her place steps Shin Ju-ae, played by Bang Hyo-rin, an aspiring actress who auditions for the part Hee-ran declined. She instantly captures everyone’s attention with an audacious statement to make her “the next Jeong Hee-ran” — to which Hee-ran replies with nothing more than a smirk.

Meanwhile, the versatile Jin Sun-kyu transforms into Ku Jung-ho, the CEO of Shinsung Pictures, who uses Hee-ran’s contract to lock her into the film in a supporting role. Rounding out this adept cast is Cho Hyun-chul as rookie director Kwak In-u, who pours his heart and soul into his first film, “Madame Aema.”

These four complex characters become intertwined in the fictional production of “Madame Aema.” While Hee-ran and Ju-ae initially butt heads, they eventually come together with a shared resolve to push back against a system that continually takes advantage of women.

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• Release date: August 23rd, 2025
• Network: tvN (internationally, you can watch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lim Yoon-a, Lee Chae-min, Kang Han-na, and Choi Gwi-hwa
• Where have I seen these people before? Lim Yoon-a’s last two projects — JTBC’s King the Land and MBC’s Big Mouth — were massive hits, so expectations are running high for this one too. Lee Chae-min was last seen in MBC’s Crushology 101, Kang Han-na in JTBC’s Frankly Speaking and Choi Gwi-hwa in Netflix’s Squid Game 2 and 3.
• Director: Jang Tae-yoo (from MBC’s Knight Flower)
• Adapted from Park Kook-jae’s web novel Surviving as Yeonsan-gun’s Chef

Netflix describes the show as “a survival love story with bite” that blends “rich visuals, palate-pleasing food cinematography, and sharp-witted romantic tension.” Interested? Here’s the official synopsis:

Set in a dazzling blend of past and present, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty follows Chef Yeon Jiyoung (Lim Yoon-a), a perfectionist French-trained chef at the peak of her culinary career, who is suddenly transported back in time to the royal palace. There, she’s forced to cook for an infamously temperamental tyrant, King Yeonhui (Lee Chae-min), a ruler with a killer palate and a deadly temper.

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• Release date: August 23rd, 2025
• Network: KBS2 and Disney+
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Ma Dong-seok, Park Hyung-sik, Seo In-guk, Sung Dong-il, Lee Joo-bin, Ko Kyu-pil, Kang Mi-na, Sung Yoo-bin, Ahn Ji-hye, and Regina Lei
• Where have I seen these people before? This is a mind-blowing cast: Ma Dong-seok (a.k.a. Don Lee) is now an international superstar. On TV, he last starred in OCN’s 38 Task Force (2016) and Bad Guys (2014). Park Hyung-sik’s most recent roles have been in SBS’s Buried Hearts and JTBC’s Doctor Slump. Then, we have Seo In-guk, who starred in TVING’s hit Death’s Game and tvN’s Doom at Your Service. The marvellous Sung Dong-il has just finished JTBC’s The Art of Negotiation while Lee Joo-bin starred in tvN’s The Divorce Insurance this year. Ko Kyu-pil has been everywhere: Netflix’s Song of the Bandits, tvN’s Queen of Tears, JTBC’s Frankly Speaking, SBS’s The Fiery Priest. Kang Mi-na was last seen in JTBC’s Welcome to Samdal-ri, Sung Yoo-bin had a guest role in tvN’s Resident Playbook, and Ahn Ji-hye hasn’t been seen on TV since SBS’s The First Responders Season 2 in 2023. This is Taiwanese actress Regina Lei’s first Korean project.
• Writer: Kim Bong-han (who wrote and directed 2020’s The Golden Holiday) and Ma Dong-seok (who also stars)
• Director: Kang Dae-gyu (this is his first K-drama; he’s directed films such as 2022’s Pawn and 2010’s Harmony) and Han Yoon-sun

Twelve animals are asked by the heavens to save humankind. Reborn as twelve angels, each with a special power, they have to fight against evil forces that want to destroy the human world.

• Release date: Exact date is still TBC (Netflix has decided to postpone the release of Soul Mate. No month has been determined yet)
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Isomura Hayato and Ok Taec-yeon
• Where have I seen these people before? I guess we all know 2PM’s Ok Taec-yeon, who has just finished KBS2’s The First Night with the Duke and has starred in several tvN hits, such as Vincenzo, Secret Royal Inspector & Joy, and Bring It On, Ghost. Ok Taec-yeon joins this Netflix Japan production alongside the wonderful Isomura Hayato. If you aren’t familiar with J-dramas, you can find Isomura in several Japanese shows on Netflix, like TBS’s Who Saw the Peacock Dance in the Jungle? or Extremely Inappropriate.
• Writer & Director: Hashizume Shunki (from MBS’s A Bright Future for Her and Her Boyfriend)

Narutaki Ryu (Isomura Hayato) decides to abandon everything and leave Japan behind after ruining his best friend’s life. He ends up in a strange country, caught in a fire inside a local church, when he’s saved by Hwang Jo-han (Ok Taec-yeon), a Korean boxer. These two broken souls are inexplicably drawn to each other as they become tangled in a bond of pain and joy that challenges time and fate.

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

So, which new K-dramas are you watching in August 2025?