What’s Next? 8 New Korean Dramas Out in August 2026!

After a very busy July, we’re getting ready for a slightly calmer — but equally exciting! — August! New seasons, new romances, and new rivalries arrive in full force with eight captivating Korean dramas coming out this month. Is everyone ready?

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 3rd, 2026 (Monday-Tuesday)
• Network: tvN
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Kang Hoon, Kim Hye-joon, and Cha Woo-min
• Where have I seen these people before? Kang Hoon was last seen in U+ Mobile TV’s medical thriller Hunter with a Scalpel last year, while you might have just followed Kim Hye-joon in Disney+’s A Shop for Killers 2 last month (before then, you might also remember her in Netflix’s Cashero last December!). Cha Woo-min had supporting roles in quite a few shows in 2025, including TVING’s Spirit Fingers, SBS’s Buried Hearts, and Netflix’s Melo Movie.
• Writers: Lee Young (from tvN’s Siren’s Kiss) and Kim Ji-an
• Directors: Park Ji-hyun (from OCN’s Class of Lies) and Jung Da-hyung
• Adapted from Seong Eun’s webtoon, My Oppa Is an Idol

Longtime fan of D.N.X idol and pop icon Chan Lee (Cha Woo-min), Nam Da-reum (Kim Hye-joon) has just joined Appello, a fashion platform company where Chan works as a director. Even though she believed her new job would give her the opportunity to get closer to her all-time bias, Da-reum finds herself spending most of her time clashing with the company’s workaholic CEO, Kang Ha-gi (Kang Hoon) instead. As Chan and Ha-gi misunderstand Da-reum’s excitement and intentions, all sorts of shenanigans are bound to tie these three together as they explore love, loneliness, and future dreams.

Internationally, you can watch My Bias, My Boss on:

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• Release date: August 7th, 2026 (Friday-Saturday)
• Network: SBS
• Episodes: 14
• Main cast: Ahn Bo-hyun, Jung Eun-chae, Kim Shin-bi, and Kang Sang-jun
• Where have I seen these people before? Recently, you might have seen Ahn Bo-hyun in tvN’s Spring Fever, Jung Eun-chae in tvN’s Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born or ENA/Genie TV’s Honour, Kim Shin-bi in KBS2’s The First Night with the Duke, and Kang Sang-jun in Netflix’s Cashero, tvN’s Filing for Love, or MBN’s Azure Spring.
• Writer: Kim Ba-da (who also wrote the first season. She also wrote Netflix’s My Name)
• Director: Kim Jae-hong (also returning from the first season. Since Flex X Cop, he has directed Begins Youth and JTBC’s Beyond the Bar)

Jin I-su (Ahn Bo-hyun) continues to be his good ol’ self in the second season of Flex X Cop. A carefree and clever chaebol heir, I-su returns to the Violent Crimes Unit 1 after completing official training at the police academy. What he didn’t expect was to have Ju Hye-ra (Jung Eun-chae), the former ace of the National Police Agency’s counter-terrorism team and I-su’s “devil instructor” from the academy, as his direct superior — since Hye-ra volunteered to take over the role of Violent Crimes Unit 1 team leader.

Internationally, you can watch Flex X Cop on:

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• Release date: August 7th, 2026
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Jung Hae-in and Ha Young
• Where have I seen these people before? This is Jung Hae-in’s first television project since tvN’s Love Next Door, while Ha Young has been a proper busy bee lately: cameos aside, you might remember her in Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, Boyfriend on Demand, and Teach You a Lesson.
• Writer: Mo Ji-hye (from Wavve’s You Raise Me Up)
• Director: Kim Jang-han (from SBS’s My Demon)

According to Netflix,

Our Sticky Love follows Go Eun-sae (Ha Young), a prosecutor who lost her memory, and Jang Tae-ha (Jung Hae In), a boxing coach who appears at her bedside claiming to be her boyfriend. With no past she can remember, no way to prove who she is, and only this stranger as a “clue,” Eun-sae finds herself living with him and is pulled into an unexpected new life — and an even more unexpected romance that will rekindle a spark in viewers’ hearts.

Internationally, you can watch Our Sticky Love on:

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• Release date: August 10th, 2026 (Daily drama: Monday to Friday)
• Network: KBS2 (we’re still waiting to hear about international distribution)
• Episodes: 100
• Main cast: Jang Seo-hee, Jeon Hye-won, Joo Sae-byuk, and Seol Jung-hwan
• Where have I seen these people before? Jang Seo-hee’s last leading role was in MBC’s Game of Witches in 2022. Meanwhile, Jeon Hye-woo had supporting roles in tvN’s No Gain, No Love and MBC’s My Dearest. Joo Sae-byuk was last seen in KBS2’s Iron Family, and Seol Jung-hwan has recently finished his run in KBS2’s A Graceful Liar.
• Writer: Gu Ji-won (from KBS1’s Oh, My Life)
• Directors: Lee Dae-kyung (who co-directed KBS2’s Youth of May) and Jung Kwang-soo

Ko Eun-seol (Jeon Hye-won) lost everything when she was falsely accused of murder. To clear her name and bring the truth into the light, Eun-seol embarks on a quest for justice — and perhaps, revenge. As she pursues the real facts behind her false accusation, she ends up entangled with her first love, Cha Seok-jin (Seol Jung-hwan), the heiress of one of the country’s most powerful conglomerates, Kang Hae-ra (Joo Sae-byuk), and the evil Cho Mi-ran (Jang Seo-hee), who has spent years building her coveted life on a pile of lies and betrayal.

Internationally, you can watch A Trap Called Desire on:

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• Release date: August 19th, 2026 (Wednesday-Thursday)
• Network: KBS Drama (we’re still waiting to hear about international distribution)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lee Min-jung and Kim Ji-suk
• Where have I seen these people before? Lee Min-jung was last seen in TVING’s Villains but, before then, you might also remember her in KBS2’s Once Again or SBS’s Fates & Furies. Kim Ji-suk had cameos in Netflix’s Cashero and JTBC’s Destined with You. He was part of the main cast of ENA/Genie TV’s New Recruit 2 and Disney+’s Kiss Sixth Sense too.
• Writer: Hwang Ji-eon
• Director: Joo Sung-woo (from MBC’s Man Who Sets the Table)

Baek Mi-young (Lee Min-jung) has always dreamt of becoming a tailor, following in her father’s footsteps. After her beloved parents passed away in an accident, Mi-young decided to dedicate herself, heart and soul, to her job. However, while working at a wedding gown shop, she met designer Ji Won-ho, who fell in love with her at first sight. Six months later, Won-ho proposed to her. They got married and founded G&White together.

Now in their seventh year of marriage, their relationship is on the rocks and their company is about to go bankrupt. Mi-young then decides to ask Won-ho for a divorce.

Internationally, you can watch Ok, Let’s Get Divorced on:

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• Release date: August 24th, 2026 (Monday-Tuesday)
• Network: ENA/Genie TV (we’re still waiting to hear about international distribution)
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Kim Min-ho, Kim Dong-jun, Oh Dae-hwan, Lee Hyun-kyun, Lee Won-jung, Nam Tae-woo, Lee Sang-jin, Kim Yo-han, and Lee Su-ji
• Where have I seen these people before? The returning New Recruit squad — Kim Min-ho, Kim Dong-jun, Oh Dae-hwan, Nam Tae-woo, Lee Sang-jin, Kim Yo-han, and Lee Su-ji — is joined by Lee Hyun-kyun, who currently has a supporting role in tvN’s The Apartment Job (you might also remember him in Disney+’s Made in Korea), and Lee Won-jung, who you might remember in JTBC’s A Hundred Memories.
• Writers: Yoon-gi Yung (who returns from the previous New Recruit seasons) and Kim Dan
• Directors: Min Jin-ki (who returns from the previous New Recruit seasons) and Jo Su-wook
• Adapted from Jang Bbi Jju’s web animation of the same name.

Now a corporal, Park Min-seok (Kim Min-ho) thought that his dynamic military life was bound to calm down a tad. However, he finds himself facing all sorts of dilemmas and chaotic situations with the return of Choi Il-gu (Nam Tae-woo) and Moon Bit-nari (Kim Yo-han), as well as the arrival of a mysterious recruit and a new battalion commander.

Internationally, you can watch New Recruit Season 4 on:

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• Release date: August 28th, 2026
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu
• Where have I seen these people before? Ryu Jun-yeol’s last small-screen projects were Netflix’s The 8 Show in 2024 and JTBC’s Lost in 2021. Meanwhile, Sul Kyung-gu starred in Netflix’s great The Whirlwind in 2024 and Disney+’s Hyper Knife in 2025.
• Writer: Lee Jae-gon (from Netflix’s A Model Family)
• Director: Kim Hong-seon (from Netflix’s Dear Hongrang)
• Adapted from Ludvico’s webtoon of the same name.

According to Netflix,

Moon-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) [is] a reclusive novelist who uses a pen name and hasn’t left home in years, following a solitary daily routine. Then the strange things start: his fingerprint won’t unlock his phone, his passwords stop working, and one by one, the things tying him to his own identity slip out of his grasp. Stripped of his money, his name, and any way to prove himself, Moon-jae is plunged into chaos and sets out to hunt down a mysterious figure calling himself “The Rat,” who seems to know exactly who Moon-jae is.

Internationally, you can watch Mousetrap on:

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• Release date: August 29th, 2026 (Saturday-Sunday)
• Network: tvN
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Song Kang, Lee Jun-young, and Jang Gyu-ri
• Where have I seen these people before? This is Song Kang’s first project after being discharged from the military. Before enlisting, you might remember him in Netflix’s Sweet Home series or SBS’s My Demon. Meanwhile, Lee Jun-young, who has just enlisted, has recently participated in several successful projects, such as JTBC’s Reborn Rookie, Netflix’s Weak Hero Class 2, When Life Gives You Tangerines, and Melo Movie. Jang Gyu-ri was last seen in MBC’s When the Phone Rings (you might also remember her in tvN’s The Player 2: Master of Swindlers).
• Writer: Shin Yi-won (from TV Chosun’s Don’t Call Me Ma’am)
• Director: Park Hyeon-seok (from KBS2’s Walking on Thin Ice)

Kang Bi-o (Song Kang), Choi Jeong-yo (Lee Jun-young), and Hong Jae-in (Jang Gyu-ri) are three students at an elite arts high school for musical prodigies. Pianist Bi-o, who has always been considered the institution’s most talented musician, sees his crown threatened by the arrival of Jeong-yo, a gifted pianist who returns to the instrument after overcoming a problematic childhood. Jae-in, a viola major and Bi-o’s close friend, finds herself mesmerised by Jeong-yo’s instinctive talent. As their relationship evolves from rivalry into friendship, they learn to synchronise their ambition and passion into a powerful harmony.

Internationally, you can watch Four Hands, Two Sonatas on:

Why not pin this post to help you remember to watch all these exciting K-dramas coming out in August 2026?

So, which new Korean dramas are you watching in August 2026?