6 Exceptional Korean Dramas Coming Out in May 2026!

Spring 2026 is in full swing! Besides MBC’s exhilarating Perfect Crown and JTBC’s long-awaited We Are All Trying Here, which come to a close in the coming month, May 2026 will also see the release of quite a few unique and exciting titles. From tvN’s The Legend of Kitchen Soldier to MBC’s Fifties Professionals or even Netflix’s quirky The Wonderfools, the flowery month of May promises to be a very entertaining one indeed!

Take a look at our complete list of new Korean dramas coming out in May 2026 and let me know which ones you’re most looking forward to watching!

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: May 8th, 2026 (Friday-Saturday)
• Network: SBS (internationally, you can watch it on Netflix)
• Episodes: 14
• Main cast: Im Ji-yeon, Heo Nam-jun, Jang Seung-jo, and Lee Se-hee
• Where have I seen these people before? Im Ji-yeon was last seen in tvN’s Nice to Not Meet You late last year, while Heo Nam-jun led JTBC’s A Hundred Memories (he also had a cameo in JTBC’s The Dream Life of Mr Kim!). This is Jang Seung-jo’s first project outside Netflix in a while, after starring in the Tudum platform’s As You Stood By and The Frog in the past couple of years. Lee Se-hee was also seen in JTBC’s The Dream Life of Mr Kim in a small role, but she last starred in JTBC’s A Virtuous Business.
• Writer: Kang Hyun-ju
• Director: Han Tae-seob (from SBS’s Cheer Up)

When Kang Dan-sim (Im Ji-yeon), Joseon’s most villainous femme fatale, was sentenced to death by poison, she thought her life was over. But her fate dealt her a huge surprise: with her soul transported to 2026, Dan-sim is now Shin Seo-ri, an entirely unknown actress.

Meanwhile, Cha Se-gye (Heo Nam-jun) is the ruthless and arrogant heir to the powerful Chail Group. His life turns upside down when he crosses paths with Seo-ri — a vicious woman dressed like a shaman and who acts as if she were born in the Joseon era.

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• Release date: May 11th, 2026 (Monday-Tuesday)
• Network: tvN (depending on your region, you can watch it on Disney+, HBO Max and Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Park Ji-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Han Dong-hee, and Lee Hong-nae
• Where have I seen these people before? Park Ji-hoon is well-known for leading the popular Weak Hero series (Wavve & Netflix). The great Yoon Kyung-ho had guest roles in MBC’s To the Moon and Disney+’s Low Life, but his last main role was in Netflix’s The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. Han Dong-hee had supporting roles in ENA/Genie TV’s Climax, SBS’s Queen Mantis, and Netflix’s Gyeongseong Creature, while Lee Hong-nae was last seen in Netflix’s Aema.
• Writer: Choi Ryong (who co-wrote KBS Joy’s Sorry Not Sorry)
• Director: Jo Nam-hyung (from tvN’s Tale of the Nine-Tailed series)
• Adapted from Jay Robin’s web novel of the same name.

After losing his father, Kang Seong-jae (Park Ji-hoon) saw military enlistment as an escape from his harsh reality. However, life in the military isn’t a piece of cake either, and he soon becomes known as a “problem soldier”.

One day, a mysterious “Army Cook Quest” screen pops up before his eyes, offering him a series of challenges that could turn him into an army cook. Seong-jae decides to give it a try and, before long, he’s the base’s ace cook. With every quest he completes, however, Seong-jae also uncovers an element of a dark web of military corruption that he simply can’t ignore.

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• Release date: May 11th, 2026 (Monday)
• Network: MBN+ (depending on your region, you can watch it on Viu and Kocowa)
• Episodes: 6
• Main cast: Kang Sang-jun and Ye-ri
• Where have I seen these people before? You might recognise Kang Sang-jun from tvN’s Filing for Love, which is currently airing, or JTBC’s Beyond the Bar last year. Ye-ri is well-known for her leading role in Wavve’s Bitch x Rich series.
• Writer: Ha Jin
• Director: Jung Hun-soo (from U+ Mobile TV’s Branding in Seongsu)
• Adapted from Jang Deok-hyeon’s webtoon of the same name

Deok Hyeon (Kang Sang-jun) has lost all purpose in life. Meanwhile, An-na (Ye-ri) is an anxious job seeker who gives up on living in the big city to become a haenyo (female diver). The ocean soon becomes a source of solace for both of them, bringing them closer together. As they live by the coast with the help of their elderly neighbours, Hyeon and An-na let go of their fears and begin to find new meaning to their existences.

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• Release date: May 15th, 2026
• Network: Netflix
• Episodes: 8
• Main cast: Park Eun-bin, Cha Eun-woo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Dae-hoon, Im Sung-jae, and Son Hyun-joo
• Where have I seen these people before? The remarkable Park Eun-bin is known for a long list of successful and unforgettable roles, such as Disney+’s Hyper Knife, ENA’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo, tvN’s Castaway Diva, KBS’s The King’s Affection, and SBS’s Hot Stove League. Cha Eun-woo was last seen in MBC’s Wonderful World, but you might also remember him from tvN’s True Beauty or MBC’s A Good Day to Be a Dog. The legendary Kim Hae-sook was part of the main cast of Disney+’s Tempest last year, while Choi Dae-hoon had a supporting role in tvN’s Pro Bono and Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines. The lovely Im Sung-jae was last seen in tvN’s Law and the City and Son Hyun-joo in ENA/Genie TV’s Your Honor (he’s also starring in JTBC’s Suddenly Intern this month; see below).
• Writer: Heo Da-jung (who wrote 2019’s feature Extreme Job)
• Director: Yoo In-sik (from ENA’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo)
• Created by: Gline & Kang Eun-kyung

According to Netflix, The Wonderfools is “set in the doomsday-fearing year 1999” and follows “a motley crew of awkward, ordinary citizens who suddenly gain superpowers.” Our little group of “lovely misfits” — Eun Chae-ni (Park Eun-bin), Lee Woon-jung (Cha Eun-woo), Son Gyeong-hun (Choi Dae-hoon) and Kang Ro-bin (Im Seong-jae) — “cause chaos as they clumsily accept their new ‘hero’ roles and attempt to take on the villains threatening the peace of Haeseong City.“

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• Release date: May 22nd, 2026 (Friday-Saturday)
• Network: MBC (internationally, you can watch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 10
• Main cast: Shin Ha-kyun, Oh Jung-se, and Heo Sung-tae
• Where have I seen these people before? The great Shin Ha-kyun last led tvN’s The Auditors in 2024, while you might be currently watching the one-and-only Oh Jung-se in JTBC’s We Are All Trying Here. You might also remember his other recent roles in ENA/Genie TV’s Climax, Disney+’s Tempest, or JTBC’s Good Boy, which he co-starred with Heo Sung-tae.
• Writer: Jang Won-seop
• Director: Han Dong-hwa (from Disney+’s Shadow Detective series)

Jung Ho-myeong (Shin Ha-kyun) was once a National Intelligence Service agent, one of the country’s very best. After being framed for a crime, he leaves the service and ends up on the remote Yeongseon Island, where he now works as a cook at a Chinese restaurant.

Bong Je-sun (Oh Jung-se), who used to be an elite operative from North Korea’s Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, also lives on Yeongseon Island, where he washed ashore after an accident. With his memory gone and his own identity a mystery, he keeps dreaming of dressing up as a woman and can only feel depressed about his fate.

Kang Beom-ryong (Heo Sung-tae) runs a little convenience store on Yeongseon Island, but he used to be a legendary gangster with the fearsome Volcano Gang. Since his gang disbanded and his boss went to prison, Beom-ryong has lived his days worried about the future and trying to come up with a genius plan to get his crooked life back on track.

When these three seemingly ordinary, yet secretly dangerous, middle-aged men cross paths, will they be brought back into action and reminded of their good ol’ golden days in which they were unstoppable?

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• Release date: May 30th, 2026 (Saturday-Sunday)
• Network: JTBC (internationally, you can watch it on Viki)
• Episodes: 12
• Main cast: Lee Jun-young, Son Hyun-joo, Lee Joo-myung, Jeon Hye-jin, and Jin Goo
• Where have I seen these people before? Lee Jun-young became very popular after Netflix’s Melo Movie and When Life Gives You Tangerines, but, more recently, you might remember him in KBS2’s Pump Up the Healthy Love. Son Hyun-joo is also starring in Netflix’s The Wonderfools this month (see above!), and Lee Joo-myung was excellent in JTBC’s My Youth last year. Jeon Hye-jin was last seen in ENA’s Mother and Mom and Jin Goo in MBC’s Moon River.
• Writer: Hyun Ji-min (from tvN’s Pandora: Beneath the Paradise)
• Director: Ko Hye-jin (who directed 2022’s feature The Woman in the White Car)
• Created by: Kim Soon-ok
• Adapted from Sang Yeong’s web novel of the same name.

Known as the “God of Business”, Kang Yong-ho (Son Hyun-joo) is the chairman of the hugely successful Choiseong Group, which he built himself. Things go south when he collides with Hwang Jun-hyeon (Lee Jun-young), a young football player who has just joined FC Choiseong. The accident makes their souls swap bodies, but Yong-ho isn’t one to simply accept defeat. With Jun-hyeon’s body and his business acumen, he applies to be an intern at his own Choiseong Group.

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

So, which new K-dramas are you watching in May 2026?