Romantic Comedies in Korea 101: What’s a Rom-com K-drama & Where Do I Start?

Korean television is excellent at adding bits and bobs of different genres into one show. Sometimes this mix is done seamlessly, sometimes less so. Especially after Love Next Door, we’re left wondering: what exactly is a romantic comedy? What is a rom-com K-drama?

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What’s a Romantic Comedy?

A subgenre of both romance and comedy, a romantic comedy (a.k.a. “rom-com”) develops a story whose dramatic issues hinge mostly on — you guessed it — romance. The narrative, however, lacks the sensationalism of the melodrama and is humorous and lighthearted. The goal of a rom-com is usually to portray the kind of love that can overcome all obstacles, regardless of the status of the relationship (dating or married, young or old). Its characters and their dating rituals are often relatable, making rom-coms the perfect means through which we can reflect the changes in our society.

Romantic comedies, despite their superficial simplicity, still require a solid narrative structure to work. Each rom-com defends its own idea about romance, which its story needs to portray dramatically. That means that its core dramatic issue needs to be resolved in a way that offers a fulfilling experience to the audience, taking them through an often heartwarming and amusing journey.

According to Reuters, the “golden age” of Hollywood rom-coms is considered to be the 1990s through 2000s — and that’s exactly when comedies started taking over the box office in South Korea, too.

When Did Korea Start Making Comedies?

In the 90s, Korean society was quickly changing. Up until then, melodramas were the dominant genre both on TV and in cinema. An emotional genre heavily based on the old-fashioned concept of family, melodramas lost their power when familial bonds started to take different forms. With the modernisation of the economy and social fabric, comedies and thrillers were two genres that could reflect the new dynamics of Korean society more accurately and engagingly.

Comedy became key in Korean productions because it allowed stories to discuss themes that couldn’t be talked about before. Through humour, filmmakers could raise difficult questions without the need to offer answers. In Park Yu-hee’s marvellous essay “From the Era of Melodrama to the Age of the Comedy and the Thriller: The Simultaneous Transformations of Korean Society and Film Genre From the 1990s to the Present,” she says:

While thrillers for example have the goal and duty of revealing the criminal and all the circumstances surrounding the crime, comedies can end in laughter without providing answers, as long as no one is egregiously wounded. Therefore, when unconventional and fresh discussion is necessary, only comedy is allowed to engage in it freely without the need to foster a social consensus. And when comedy is combined with romance, which has an affinity with melodrama, a distance from the existing melodrama genre is secured, and the moral scaffolding of melodrama can be replaced by a radical depiction of the issues in question through humor.

What’s The Very First Rom-com K-drama?

As comedies allowed filmmakers to shed the skin of old, melodramatic narrative structures, rom-coms offered the audience the right mix of melodrama and humour. The term “romantic comedy” only started being used in Korean newspapers in 1992, the year when the very first rom-com K-drama came out. Led by Choi Jin-shil and Choi Soo-jong, MBC’s Jealousy is considered to be the very first romantic comedy to hit Korean television. A revolutionary piece of television at the time, Jealousy reached 56.1% viewership ratings and was the first K-drama to be broadcast internationally.

Jealousy created the mould for all rom-com K-dramas that came after it. It started the childhood friends-to-lovers trope and introduced several other (now considered) clichés that we know (and love), such as the love triangle (and the SML syndrome) and comic misunderstandings. These narrative concepts might be old news to us, seasoned binge-watchers, but they were brand new back then. Jealousy not only got rid of antiquated tropes that were hallmarks of romantic melodramas but also portrayed young adults more realistically — allowing 20 and 30-year-olds to identify with those characters and their everyday struggles.

Left: The very first rom-com K-drama poster for Jealousy (Credit: MBC)

So… Is Goblin a Rom-com K-drama?

What really are some of the descendants of MBC’s Jealousy?

Humour became such a vital component in Korean productions that elements of comedy can be found in pretty much any genre, giving rise to genre-blending films and TV shows, but also creating some tricky misconceptions. Just because a K-drama adds comic and romantic elements to its narrative, it doesn’t mean it’s a romantic comedy.

Korean television is a lot more varied than a superficial look at it might tell you. I would say that tvN’s Goblin or Hotel del Luna are romantic fantasies, for instance. The marvellous It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (also tvN) is a romantic (psychological) dramedy. My beloved Daily Dose of Sunshine (Netflix) has just been nominated for an International Emmy Award… as Best Comedy. Daily Dose of Sunshine is a medical drama — medical dramedy at best. Just the other day, I saw a website file What Comes After Love (currently airing on Coupang Play) under the rom-com category when it’s a romantic melodrama (I’ve cried and screamed with the show so far, not a single laugh has come out of this body). The renowned Reply series (tvN) is a family drama, Twenty-Five Twenty-One (tvN) is a coming-of-age drama, Love in the Moonlight (KBS) is a historical romance.

Believe me, I can continue.

But today I want to introduce (or re-introduce) you to 7 rom-com K-dramas that are exactly what they are supposed to be: lighthearted, uplifting, and thoroughly enjoyable. If you’re new to the K-drama scene, these will help you get acclimated to your new surroundings. If you’ve been around for a while, why not jump onto a re-watch?

The Contemporary One: Because This Is My First Life (2017)

Halfway through episode 12 of Love Next Door, I was hit by this weird déjà vu. Seeing Baek-ryu (Jung So-min) awkwardly stretching her little hand to reach out to Seung-hyo’s (Jung Hae-in), I thought to myself: I’ve seen this before.

And of course, I had: that’s Because This is My First Life!

Because This Is My First Life is considered to have been heavily inspired by The Full-Time Wife Escapist (Nigeru wa Haji da ga Yaku ni Tatsu), the incredibly successful TBS 2016 J-drama with Aragaki Yui and Hoshino Gen (if you haven’t watched it yet, go for it! It’s on Netflix and Viki!). The similarities are clear — after all, they’re both contract marriage rom-coms, and both discuss the role of women in society and the different concepts of romantic relationships. While I do find The Full-Time Wife Escapist to be a tad more political, exploring its themes more openly, Because This Is My First Life is still a thought-provoking and delightful watch.

Written by Yoon Nan-joong and directed by Park Joon-hwa and Nam Sung-woo, Because This Is My First Life tells the story of Ji-ho (Jung So-min), a young woman who wants to become a screenwriter. When she finds herself unemployed, Ji-ho ends up renting a room at Se-hee’s (Lee Min-ki) home. The show explores the dynamics of their relationship as well as the relationships of Ji-ho’s two best friends, Su-ji (Esom) and Ho-rang (Kim Ga-eun).

With a marvellous, airtight script that discusses the meaning of love, marriage, and personal happiness, Because This Is My First Life excels when it comes to character development. In particular, Se-hee’s character arc is a thing of beauty, and Lee Min-ki’s nuanced, subtle portrayal of such a complex character is amazing to watch. Even though the show approaches its themes with a lightness of touch, it never forgoes narrative depth or shies away from approaching tricky topics, such as gender stereotypes or sexual harassment. Because This Is My First Life is a perfect example of a thoughtful, contemporary portrayal of who we are and the world we live in.

The show does have its flaws, but they never obscure the strength and coherence of the plot, characters, and visual storytelling. The last two episodes might not be as impeccable as the first fourteen, but they offer the closure and satisfaction such a solid show requires.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: Melomance’s Feel Like Falling in Love
• You can watch Because This Is My First Life on:

The Inspiring One: Thirty But Seventeen (2018)

I’ve already mentioned Thirty But Seventeen here, so let me start with this:

Let’s say that Still 17 made me fall in love with K-dramas all over again when it came out. Sweet without being overly melodramatic, juvenile yet mature, and unbelievably uplifting, Still 17 is led by chemistry-charged couple Shin Hye-sun and Yang Se-jong with Ahn Hyo-seop in one of his very first main role credits.

Written by Jo Sung-hee and directed by Jo Soo-won and Kim Young-hwan, Thirty But Seventeen (a.k.a Still 17) is the story of Woo Seo-ri (Shin Hye-sun), a teenage violin prodigy who fell into a coma when she was seventeen. She wakes up, 13 years later, as her teenage self but now, in the body of a 30-year-old woman. She meets Gong Woo-jin (Yang Se-jong), an introspective man who now lives in her childhood home. Together, they need to find a way to regain their lives and finally let their time start ticking again.

A bit more dramatic than the other K-dramas in this list, Thirty But Seventeen is here because of a character-driven script that offers us themes of change, hope, and forgiveness in addition to a sweet, adorable romance that mesmerises. Despite its more dramatic storyline, the show never gives us an antagonist, using instead well-rounded, realistic characters that are flawed but well-intentioned.

Considering that the pacing isn’t excellent and the delivery overuses flashbacks at times, the script fully relies on the growth of its cast and the dynamics between them. Despite the silly hijinks of a typical rom-com, there’s no unnecessary conflict, and the story gives its characters space to reflect, grow, and heal their wounded souls.

Thirty But Seventeen is an optimistic, encouraging, and inspiring watch that goes beyond the cuteness of our main couple and the hilarity of their journey to deliver a meaningful rom-com.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: HYOLYN’s Just Stay
• You can watch Thirty But Seventeen on:

The Addictive One: What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? (2018)

Adapted from Jung Kyung-yoon’s webtoon of the same name, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? became such a hit when it came out that every single K-drama fan you knew talked about (if not, loved) the Park-Park couple. Its success was such that it led to three different international adaptations: a Chinese, a Thai, and a Filipino one.

And a million fans (a.k.a me) who still adore the show years later.

Beautifully directed by Park Joon-hwa (the most popular name on this list) and written by Baek Sun-woo and Choi Bo-rim, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? follows Mi-so (Park Min-young), an intelligent, determined, and patient secretary. After working for the narcissistic Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) for almost a decade, supporting him as he grew in the company and became the VP, she decides to quit to focus on herself more. Now that he’s about to lose her, Lee Young-joon might start seeing her (and himself) in a new light.

If I had to choose a K-drama to define “rom-com,” it would just have to be What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?. Full of hilarious shenanigans, charming characters and romance that is both endearing and swoon-worthy, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? is the sort of show that provides you with a bit of an escape from reality and allows you to live and breathe in a parallel universe for a while.

The script, while nothing groundbreaking or complex, is well-paced and ticks all the boxes that a playful rom-com should. Of course, almost 20 hours of content for just a romantic storyline would be a bit of a stretch, so you have a more dramatic plot line to give the narrative a bit more substance. It fits well within the overall context of the show, but most importantly, it helps bolster the relationship between our leads and gives the background you need to understand who our characters are.

Even though What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? doesn’t raise all the questions that Because This Is My First Life does, it still manages to subvert some of the “rich man-poor woman” tropes, offering a fresh take on the overused chaebol tale. It’s also nice to see how none of the relationships in the series is perfect in any way, creating a more solid bridge between us and the characters.

But we’ve got to mention that Park Min-young and Park Seo-joon look so fantastic individually, and together it’s just mindblowing. If you’re looking for a rom-com that will make you giggle and squeal, this is it.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: GFRIEND’s Wanna Be
• You can watch What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? on:

The Adorable One: The Secret Life of My Secretary (2019)

Another secretary rom-com? Oh, well, I can’t help it!

This time, we’re following Do Min-ik (an impeccable Kim Young-kwang), a perfectionist director at a mobile company. He relies on his secretary, Jung Gal-hee (the cutest Jin Ki-joo ever), an outspoken, clumsy and hardworking young woman. As Min-ik faces problems in his personal and professional life, the dynamics between him and Gal-hee might bring them closer than ever.

I know — you’ve heard this story before (we’ve just talked about What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? and we’ll be talking about more of these here). But The Secret Life of My Secretary stands out because of its simplicity. The script sets out to tell one story, and that’s what you get. The show gets rid of all excessive conflicts and melodrama to focus on the main storyline, which is developed well and relies on a twist you’re introduced to very early on. This twist not only gives the narrative a certain allure but also allows the story to develop its main themes of forgiveness and empathy in a heartwarming and thought-provoking way.

The story sometimes unravels as a bit of a fairy tale, but it never asks you to take it too seriously. Instead, it offers captivating characters that you fall in love with and, to an extent, relate to as they struggle with their desires, actions, and the consequences of their good intentions. What this show does exceptionally well is writing female characters: from the adorable Gal-hee to the iconic Veronica Park (Kim Jae-kyung), they are complex beings who can be both sensible and foolish, admirable and flawed — but most importantly, there’s no unhealthy competition between them at any point.

The Secret Life of My Secretary‘s charm comes from its innocent and lighthearted approach to a rom-com, delivering the most delightful romance in Gal-hee and Min-ik (their chemistry was on point here). This is a really relaxing and entertaining watch on a rainy day.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: The OST for The Secret Life of My Secretary is one of my favourites (it includes Stella Jang, Car, The Garden, 1415, and Sondia, so… tough choice here), but let’s say: PEPPERTONES’s FOOL (and Car, The Garden’s A Word of Apology)
• You can watch The Secret Life of My Secretary on:

The Feel-Good One: Touch Your Heart (2019)

While tvN’s Goblin is far from a rom-com, it did offer two of the greatest couples in the history of Korean television: Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na. So, as the huge Goblin fan that I am, when Lee and Yoo were cast in a rom-com, I threw a party to celebrate this little miracle.

Because the chemistry between these two is no joke, kids.

Directed by Park Joon-hwa (yes, again) and written by Choi Bo-rim and Lee Myung-sook, Touch Your Heart is an adaptation of Yegeo’s web novel of the same name. The story introduces us to Yoon-seo (Yoo In-na), a gorgeous actress who is terrible… at acting. As her prospects of new roles start to disappear, she hears from a famous screenwriter who is looking for an actress to play a legal secretary. She then decides to work as a legal secretary for a few months to gain experience and deliver a more realistic performance. She’s assigned to a cold-hearted but skilled lawyer, Kwon Jung-rok (Lee Dong-wook), who is not happy to have her around.

Do you want a 100% feel-good rom-com K-drama? Let me introduce you to Touch Your Heart. Uncomplicated, a tad silly, and immensely sweet, Touch Your Heart is the kind of show that you can’t help but watch with a huge grin on your face. The script fully eliminates melodrama and crazy twists to focus on a constellation of characters that learn the importance of sincerity and communication. Even though a seasoned viewer might find the overall plot a tad cliché, Touch Your Heart nails character development. The main characters have solid character arcs, and it’s wonderful to see how much they grow and help each other throughout the show. Alongside the supporting cast, they all create warm, loving bonds that encourage every single one of them to become a better person.

This is a character-driven script, and you’re naturally led to care for and root for all of them. Beyond their cartoonish gags, the supporting cast have a personality and a life of their own, and their own struggles to face. That brings us closer to them, despite the fairy-tale-like framing of the main couple’s romance.

While some may label it as a “legal drama,” the legal part of it all takes so little screen time you hardly remember it after the show ends. Touch Your Heart is a rom-com through and through — a soothing, heartwarming, and thoroughly charming romance that will bring a spark to your day.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: CHEN’s Make It Count (and 1415’s Photographs)
• You can watch Touch Your Heart on:

The Heartwarming One: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

I’ve probably mentioned Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha a million times here, but I’ll continue to do so because it deserves every bit of attention it can get.

Written by Shin Ha-eun and directed by Yoo Je-won, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a remake of 2004’s Mr Hong (dir. Kang Seok-beom). The story revolves around Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-ah), a dentist who moves from Seoul to a seaside village, and Hong Do-shik (Kim Seon-ho), a jack-of-all-trades who helps her adapt to her new life away from the city. At first, their relationship is anything but friendly, but slowly, that dynamic changes into a lovely, chemistry-filled romance.

More than just romance, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a show about family, ageing, loss, and new beginnings. It reminds us of the natural cycles of life, the courage we need to start again, and how we sometimes need to forgive ourselves to keep moving forward. These themes are portrayed with heart and subtlety by a talented cast, but extra cookie points have to go to Shin Min-ah and Kim Seon-ho’s magical performances. Their chemistry is off-the-charts, but individually, they strengthen and give further depth to the script in a way that only a very skilled performer would.

With a strong and harmonious ensemble cast, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha also stands out by making Gongjin village a main character in the story. It’s the village itself that creates bonds between people, ignites moments of self-discovery, and gives the space the characters need to relish their joy and work through their grief. From the main to the supporting cast, everyone had a very clear purpose in the story, and their personalities were portrayed realistically. That also means that character arcs aren’t about complete transformations but about finding your own best self alongside the people who cherish you. The finale might be a bit too perfect, but can’t we allow ourselves a bit of a fairytale every now and again?

With vibrant photography and a soothing colour palette, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a great show when you want to find yourself immersed in a community that will offer you a bit of support and courage — and obviously, if you want one of the sweetest romances out there.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: Car, The Garden’s Romantic Sunday
• You can watch Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha on:

The Quirky One: Business Proposal (2022)

Adapted from Hae Hwa’s web novel of the same name, Business Proposal was on Netflix’s global Top 10 for 13 weeks after its release and reached the Top 10 TV in more than 50 countries. In Korea, the numbers were also excellent with the show reaching almost 12% of viewership ratings.

A hit? Absolutely.

It was impossible to say no to Business Proposal when you had two perfect couples who just wouldn’t let you stop watching the show. Both the first (Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Se-jeong) and the second couples (Kim Min-gue and Seol In-ah) were so charismatic and their dynamic was so bursting with chemistry that you couldn’t help but swoon over them.

Business Proposal tells the story of Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong), a single woman who works at a big company. After she finds out that her long-time crush has a girlfriend, her friend Young-seo (Seol In-ah) asks her to go on a blind date in her stead. Determined to be rejected, Ha-ri arrives at the date confidently, but things go awry when she realises her blind date is the CEO of her company, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). Tae-moo is sick and tired of being asked to go on blind dates, all organised by his grandfather, so he decides to marry the next girl he meets. He then proposes to Ha-ri.

What makes Business Proposal special isn’t some innovative plot. Not at all. You’ve probably seen Business Proposal-esque shows and films a million times in your life — and the show knows that. The script willingly gathers most of the clichés that we’re so familiar with and proceeds to subvert most of them, charmingly playing with the ones that represent their story the best. Its ability to not take itself seriously, alongside a cast of lovable characters, makes Business Proposal the rom-com to watch.

Business Proposal is loud, exaggerated, quirky, and purposefully cringe at times — but it presents you with different personalities, backgrounds, and conflicts that keep you engaged and enamoured with its two main couples. If you allow yourself to make fun of rom-coms in the same way the series did, you’ll surely enjoy it. But if you take it too seriously, it’ll poison the experience. The only flaw in Business Proposal is its last two episodes, in which the show did take itself a bit too seriously and used the tropes they so flawlessly twisted before in a more literal (and ineffective) way. However, you still have a cute and colourful ending to this story — which is still very much worth a watch.

Ah, and get ready for some Konglish that will surely crack you up.

• A song from the OST that you won’t forget: Melomance’s Love, Maybe
• You can watch Business Proposal on:

And this year, we had the marvellous My Sweet Mobster, which I highly recommend. Make sure to check our review here. If you can’t invest 20 hours into a K-drama right now, why not start with these 7 romance mini-series? For a proper rom-com, I’d go with Love to Hate You and To. Jenny.

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What’s your favourite rom-com K-drama? Share in the comments what titles you’d add to this list!