From All That We Loved, starring EXO’s Sehun, to the sci-fi series Black Knight and the time-travel romance My Perfect Stranger, take a dekko at all the upcoming Korean dramas set for a May 2023 release.
With the demand for South Korean content at an all-time high, streaming platforms are allocating more resources to develop K-drama titles. The most recent instance is that of Netflix, which announced its plans to invest USD 2.5 billion in Korean entertainment over the next four years, as per Deadline. Naturally, the future seems bright for fans of K-drama. And, the lineup of releases for May 2023 sounds equally promising!
While April brought us some heartwarming Korean dramas like the Uhm Jung-hwa-starrer medical drama Doctor Cha and the Yoo Sun-starrer thriller Paper Moon, what makes the upcoming Korean dramas special are their star-studded casts. Be it veteran actor Lee Na-young’s return to the small screen with the Wavve original One Day Off or You Are My Spring fame Kim Dong-wook’s portrayal of a lawyer in Delightfully Deceitful, each show has some A-lister or the other.
Not to mention the returning series The Tale Of The Nine Tailed, which is all set to release its sequel The Tale Of The Nine Tailed 1938. The show, produced by CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon, will be streaming globally on Prime Video starting 6 May 2023.
Check our complete list on K-dramas to watch!
Check out our list of upcoming Korean dramas to binge in May 2023
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1 /9
Directed by: Kang Soo-yeon
Cast: Kim Dong-wook, Jin Ki-joo, Seo Ji-hye, Park Soo-young
Episodes: 16
Release date: 1 May
Synopsis: The story follows Yoon Hae-joon (Kim) and Baek Yoon-young (Jin), who meet by chance after they travel back in time and get stuck in 1987. While Hae-joon, a young anchor and journalist, is on a quest to solve a past murder, Yoon-young, an employee at a publishing company, tries to stop her parents from getting married. Soon, their lives get intertwined as the duo discovers that their goals are related.
About the show: The Korean drama premiered on KBS2 and airs every Monday and Tuesday at 21:50 KST (6:20 IST).
(Image: Courtesy jinkijoo/Instagram)
2 /9
Directed by: Kim Jin-sung
Cast: Sehun, Jo Joon-young, Jang Yeo-bin
Episodes: 8
Release date: 5 May
Synopsis: The romance drama follows the story of two best friends — popular high-school basketball player Goo Yoo (Sehun) and the studious Go Joon-hee (Jo). Despite being polar opposites, the two are inseparable. However, things get complicated when Joon-hee experiences cellular memory syndrome after his kidney transplant, where Yoo was the organ donor. As Yoo develops feelings for Han Seo-yoon (Jang), a mysterious transfer student with a secret of her own, Joon-hee starts experiencing the same.
About the show: Popular K-Pop idol Sehun from EXO, who plays Go Yoo in the upcoming Korean drama, will be seen in a lead role after almost four years. He was last seen as a protagonist in the 2018 Korean action drama Dokgo Rewind.
(Image: Courtesy TVING/Twitter)
3 /9
Directed by: Kang Shin-hyo
Cast: Lee Dong-wook, Kim So-yeon, Kim beom, Ryoo Kyung-soo
Episodes: 12
Release date: 6 May
Synopsis: Lee Yeon (Lee), a male gumiho or a mythical nine-tailed fox, accidentally travels back in time to the year 1938 and stumbles upon quite a few known faces from his present. His first encounter is with guardian spirit Hong-joo, who in 1938, is the owner of a luxury restaurant in the capital city of Gyeongseong (present-day Seoul). He also meets his younger brother.
However, Yeon soon faces a former evil guardian spirit Cheon Moo-young (Ryoo) and pines to go back to his loved ones from his present world. Will Yeon be able to return back home from 1938?
(Image: Courtesy CJnDrama/Twitter)
4 /9
Directed by: Lee Dong-yoon
Cast: Lee Yeon-hee, Hong Jong-hyun, Moon So-ri, U-Know
Episodes: 12
Release Date: 10 May
Synopsis: This Disney+ office K-drama follows marketer Park Yoon-zo (Lee), a single woman, as she joins the PR department of a large firm and learns the ways of the corporate world from her expert colleague Ku Yi-Jung (Moon). In the process, Yoon-zo encounters her friend Ryu Jae-min (Hong), who happens to work at the same firm. Jae-min, who is level-headed and professional, has nothing in common with Yoon-zo. Will they remain friends or take a chance at love?
(Image: Courtesy DisneyPlusHS/Twitter)
5 /9
Directed by: Cho Ui-seok
Cast: Kim Woo-bin, Song Seung-heon, Kang Yoo-seok, Esom, Kim Eui-sung
Episodes: 6
Release Date: 12 May
Synopsis: In a dystopian 2071, the world is devastated by air pollution and oxygen masks are the new norm. The survival of humanity depends on Black Knights — delivery riders who risk everything to safeguard people from theft and supply them with necessities.
When legendary delivery rider Knight 5-8 (Kim), meets a refugee boy, Sa Wol (Kang), he takes it upon himself to train the youngster. Joining them on this journey is Seol Ah (Esom), a military officer.
About the show: The upcoming K-drama is adapted from a webcomic titled Taekbaegisa by Lee Yoon-kyun.
(Image: Courtesy NetflixKR/Twitter)
6 /9
Directed by: Oh Hwan-min and Kim Kyung-eun
Cast: Song Ha-yoon, Lee Dong-hae
Episodes: 10
Release Date: 15 May
Synopsis: After multiple failed attempts at variety shows, producer Oh Young-shim (Song) proposes a dating reality show. However, quite a surprise awaits Oh as start-up entrepreneur Mark Wang (Lee) enters the show as a contestant. Mark is none other than Kyung-tae, someone, who had a crush on Oh 20 years ago.
About the show: Oh! Young-Sim is inspired by the comic Yeolnesal Youngsimyi by Bae Geu-taek. It was first published in the comic magazine IQ Jump in 1988.
(Image: Courtesy Super Junior/Twitter)
7 /9
Directed by: Lee Jong-pil
Cast: Lee Na-young, Park Se-wan, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kil Hae-yeon
Episodes: 8
Release Date: 24 May
Synopsis: Park Ha Kyung (Lee), a Korean literature teacher, takes day trips every Saturday to break the monotony of her life. She finds comfort in her travel escapades in the 1990s. During her one day off every week, she comes across new people, tries out different meals and gathers meaningful experiences in life.
(Image: Courtesy Wavve/Twitter)
8 /9
Directed by: Kee Soo-hyun
Cast: Chun Woo-hee, Kim Dong-wook, Yoon Park, Sojin
Episodes: TBA
Release Date: 29 May
Synopsis: Lee Ro-woom (Chun) is an extraordinary scam artist, who has turned rich through her deceitful ways. Han Moo-young (Kim) is a righteous lawyer, who enjoys putting his all into solving cases. What happens when these two meet and get entangled in each other’s lives?
(Images: Courtesy tvN/Twitter)
9 /9
Directed by: Kim Yoon-cheol
Cast: Jin Seo-yun, Cha Ye-ryun, Park Hyo-joo, Woo Jeong-won
Episodes: 16
Release date: 31 May
Synopsis: The story revolves around five mothers, who get into a fierce battle over the internet as each seeks to ensure their own happiness. Would tearing each other apart free them from past secrets and help them find their true selves or cause their ultimate doom?
About the show: This suspense thriller is based on the novel of the same name by Joo Young-ha
(Image: Courtesy ENA/Twitter)
(Main and featured image: Courtesy NetflixKR/Twitter)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: K-dramas releasing in May 2023 include ‘All That We Loved’, ‘My Perfect Stranger’, ‘Black Knight’, ‘One Day Off’, ‘Tale Of The Nine Tailed 1938’, ‘Happiness Battle‘ and ‘Delightfully Deceitful’.
Answer: Some of the latest K-dramas on Netflix are ‘The Glory' season 2, 'Dr. Romantic', 'Queenmaker', 'The Good Bad Mother', 'Divorce Attorney Shin' and 'Kill Boksoon'.
A PhD research scholar, Sushmita is a full-time writer and a part time poet. Notepads are Sushmita's one true love -- the unbothered victims drowned in the ink of her pen. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, she mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, Sushmita is dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
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