K-DRAMAS is a short abbreviation for Korean dramas produced in South Korea. Although not unknown before, K-dramas’ popularity grew in the United States around the early 2000s. These television series contain various kinds of genres and story plots, including everything finding true love to avenging wrongs. Korean dramas are watched and loved by many.

If barely stepping foot into the K-drama world, it is best to read the synopsis to figure out if the genre is to your liking. As Grace Kim (10) said, “I feel like if people gave K-dramas a chance, they would like them. I think first, they must find out what type of genre they enjoy watching, because if they start watching a romance drama, but they are not into romance, then they wouldn’t like that K-drama.”

Although Korean dramas are popular, there are a couple of misconceptions about them. “Obviously K-dramas focus a lot on the romance genre, but I think people overlook that it doesn’t always have to be romance. There are other K-dramas that go into depth about really personal things like insecurity, anxiety, and other disorders. I think you can learn a lot just from watching K-dramas,” Aleisha Lim (10) said.

Ahlam Elnoor (10) agrees with this concept. “I know a lot of people think that Korean dramas are all about romance or the dramatic scenes, but I think what people don’t know is that some K-dramas include very good mystery and criminal shows, for example, Mouse. I would recommend that K-drama to everyone,” she said

Deksan Omar (10) and Elnoor both recommended K-dramas like Taxi Driver, Vigilante, or Mouse, for anyone who is a fan of thrillers and suspenseful television series. For anyone looking to watch a comedic and lighthearted romance, then it’s worth checking out True Beauty, as recommended by Kim.

There are a lot of streaming media platforms that carry K-dramas.

Some examples are Netflix, Rakuten Vicki, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. All types of K-dramas on these platforms can be found for free or by a monthly payment. These platforms may also include a few Korean movies, which is great for those who want something quick to watch since K-dramas contain several episodes, each with a runtime of an hour.

While some people may not like that kind of duration, others prefer it that way. “I think that in shorter American and western shows some things are overlooked in the story, and the story kind of rushes. I think that with K-dramas that move at a slower pace, you understand the characters on a different level,” Lim said.

For people who have never watched a K-drama before, “Some people may not like it because of the language barrier, but there are a couple of dubbed dramas that you can watch in English,” Omar said. She has a point, as others may not like to watch Korean dramas because they need to actively read the subtitles, which can become tiring or boring for some viewers.

That is not the case for Omar. “I watch Korean dramas because when you listen to them subbed, you can hear their real expressions.” Elnoor and Lim agree that watching K-dramas subbed is better than watching dubbed because, “it doesn’t fit the characters’ personalities,” or as Lim mentioned, “the sound does not match the characters’ mouth movements.”

Overall, K-dramas are expected to gain more popularity as more people give them a chance, and as they stream more and more on popular media platforms. “Just find the right K-dramas, ‘cause they are always really nice to watch,” Brianna Nguyen (9) said.