Top 16 Cheerful Korean Dramas About Friendship

Korean Drama is not like any other show. They are interesting and satisfying with amazing storylines and unpredictable plot twists. They are addicting in so many ways that you tend to watch more.

Because of their popularity across the world, we can’t deny their cultural impact on the world. Once you get used to the pacing and acting styles of Korean television, you’ll find yourself staying away from them.

You can watch a lot of Korean dramas on streaming platforms like Netflix, Viki, YouTube, Disney+, Viu, MX Player, and more. They are also available in other languages for easy understanding.

Friendship Korean Dramas

Some people arrive and make such a beautiful impact on your life, you can barely remember what life was like without them. They are called friends who are companions in your good and bad times.

Many Kdramas have a group of friends that hang out together, have parties, help each other in difficult times, and have fun all the time. These dramas depict the friendship goals and hardships they face.

If you’re looking for some of the best Korean dramas about friendship that you can watch with your friends and have a fun time together. So, keep your popcorn ready and call your friends.

1. Hospital Playlist

Hospital Playlist tells the story of doctors, patients, and nurses working at Yulje Medical Center. It focuses on five doctors who have been friends since they entered medical school in 1999. The drama will also deal with a story of a band formed by a group of doctors.

Cast –

• Jo Jung Suk as Li Ik Jun
• Yoo Yeon Seok as Ahn Jung Won
• Jung Kyung Ho as Kim Jun Wan
• Jeon Mi Do as Chae Song Hwa

No. Of Episodes – 12

Watch On – Netflix

2. Reply 1988

The drama follows the lives of 5 families living on the same street in a neighborhood. A nostalgic look back at the year 1988. As the group of friends gets into and out of mischief, what experiences will they carry with them into their future lives?

Cast –

• Lee Hye Ri as Sung Deok Sun
• Go Kyung Pyo as Sung Sun Woo
• Ryu Joon Yeol as Kim Jung Hwan
• Park Bo Gum as Choi Taek

No. Of Episodes – 20

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

3. Twenty Five Twenty One

Set in 1998, the drama tells the stories of youth who find new direction and growth after having their dreams taken away. Yi Jin and Hee Do first meet when they are 22 and 18 years old and fall in love when they turn 25 and 21.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi Jin
• Kim Tae Ri as Na Hee Do
• Bona as Go Yoo Rim
• Choi Hyun Wook as Moon Ji Woong

No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Short Review: The drama has an appealing theme, a story that is well told, great acting and clever staging and editing. Despite being one of the drama’s genre, romance is not the primary subject. It has to do with desire, youth, and friendship. The best friendship drama that is a must-watch.

4. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Bok Joo is a weightlifter who wants to win the gold medal, but then for the first time in her life, she falls in love. At age 20, can she find a way to have both love and fame? The drama shows how friends grow up and how their relationships change as their lives get busier.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Sung Kyung as Kim Bok Joo
• Nam Joo Hyuk as Jung Joon Hyung
• Lee Jae Yoon as Jung Jae Yi
• Kyung Soo Jin as Song Shi Ho

No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Short Review: The drama is a heartwarming look at the struggles of young adults. It will make you laugh one minute and make you cry the next. The drama shows that it’s important to follow your dreams and that love and friendship can help us get through anything.

5. Racket Boys

The drama is about young students living in a small town, dreaming of becoming successful badminton players. To fulfill their dreams, the boys train hard to compete on a national level while also growing up.

Cast –

• Kim Sang Kyung as Yoon Hyun Jong
• Oh Na Ra as Ra Young Ja
• Tang Jun Sang as Yoon Hae Kang
• Son Sang Yeon as Bang Yoon Dam

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

6. Our Beloved Summer

A coming of age, romantic comedy revolving around Choi Woong and Yeon Soo, who broke up with a promise never to meet again. The documentary they filmed ten years ago in high school gets the fame and they are by compulsion facing camera once more.

Cast –

• Choi Woo Shik as Choi Woong
• Kim Da Mi as Gook Yeon Soo
• Kim Sung Chul as Kim Ji Woong
• Roh Jeong Eui as NJ

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

7. Cheer Up!

Set at the prestigious Sevit High School, it follows the lives of five students as they try to stay alive in a place where academic elitism is common. A story about the mishaps of high school students, including love, heartbreak, pain, and friendship.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Jung Eun Ji as Kang Yeon Doo
• Lee Won Keun as Kim Yeol
• Chae Soo Bin as Kwon Soo Ah
• Kim Ji Soo as Seo Ha Joon

No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Short Review: Relatable characters in a refreshing drama. A school drama on the surface, it becomes a powerful and poignant story about teenagers and their careers facing realistic, human difficulties that the audience can connect to.

8. Welcome To Waikiki

Three men Dong Gu, Du Shik & Jun Ki along with Seo Jin runs a guesthouse. Things go differently when a single mother enters the house with her baby. Later, Dong Gu’s ex-girlfriend also lives in the house. The drama revolves around these six characters.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Kim Jung Hyun as Kang Dong Goo
• Lee Yi Kyung as Lee Joon Ki
• Son Seung Won as Bong Doo Shik
• Jung In Sun as Han Yoon Ah

No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Short Review: The well-written characters are one of the best things about the show. Each of the main characters is different and has its own strengths and weaknesses. The drama is a must-see because it has characters and stories that are easy to relate to, as well as a mix of funny and serious themes. Read Welcome To Waikiki Review.

9. Age Of Youth

Five girls in their twenties come to live together in a house called “Belle Epoque.” Each girl has a particular personality, background, and issues. The drama follows their struggles and incidents dealing with relationships – within their circles, with dating, and with each other.

Cast –

• Han Ye Ri as Yoon Jin Myung
• Ryu Hwa Young as Kang Yi Na
• Park Eun Bin as Song Ji Won
• Han Seung Yeon as Jung Ye Eun

No. Of Episodes – 12

Watch On – Netflix

10. Reply 1997

The drama is about the lives of six friends in the city of Busan in the 1990s. The story jumps back and forth in time from 1997, when they were 18 and in high school, to 2012, when they are 33 and at their high school reunion dinner.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Jung Eun Ji as Sung Shi Won
• Seo In Guk as Yoon Yoon Jae
• Hoya as Kang Jun Hee
• Shin So Yool as Mo Yoo Jung

No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Short Review: It has a great cast and a well-written plot. Fans of coming-of-age stories and Kdramas should watch it. The show’s clever humor, likeable characters, and touching moments will make you miss a time you may not have lived through.

11. Hwarang

The drama tells the story of beautiful-looking young men called Hwarang in Silla, one of the three kingdoms of Korea. The warriors include a man from the lowest class of Silla and the hidden king who secretly joins. The men also fall for the maiden Ah Ro.

Cast –

• Park Seo Joon as Moo Myung
• Park Hyung Sik as Sam Maek Jong
• Go Ah Ra as Ah Ro
• Seo Yea Ji as Sook Myung

No. Of Episodes – 20

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

12. Work Later, Drink Now

Ahn So Hee works as a broadcasting writer, Han Ji Yeon as a yoga instructor, and Kang Ji Gu as a YouTuber. They enjoy meeting after work and drinking together. The three women are single and in their 30s. A man also hangs out with them.

Cast –

• Lee Sun Bin as Ahn So Hee
• Han Sun Hwa as Han Ji Yeon
• Jung Eun Ji as Kang Ji Gu
• Choi Si Won as Kang Book Goo

No. Of Episodes – 10

Watch On – Free Streaming Sites

13. Be Melodramatic

Three 30-year-old best friends, Jin Joo, Eun Jung and Han Joo each pursue different paths in both career and love. Despite life’s difficulties, the three friends can always return home at the end of the day and support each other.

Cast –

• Chun Woo Hee as Im Jin Joo
• Jeon Yeo Bin as Lee Eun Jung
• Han Ji Eun as Hwang Han Joo
• Ahn Jae Hong as Son Beom Soo

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix, Viki, MX Player

14. Seasons Of Blossom

Ha Min appears like a bright person. So Mang is a warm-hearted person, but she is also quite timid. Jae Min is a popular student with a painful past. Bo Mi is a sweet, model student. Jin Young seems unfriendly and has a delicate personality.

Cast –

• Seo Ji Hoon as Lee Ha Min
• So Ju Yeon as Han So Mang
• Kim Min Kyu as Lee Jae Min
• Kang Hye Won as Yoon Bo Mi

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Viki

15. Run On

The drama tells the love story of Seon Gyeom, a former sprinter who is working to become a sports agent, and Mi Joo, a subtitle translator. Dan Ah is the CEO of a sports agency. Young Hwa, a university art major who enjoys movies and drawing soon enters her life.

Cast –

• Im Shi Wan as Ki Seon Gyeom
• Shin Se Kyung as Oh Mi Joo
• Choi Soo Young as Seo Dan Ah
• Kang Tae Oh as Lee Young Hwa

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

16. Reply 1994

Set in 1994, six students live together at a boarding house in Seoul which is run by a couple with a daughter named Na Jung. The timeline moves back and forth between the past in 1994 and the present in 2013.

Cast –

• Go Ah Ra as Sung Na Jung
• Jung Woo as Sseu Re Ki
• Yoo Yeon Seok as Chil Bong Yi
• Kim Sung Kyun as Sham Chun Po

No. Of Episodes – 21

Watch On – Viki

Wrapping Up

So, these were the recommended friendship dramas depicting the heartwarming story of friends who are the best buddies and are the best example of friendship goals.

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