Korean dramas have taken the world by storm in the past few years. Because these shows have a unique mix of romance, comedy, and drama, they are very popular all over the world. People seem to watch more and more.
Most of the time, the characters in Kdramas are easy to understand and well-rounded, so viewers can root for them and feel like they know them. They can appeal to a wide range of people because they show a lot of different stories and characters.
Korean dramas can be watched on numerous streaming platforms such as Viki, Netflix, Viu, Disney+, and many more. Even these platforms are producing their own dramas that is responsible for more exposure.
Strong Female Leads Dramas
Korean dramas are known for having female leads who are strong and active. These characters frequently feature women who are the main protagonists with their own stories and goals, not just love interests. The characters are strong, independent, and determined.
The lead female character K-dramas are not only fun to watch, but they also give people a sense of power. They show women who are smart, strong, and able to do things. They want to get ahead in life and aren’t afraid to say what they think and stand up for themselves.
If you want to watch some dramas with a strong female lead or character, here is the list of some good ones. These are a must-watch for anyone who wants to be inspired and entertained at the same time.
1. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Hangul: 힘쎈여자 도봉순
Year: 2017
Do Bong Soon is a girl who doesn’t have a job but has superhuman abilities. Ahn Min Hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company hires her to be his bodyguard. As they get to know each other better, they realize that their relationship goes beyond work.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Bo Young as Do Bong Soon
- Park Hyung Sik as Ahn Min Hyuk
- Ji Soo as In Gook Doo
- Jun Suk Ho as Secretary Kong
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
2. The Glory
A revenge story that begins with a high school student who had to drop out of school after suffering from brutal school violence. Years later, she starts her revenge on the perpetrators and bystanders of her bullying days.
Cast –
- Song Hye Kyo as Moon Dong Eun
- Lee Do Hyun as Joo Yeo Jung
- Im Ji Yeon as Park Yeon Jin
- Park Sung Hoon as Jeon Jae Joon
No. Of Episodes – 8
Watch On – Netflix
3. Vincenzo
Vincenzo, a mafia consigliere flees to South Korea to recover 1.5 tons of gold within the basement of Geumga Plaza. However, a company has illegally taken ownership of the building, and Vincenzo must use his skills to reclaim the building and recover his fortunes.
Cast –
- Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo Cassano
- Jeon Yeo Been as Hong Cha Young
- Ok Taec Yeon as Jang Jun Woo
- Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
4. Crash Landing On You
Se Ri goes for a short paragliding ride, a sudden tornado blows her off course, leading her to crash land in North Korea, where she meets an army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. They fall in love, despite the dispute between their countries.
Cast –
- Hyun Bin as Ri Jung Hyuk
- Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se Ri
- Seo Ji Hye as Seo Dan
- Kim Jung Hyun as Goo Seung Jun
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
5. My Name
Hangul: 마이 네임
Year: 2021
Yoon Ji Woo, who is part of a drug ring, joins the police to find out what happened to her father. She does this by becoming a mole for the drug group. She works in the police department’s unit that looks into drug crimes.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Han So Hee as Yoon Ji Woo
- Ahn Bo Hyun as Jeon Pil Do
- Park Hee Soon as Choi Moo Jin
- Kim Sang Ho as Cha Gi Ho
No. Of Episodes: 8 (50 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
6. Eve
The story of a woman who spent 13 years of her life plotting brutal revenge against South Korea’s richest elite. Lee Rael witnesses her father’s death. 13 years later, she becomes the key figure in a divorce worth 2 trillion won.
Cast –
- Seo Yea Ji as Lee Ra El
- Park Byung Eun as Kang Yoon Gyeom
- Yoo Sun as Han So Ra
- Lee Sang Yeob as Seo Eun Pyung
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
7. Why Her
Soo Jae is a talented lawyer and the youngest partner at a law firm. But she gets involved in a case and gets demoted as a professor at a law school. There she meets Gong Chan. He falls in love with her and would do anything for her.
Cast –
- Seo Hyun Jin as Oh Soo Jae
- Hwang In Yeop as Gong Chan
- Bae In Hyuk as Choi Yoon Sang
- Heo Joon Ho as Choi Tae Gook
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
8. Mr. Sunshine
A young boy born into a house servant’s family and travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo. He returns to his homeland later as a U.S. marine officer. He falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter. At the same time, he discovers a plot by foreign forces to colonize Korea.
Cast –
- Lee Byung Hun as Choi Yoo Jin
- Kim Tae Ri as Go Ae Shin
- Kim Min Jung as Kudo Hina / Lee Yang Hwa
- Yoo Yeon Seok as Gu Dong Mae / Ishida Sho
No. Of Episodes – 24
Watch On – Netflix
9. Mother
A temporary teacher at an elementary school realizes that one of her students is being abused at home by her family. She makes an impulsive decision to kidnap the child and attempts to become her mother.
Cast –
- Lee Bo Young as Kang Soo Jin
- Heo Yeol as Kim Hye Na
- Lee Hye Young as Kang Yeong Shin
- Go Sung Hee as Shin Ja Young
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
10. The Uncanny Counter
Hangul: 경이로운 소문
Year: 2020
The drama is about people possessing special abilities who hunt demons and are called Counters. They come to earth and work at a noodle restaurant to catch evil spirits who have come back to earth to find eternal life.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Cho Byeong Kyu as So Moon
- Yoo Joon Sang as Go Mo Tak
- Kim Se Jeong as Do Ha Na
- Yeom Hye Ran as Chu Mae Ok
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Juvenile Justice
Hangul: 소년 심판
Year: 2022
The newly appointed judge of a juvenile court is a judge who despises young offenders. Being a victim of juvenile crime when she was younger, she deals with many cases involving children and learns what it takes to be an adult.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kim Hye Soo as Shim Eun Seok
- Kim Mu Yeol as Cha Tae Joo
- Lee Sung Min as Kang Won Joong
- Lee Jung Eun as Na Geun Hee
No. Of Episodes: 10 (62 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
12. Hotel Del Luna
Hotel del Luna is the eponymous hotel located in the middle of Seoul, which caters only to ghosts; the beautiful but ill-tempered CEO, Jang Man Wol is cursed to manage the hotel due to a terrible crime she committed, but cannot remember.
Cast –
- IU as Jang Man Wol
- Yeo Jin Goo as Goo Chan Sung
- Shin Jung Keun as Kim Sun Bi
- Bae Hae Seon as Choi Seo Hee
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix, Viki, Prime Video
13. Lawless Lawyer
Hangul: 무법 변호사
Year: 2018
The Lawless Law Firm is made up of Sang Pil, a former gangster turned lawyer who wants to get revenge for his mother, and Jae Yi, a lawyer with a good reputation. Together, they use the law to fight for justice against a corrupt judge and her associates.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Joon Gi as Bong Sang Pil
- Seo Yea Ji as Ha Jae Yi
- Lee Hye Young as Cha Moon Sook
- Choi Min Soo as Ahn Oh Joo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. The World Of The Married
Ji Sun Woo, a revered family medicine doctor and associate director at a hospital are married to an aspiring director Lee Tae Oh with whom she has a son. Sun Woo thinks her family is perfect until she finds out that Tae Oh is having an affair with another woman.
Cast –
- Kim Hee Ae as Ji Sun Woo
- Park Hae Joon as Lee Tae Oh
- Han So Hee as Yeo Da Kyung
- Park Sun Young as Go Ye Rim
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix, Prime Video
15. Squid Game
Hangul: 오징어 게임
Year: 2021
The story of people, who are failures in their life plays a survival game named ‘Squid Game’. The risk is high, and so is the bet, which is $45.6 billion. The men in pink overalls and masks are watching every move. There will only be one winner.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi Hun
- Park Hae Soo as Sang Woo
- Heo Sung Tae as Duk Su
- Wi Ha Joon as Joon Ho
No. Of Episodes: 9 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. Little Women
The drama is about three sisters with a close bond and friendship who grew up in poverty. It is the exciting story of the sisters as they get involved in a major incident and face off against the wealthiest family in the country.
Cast –
- Kim Go Eun as Oh In Joo
- Nam Ji Hyun as Oh In Kyung
- Park Ji Hoo as Oh In Hye
- Wi Ha Joon as Choi Do Il
No. Of Episodes – 12
Watch On – Netflix
17. Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Hangul: 스물다섯 스물하나
Year: 2022
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):
18. Happiness
Hangul: 해피니스
Year: 2021
In the near future, a new apartment building has been built. The people who live there come from different places, but a new disease spreads quickly. It shows the psychological battle and the way that people from different classes treat each other.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Bom
- Park Hyung Sik as Jung Yi Hyun
- Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok
- Park Joo Hee as Ji Soo
No. Of Episodes: 12 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
19. Itaewon Class
Park Saeroyi is expelled from school & then jailed for messing up with a bully. Seven years after his release, he opens a pub named “Danbam” to compete against the Jangga group, the biggest company in the food industry.
Cast –
- Park Seo Joon as Park Saeroyi
- Kim Da Mi as Jo Yi Seo
- Kwon Na Ra as Oh Soo Ah
- Yoo Jae Myung as Jang Dae Hee
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
20. Her Private Life
Deok Mi works as a curator at an art gallery. She is a huge fan of idol and secretly runs a fan website about him. She hides this from everyone. At least until Ryan Gold, the art gallery’s new director, enters into her life. When he uncovers Deok Mi’s secret, everything changes.
21. My Mister
The drama tells us the story of three middle-aged brothers, who are enduring the weight of their lives, and a strong, cold woman, who has been living a hard life of her own, as they come together in healing each other’s past scars.
22. Vagabond
Hangul: 배가본드
Year: 2019
The stuntman Cha Dal Gun’s nephew dies in a plane crash. He learns that the plane crash was caused by a huge government scandal, and he and a NIS agent named Go Hae Ri set out to find out the truth and bring those responsible to justice.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Seung Gi as Cha Dal Gun
- Bae Suzy as Go Hae Ri
- Shin Sung Rok as Gi Tae Ung
- Moon Jung Hee as Jessica Lee
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
23. It’s Okay To Not Be Okay
The drama revolves around a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who lives with his brother having autism & a popular writer who is suffering from an antisocial personality disorder. They unravel many secrets, seek comfort from each other, and move forward in their lives.
Cast –
- Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae
- Seo Yea Ji as Ko Moon Young
- Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Tae
- Park Gyu Young as Nam Ju Ri
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Netflix
24. Search WWW
The drama follows the lives of three women working at a search engine company – Bae Ta Mi, Cha Hyun, and Song Ga Kyung. As the three women navigate the cutthroat world of technology, they begin to bond and support each other through their struggles.
25. Player
Hangul: 플레이어
Year: 2018
A con artist, a fighter, an expert hacker, and a skilled driver make up an elite team that works with a good prosecutor to solve crimes. Together, they get rid of illegal money and make sure that people who make money by breaking the law are caught.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Song Seung Heon as Kang Ha Ri
- Krystal as Cha Ah Ryung
- Lee Si Eon as Im Byung Min
- Tae Won Seok as Do Jin Woong
No. Of Episodes: 14 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
26. Revenge Of Others
The series depicts Chan Mi, a shooting athlete who searches for the truth about her twin brother’s death, and Soo Heon, who starts revenge against an unfair world, getting caught up in a shocking incident that shook her life.
Cast –
- Shin Ye Eun as Ok Chan Mi
- Lomon as Ji Soo Heon
- Seo Ji Hoon as Seok Jae Beom
- Chae Sang Woo as Ki Oh Sung
No. Of Episodes – 12
Watch On – Disney+
27. Hyena
Hangul: 하이에나
Year: 2020
Lawyers Yoon Hee Jae and Jung Geum Ja work for the top 1% of society. Geum Ja is an attorney who only wants money. She does whatever it takes to win her fights. Hee Jae is a very smart and confident lawyer who is at the top of his field.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Joo Ji Hoon as Yoon Hee Jae
- Kim Hye Soo as Jung Geum Ja
- Lee Kyung Young as Song Pil Joong
- Kim Ho Jung as Kim Min Joo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
28. Alchemy Of Souls
Hangul: 환혼
Year: 2022
Set in a fictional country called Daeho, Jang Wook of the noble Jang family has a secret about his birth. He meets Mu Deok, an elite warrior trapped within a physically weak body who becomes his servant and secretly begins teaching him how to fight.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Jae Wook as Jang Wook
- Jung So Min as Mu Deok Yi
- Hwang Min Hyun as Seo Yul
- Shin Seung Ho as Go Won
No. Of Episodes: 20 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So, these were some of the recommended dramas consisting of strong female main character who is not afraid of anything. The portrayal of strong female leads in Kdramas is a refreshing change from the normal ones.
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