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):
Short Review: The drama is popular for the cute romance and cheesy moments between the main leads. Their romance is what you should look for and Bong Soon who fights with her superhuman strength. A good fantasy romance drama to watch.
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
To find the truth about her father’s death, Yoon Ji Woo, a member of an organized crime ring, joins the police department and becomes a mole for the drug group. She is assigned to work in the drug investigation unit in the police department.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Netflix
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
The drama tells the story of demon hunters called Counters who come to earth under the guise of being employees at a noodle restaurant to capture evil spirits that have returned to earth in pursuit of eternal life.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Netflix
11. Juvenile Justice
A judge who hates juvenile offenders becomes the newly appointed judge of a juvenile court. A victim of juvenile crime in her youth, she faces various cases involving youths, which helps her discover what it truly means to be an adult.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Netflix
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.
13. Lawless Lawyer
Sang Pil, a former gangster turned lawyer, seeking to avenge his mother and Jae Yi, a lawyer of high integrity forms the Lawless Law Firm. Together they use the law to fight for justice against corrupt judge Cha Moon Sook and her associates.
Cast –
- Lee Joon Gi as Bong Sang Pil
- Seo Ye Ji as Ha Jae Yi
- Lee Hye Young as Cha Moon Sook
- Choi Min Soo as Ahn Oh Joo
No. Of Episodes – 16
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
15. Squid Game
The story of people, who are otherwise failures in their life plays a mysterious survival game named ‘Squid Game’. The stake is high, ₩45.6 billion, so is the risk, life is at stake. The men in pink overalls and masks are watching every move. There will only be one winner.
Cast –
- 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 – 8
Watch On – Netflix
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):
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.
18. Happiness
Set in the near future, an apartment building has been newly constructed. The residents are from diverse backgrounds, but a new infectious disease breaks out. The drama depicts the subtle psychological battle and the class discrimination that occurs.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Viki
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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.
Cast –
- Park Min Young as Sung Deok Mi
- Kim Jae Wook as Ryan Gold
- Ahn Bo Hyun as Nam Eun Gi
- Jung Jae Won as Cha Shi Ahn
No. Of Episodes – 16
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
Cha Dal Gun is a stuntman whose nephew dies in a plane crash. He comes to know that there is a huge scandal involving the government behind the plane crash & sets off to reveal the truth along with a NIS agent Go Hae Ri.
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 Ye 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
A swindler, a fighter, an elite hacker, and a talented driver create an elite team to solve crimes in partnership with a righteous prosecutor. Together, they confiscate black money and make sure that those who earn money through crimes will be arrested.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Viki
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
Yoon Hee Jae and Jung Geum Ja are lawyers who work for the top 1% of society. Jung Geum Ja is a lawyer, who is after money only. She wins her cases using any means necessary. Yoon Hee Jae is an elite lawyer, who is smart and confident at his job.
Cast –
- 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
Watch On – Netflix
28. Alchemy Of Souls
Hangul: 환혼
Year: 2022
Set in a fictional country called Daeho, Jang Wook of the noble Jang family has an unpleasant 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):
Short Review: The personalities of the characters and the way they interact with each other are interesting and just right. The idea of alchemy and controlling earthly elements with the flow of energy, instead of just calling it magic, was a very new way to show fantasy. A high-rated fantasy drama that you should definitely watch.
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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