August is looking to be an exciting month for K-drama fans in 2023, with a great variety of series set to premiere. Veteran actor Zo In-sung returns to the small screen for the first time in nine years with Moving, the live-action adaptation of the hit webtoon by popular South Korean writer Kang Full, which follows superpowered families who are forced to keep their abilities a secret.
The Glory fan-favourite Lim Ji-yeon is on a roll this year, with her new thriller series The Killing Vote premiering less than a month after the conclusion of June’s Lies Hidden in My Garden. Mystery fans will also enjoy Netflix’s Mask Girl, which follows an anonymous livestream broadcaster as those around her discover her identity.
Those in search of something more light-hearted can look forward to Cruel Intern starring veteran actress Ra Mi-ran as a middle-aged woman returning to the workforce after years as a housewife, as well as Behind Your Touch, an investigative comedy with a surprising twist.
Here are eight new K-dramas to add to your watchlist in August 2023.
My Dearest
The upcoming My Dearest will be led by Namgoong Min (One Dollar Lawyer) and Ahn Eun-ji (The Good Bad Mother). This historical-romance series set during the Qing invasion of the Joseon Dynasty follows the secretive Lee Jang-hyun, played by Namgoong, who suddenly rises up the social ranks of his village.
Jang-hyun finds himself inexplicably drawn to Ahn’s Yoo Gil-chae, a socialite from a noble family. As she and her loved ones face the hardships of war, Gil-chae grows more mature and confident, and slowly falls in love with the mysterious Jang-hyun.
My Dearest is set to premiere on MBC on August 4.
Moving
Based on the webtoon of the same name, Moving follows a group of students with inherited superpowers from their parents. In order to protect themselves and their families from exploitation, these super-powered individuals are forced to keep their abilities a secret.
The new sci-fi series stars Lee Jung-ha (Run On), Go Youn-jung (Alchemy of Souls) and Kim Do-hoon as a trio of classmates with special abilities as they learn to control their powers and use them to help others while remaining hidden. Meanwhile, veteran actors Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Ryu Seung-ryong and more appear as their parents.
Moving premieres globally on August 9 via Disney+.
The Killing Vote
Also based on a webtoon, The Killing Vote revolves around a pair of police officers, Kim Moo-chan (Park Hae-jin) and Joo-hyun (The Glory’s Lim Ji-yeon), who are tasked with hunting down a vigilante known as “Dog Mask”. The former is a young rising star of the police force, while Joo-hyun is a longtime member of the Cyber Investigation Team.
Using nation-wide polls to decide the fate of criminals who have escaped punishment by the law, “Dog Mask” embarks on a spree of murders as the duo attempt to track him down. Former legal scholar Kwon Seok-joo (Park Sung-woong), who is serving time for the murder of his daughter’s rapist, also becomes involved in the chase.
The Killing Vote begins airing from August 10 on SBS.
Cruel Intern
The Good Bad Mother’s Ra Mi-ran leads Cruel Intern, an upcoming workplace comedy about a capable woman in her forties who returns to the workforce after spending the last seven years raising her child.
Despite her past experience as a merchandiser, Ra’s Go Hae-ra joins Market House as an intern, where she reunites with former colleague Choi Ji-won (Uhm Ji-won), now director of its product planning team. Leading with charisma and decisiveness, Ji-won soon offers Hae-ra a secretive but “cruel” deal.
Cruel Intern premieres on August 11 via TVING.
Behind Your Touch
Starring Han Ji-min (Our Blues) and Lee Min-ki (My Liberation Notes), Behind Your Touch is an upcoming comedy following nosy small-town veterinarian Bong Ye-boon (Han), who possesses psychometric abilities to see the past of other living creatures. However, she can only use this ability when she touches her targets’ butts.
Meanwhile, Lee plays Moon Jang-yeol, an ambitious detective who comes to learn of Ye-boon’s abilities and teams up with her to gain an advantage when solving cases. EXO’s Suho also stars in the series as Kim Sun-woo, a new arrival in town who begins working several odd jobs.
Behind Your Touch premieres August 12 on JTBC, and will also be available to stream on Netflix in selected regions.
Mask Girl
Based on the 2015-2018 webcomic of the same name, Mask Girl is a black comedy series following Kim Mo-mi (Ko Hyun-jung), an ordinary office worker who leads a double life by night as a masked broadcast jockey. She lives her childhood dream of being a performer through anonymous live-streams because she believes that she has grown ugly with age.
Meanwhile, Ahn Jae-hong plays Joo Oh-nam, a co-worker of Mo-mi’s who has a crush on her. He is also a fan of Mask Girl, and soon uncovers her true identity. However, a chain of unexpected events quickly sends both Oh-nam and Mo-mi’s lives into a downward spiral.
Mask Girl begins streaming globally on Netflix from August 18.
My Lovely Boxer
Upcoming sports drama My Lovely Boxer stars former I.O.I member Kim So-hye as Lee Kwon-sook, a prodigious young boxer who vanishes from the boxing scene just before the biggest match of her career. Years after starting over as a preschool teacher, cutthroat sports agent Kim Tae-young (Lee Sang-yeob) suddenly approaches her.
Despite his tendency to put profits first, Tae-young shares a close friendship with baseball player Kim Hee-won, who gets caught in a difficult situation at the beginning of the series. In order to help Hee-won, Tae-young makes it his mission to make Kwon-sook return to the ring
My Lovely Boxer premieres August 21 on KBS2.
Destined With You
Fantasy romance Destined With You revolves around a mysterious 300-year-old book and a long-standing family curse. SF9’s Rowoon plays Jang Shin-yu, a well-liked and talented lawyer who suffers from an unexplained health condition. Meanwhile, Jo Bo-ah stars as Lee Hong-jo, a civil servant who comes into possession of a wooden box containing the book.
The pair soon learn that Shin-yu’s worsening sickness is the result of a curse on his family, and that the book holds the solution to break the curse. As they try to save Shin-yu, they come to discover that they share a connection that transcends lifetimes.
Destined With You premieres on JTBC August 23. It will be available on Netflix in selected regions.