8 new K-dramas to watch in October 2023

October’s K-dramas are set to offer a healthy dose of laughter, beginning with a spin-off of 2017 hit romantic-comedy Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, a new series focusing on her distant relative and fellow strongwoman Gang Nam-soon. Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s Park Eun-bin also returns with Castaway Diva, a light-hearted series in which she plays a wannabe diva who has lived on a deserted island for 15 years.

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ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo leads the drama adaptation of the Naver webtoon A Good Day to be a Dog, which follows a young woman who is cursed with turning into a dog when she is kissed. Several other webtoon adaptations are also arriving this month including Netflix’s highly-anticipated Doona!, a slice-of-life series about the budding romance between a university student and a retired K-pop idol.

Meanwhile, the past comes back with a vengeance in Moon in the Day and Perfect Marriage Revenge. On a darker note, EVILIVE stars Shin Ha-kyun as a lawyer who spirals into madness after crossing paths with a criminal mastermind. Rounding things off at the end of the month is The Matchmaker led by Rowoon, a historical romance drama following a pair of matchmakers in the Joseon Dynasty.

Here are the 8 new K-dramas to watch in October 2023.

Strong Girl Nam-soon

A spin-off of the 2017 hit drama Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, this new K-drama follows one of Bong-soon’s distant cousins, Gang Nam-soon (Squid Game’s Lee Yoo-mi), who inherits the ability of super strength from her mother. Lost as a child in Mongolia, she returns to Korea in search of her family.

Although she soon reunites with her mother Hwang Geun-joo (played by Kim Jung-eun) and grandmother Gil Joong-gan (Kim Hae-sook), they wind up entangled in a series of drug-related crimes in the wealthy Gangnam district. Former Wanna One member Ong Seong-wu also stars as detective Gang Hee-sik, who begins investigating the strange family.

Strong Woman Gang Nam-soon premieres on October 7 via JTBC, and will be streaming in selected regions on Netflix.

A Good Day to be a Dog

Led by ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo and Park Gyu-young (Celebrity), A Good Day to be a Dog is an adaptation of the Naver webtoon of the same name. The romantic fantasy drama follows a young woman, Han Hae-na (played by Park), who suffers from a strange curse that turns her into a dog when she is kissed.

The key to breaking the curse is Jin Seo-won (played by Cha), a second kiss from whom will turn her back into a human. Unfortunately, this proves trickier than expected when she realises that Seo-won is deathly afraid of dogs.

A Good Day to be a Dog premieres on October 11 on MBC TV, and will be available to stream via Viki in selected countries.

EVILIVE

The upcoming EVILIVE is led by Beyond Evil’s Shin Ha-kyun who plays Han Dong-soo, a struggling lawyer who picks up cases by randomly visiting prisoners. His half-brother Han Beom-jae (Shin Jae-ha), who works as a second-hand computer salesman, also acts as a case broker for him, helping him find clients.

Despite usually being rational, Dong-soo begins to discover his own dark side after getting involved with former baseball player Seo Do-young (Kim Young-kwang), who is also second-in-command of a massive crime organisation. Despite his handsome appearance, he has a cruel, twisted side to him that soon triggers Dong-soo’s own madness.

Evilive premieres October 14 on ENA, and will also stream on Genie TV.

Doona!

Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name, Doona! follows its titular character (played by Bae Suzy), a beloved K-pop idol and most popular member in her group after she suddenly announces her retirement. She moves to a share house near a university, and lives a quiet life.

Meanwhile, warm-hearted university student Lee Won-joon (Yang Se-jong) begins living at the sharehouse. Despite being an ordinary young man, Doo-na begins to lean on him for emotional support, and the pair start to grow feelings for each other.

Doona! premieres globally on Netflix on October 20.

Castaway Diva

Upcoming romantic comedy Castaway Diva stars Extraordinary Attorney Woo’s Park Eun-bin as Seo Mok-ha, a girl who dreams of becoming a singer. After landing an audition in middle school, she makes her way to Seoul but winds up stranded on a deserted island.

15 years later, Mok-ha is discovered to have survived, and is rescued from her solitary life on the island. Maintaining a positive mindset as she tries to adapt to the unfamiliarity of the regular world, Mok-ha continues to pursue her dream of becoming a diva.

Castaway Diva premieres October 21 on tvN, and will be available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

Moon in the Day

Another webtoon adaptation, Moon in the Day is a fantasy romance series about the vengeful spirit of Do Ha, a Silla dynasty nobleman who was killed by his beloved wife. After a car accident in the present day while filming a commercial, Do Ha possesses the body of Han Joon-oh (Kim Young-dae), a top star with an inferiority complex.

Joon-oh only manages to survive the accident when his co-star for the day, firefighter Kang Young-hwa (Pyo Ye-jin) saves him and later starts working as his bodyguard. However, she becomes the target of Do Ha’s revenge as it is discovered that she is the reincarnation of the nobleman’s wife, Han Ri-ta.

Moon in the Day premieres October 25 on ENA, and will be available to stream on Viki in selected regions.

Perfect Marriage Revenge

Perfect Marriage Revenge follows the story of a woman named Han Ye-jo (Celebrity’s Jung Yoo-min), who discovers that her husband has fallen in love with her sister, Yoo-ra (Jin Ji-hee). Shortly after the heartbreaking discovery, Ye-jo dies in a tragic car accident.

However, Ye-jo wakes up and realises that she has gone back several years in time. Deciding to take revenge on her sister and husband, she enters a contractual marriage with Seo Do-kook (Sung Hoon), which Yoo-ra hopes to marry. While Do-kook initially agrees to the arrangement to benefit himself in his wealthy family’s ongoing succession battle, but soon finds himself hoping for a real romance.

Perfect Marriage Revenge premieres on October 28 via MBN.

The Matchmaker

Led by Rowoon (Destined With You) and Cho Yi-hyun (All Of Us Are Dead), The Matchmaker is an upcoming historical romance drama set in the Joseon Dynasty. It revolves around the life of Shim Jung-woo (Rowoon), a genius scholar whose life is overturned after the death of his lover, the princess.

Now unable to take a post in government, he gets involved with Jung Soon-deok (played by Cho), a widow who leads a secret life as Yeo-joo, a popular matchmaker and peddler in the capital city of Hanyang. Together, the pair try to match young women with single men and begin developing a romance of their own.

The Matchmaker premieres October 30 via KBS.