In December 2024, look forward to a healthy mix of K-dramas across genres. Kicking things off this month is Light Shop, a new emotional drama from the creator of Moving, that will follow a group of strangers with lost souls coming to terms with their pasts. Sorry Not Sorry chronicles a woman who decides to keep up the facade of being a married woman after being unceremoniously dumped and left to pay off her newlywed home.
Premiering later in the month is Who Is She, in which a grandmother transforms into her 20-year-old self and decides to pursue her long-forgotten dreams of becoming a singer by becoming a K-pop trainee. Also set in the idol industry is Namib, where a disgraced producer decides to take a chance on a disheartened trainee and turn him into a star.
The period drama Check-in Hanyang sees a motley group of young men and women working at a distinguished guesthouse and forming friendships. Finally, December will also see the return of Netflix’s hit series Squid Game, with new games and players, over three years after the twisted dystopian series swept the world off its feet.
Here’s all the upcoming K-dramas premiering in December 2024 on Netflix, Disney+ and more
Light Shop
From the webtoon and screenwriter behind last year’s hit superhero series Moving, the upcoming Light Shop promises another emotional journey. The series follows a group of strangers who are all grappling with a past trauma.
One day, they find themselves oddly drawn to a light shop owned by the mysterious shop keep Jung Won-young (played by Kingdom’s Ju Ji-hoon), where they are forced to look inward and reflect on their past.
Episodes: 8
Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Park Bo-young, Kim Min-ha, Kim Seol-hyun and more
Director and Screenwriter: Kim Hee-won, Kang Full
How to watch: Light Shop premieres on December 4 exclusively on Disney+
Sorry Not Sorry
Led by Jeon So-min (Cleaning Up), comedy-drama series Sorry Not Sorry is about Ji Song-i, a woman who gets unexpectedly dumped before her wedding and is forced to move into her newlywed home and pay off the home loan alone. In an effort to fit in with the rest of the wives and mothers in town, she pretends that she is married.
Gong Min-jung (Marry My Husband) also stars in the series as Choi Ha-na, an ambitious working mother who shares a complicated history with Song-i. Meanwhile, Sh**ting Stars’ Jang Hee-ryung plays An Chan-yang, a pottery teacher who is addicted to social media.
Episodes: 12
Cast: Jeon So-min, Choi Daniel, Gong Min-jung, Jang Hee-ryung
Director and Screenwriter: Min Ji-young
How to watch: Sorry Not Sorry premieres on December 5 on KBS
Who Is She
Who Is She follows Oh Mal-soon (Gyeongseong Creature’s Kim Hae-sook), a grandmother whose physical appearance suddenly reverts to her 20-year-old self (The Glory’s Jung Ji-so). Taking the name Oh Doo-ri , she decides to use it as an opportunity to chase her childhood dream of becoming a singer, and becomes an idol trainee at Unis Entertainment.
After joining the company, she meets Daniel Han (Sweet Home’s Jin Young), a producer and former leader of a popular K-pop boy band. Despite his meticulous work ethic and lifelong success, his life gets shaken up after meeting Doo-ri. Meanwhile, Mal-soon’s academically gifted granddaughter Choi Ha-na (Chae Won-bin) decides to skip her university entrance exams and joins the same entertainment agency.
Episodes: 12
Cast: Kim Hae-sook, Jung Ji-so, Jin Young, Chae Won-bin
Director and Screenwriter: Park Yong-soon, Heo Seung-min
How to watch: Who Is She premieres December 18 on KBS
Check-in Hanyang
Check-in Hanyang is a period drama set in a grand guesthouse during the Joseon era. The cast is led by Bae In-hyuk and Kim Ji-eun as Lee Eun and Hong Seok-soo, a prince and a woman who both disguise themselves to work at the guesthouse.
They work alongside the guesthouse’s unwilling successor Cheon Joon-hwa (Jun Gun-joo) and Go Soo-ra, whose family’s wealth is declining. As they work together, the four of them form a close friendship.
Episodes: 16
Cast: Bae In-hyuk, Kim Ji-eun, Jung Gun-joo, Park Jae-chan
Director and Screenwriter: Myeong Hyun-woo, Park Hyun-jin
How to watch: Check-in Hanyang premieres December 21 on Channel A
Namib
Set against the backdrop of the K-pop industry, Namib follows Kang Soo-hyun (Go Hyun-jung), an idol group producer. After being fired from her agency, she takes a chance on Yoo Jin-woo (Ryeoun), a trainee of over 10 years to turn both their careers around by making him a star.
When her husband – a producer turned stay-at-home dad after their son loses his hearing – expresses his desire to return to music, Soo-hyun ropes him into becoming Jin-woo’s producer.
Episodes: 12
Cast: Go Hyun-jung, Ryeoun, Yoon Sang-hyun
Director and Screenwriter: Han Sang-jae, Eom Sung-min
How to watch: Namib premieres on December 23 on ENA, and will also be streamed on Genie TV
Squid Game Season 2
In the highly anticipated second season of Squid Game, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returns to the deadly competition in hopes of finally putting an end to it. Joined by new contestants played by stars like Park Sung-hoon, T.O.P, Im Si-wan, Jo Yu-ri and more, he is introduced to a new version of the games with new rules and opportunities.
Episodes: 6
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, T.O.P, Jo Yu-ri
Director and Screenwriter: Hwang Dong-hyuk
How to watch: Squid Game 2 premieres on December 26 exclusively on Netflix