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K-dramas like Pachinko and Extraordinary Attorney Woo have gained unprecedented popularity in recent months, all thanks to the advent of streaming platforms and well-packaged content in terms of stories, casting and striking an emotional cord with the audience.
The Korean wave has come a long way indeed, especially K-dramas. The poor quality episodes on alternate streaming platforms, where international fans had to wait for days to get English subtitles, have changed. Now fans are watching the latest K-dramas along with the Korean audience in high definition and with various subtitles. This has certainly been a win for all the consumers of Korean pop culture.
Aside from the things mentioned above, K-dramas have also amped up their “opening themes.” Earlier, these shows would have a montage of cast members with the title track playing in the background. However, in the recent years, K-dramas have started experimenting with special effects, computer graphics, animation, and sound to give the viewers an unique and quirky opening theme.
On that note, we have picked six K-dramas (a few recent and a few from the past) that feature some of the best opening and most memorable theme songs in K-drama history.
K-dramas with the best opening themes: Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Crash Landing On You, and more
1) Pachinko
One of the finest K-dramas of 2022, Pachinko, has a dazzling opening theme. Producer Soo Hugh personally chose the 1967 song Let’s Live For Today from Grass Roots cover of the song, originally performed by the British band, The Rokes, in 1966.
The celebratory and cheerful song is in sharp contrast to the wistful and poignant multi-generational saga, which is adapted from Korean-American author Min Jin Lee’s best-selling eponymous novel, Pachinko.
In the music video, the main characters from the K-drama - Lee Min-ho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Min-ha Kim can be seen grooving to the charismatic song. Undoubtedly, this has to be one of the best opening themes for any Korean drama in a very long time.
2) Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Arguably the Korean drama of the year, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, starring Park Eun-bin and Kang Tae-oh is a warm and loving hug on a biting cold night.
The lovely drama drew curtains last night after a fantastic two-month run, garnering love and praise from worldwide fans. Besides, the show's opening theme is as adorable as our protagonist Woo Young-woo.
The wordless title track features everything she likes - whales and dolphins, Gimpab (Korean seaweed roll), and her headphones. The talented Korean acapella group MayTree can be credited for showcasing Woo Young-woo’s “Aha!” now-iconic scene. One may find it hard to believe, but it was made entirely instrumental.
3) Crash Landing On You
Hailed as one of the most beautiful dramas in K-drama history, Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin’s bewitching cross-border romance Crash Landing On You is here to steal hearts. Not only is it one of the best romantic dramas in recent years, the show has also tied the lead couple (Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin) to the bond of holy matrimony for a lifetime.
Sung by the versatile and talented Kim Kyoung-hee, the opening theme showcases the contrasting lives of North Korean officer Ri Jeong-hyuk and South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri, and how they are “truly meant to be”. Let’s admit, the “lalala” in the end never gets old.
4) Twenty-Five Twenty-One
A “video-casette style” opening theme song Go! which is sung by SEVENTEEN’s DK is reminiscent of the 80s and 90s. It is nostalgic, sprightly, and highly endearing.
In one of the best and most-discussed Korean dramas of the year, Twenty-Five Twenty-One was both heartfelt and heartbreaking, and viewers will agree with this. We may have differing views on the ending of the drama, but there are no two ways to say that the opening theme filled us with wistful references from the bygone era, which was truly a breath of fresh air.
5) Boys Over Flowers
It goes without saying that the Boys Over Flowers’ opening theme, Almost Paradise by T-MAX, is every K-drama fan’s anthem. The song is upbeat, catchy, and addictive to listen to.
This old-school opening theme, Almost Paradise, remains a classic and is still enjoyable as it was years ago. Veteran K-drama fans will admit that they have all tried to sing along to the chorus and learn the song. Moreover, one can identify this song as their first achievement with learning Korean.
6) Law School
It’s driving me crazy by Safira K-X is one of the most haunting and atmospheric opening themes that suits the atmosphere of Law School.
Starring Kim Bum, Kim Myung-min, and Ryu Hye-young, this legal-crime thriller drama is suspenseful and chill-inducing. Additionally, this exhilarating opening theme acts as the perfect mood-setter for every episode of the series.
The song needs no explanatory lyrics as it is in English, but it delivers an evocative and stirring piece as the opening theme of a courtroom drama.
Final thoughts:
Opening themes may be an under-appreciated aspect of K-dramas, but it is an important criterion to understand the quality and essence of the show.
Some opening themes are exactly a reflection of the drama’s genre. For example, a bright and cheerful opening theme for a teen rom-com drama such as Boys Over Flowers seems fitting. On the other hand, certain openings subvert the seriousness of the drama and go for an opposite approach, for example, Apple TV+’s Pachinko, which had a joyous opening theme for an otherwise heartbreaking subject.
Whatever might be the case, opening themes act as a soothing prologue that prepares you for the rest of the episode of the series. As long as K-dramas thrive, opening themes will surely mark their influence on the viewers.
Fans can watch the above-mentioned dramas on streaming platforms Netflix and Apple TV+.
