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With the popularity of Korean dramas and films at an all-time high, Netflix is looking to cash in by doubling its offering of Korean content on the platform.
The streaming giant invested over half a billion dollars in Korean content in 2021, and the number has only increased this year. On January 19, Netflix announced that they would be releasing 25 original Korean dramas and films, its biggest annual slate ever.
The Vice President of Netflix Korea, Don Kang, recently said,
“We are excited to continue collaborating with Korean storytellers to bring the K-wave to new heights.”
Some of the 2021 Korean films and dramas that topped charts on Netflix include the global sensation Squid Game, dark fantasy series Hellbound, sci-fi mystery The Silent Sea, and healing romance Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.
Here are the upcoming Korean films about to take over Netflix in 2022
1) Love and Leashes
- Directed by: Park Hyun-jin
- Starring: Seo Ju-hyun, Lee Jun-Young, EL
Netflix’s 2022 collection of Korean films kicks off with a film that is about to overturn all expectations. In Love and Leashes, director Park Hyun-jin experiments with a different kind of relationship. Girls’ Generation member Seo Ju-hyun’s debut film explores a romance between a man with a very specific taste, and a woman who stumbles upon his secret.
This racy romance, which is sure to leave the audience and characters in knots, is an adaptation of a popular webtoon of the same name. Seo Ju-hyun takes on the mantle of a woman who agrees to enter a “special” relationship with her co-worker, despite having no prior experience. The co-worker, a unique young man, is played by Lee Jun-young, who brings to the table his trademark charm. Love and Leashes is sure to be a memorable watch.
2) Yaksha: Ruthless Operations
- Directed by: Na Hyu
- Starring: Sul Kyung-gu, Park Hae-soo, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Yang Dong-keun, EL, Song Jae-lim, Park Jin-young
Yaksha: Ruthless Operations marks director Na Hyun’s long awaited comeback after his critically acclaimed 2017 film, Prison. The upcoming film is a riveting suspense thriller, which follows the actions of a man code-named “Yaksha.” He crosses paths with a righteous prosecutor, on a special inspection mission in Shenyang, a city in China which is supposedly a haven for spies. What ensues is a cat and mouse game, with both parties hungry for blood.
The blood-thirsty Yaksha, who is the head of the overseas espionage team, is played by Sul Kang-gu, while Squid Game star Park Hae-soo plays Ji-hoon the prosecutor, whose proclivity for playing it by the book has gotten him into trouble.
3) Seoul Vibe
- Directed by: Moon Hyun-sung
- Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Ko Kyung-pyo, Lee kyoo-hyung, Park Ju-hyun, Ong Seong-wu
Set against the backdrop of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Seoul Vibe takes viewers to Seoul’s dirty underbelly, full of corruption and chaos. Directed by Moon Hyun-sung, at the center of this Netflix production is a special operation driven by the Sangedong Supreme team which intends to unravel the corruption behind the illegal transactions of funds.
Seoul Vibe boasts an all-star cast, which includes Yoo Ah-in, Ko Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyoo-hyung , Park Ju-hyun and Ong Seong-wu. The film promises a glimpse of the city of Seoul in a never seen before avatar, accompanied by breathtaking action scenes.
4) 20th Century Girl
- Directed by: Bang Woo-ri
- Starring: Kim You-jung, Byeon Woo-seok, Park Jung-woo, Roh Yoon-seo
Bo-ra, seventeen years old, discovers her first love in 1999, the final year of the twentieth century: a sweet, pure, but heartbreaking relationship. Years later, in the twenty-first century, news of her first love rekindled a teen romance she thought she'd forgotten.
Directed by Bang Woo-ri, 20th Century Girl is a heartwarming slice-of-life film which promises to make the audience laugh and cry at this story of love lost and found. The film stars Clean With Passion For Now actor Kim You-jung as the inimitable Bo-ra.
5) JUNG_E
- Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
- Starring: Kang Soo-youn, Kim Hyun-joo, Ryu Kyung-soo
Set on an Earth rendered uninhabitable due to climate change, JUNG_E follows the lives of the survivors, scavenging on an unlivable planet. In the midst of the mayhem, a civil war erupts among the survivors. The only way to survive is to clone the brain of an elite soldier to create the ultimate mercenary.
Made by Hellbound’s director Yeong Sang-ho, this Netflix production promises a unique look at dystopian cinema, mixing technology with the fight for survival.
