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The mystery and sageuk (historical) Korean drama Dear Hongrang premiered on May 16, 2025, featuring a star-studded cast including Lee Jae-wook, Jo Bo-ah, Jung Ga-ram, Uhm Ji-won, Park Byung-eun, and Kim Jae-wook. The series was helmed by director Kim Hong-sun and penned by screenwriter Kim Jin-ah.
Dear Hongrang depicts the story of the son of a wealthy merchant family, who disappears one day at the age of eight. His step-sister, Jae-yi, then embarks on an endless journey to find him. Later, after twelve years, an unknown young man arrives at their door claiming he is Hong-rang, the family's lost son.
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However, he has no memories of the past. Subsequently, Jae-yi's desperation to find her brother and dig into the real identity of the young man leads to the discovery of family secrets.
If viewers liked Dear Hongrang's historical narrative with themes of suspense, family struggle, and political power, alongside the strong cast line-up, direction, storytelling, and other cinematic aspects, they can binge-watch some of the similar K-dramas mentioned below.
Alchemy of Souls, The Red Sleeve, The Sound of a Flower, and other K-dramas to watch if you liked Dear Hongrang
1) Alchemy of Souls
Where to watch: Netflix
Cast: Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Hwang Min-hyun, Shin Seung-ho, Yoo Joon-sang, and Oh Na-ra
Alchemy of Souls depicts the love story of an elite assassin, Naksu, and a young master, Jang-uk. The drama is set in the fictional city of Daeho, where young mages use the alchemy of souls to change their destiny by swapping souls between two bodies.
Subsequently, Naksu's soul gets trapped in Mu-deok's feeble body, and she then meets Jang-uk. Meanwhile, the former has a key to change the latter's destiny.
Both Alchemy of Souls and Dear Hongrang feature Lee Jae-wook as the leading protagonist. Furthermore, both historical dramas revolve around the themes of suspense, romance, fake identity, and other similar cinematic elements.
2) The Red Sleeve
Where to watch: Apple TV, Rakuten Viki, and Netflix
Cast: Lee Jun-ho, Lee Se-young, and Kang Hoon
The Red Sleeve revolves around the love story of benevolent Prince Yi-san and a high-spirited and intelligent woman, Sung Deok-im. The former has been haunted by his father's murder and is now in line to become the next ruler. Meanwhile, the latter aspires to bring positive change to the Palace, which has been filled with restrictions after she became the prince's concubine.
Both The Red Sleeve and Dear Hongrang have elements of romance, a strong female lead, a traumatized male protagonist, and similar historical narratives.
3) King Maker: The Change of Destiny
Where to watch: Rakuten Viki
Cast: Park Si-hoo, Go Sung-hee, Jun Kwang-ryul, and Sung Hyuk
King Maker: The Change of Destiny is adapted from the novel Wind, Clouds and Rain, authored by Lee Byung-joo.
Set in the Joseon Dynasty, the series King Maker: The Change of Destiny follows the story of fortunetellers Choi Cheon-joong and Hwang Bong-ryun. The two have taken on the challenge to replace the corrupt regime by electing a young prince and princess from a minor royal line in their place. As the duo proceeds with their plan to restore the stability of the kingdom, they develop feelings for each other.
Both Dear Hongrang and King Maker: The Change of Destiny involve a historical narrative and a novel adaptation, with themes of romance, revenge, and other factors.
4) The Sound of a Flower
Where to watch: Tubi, Prime Video
Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Suzy, Kim Nam-gil, and Lee Dong-hwi
The Sound of a Flower is based on the true story of Joseon's first female pansori singer, Jin Chae-seon, in the year 1867.
The historical and romantic drama The Sound of a Flower revolves around an aspiring and ambitious young girl, Chae-seon, who has a dream of performing pansori after hearing Sin Jae-hyo. Pansori is traditional Korean musical storytelling. Initially, Sin Jae-hyo declines to accept Chae-seon as her student, as women were not allowed to perform pansori.
However, after hearing about an upcoming national competition for pansori performers, Jae-hyo decides to teach Chae-seon, while she disguises herself by cross-dressing as a man.
Similar to Dear Hongrang, The Sound of a Flower encapsulates the themes of a strong female lead, dreams and aspirations, and other similar cinematic elements.
5) Queen In Hyun's Man
Where to watch: Apple TV, Prime Video, AsianCrush, and Tubi
Cast: Ji Hyun-woo, Yoo In-na, Kim Jin-woo, and Ga Deuk-hee
The drama Queen In Hyun's Man follows the story of a scholar, Kim Boong-do, who helps Queen In-hyun after she is deposed due to a palace conspiracy. However, the former time-travels 300 years into modern Seoul, where he encounters Choi Hee-jin, a no-name actress who has been provided with the chance to play the character of Queen In-hyun in a television drama.
Although both Queen In Hyun's Man and Dear Hongrang are quite different considering their plots, they still possess similar elements, such as a historical narrative, alongside romance, fantasy, amnesia, and other factors.
Dear Hongrang is available to watch on Netflix.
