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3 Must-Watch K-Dramas Coming to Disney+ in 2024

3 Must-Watch K-Dramas Coming to Disney+ in 2024
Image credit: MBC, jTBC

Thrillers, supernatural dramas and period pieces — Disney+ is sure to please K-drama fans this year.

Disney+, no less than other streaming services, offers access to all kinds of movies and shows to satisfy even the pickiest subscriber. There are classic Disney and Pixar movies, endless MCU and Star Wars content, and fascinating documentaries from National Geographic.

But in recent years, in competition with Netflix and Amazon, Disney has begun to make no small bet on foreign productions, especially South Korean films and series.

Speaking of the latter, from the romantic thriller Snowdrop and the police drama Rookie Cops to the incredible success of the superhero (and partly spy) action drama Moving, which is quite a rival to Marvel, the South Korean repertoire of Disney+ is being replenished with more and more exciting K-dramas.

This year in particular, the service's library promises to be updated with three exciting shows from acclaimed filmmakers and starring popular actors.

3. Wonderful World

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Release Date: March 1, 2024

It was recently announced that Wonderful World will premiere as early as March. It is a revenge drama with elements of romance and thriller that, like many other K-dramas and movies, aims to criticize the current South Korean system.

Written by Kim Ji-eun, the screenwriter of 2020's Lie After Lie, which became one of the most popular shows in South Korean television history, Wonderful World will follow a mother's quest for justice.

Played by Korean TV veteran Kim Nam-Joo, Eun Soo-hyun is a psychology professor and writer who pursues the man responsible for her son's death, who has not been punished by the authorities. She also begins to help others who share similar pain and hatred for the injustice of the law, healing both her own and their traumas along the way. In addition, Astro singer Cha Eun-woo will play her love interest, who is going through the death of his parents.

2. Light Shop

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Release Date: TBD

The talented Kang Full wrote the script for Moving, based on his own webtoon of the same name, and now his next project is the supernatural mystery drama Light Shop, also based on his own comic.

As the title suggests, the series will revolve around a light shop and its mysterious owner. What makes the seemingly unremarkable shop unique are the remarkable visitors, both living and dead, who try to reflect on their lives and let go of their attachments in order to escape to the afterlife.

The series will star big screen actors Bae Seong-woo (Inside Men) and Lee Jung-eun (Parasite), as well as K-drama stars Ju Ji-hoon (Kingdom) and Park Bo-young (Doom at Your Service). The series will also mark the directorial debut of actor Kim Hee-won, who starred in Moving.

1. Uncle Samsik

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Release Date: TBD

Finally, this year will see the release of a promising period drama from acclaimed filmmaker Shin Yeon-shick (The Russian Novel, Rough Play). What makes this upcoming release special is that it marks the television debut of one of South Korea's most famous actors, Park Chan-wook, and Bong Joon-ho star Song Kang-ho, who rose to fame after starring in Parasite. The series also stars Byun Yo-han (Mr. Sunshine), Lee Kyu-hyung (Prison Playbook) and Jin Ki-joo (Come and Hug Me).

The action will take place in the 1960s, when South Korea was under the rule of an authoritarian military regime. The plot will revolve around the story of an idealistic young man, Kim San (Byun Yo-han), who returns from the States seeking democratic reforms for his country, and his friendship with fixer Uncle Samsik (Song Kang-ho), who decides to support his dreams.