The dramas in this collection will be ones that I feel have women of substance. These women are not cringe-worthily damsels in distress. They are inspiring to other women in that they can fight their own battles without waiting for a man to come to their rescue.

Dramas with Strong female leads

JTBC

Top actress Han Se Kye (Seo Hyun Jin) has a habit for disappearing out of the blue. But it's for a good reason: her appearance completely changes for one week every month. When she encounters Seo Do Jae (Lee Min Ki), a brilliant airline executive with prosopagnosia – the inability to recognize faces – their lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Remarkably, Se Kye is the only person whose face Do Jae can actually recognize. As their connection deepens, they must navigate the challenges of her unpredictable transformations and his unique condition. This is a 2019 South Korean romantic comedy-drama directed by Song Hyun Wook.

Beauty Inside

Bong Sang Pil (Lee Joon Gi), a former gangster turned lawyer, seeks revenge for his mother's tragic death by targeting powerful individuals who believe they are above the law. Using his street skills and legal expertise, he builds an impressive winning record. Ha Jae Yi (Seo Yea Ji), a principled lawyer whose license was suspended after hitting a judge during an unjust trial, joins Sang Pil's team to pay off her father's debts. Together, they take on a high-stakes case involving Cha Moon Sook (Lee Hye Young), a senior judge, and An Oh Ju (Choi Min Soo), a former gangster turned corporate CEO. As they challenge the most powerful figures in the city, Sang Pil and Jae Yi must navigate a dangerous legal and personal battle. This is a 2018 South Korean drama series directed by Kim Jin Min.

Lawless Lawyer

South Korean special forces officer Yoo Si Jin (Song Joong Ki) falls for surgeon Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo) but their ideological differences force them to split up. Now, war has broken out in a faraway nation, and Si Jin’s unit is deployed on the battleground. Coincidentally, an unpleasant workplace incident has forced Mo Yeon to join a group of medical volunteers in the same country. The former lovers reunite, but can they find love again – against the backdrop of a bloody war? This 2016 South Korean drama series was directed by Lee Eung Bok and Baek Sang Hoon.

Descendants of the Sun

The Sunshine Team

Alien Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) landed on Earth 400 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty. With superhuman abilities like teleportation, enhanced vision, and slowed aging, he has lived a solitary life, meticulously observing humanity while waiting for his chance to return to his home planet. With only three months left until his departure, his carefully structured existence is disrupted by Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun), a wildly popular – albeit ditzy and often problematic – actress who moves in next door. Their initial clashes evolve into an undeniable attraction, forcing Min Joon to confront his long-held detachment from human emotions. As their unconventional romance blossoms, they face not only the impending deadline of his return but also a dangerous conspiracy surrounding Song Yi's career, forcing Min Joon to choose between his long-awaited journey home and the woman he has come to love.

My Love From the Star

Go Go Alien and Hallyu Star

Betrayed by his king, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty, was forced to watch his family die before him. Saved by the Almighty, yet condemned to an eternal life as a goblin, Kim Shin uses his supernatural abilities to save humans, including the mother of Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun), an optimistic high school student with a strange connection to the supernatural. When Eun Tak is repeatedly drawn to him, Kim Shin wonders if she might be the one he has spent an eternity searching for, the only one who can set his soul free, the Goblin Bride. Written by Kim Eun Sook, this award-winning 2016 South Korean fantasy romance series was directed by Lee Eung Bok and Kwon Hyuk Chan.

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

The Immortal Team

Yoon So Ah (Shin Se Kyung), a pragmatic neuropsychiatrist, struggles with her family’s ancient duty to serve Ha Baek (Nam Joo Hyuk), a reincarnated water god. As So Ah navigates her demanding medical practice and the burden of this strange legacy, Ha Baek begins to develop feelings for her. However, their relationship faces complications from Hoo Ye (Im Joo Hwan), a CEO who clashes with So Ah over land but falls for her, and Moo Ra (Krystal Jung), a goddess from the Water Kingdom who resents So Ah for capturing Ha Baek's affection. Meanwhile, Bi Ryeom (Gong Myung), a wind god with unspoken feelings for Moo Ra, adds to the tension. Can So Ah and Ha Baek's unusual relationship withstand these celestial rivalries and find a future together? This 2017 South Korean drama was based on the webcomic by Yoon Mi Kyung and was directed by Kim Byung Soo.

The Bride of Habaek

Is it raining yet?

Born from a long line of women gifted with monumental strength, Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young) is far from ordinary. Only able to use her power for good, Bong Soon agrees to work as a bodyguard for Ahn Min Hyeok (Park Hyung Sik), the recently endangered chaebol heir and CEO of gaming company Ainsoft. With dreams of developing a video game of her own, Bong Soon hopes that by working with Min Hyeok, she’ll find a way to turn her dreams into reality. Meanwhile, her childhood friend, Detective Gook Doo (Ji Soo), is on the hunt for a kidnapper whose path soon crosses with Bong Soon. Using her gifts for the greatest good, will Bong Soon find her life full of everything she’s dreamed of and more? This is a 2017 South Korean romantic comedy series directed by Lee Hyung Min.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Small but Mighty Team

Na Bong Sun (Park Bo Young), a timid assistant chef with a secret crush, gets entangled in a supernatural scheme when Shin Soon Ae (Kim Seul Gi), a ghost with unfinished romantic business, uses Bong Sun’s body as a vessel to complete her final wish. As Soon Ae's bold attempts to experience love affect Bong Sun’s life, the once shy assistant begins to catch the eye of her star chef crush, Kang Sun Woo (Cho Jung Seok), who’s nursing a broken heart of his own. Both women strive to fulfill their desires – one for a love she never had, and the other for a chance at romance. Will their intertwined fates lead to unexpected romance and closure, or will their desires remain unfulfilled? This 2015 Korean drama series was directed by Yoo Je Won.

Oh My Ghost

The Ghostwriters@viki

After enduring tragedy and struggles as a child, Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) made a successful career for herself as a stuntwoman, although she has little patience for nonsense. When she meets narcissistic and arrogant CEO Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), she despises his attitude, but he feels strangely drawn to her in a way he can’t explain. Joo Won tries to win Ra Im over, but she rebuffs his advances, uninterested in the showy things he has to offer her. Their adversarial relationship takes an absurd turn when their souls swap, and they’re forced to act in each other’s lives while they try to find a cure for their conundrum – but neither of them could've expected that their body-switching would lead to falling in love.

Secret Garden

SG Team

Jin Seon Mi (Oh Yeon Seo), born with the ability to see spirits, is tasked by the powerful demon Woo Ma Wang (Cha Seung Won) to retrieve a mystical fan from a haunted house. There, she encounters the mischievous deity Son Oh Gong (Lee Seung Gi), who tricks her into freeing him by promising to protect her but erases her memory and abandons her. Years later, Seon Mi runs a real estate business flipping haunted properties, using her powers to exorcise spirits. She reconnects with Oh Gong, now trying to regain his immortality by performing good deeds. As their lives become intertwined, Seon Mi discovers she holds the key to his destiny. Together, they face dangerous spirits and scheming deities, but their growing bond raises the ultimate question: can their love overcome fate, or is it doomed to end in heartbreak?

Hwayugi

The Monkey Minions

While visiting a Buddhist temple, college student and unsuccessful aspiring actor Cha Dae Woong (Lee Seung Gi) accidentally unleashes a legendary nine-tailed fox, Mi Ho (Shin Min Ah), from her 500-year prison. Initially terrified, Dae Woong discovers Mi Ho's true desire: to become human. He reluctantly agrees to help her, but that’s easier said than done. As Mi Ho navigates the modern world with innocent curiosity, their odd relationship blossoms into an unlikely romance. However, a mysterious, ancient being with his own agenda is keeping a secret from Mi Ho and Dae Woong that could tear them apart for good. Will Dae Woong help Mi Ho succeed in becoming a human, even if it means giving up everything?

My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho

Team Gumiho

Despite having the power to see the future, field reporter Nam Hong Joo (Suzy) is often powerless to stop those events from happening. Having recently acquired the ability to foresee future events, prosecutor Jung Jae Chan (Lee Jong Suk) manages to save the life of police officer Han Woo Tak (Jung Hae In), whose death would have been used to frame Hong Joo. By surviving the attempt on his life, Woo Tak also gains the ability to see the future. Realizing their lives are somehow intertwined, Hong Joo, Jae Chan, and Woo Tak agree to work together to solve the mystery surrounding their unusual abilities and find ways to protect those they love most. This 2017 South Korean drama series was directed by Oh Choong Hwan.

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