2025 was the year iconic K-dramas graced our screens. We’ve seen beloved characters return to our screens with new seasons and been introduced to stories across various genres. From all of the adventures we had with these dramas, the POP TOKKI team compiled a list of some of the K-dramas that stood out to us the most in 2025.
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Starring IU and Park Bo-gum, When Life Gives You Tangerines is a slice-of-life drama bound to leave viewers in tears. In this 16-episode series, viewers follow the lives and culture of Jeju Island natives Oh Ae-sun and Yang Gwan-sik through love, loss and momentous milestones, narrated by their daughter Yang Geum-yeong (also portrayed by IU). When Life Gives You Tangerines left no theme untouched, as each episode tackles real topics like poverty, grief, and guilt and how to (or not to) navigate these issues while living life.
What makes this show stand out amongst the rest is the lack of an antagonist: every character is a protagonist because the true enemy is life itself. It gives joy, yet takes it away in an instant, leaving characters with a lesson they must navigate on their own. Through these lessons, life becomes a friend until the next one arrives—a realistic cycle that every viewer can relate to. When Life Gives You Tangerines garnered praise globally for its tearjerking story and outstanding acting performances. The show and cast received various accolades, like Best Drama at the Baeksang Arts Awards. IU and Park Bo-gum received various awards for their portrayal, along with Yeom Hye-ran (who played Ae-Sun’s mother), who collected an abundance of Best Supporting Actress prizes, solidifying When Life Gives You Tangerines as one of 2025’s most impactful dramas.
Our Unwritten Seoul
In a powerful dual role, Park Bo-young stars as twins in the heartfelt, character-driven series Our Unwritten Seoul. The drama follows Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae, twin sisters living different lives. Despite their identical appearances, they’re clearly two separate people who grew up with distinct personalities, emotions, and struggles. After a painful reunion, their distant relationship takes a sudden turn, prompting them to swap identities for the moment.
Our Unwritten Seoul feels personal as it sincerely captures the journey of healing and finding your identity. The story takes time to unfold, letting the characters lead the way through each conflict and resolution. Whether you once found yourselves in their shoes or not, people from all walks of life can take away something meaningful from this show. Thanks to its heartfelt narrative and stellar cast, it also earned numerous honors, including Park Bo-young winning the Best Actress Award at the 2025 Korea Drama Awards.
The Tale of Lady Ok
The Tale of Lady Ok is a historical mystery set in the Joseon era, following the compelling journey of Goo Deok (Lim Ji-yeon), a former slave who escapes her bondage and assumes the identity of a missing noblewoman, Ok Tae-young. While hiding her true identity, she uses her sharp legal knowledge to become a beloved legal advocate for the oppressed, even as she falls into a complex bond with the storyteller Cheon Seung-hwi (Choo Young-woo). What makes this period drama stand out is its progressive defiance of strict societal norms, presenting a complex heroine whose power comes not from status but from her intellect and unwavering commitment to justice.
The drama’s tension lies in her constant battle to maintain her fabricated life, even as her integrity begins to earn the genuine respect of the nobility, including Sung Do-gyeom (Kim Jae-won). The Tale of Lady Ok was a major viewership success for a cable drama, achieving a peak rating of 13.575% nationwide for its finale and securing a Best New Actor win for Choo Young-woo at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards.
Love Scout
Love Scout is a vibrant, modern romantic comedy that subverts the typical K-drama hierarchy by following Kang Ji-yoon (Han Ji-min), the CEO of a fierce headhunting firm, and her earnest new secretary, Yoo Eun-ho (Lee Joon-hyuk), a calm and capable single father. The drama focuses on their evolving workplace relationship as the workaholic boss finds her chaotic life slowly softened and organized by her thoughtful and attentive assistant. The plot manages to stand out in the crowded rom-com genre by offering a refreshingly mature subversion of gender roles, allowing the female lead to be professionally dominant while the male lead provides emotional grounding and domestic strength. The true core of the show is its emphasis on communication and maturity as two adults navigate a slow-burning romance without unnecessary melodrama. Han Ji-min’s nuanced performance as the independent CEO earned her a Top Excellence Award nomination at the 16th Korea Drama Awards.
Study Group
Study Group is a compelling action-school drama based on a popular webtoon, centered on Yoon Ga-min (Hwang Min-hyun), a student at the notorious Yuseong Technical High School who is excellent at fighting but terrible at studying. Despite the violence that surrounds him, Ga-min’s dream is to go to college, leading him to form a study group with equally determined classmates, supported by teacher Lee Han-kyung (Han Ji-eun). The adaptation stands out by brilliantly balancing stylized, hard-hitting action sequences with the deep emotional stakes of academic ambition, highlighting the raw desire for a better future. The true conflict is the moral fight for dignity and education in a system that favors delinquency over diligence, providing a relatable underdog narrative. The series was highly praised by fans of the original work for its faithfulness and became one of the most talked-about OTT original dramas of the first quarter of 2025, celebrated for its perfect mix of action, comedy and genuine emotional depth.
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is a riveting medical drama, based on the web novel Trauma Center: Golden Hour, which plunges viewers into the specialized environment of a University Hospital’s trauma center. The series follows Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk (Ju Ji-hoon), a brilliant, maverick trauma surgeon, as he joins a struggling team to implement his life-saving methods, taking on Yang Jae-won (Choo Young-woo) as his first dedicated disciple. The plot distinguishes itself by rigidly focusing on the “Golden Hour” philosophy, where the clock is the main antagonist, meticulously detailing the procedural and ethical complexities of treating critical, time-sensitive injuries alongside colleagues like Nurse Cheon Jang-mi (Ha Young). The result is a series that is as intense and accurate as it is thrilling. The series was a massive global success on Netflix, reaching No. 1 on the global non-English TV rankings and earning major critical acclaim, including the Best Actor award for Ju Ji-hoon at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards.
Weak Hero Class 2
Weak Hero Class 2 is the highly anticipated second season, continuing the brutal, psychological journey of Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon), a brilliant student who relies on his intellect and strategy to navigate violence. After transferring to Eunjang High, the new season sees Si-eun face new enemies while grappling with the lingering trauma and consequences of the violence from his past, forcing him to re-evaluate the meaning of strength alongside his new friends Park Hoo-min (Ryeoun), Go Hyun-tak (Lee Min-jae) and Seo Joon-tae (Choi Min-yeong). The series firmly stands apart by continuing to elevate the school violence genre to a psychological thriller, where the protagonist’s genius for strategic warfare is the true spectacle against rivals like Na Baek-jin (Bae Na-ra). The enduring, complex theme is the cost of survival and the struggle for redemption, which Si-eun navigates through his reliance on his inner circle. Released on Netflix, the drama was a massive global hit, and its success led to Park Ji-hoon receiving an Excellence Award nomination at the 16th Korea Drama Awards for his powerful portrayal.
Beyond the Bar
Beyond the Bar is a character-driven legal drama that follows the partnership of two dedicated lawyers at the prestigious Yullim Law Firm: the brilliant, cold-hearted partner Yoon Seok-hoon (Lee Jin-wook) and the righteous, socially awkward rookie Kang Hyo-min (Jung Chae-yeon). Each episode explores the emotional and ethical complexities of real legal cases, chronicling the mentor-mentee relationship and Hyo-min’s professional and personal growth with the help of associates like Lee Jin-woo (Lee Hak-joo). The plot uniquely stands out by using a thoughtful, character-driven legal story to explore the meaning of unconventional human connections rather than focusing solely on courtroom theatrics. This emphasis on growth, mentorship and justice over melodrama was praised by critics. The series generated significant buzz upon its release, with both Lee Jin-wook and Jung Chae-yeon being praised for their dynamic chemistry.
Which 2025 K-drama is your favorite? Be sure to let us know on our Instagram and Twitter/X!
Featured Image Credit: Micah S. For POP TOKKI
