13 Best K-Dramas of 2024
It was an excellent year for Korean dramas — and with Squid Game season 2 on the horizon, there’s more to come.
Tag: Year-end list
11 Sporty K-Dramas to Watch to Celebrate Olympics 2024
These Korean shows (including “W,” “All of Us Are Dead,” “Prison Playbook”) deftly utilize sports in their storylines to demonstrate the characters’ unrelenting perseverance and will to survive. My latest reviews for Teen Vogue.
The best time travel K-dramas — and why there are so many of them
Time travel adds a relatively unique element that differentiates K-drama storylines from other shows, but there is also a very visceral component. K-drama story arcs excel at telling tales of love and revenge. And what better way is there to get these points across than depicting how love and revenge transcend all boundaries, including time?
The Best K-Dramas of 2023, From “The Glory 2” to “Queenmaker”
What a year for great K-dramas. With so many choices, it was difficult leaving out some of my favorites from this best K-dramas list. As for my top selections, I chose them because each is binge-worthy and features superb acting, well developed storylines that inform and celebrate, and explorations of real-life issues that may be specific to South Korea, but also share universal relevance.
The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music
What follows is not only the story of Korean popular music, and how it birthed the K-pop business, but also how a small peninsula nation learned how to make art in the face of colonialism and political change, culled sonics from all corners of the globe, and keeps striving to find new ways of distilling the purest, most thrilling aspects of the human experience into four-minute packages of pop revelation. For Rolling Stone.
The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022
The 79 Best K-Pop Songs of 2022, according to 79 journalists and pop culture writers … including me! My pick of the year? Jin’s “The Astronaut,” which preceded the BTS member’s military enlistment on Tuesday (December 13).
The 11 Best K-Dramas of 2022 to Watch Immediately
The best K-dramas of 2022 were bookended by a pair of brutal teen-centric dramas that premiered at the beginning of the year (“All of Us Are Dead”) and the end (“Weak Hero Class One”). They frame a year of superb Korean dramas, so many that it was difficult to narrow it down to just 11 top picks.
A Brief History of K-cinema
For many Westerners, Korean cinema didn’t enter their consciousness until the unparalleled success of the film “Parasite: in 2019. The gripping film deals with socio-economic discrepancies specific to modern-day South Korea, but the clever and sometimes brutal storyline hit a nerve with filmgoers worldwide. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, an Oscar for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and a BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
The Best K-dramas on Netflix
Here’s where to start on your K-drama journey — including the one romance everyone seems to be talking about.
11 K-Dramas With Strong Women Characters & Empowering Storylines
Lately, there have been some compelling K-dramas where the female lead is more than just an object of desire. Rather, she is the capable one who is an integral part of the plot. Here are 11 K-dramas from recent years that exemplify female empowerment.
11 Best K-Dramas of 2021
Narrowing down the best-of list to just 11 K-dramas was painstaking. But these shows from 2021 are must-sees that you will want to add to your watch list. Below, dive into the best K-dramas of 2021.
The 54 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021
Teen Vogue asked 54 music writers to pick their favorite K-pop songs of 2021. I chose Monsta X’s “One Day,” which features gorgeous harmonies, along with heartbreaking lyrics that may make the listener sob in commiseration. Radio really dropped the ball on this song.
The Best K-Pop Moments of 2020
Teen Vogue asked 49 journalists to write about the best K-pop moments of 2020. I wrote about how BTS’ No. 1 hit single “Life Goes On” brought the Korean language to the forefront.
11 Best K-dramas of 2020
11 Best K-Dramas of 2020: Rivals, Lovers, and Slow Burning Intrigue. These shows are must-watch television. My latest for Teen Vogue.