“Law and the City” (서초동)
One of the elements I loved the most about this series was watching the friends eat together in every episode. Delicious jiggaes (stews), grilled meat — it was like a legal mukbang!
Tag: Year-end list
Every BTS Solo Song Ranked
Together BTS is a pop music force of nature. As solo artists RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook have created an equally amazing catalog. My latest for Rolling Stone magazine.
7 Best K-Dramas of 2025, So Far
2025 isn’t over yet, but it’s already been an exciting year for some of the best K-dramas. Though “Squid Game” has come to an end (for now) that doesn’t mean there aren’t still plenty of Korean dramas to obsess over.
“Our Unwritten Seoul” (미지의 서울)
Park Bo-young beautifully captures the nuances of both sisters and the struggles that each deals with daily. “Our Unwritten Seoul” presents everyday choices that may seem too much to bear, but also offers the kind of realistic hope that’s better than a pat, happy ending.
“Squid Game Season 3 Finale and That Surprise Cameo Ending, Explained
With this third and final season of “Squid Game,” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk ties up loose ends in this blood bath, which kills off almost all our favorite players (and some we hate). Park Sung-hoon and Im Si-wan stand out portraying the best and worst of us.
“Mercy for None” (광장)
If you enjoy the John Wick franchise, So Ji-sub’s “Mercy for None” will be right up your alley.
“Heavenly Ever After” (천국보다 아름다운)
By Jae-Ha Kim Substack May 28, 2025 ☆☆☆ (out of ☆☆☆☆) Lee Hae-sook (played by Kim Hye-ja) Ko Nak-joon (played by Son Suk-ku) ↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name. tl;dr Capsule review: […]
“Weak Hero Class 2” (약한영웅)
No one tops South Korean creatives when it comes to telling high school-centered bullying stories. In the sequel to 2022’s “Weak Hero Class 1,” our protagonist Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) wants nothing more than to be left alone and study.
“When Life Gives You Tangerines” (폭싹 속았수다)
This beautifully-executed slice-of-life K-drama spans the decades-long relationship between Ae-sun — who wanted to escape Jeju-do and become a poet in Seoul — and Gwan-sik, who wanted nothing more than for Ae-sun to love him back. We watch as their relationship unfolds from their childhood in the 1960s to the present day.
“My Dearest Nemesis” (그놈은 흑염룡)
Korean scriptwriters excel at presenting the childhood friends-to-lovers trope. Based on the webtoon of the same Korean title (He’s the Black Dragon), this K-drama centers on a pair of teenage gamers who reunite as adults who, coincidentally, work for the same company.
All-Time Best K-dramas
Each of us has our own favorite K-dramas that are informed by our own personal experiences (and access). For instance, I was never able to get my hands on South Korea’s early dramas like “Death Row Prisoner,” which premiered in 1956. Therefore, my picks are influenced by what I’ve seen, which are primarily shows from 2000 onward.
“Study Group” (스터디그룹)
Being No. 1 certainly is an achievement. But what “Study Group” tells us is that the process of learning is the true achievement, and that these small victories are worth celebrating.
“Melo Movie” (멜로무비)
This emotionally-engaging show is less of a rom-com than it is a slice-of-life K-drama that explores how familial loss greatly impacts who we are today.
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.
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.