10 K-Dramas All Soap Opera Fans Must Watch

There is no other genre like soap opera. No matter what the premise of the show is, the soap opera genre always comes with the most dramatic twists, exciting surprises and emotional scenes. There is a lot that goes into making a soap opera, but all of it is worth the chaotic excellence that this genre offers.

Unfortunately, there aren't as many soap operas being made these days as there used to be. As the genre declines in number and quality, viewers may want to reach out and explore other genres. Luckily, K-dramas have everything soap opera lovers love about them, and more. Here are the top 10 titles you don't want to miss.

Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life (2019-2020)

This is a perfect K-drama for those who enjoy the twists and turns of soap opera characters' relationships. Presenting itself as a story of love and deception that comes in many different forms, the show follows people as they try to find and maintain the love they have always dreamed of through all the struggles.

Castaway Diva (2023)

Seo Mok-ha is a typical girl next door with a big dream. She wants to become a pop idol and is training hard to do so. One day she gets closer to her dream and wins the UCC competition. However, on her way to Seoul for the audition that could change her life, she ends up all alone on a deserted island.

Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016)

If you are looking for a romantic journey with many men chasing one girl, this is the perfect story for you. In a Cinderella-like turn of events, Eun Ha-won finds herself sharing a house with 3 grandsons of a rich chairman and their handsome bodyguard. Without intending to, she becomes part of a messy and chaotic quadrangle.

Happy Merry Ending (2023)

There are two things that connect the two main characters of this drama. First of all, they are both dedicated to music, as Seung Jun is a vocal coach who sings at weddings as a part-time job, and Jae Hyun is a newly hired pianist who starts working with him. Secondly, both of them are in need of love, even if one of them tries to keep his guard up.

My Father Is Strange (2017)

Not only is it a perfect K-drama with lots of characters, all intertwined in the strangest of ways, but it also has a record number of 52 episodes, making it one of the longest Korean series. Compared to many other series on the streamers, My Father Is Strange is the show that you can enjoy for a long time.

Secret Garden (2010-2011)

Let's see how many tropes this show tackles. First of all, it is the story of a rich CEO and a struggling stunt actress. Second, it's an enemies-to-lovers romance, as the two don't see eye to eye from the very beginning. And finally, it is a story of two soul mates who magically start swapping bodies.

Beautiful Gong Shim (2016)

After years of living in the shadow of her beautiful and successful sister, Gong Shim, who is considered ugly but also has trouble finding a job, finally puts an end to her own suffering and decides to rent out her room to earn some money and move to Italy. That's how she meets Ahn Dan-tae and her whole world starts to change.

Hospital Playlist (2020-2021)

This K-drama is perhaps the closest thing you can find on Korean television to the Western Grey's Anatomy. And Grey's Anatomy, as we all know, is the closest thing you can find on primetime television to a real soap opera. So the lives of five friends trying to make it in the hospital will not leave you indifferent.

The Heirs (2013)

Although all the characters in this K-drama are as privileged as the others, they also carry a heavy burden on their shoulders. Growing up to be the heir to your family's business empire is not easy, especially when you are young and your blood is boiling for some forbidden romances and risky adventures.

Queen of Tears (2024)

The most recent K-drama in this list, and the one that managed to take over all the charts in 2024, is Queen of Tears. The show follows the story of the beautiful love and difficult marriage of Hong Hae-in, a chaebol heiress from the third generation of the Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri.