3 Highest-Rated K-Drama to Watch on Disney+ This Week

K-dramas are gaining momentum in global pop culture, attracting more and more viewers with each release. Netflix plays a huge role in promoting and popularizing series produced in South Korea, releasing original and acquired K-dramas, many of which become instant hits.

But in recent years, other companies, most notably Disney, have begun to embrace Korean productions. The latter is actively adding them to the library of its Disney+ platform.

Many of the Korean series released on the streaming service have received immediate critical and viewer acclaim. One of the most popular this year was the spy superhero show Moving, which is ready to compete with the MCU and DC thanks to its world-building and exciting action sequences. The second seasons of the crime drama Shadow Detective and the historical fantasy Arthdal Chronicles were no less hyped, suggesting that Disney+ has become a pretty good competitor to Netflix for quality Korean series.

But the platform's library also boasts even more critically acclaimed shows that will make for a great holiday binge!

3. Soundtrack #1 (4 episodes)

Release Date: March 23, 2022

IMDb rating: 7.7/10

Soundtrack #1 follows the budding love affair between best friends of nearly 20 years, photographer Han Seon-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and lyricist Lee Eun-soo, who struggles to write a song about her true feelings for Seon-woo while being tormented by the fact that he never openly confessed. Seon-woo moves in with her for two weeks to help her with the song but reveals that he has experienced unrequited love for another woman with whom he plans to move abroad soon.

Although the show is quite short with only 4 episodes, it manages to convey an incredibly warm and intimate dynamic between the best friends who love each other — there are no unnecessary side plots and the script focuses entirely on a realistic, well-crafted romance. Plus, a second season, Soundtrack #2, is now available on Disney+, telling a different, unrelated love story this time around.

2. Snowdrop (16 episodes)

Release Date (South Korea): December 18, 2021

Release Date (US): February 9, 2022

IMDb rating: 8.1/10

Upon its release in 2021, the series became an instant hit and was hailed as one of the best K-dramas of the year, praised for its deep and tragic plot, memorable cinematography, and soundtrack, though it was highly controversial in South Korea and beyond for its historical negationism.

The story is set in 1987 against the backdrop of the peaceful mass protest movement, when people, especially students, fought for the democratization of society and direct elections under the military dictatorship of President Chun Doo-hwan. The plot revolves around the romantic story of two students, Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo). Only Soo-ho is a spy for North Korea, posing as a pro-democracy activist.

1. In the Soop: Friendcation (4 episodes)

Release Date: July 22, 2022

IMDb rating: 8.4/10

This reality show gave fans of Korean pop culture a much-needed sense of comfort and feel-good vibes, as the series is built around the warm friendship of five celebrities who have been in the industry together for over a decade. While the original In the Soop featured members of BTS and Seventeen, Friendcation follows the equally bright stars of the music and movie scene, Peakboy, Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik, and V of BTS. The four reality episodes follow the friends as they go on a 3-night and 4-day trip, reminiscing about the warm years of their youth and showing the viewer the real themselves.

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