6 K-Dramas With Badass Career-Girl as Female Lead

K-dramas have turned the world of television upside down by basically becoming the most popular TV shows when it comes to foreign shows. Sometimes they even break the ratings of many Western shows...

South Korean dramas cover almost every major genre, often mixing them into perfectly balanced but totally unexpected new sub-genres. However, they tend to give male characters more power than female characters.

However, there are still many series that focus on a tough female lead who is also a career woman making her way in the tough world of work. Here we have several shows that focus on the exact same premise.

1. Start-Up (2020)

Many female viewers mentioned that this K-drama really motivated them to pursue their dreams in the field they are currently working in. The story in this show is set in a fictional tech company called Sandbox Company.

The show focuses on both male and female main characters, but it's Seo Dal Mi's story that attracted us the most. After a series of unfulfilling retail jobs, she finds her way to the company, but feels that she is destined for something bigger and has all the ambition in the world to make her way to running her own company.

There’s also an impressive story of Won In Jae, who proves that even the fact that she comes from a wealthy family can’t stop her from becoming successful in a male-dominated industry on her own terms and without any help.

2. Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

The fans point out that especially the first several episodes make a great point depicting a woman trying to make her way into success. At the center of the story there’s a young woman named Na Hee Do, who dreams of becoming a world known fencer. Through many difficulties, she makes her way to the national fencing team.

3. Dr. Cha (2023)

This K-drama is the best watch for those who think that it’s too late to change their lives and start working again. At the center of the series there’s a married couple of a devoted surgeon Seo In Ho and his wife Cha Jung Sook.

For 20 years now she has been a full-time housewife, who gave up her medical career for the sake of the family. But now she decided it’s time to get back those lost years and become a doctor after all.

4. King the Land (2023)

Although the K-drama lies heavily on the romance story, it still gives a lot of credit to working women.

“The FL and her two friends all work in customer service, store manager, flight attendant, and hotel concierge and they get so much sh** from customers and higher ups. The one friend is also a mother and has to juggle that too,” Reddit RoseIsBadWolf said.

5. Search WWW (2019)

The brilliant K-drama that actually revolves around all the challenges and triumphs of modern women who have chosen to pursue their careers over traditional family roles.

At the center of the story there’s Bae Ta Mi. She is a successful woman in her 30’s who is a director at a major web portal company. She is a very competitive leader and gives no chance to fight her, but after meeting a young and talented composer, she starts questioning her life choices.

6. Queenmaker (2023)

This K-drama has several powerful female leads in the story. There’s Hwang Do Hee, who is an extremely skilled career woman in the most stereotypical depiction there can be: beautiful, fierce, extremely well dressed, always wearing high heels.

She uses her special skills to turn a civil rights lawyer into the next mayor of Seoul. All to take down her former employer who misjudged her.