New k-dramas in December

South Korea is closing the year with a bang, giving us fans a diverse menu of distractions to keep our minds away from the reality of our second pandemic Christmas. Leading the pack is the highly anticipated space thriller The Silent Sea, led by no less than Hallyu heavyweights Gong Yoo and Bae Doona, followed by the maiden k-drama offering from Disney+, Snowdrop, with Jung Hae-in and Blackpink's Jisoo. But these two titles are just the tip of the giant stack of gifts Korean Santa has prepared for us.

Dec 3: User Not Found

The month kicks off with a high school web drama about two 17-year-old girls with the same name. Yoo Min-jae transfers to a new school and meets an unexpectedly warm welcome from the coolest kids. But it turns out she was mistaken for another transfer student also named Yoo Min-jae. Instead of arguing, the two girls — played by relatively new actresses Shin So-hyun and Han Ye-ji — agree to swap identities to get a fresh start.

Where to watch: Episodes 1-10 will be available on KOK TV YouTube, and the rest will air exclusively on WATCHA.

Dec. 6: Our Beloved Summer

Choi Woo-shik (Parasite) and Kim Da-mi (Itaewon Class) star as bickering ex-lovers in this romantic comedy set to brighten up our Mondays and Tuesdays. A decade after they broke up, a documentary they filmed back in high school goes viral, forcing them to work together again.

Where to watch: Netflix

Dec. 8: Artificial City

The dark ties between South Korea's chaebols and politics give us another mystery thriller from JTBC. Artificial City revolves around the ambitious Yoon Jae-hee, played by Soo Ae (Athena: Goddess of War), who wants her husband Jung Joon-hyuk (Kim Kang-woo), the second son of the Sung Jin Group, to become the country's president — even if it means going to war against her in-laws.

Dec. 11: Uncle

The incredibly talented Oh Jung-se (Jirisan, It's Okay to Not Be Okay) stars in this remake of the BBC sitcom Uncle as Joon Hyeok, an amateur musician whose life has hit rock bottom. But Joon Hyeok's life takes an interesting turn when his nephew, who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, shows up after the separation of his parents. This heartwarming musical drama from TV Chosun might just be the perfect show to watch this season.

Dec. 11: Taejong Yi Bang Won

In 1392, the almost 500-year rule of the Goryeo Dynasty came to an end and the Joseon era began. This sageuk from KBS will depict that historic time, focusing on Yi Bang-won, the fifth son of King Taejo, who was pivotal in making this happen. Portrayed by Joo Sang-wook (Touch), Yi Bang-won would eventually ascend to the throne as King Taejong, the third monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, and the father of King Sejong the Great.

Dec. 13: Twists of Love

This 100-episode comic family melodrama will turn on a lie that twists the lives of three families. The KBS weeknight drama will feature T-ara’s Hahm Eun-jung (Dream High), Kim Jin-yeop (High Class), Jang Se-Hyun (The King’s Affection), and Son Sung-yoon (My Roommate Is a Gumiho).

Dec. 17: Bad and Crazy

Our favorite grim reaper, Lee Dong-wook (Tail of the Nine Tailed, Goblin), plays the "bad" cop Ryu Soo-yeol in this k-drama, who crosses paths with the upright but "crazy" K (Wi Ha-joon, Squid Game). While Soo-yeol is willing to protect the corrupt for a promotion, injustice turns K into a crazy vigilante hero. Will K be able to change Soo-yeol? From the same director and writer as The Uncanny Counter, this hero action comedy is one to watch out for.

Where to watch: iQiyi

Dec. 18: Snowdrop

Disney+ is betting big on the k-drama market, with the highly anticipated Snowdrop as its maiden offering. Led by Jung Hae-in (D.P., Something In The Rain) and Blackpink's Jisoo in her first lead role, this romance drama set in 1987 draws inspiration from the handwritten notes of a man who escaped a North Korean political prison. The story starts when a bloodied Im Su-ho (Jung Hae-In), a graduate from Germany, rushes into a women's university. Eun Young-ro (Jisoo), a freshman at the university, finds him and takes care of him, despite the dangerous situation.

Where to watch: Disney+

Dec. 18: Bulgasal: Immortal Souls

A fantasy drama spanning 600 years, this tvN series builds an epic revenge story around the "bulgasal" — a mythical creature that cannot die or age. Lee Jin-wook (Sweet Home, Voice 2 and 3) stars here as Dan Hwal, a bulgasal who has spent six centuries chasing Min Sang-woon (Kwon Nara, Itaewon Class), a woman who has been repeatedly reincarnated over hundreds of years while fleeing Dan Hwal, while remembering all of her past lives.

Where to watch: Netflix

Dec 20: When the Flower Blooms, I Think of The Moon

The last sageuk of the year, also called Moonshine, stars Yoo Seung-ho (Memorist, I Am Not a Robot) and Hyeri (My Roommate Is a Gumiho, Reply 1988) in a romance set during a stringent alcohol prohibition period during the Joseon Dynasty. Yoo Seung-ho portrays a prosecutor out to enforce the alcohol prohibition, but gets confused when he meets Hyeri's character, who starts brewing alcohol to make money for her struggling family.

Dec. 20: The One and Only

The One and Only is a melodrama about three terminally ill patients: Pyo In-sook (Ahn Eun-jin, Hospital Playlist), a stubborn and insensitive woman, Kang Se-yeon (Kang Ye-won, Insane), a housewife sentenced to death, and Seong Mi-do (Park Soo-young or Red Velvet's Joy), a famous social media influencer. Mired in a murder case, the three women set out on a journey to meet their treasured "one person" after a challenge to take down the only bad "one person" — all before they die. The series also casts Min Woo-cheon (The King: Eternal Monarch) as the hitman Kim Kyung-nam.

Dec 24: The Silent Sea

One of the most highly-anticipated dramas of 2021, the eight-episode sci-fi series The Silent Sea is led by Gong Yoo (Train to Busan, Goblin) as exploration team leader Han Yoon-jae, Bae Doona (Kingdom) as astrologist Dr. Song Ji-an, and Lee Joon (My Father Is Strange) as head engineer Capt. Ryoo Tae-sok. Produced by Jung Woo-sung, The Silent Sea is set in a future where Earth’s survival depends on a team of elite scientists who must travel to the moon, the abandoned Balhae Lunar Research Station.

Where to watch: Netflix

December: Tracer

With revenge dramas flooding k-dramaland, Tracer introduces a unique but relatable setting — the National Tax Service. Hwang Dong-joo (Im Si-wan, Run On), a recently-promoted team manager of the Seoul Regional Office’s Investigation Bureau, chases money hidden from the tax bureau. His brave team member, Seo Hye-young (Go Ah-sung, Life on Mars), the corrupt Commissioner In Tae-joon (Son Hyun-joo, Itaewon Class), and the lazy section chief Oh Young (Park Yong-woo, Priest) join him to create a chaotic cast of nationally-certified experts. The revenge action drama is directed by Lee Seung-young (Special Affairs Team TEN, Voice 2) and written by Kim Hyun-jung (Who Are You: School 2015, Falsify). Where to watch: wavve.com