A mysterious murder, witches, zombies, and a dystopian future… k-dramaland is full of fantastical stories for us to dive into this month. Which ones are you planning to watch?
The Devil Judge
The Devil Judge takes us to an alternate dystopian Korea, where trials are held with the entire nation participating via a live courtroom broadcast. The head judge, Kang Yo-han (Ji Sung, Doctor John), turns his trials into something like a reality show and punishes evil people mercilessly. Is he a hero or a devil judge? The drama also features GOT7’s Jinyoung as a rookie judge, Kim Min-jung as the head of a foundation and the head judge’s nemesis, and Park Gyu-young as a police detective suspicious of the titular judge. The trial begins on July 3 on Viu.
You Are My Spring
Mystery and romance come together in this k-drama, which starts from the story of a strange murder in an apartment building. The event brings two strangers — Kang Da-jung (Seo Hyun-jin, The Beauty Inside), a hotel concierge manager, and her neighbor Joo Young-Do (Kim Dong-wook, Special Labor Inspector Mr. Jo), a psychiatrist who works with suicidal people — together at the center of what appears to be a larger scheme. Directed by Jung Ji-hyun (The King: Eternal Monarch, Search: WWW), You Are My Spring streams on Netflix starting July 5.
The Witch’s Diner
When Jung Jin (Nam Ji-hyun) gets dumped by her boyfriend and fired from her job, she decides to open a restaurant. But that quickly fails too. So when a witch, Zo Hee-ra (Song Ji-hyo), entices her with incredible food and asks to borrow the restaurant to create a unique diner — one where the food has the power to grant a customer's wish, in return for something the witch wants — she agrees. The diner will open for just eight episodes, starting on July 16.
Kingdom: Ashin of the North
Arguably this month’s most anticipated release, this special 90-minute follow-up to the highly successful Kingdom series introduces us to Ashin (Jun Ji-hyun, My Love From the Star), a mysterious character encountered by Lee Chang (Joo Ji-hoon) at the end of season 2. The trailer hints of a revenge plot rooted in the death of Ashin’s mother when she was a young girl, around the time she learns of the existence of the resurrection plant. The special episode comes out July 23 on Netflix.
Police University
KBS brings us another police drama, this time starring Cha Tae-hyun (My Sassy Girl) as Yoo Dong-man, a former detective turned instructor at the police university. His students include Kang Sun-ho (Jin Young), a smart hacker-turned-criminal student, and Oh Kang-hee (Krystal), a righteous freshman who sticks by the rules. This drama is expected to premiere on July 26.
The trailer isn't out yet, but we'll update this page as more information becomes available.
Best of 2021: Our Second-Half Picks
https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/best-kdrama-of-2021-second-half-recommendations
Here's a review of some of the completed k-dramas:
The Weekend Binge: "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" https://www.gwenchanoona.com/post/the-weekend-binge-kingdom-ashin-of-the-north