7 Netflix K-Dramas to Look Forward to in the Second Half of 2023

Maybe it’s the visceral, almost triggering, based-on-a-true-story depiction of school bullies searing a victim’s skin with a curling iron, or maybe it’s how the victim methodically plots her revenge against her assailants years later. Whatever the reason, the 16-episode Korean drama The Glory became a crowd favorite this year, and now ranks as the fifth most popular non-English TV show ever on Netflix, joining the growing list of South Korea’s blockbuster offerings on the platform.

After releasing the first batch of episodes in December last year, The Glory’s final eight episodes were among the 34 Korean titles that Netflix said it will release this year. It’s the streamer’s biggest line-up of Korean content to date, a testament to the unabated global popularity of South Korean entertainment. And it’s only upward from here: Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos met with South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol in Washington in April and announced that the company will invest $2.5 billion in the country for the next four years, including in the creation of new series, movies, and unscripted shows.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

Read More: How Netflix’s The Glory Drew Inspiration From Real Stories of School Violence in Korea

Netflix’s K-dramas have already been off to a great start this year, with a wide variety of genres available. Aside from The Glory’s heavy drama and social commentary, viewers have also raved over the dystopian world of delivery men in Black Knight, the adorable mother-son duo in slice-of-life drama The Good Bad Mother, and the ever reliable fake-dating trope in romantic comedy Love to Hate You.

But 2023 is far from over, and Netflix still has a bevy of other titles in the pipeline. Below, TIME selects the most anticipated titles, listed in no particular order, all of which will be available to watch on Netflix USA.

Bloodhounds

Release date: June 9

Based on a Naver webtoon of the same name, this action thriller revolves around two young boxers who enter the world of loan sharks. Geon-woo (played by The King: Eternal Monarch’s Woo Do-hwan), a high-school dropout who wants to pay off his family’s debts, squares off with Woo-jin (played by Lee Sang-yi of Hometown Cha-cha-cha) in the boxing ring. Despite starting off as opponents, the two end up working together in a quest to exact justice against rich and powerful loan sharks. Directing the series is Jason Kim, who’s known for the 2017 action comedy box-office hit Midnight Runners. This will be Kim’s first time working with Netflix.

D.P. (Season 2)

Release date: TBD; third quarter of 2023

The first season of D.P., released in 2021, brought to light abuse within South Korea’s mandatory military conscription system and the reasons why some are desperate to get out of it. The show’s title refers to a team of soldiers called “deserter pursuit,” who are tasked with tracking down and capturing military deserters. Despite only having six episodes, the first season deeply resonated with former conscripts and even prompted South Korea’s Ministry of Defense to issue a statement that incidents of violence and abuse in the military were on the decline. Director Han Jun-hee is returning for the second season, as well as actors Jung Hae-in and Koo Kyo-hwan, who respectively played An Jun-ho and Han Ho-yeol, the series’ main duo.

A Time Called You

Release date: TBD; third quarter of 2023

If you’re a fan of time travel, this remake of the 2019 Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day might be for you. Ahn Hyo-seop, one of the dapper leading men in the 2022 lighthearted romance Business Proposal, teams up with Jeon Yeo-been from Vincenzo in this story about a woman who goes back in time and meets a man who looks like her lover who has passed away. The original Taiwanese show led to a tourism boom for various filming locations in Tainan, and news of the Korean remake has since given them an additional boost, despite the fact that the new series was filmed in Korea.

Read More: The 10 Best Korean Dramas of 2022 to Watch on Netflix

Sweet Home (Season 2)

Release date: TBD; end of 2023

South Korean heartthrob Song Kang will return for another season of this gritty horror series. The first season of Sweet Home, released in December 2020, follows suicidal high-school student Cha Hyun-soo (played by Song) who relocates to a rundown apartment complex only to soon discover that monsters have taken over the building. The show, which garnered a huge following, has since been renewed for two more seasons, with the second season scheduled to release in the fourth quarter of 2023. The second season of Sweet Home will feature many of the original cast members, while reportedly expanding the in-series universe with new characters and locations.

Doona!

Release date: TBD; end of 2023

This coming-of-age romance stars K-pop idol Bae Suzy in the titular role of Doona, a retired idol who ends up living with Lee Won-joon (played by Yang Se-jong), a university student. Expect your hearts to flutter as the series will be directed by Lee Jung-hyo, who also directed the hit romantic comedy Crash Landing on You.

Gyeongseong Creature

Release date: TBD; end of 2023

Park Seo-joon, who stars in the upcoming The Marvels, which will release in November, returns to the small screen following his leading role in the critically-acclaimed 2020 drama Itaewon Class. Park joins a bevy of A-list actors in this creature thriller set in the spring of 1945, just before the end of World War II and the Japanese annexation of Korea. In Gyeongseong Creature, Park plays a wealthy pawnshop owner in Gyeongseong, now Seoul, who fights mythical monsters borne out of human greed. Other cast members include Han So-hee (The World of the Married), Claudia Kim (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), and Wi Ha-joon (Squid Game).

Daily Dose of Sunshine

Release date: TBD; end of 2023

This Netflix series was adapted from Morning Comes To Psychiatric Wards Too, a webtoon by Lee Ra-ha. Expected to be a heartwarming drama, Daily Dose of Sunshine takes viewers inside a psychiatric ward and follows Da-eun, a rookie nurse who is just starting out in the hospital’s mental health department. Da-eun, portrayed by Park Bo-young (Strong Girl Bong-soon, Oh My Ghost), is determined to make a difference in the lives of her patients despite the challenges at work. The series is directed by Lee JQ, who also directed the hit series All of Us Are Dead.