In this article, Channel-Korea will be providing a list of Korean dramas that were aired in 2019, and we will tell you which one is the most popular. So, stay tuned!
SKY Castle
There’s no doubt that SKY Castle was the most popular Korean drama in 2019. So many people around the world watched it and talked about it, and the ratings were crazy. Actually, the drama started on November 23, 2018, but it still counts since the drama ended on February 1, 2019. SKY Castle tells the story of 4 families living in an elite neighborhood called Sky Castle. The women of the families tried to make their husbands more successful, and also obsessed over their children’s education. Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah) is married to orthopedic surgeon Kang Joon-sang (Jung Joon-ho), and they have two daughters. Han Seo-jin seems to have a very perfect life, but she has a secret that she keeps from her friends. There is also the story of Lee Soo-im (Lee Tae-ran), a children’s book writer who is a resident of the new Sky Castle. She is different from the other three women who live in Sky Castle; she does not really impose education on her child. Lee Soo-im feels that life at Sky Castle and the parents’ obsession with their children’s education has made things work abnormally. Lee Soo-im becomes interested in the story of the householder before her family is broken when her mother, Lee Myung-joo (Kim Jung Nan), commits suicide because of her son’s doings. As a result of the incident, the father resigned from the hospital where he worked. Another character is No Seung-hye (Yoon Se-ah), who is married to law school professor Cha Min-hyuk (Kim Byung-chul). Her husband talks about justice and happiness, but she is someone who is very selfish. Meanwhile, Jin Jin-hee (Oh Na-ra), who comes from a rich family, admires Han Seo-jin and tries to follow what Han Seo-jin is doing for her children. Jin Jin-hee is married to an orthopedic surgeon, Woo Yang-woo (Jo Jae-yun). These mothers use various methods to get their children into the prestigious Seoul National University (SNU) school. This drama also clearly illustrates that the souls of children from the family to go awry because of the pressure to get academic achievements. During its screening in South Korea, the drama successfully finished with a record as the highest-rated drama in the history of cable TV, which amounted to 23.8 percent. During the airing of the first episode, this drama only recorded a rating of 1.7 percent. The story of parents who want success through education, even by hiring the most expensive counselor, is considered able to illustrate the life of an elite South Korean family. Education and passion for success remain and are always constant in South Korean society. The drama SKY Castle mocks the obsession of elite parents in South Korea for their children’s education, which is considered very competitive. Cultural critic Jung Duk-hyun said the drama has received attention from viewers because it explores two things, namely the curiosity and anxiety of the audience to see the obsession of elite family education. “In terms of education, this drama satisfies people’s desire to take a peek at what the rich family circles do that are closed to their children. But at the same time, the audience feels uncomfortable when watching their stories,” said Jung Duk-hyun, as reported by The Korea Times. These two conflicting emotions, which on the one hand feel curious, but also feel uncomfortable with the scenes are what make the chemistry interesting in the minds of drama fans. With a storyline that was considered capable of describing the social situation of the elite family, SKY Castle received enough attention from the people of South Korea and was named the highest-rated drama in cable TV history, even beating the Goblin record (2016). Check out what people said about this drama! gelly: I love this drama. God. Something that should be watched by parents who keep pushing their children to take what the parents want. Piggy Wiggy: Painfully relatable, impeccable acting, great writing, great cinematography, great directing, great editing. WanWan: this drama hit a lot of sore spots some of the scenes were really emotionally draining. I almost drop watching but I muster the courage finishing it m0chii: I’m crying too much for this drama ㅠㅠ wintertime: A masterpiece! Definitely one of the best Kdrama that ever made! Also, check out the trailer below!
Liver or Die
This family drama on KBS aired from January 9, 2019, Liver or Die, tells the story of middle-aged man Lee Poong-sang (played by Yoo Joon-sang) and his troubled younger siblings. The drama was written by Moon Young-nam, the mastermind behind other popular dramas that have captivated viewers with family-themed stories, such as Our Gap Soon, Wang’s Family, and Three Brothers. Screenwriter Moon Young-nam and director Jin Hyung-wook are a famous duo who created Three Brothers and Wang’s Family together. Writer Moon Young-nam can weave stories about smart families. He has the ability to make observations in all generations and has an interesting sense of humor. Director Jin Hyung-wook directed him to lift the drama, and ask questions about the true meaning of family and whether it is a burden or a source of strength for us. Lee Poong-sang and his troubled younger siblings were the main spotlight. Yoo Joon-sang’s character, Lee Poong-sang, is the oldest brother who has never lived for himself because he is too busy taking care of his siblings. The stories he told with the troublemaker Lee Hwa-sang (played by Lee Si-young), and Lee Jin-sang (Oh Ji-ho), the only source of pride and doctor Lee Jung-sang (Jeon Hye-bin) and his youngest brother, Lee Wae-sang (Lee Chang-yeob) must make the audience laugh and cry. Yoo Joon-sang, Lee Si-young, Oh Ji-ho, Jeon Hye-bin, and Lee Chang-yeob joined the cast of strong supporting actors. Shin Dong-mi, who played Lee Poong-sang’s wife, Gan Boon-sil, a woman who is always busy taking care of her in-laws, will definitely suit all housewives who watch this drama. Gan Boon-sil’s father, Gan Bo-goo, was played by Park In-hwan. Lee Bo-hee played the mother of five shameless siblings, No Yang-shim, and Lee Sang-sook played Jeon Dal-ja, a woman who has a neighborhood supermarket and always knows the latest gossip about the Lee Poong-sang family. The anticipation for Liver or Die started out high, because even before the drama aired, it united a strong production team and a group of talented actors. This drama worked to make itself a memorable family drama, connecting with viewers from the first episode, with a fun storyline and interesting characters. Don’t forget to watch it if you haven’t already! What people said about this drama: KANEKO: Excellent Perfect Magnificent Actors and Actresses Performance.. … Plot … Script… Direction… etc This drama is really a must watch 13G: I love this sibling story hanaharu: the best family drama…this drama made me angry, cry and laugh… Check out the trailer below!
My Only One
My Only One is a Korean drama that aired every Saturday and Sunday on the KBS2 channel. My Only One premiered on September 15, 2018, performed two episodes and managed to get high ratings of 21.2 percent and 24.3 percent. The next day, on September 16, 2018, My Only One again received high ratings of 22.8 percent and 25.6 percent. It shows how the audience was enthusiastic to watch the drama. The drama ended in 2019, so it still counts. My Only One is a family-themed drama that tells of Kim Do-ran, a person who has a bright and positive personality, even though she went through various difficult times. My Only One is full of talented actors and actresses, both senior and junior. The main role, itself, is played by Uee, who is a former member of the girl-group After School. This drama also became the first drama starring Lee Jang-woo after he finished his military service last January. Uee had the lead role as Kim Do-ran, while Lee Jang-woo played Wang Dae-ryook, the son of a wealthy businessman. Besides them, Choi Soo-jong, Yoon Jin-yi, Jung Eun-woo, Na Hye-mi, and Park Sung-hoon also participated in the drama. My Only One tells about Kim Do-ran’s struggle in going through various difficult times she experienced, from her struggle in working part-time, studying in order to get into college to become a prosecutor, and in her daily life. The story begins when Kim Do-ran, who was still a baby, was adopted by Kim Dong-cheol, a friend of her father, because her father had to be jailed. Since childhood, Kim Do-Ran has been through a difficult time because her adoptive mother did not love her. Her mother paid more attention to her sister, the biological child of her adopted mother. After 28 years, Kim Do-ran learned the truth, that she was not the daughter of Kim Dong-cheol who had been raising her. Kim Do-ran’s life became even more chaotic. In its premier episode, My Only One was able to introduce all the characters very nicely, starting from the reason why her father was imprisoned to the life now lived by the family who became her father’s victim. This initial episode of My Only One focuses on the lives of three different families who are related to each other. Whether it’s a relationship between criminals and victims or the friendship of mothers. Despite telling a sad and dramatic story, My Only One is also able to make the audience smile because of the positive nature possessed by Kim Do-ran. The innocent and honest nature that Kim Do-ran possesses makes Wang Dae-ryook’s plan to approach her a bit more difficult. Even so, the incident made the first meeting for Kim Do-ran and Wang Dae-ryook. My Only One was directed by a reliable director namely Hong Suk-goo. He has directed various Korean dramas. Some of those dramas are Girls’ Generation 1979, Perfect Wife, and also Golden Cross. One of the production staff gave a statement that the strong script integration from Kim Sa-kyung, the extraordinary cast, and emotional direction from Hong Suk-goo united in perfect synergy was able to liven up the drama. Those are the various reasons why the drama My Only One is interesting to watch. This drama will also teach viewers to stay strong in the face of difficult times and always think positively. This is suitable to watch with family, so that the relationship is even tighter. Let’s see what people said about this drama! GS: Thank you for the great drama! One of the best family drama to watch!!!! sxooya: I really like this drama, this is the best drama i’ve ever watched and I really wait for season 2 Ted: Thank you for such an entertaining and satisfying production. I thoroughly enjoyed every episode. Check out the trailer below!
Mother of Mine
Mother of Mine became one of the most exciting dramas to watch that was broadcast on Saturday-Sunday weekends. The drama started airing in March 2019 on the KBS2 TV station, replacing My Only One, the previous drama. Mother of Mine has 100 episodes and is also known by another title, Prettiest Daughter in the World. According to Nielsen Korea data, the drama Mother of Mine managed to achieve a rating of 22.6 percent and 26.6 percent in the first and second episodes, and to continue to increase ratings in subsequent episodes. Data on May 26, this drama experienced a significant increase in ratings, on average 25.9 percent and 32.5 percent, nationally. Mother of Mine was worked on by director Kim Jong-chan, who has experience in producing dramas such as Miss Mamma Mia and The Thorn Birds. The screenplay was written by Jo Jung-sun, who has produced drama works such as The Daughters in Law and My Heart Twinkle Twinkle. The family drama lifts the story of the struggle of a mother who is raising her three daughters. On the one hand, Park Sun-ja (Kim Hae-sook) is a single mother who is busy managing her humble restaurant but is still bothered by her daughter’s problems, especially the ones who are married. The stories and problems presented in this drama are everyday stories that are so close to the real-life of people in Korea and are packaged in a unique way so that the storyline flows and is interesting to follow in each episode. Senior actress Kim Hae-sook, whose acting and experience are innumerable, was chosen as the lead role of a tough mother in this drama. Kim Hae-sook won the Grand Bell Awards in the Best Supporting Actress category. In addition, Mother of Mine also stars actress Kim So-yeon, whose skill in acting undoubtable. All About Eve, Prosecutor Princess, and We Got Married are some of the popular dramas played by Kim So-yeon, and she has won a number of awards, such as the Grand Prize (Daesang) & Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama Series. In addition to complex family problems, the drama Mother of Mine is fresher with the love stories of the cast. One of them is the story of noona romance between Kang Mi-ri (Kim So Yeon) and Han Tae-joo (Hong Jong-hyun), who make a stir in every episode. Not only presenting a love story between dongsaeng-noona, but it’s even more complicated because they are also bosses with subordinates who are trapped romance in an office environment. Those interesting facts about the drama Mother of Mine, which won a high rating from the beginning of the broadcast, its rating continued to rise and it became one of the viewer’s favorite dramas on weekends. Wanna know what people said about this drama? yash rawat: best drama I had seen till now, really I cried in the last 2 episodes. heart touching series ob: Nice drama…story and characters. Ending it with a poem “I thought my mom was okay with that” with past scenes being read by the first daughter was well done. Congrats to the whole production. mame: This is really a good story for us to seriously think about our family, especially our parents who are in old age. I couldn’t help crying and crying Check out the trailer below!
