Popular Korean School Drama
There are many Korean dramas that attract people. Above all, the school dramas are excellent works that skillfully depict heart-pounding romance and insidious bullying.
In this post, I tried to summarize the recommended ranking carefully selected from school dramas.
We will introduce 11 masterpieces that were popular in Korean school dramas in the ranking. There are many remake dramas in Japan, so it would be interesting to compare them. Let’s take a look at the selected works.
Three Major Elements of a Masterpiece in Korean Drama
Classic school dramas include the three major elements of love, bullying, and heart-pounding, and there are many interesting works. Scroll down to this post and let’s get to know more about the Popular Korean School Drama worth watching!
Top 11 Korean School Drama
Rank #1 – Boys Over Flowers
Broadcast date: January 5, 2009, to March 31, 2009 (25 episodes in total)
Director: Jung Gi-sang
Screenplay: Yoon Ji-Ryung
Main cast: Ku Hye Sun, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Kim Jun
Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun), an ordinary high school girl from an ordinary family, ends up being transferred to a rich school, Shinhwa Academy, as a scholarship student. Jandi’s parents are overjoyed.
However, Jandi, who has a strong sense of justice, declares war in anger at the tyrannical behavior of “F4”, a group of four sons of a conglomerate that controls the school. She becomes the target of bullying by them and the students in the school, but it was Yoon Ji-hoo (“Kim Hyun Joong”) who rescued Jandi every time he was in a pinch.
Jan Di fell in love with Ji Hoo, who has an atmosphere, and in his heart was his first love, Min Seo Hyun (Han Chae Young). Gu Jun-Pyo (Lee Min-ho), the leader of F4, begins to be attracted to Shandy who confronts him. A ferocious attack begins, and Jandi is also moved by her earnest love.
However, there is no way Junpyo’s mother would allow the romance between the son of the Shinhwa Group and the general public. I’m in a painful position. Her kind-hearted Jandi almost breaks up with Jun-Pyo many times, but Jun-Pyo also falls in love with him for the first time and can’t give up easily.
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Rank #2 – The Heirs
Broadcast date: October 9, 2013, to December 12, 2013 (20 episodes in total)
Director: Kang Shinyo
Screenplay: Kim Eun Sook
Main cast: Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Kim Woo-bin, Krystal, Kang Min-hyuk, Kim Ji-won, Kang Ha-neul, Park Hyung-sik
For those who want heart-pounding school dramas, this heir is the best. It is recommended as the best work with heart-pounding romance and bullying.
Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho), the scion of the empire group and good-looking, seems to be in a comfortable environment, but he was shunned by his mistress’s child and was chased to the United States to escape.
On the other hand, Eun-sang (Park Shin-Hye), who has a mute mother and has struggled since childhood, comes from South Korea with the intention of relying on her sister in the United States and never returning. will be lost. Tan, who was watching the sisters’ situation from the side, helps the troubled Eun Sang.
Rank #3 – To the Beautiful You
Broadcast date: August 15, 2012, to October 4, 2012 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Jung Gi-sang
Screenplay: Lee Young Chul
Main cast: Sulli, Minho, Lee Hyunwoo, Kim Jiwon, Hwang, Kwanghee, Ki, Taeyeon, Kang Haneul
It is a drama adaptation of Hisaya Nakajo’s manga of the same name that was serialized in Hana to Yume from 1996 to 2004. In Japan, in 2007, “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~ Ikemen Paradise” was made into a drama starring Maki Horikita, Shun Oguri, and Toma Ikuta.
In 2011, as a remake of the previous work, “Hanazakari no Kimitachi e ~ Ikemen ☆ Paradise ~ 2011”, the remake version was broadcasted by Atsuko Maeda, Aoi Nakamura, and Shohei Miura. It is a school drama of love.
Koo Jae-hee (Sulli), a high school girl who got into an accident in America, was given the strength to live by Kang Tae-Joon (Minho), the South Korean representative of the world junior track and field championships she saw on TV.
Jae-hee is fascinated by Tae-Joon’s high jump, dancing beautifully in the sky, and winning the gold medal. However, what jumped into the recovered Jae-hee was the shocking news that Tae-jun was injured and unable to jump high. “This time, I will cheer him up!”
In order to cheer up Tae-jun, Jae-hee cuts off her long hair and becomes a transfer student at Genie High School, where Tae-jun attends. A heart-pounding school romantic comedy about a strange transfer student at a school full of handsome men.
Rank #4 – Heartstrings
Broadcast date: June 29, 2011, to August 19, 2011 (15 episodes in total)
Director: Pyo Min Soo
Screenplay: Lee Myung Sook
Main Cast: Jung Yong Hwa, Park Shin Hye, Song Chan Woo, So Yi Hyun, Kang Min Hyuk
Lee Gyu-won (Park Shin-Hye), who has a pansori living national treasure grandfather and attends the Korean traditional music department at an art college, is preparing a charity concert to support her professor who is battling an illness.
Gyu-won goes to see the live performance of the popular school band “The Stupid” in order to negotiate for an appearance and is drawn into the performance of Lee Shin (Jung Yong-Hwa), a guitarist and vocalist.
However, on the day of the charity, Shin suddenly cancels the charity due to his sister’s illness. This leads to an argument between Gyu-won and Shin, which escalates into a performance showdown between the Korean traditional music department and the practical music department.
Rank #5 – Reply 1997
Broadcast date: October 1, 2014 (Wednesday) ~ (16 episodes in total)
Director: Shin Won-ho Park Sung-Jae
Screenplay: Lee Woo Jung Lee Sun Hye Kim Lang Ju
Main Cast: Jung Eun Ji (A Pink), Seo In Guk, Shin So Yul, Hoya (INFINITE), Eun Ji Won
A man and a woman in their 30s gathered at a pub in Seoul, but who exactly are the two who will announce their marriage tonight…? To uncover the truth, the story goes back to Busan in 1997 when they were high school students. 18-year-old Sung Si-won (Jung Eun-Ji) is a big fan of HOT, and she didn’t study and spent every day. He is Yoon-Jae (Seo In-Guk), a childhood friend who lost his parents when he was young and grew up like Siwon and his siblings.
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Rank #6 – Mischievous Kiss ~ Playful Kiss
Broadcast date: September 1, 2010, to October 21, 2010 (16 episodes in total)
Direction: Hwang Inle
Screenplay: Ko Eun-nim
Main Cast: Kim Hyun Joong, Jung So Min, Lee Tae Sung
Baek Seung-jo (Kim Hyun-Joong), who has an IQ of 200 and attends Paran High School, has a crush on Oh Ha-ni (Jung So-min). Hani finally decides to confess and gives Seungjo a love letter. However, Seung-jo is appalled by the typo in the letter, writes “D-” in the letter, and returns it to Hani, coldly saying, “I hate stupid women.”
At that time, Hani’s house was destroyed by an earthquake. When Seung Jo’s father finds out about it on the news, he asks Hani’s father, a childhood friend, if he would like to stay. Seung Jo, who initially treated the clumsy Hani as a troublemaker, said, “My cold outlook on life changed when I met her.” I was going to open my mind. A heart-pounding love school drama.
Rank #7 – Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Broadcast date: November 16, 2016, to January 11, 2017 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Oh Hyun Jung
Screenplay: Yang Hee-sun, Kim Soo-jin
Main cast: Lee Sung Kyung, Nam Joo Hyuk, Kyung, Soo Jin, Lee Jae Yoon
Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung), the rising star of the weightlifting team at the Hanol University of Physical Education, gets into trouble after a misunderstanding with Jung Joon-young (Nam Joo-hyuk), the top swimmer on the swimming team and is very popular with the girls.
Because of this, Joon-young realizes that Bok-Joo was a classmate in elementary school and was a super-strong fat girl who helped him. Since then, Jun-young has been teasing Bok-Joo by calling him by his old nickname, but he can’t help but worry about Bok-Joo’s behavior. One day, Bok-Joo, who is walking in the rain carrying a lot of luggage, falls in love at first sight with a gentleman doctor, Jay (Lee Jae-Yoon), who suddenly offers an umbrella to a stranger.
Bok Joo, who doesn’t know that Jae is Jun Young’s cousin, starts going to the obesity clinic where Jae works in secret to get closer to Jae.
Rank #8 – Dream High
Broadcast date: January 3, 2011, to February 28, 2011 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Lee Eun-bok, Kim Sung-yoon
Screenplay: Park Hye-young
Main cast: Bae, Suzy, Kim, Soohyun, Uhm, Taecyeon, Ham, Eunjung, Jang, Wooyoung, IU
Ko Hae-mi (Bae Suzy), a genius girl who has never failed to win first place no matter what she did from a young age, studying, singing, and playing the piano, dreamed of becoming a soprano singer, but due to her father’s sudden business failure, she became a debt collector. Every day I was chased.
Doo-sik suggests Hae-mi to become a singer and pay off her debts, and along with Baek-hee (Ham Eun-jung), she auditions for Kirin Performing Arts High School.
However, Hae-mi, who failed the audition, feels humiliated when Baek-hee passes. Hae Mi, who has nowhere to go after her house is seized, ends up living with Kang Oh Hyuk (Uhm Ki Joon), who is like her enemy who robbed her mother. It is also a romantic drama.
Rank #9 – Who are You: School 2015
Broadcast date: April 27, 2015, to June 16, 2015 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Baek Sang Hoon, Kim Sung Yoon
Screenplay: Kim Min Jung Im Ye Jin
Main cast: Kim Sohyun, Nam Joohyuk, Yook Sungjae (BTOB), Lee Pilmo
Lee Eun-bi (Kim So-Hyun), a second-year student at Nuri High School in Tongyeong, a port town in the south of South Korea, lives in a children’s facility. She was bullied at school by her classmates and was forced to drop out of school. Eunbi decides to die and jumps off the bridge, but someone accidentally saves him.
Rank #10 – School 2013
Broadcast date: December 3, 2012, to January 28, 2013 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Lee Min-hong, Lee Eun-bok
Screenplay: Lee Hyun-Joo, Ko Jong-won
Main Cast: Jang Nara Choi Daniel Lee Jong Suk Kim Woo Bin Park Se Young
Seungri High School 2nd grade Class 2 is a problem class with students with the highest grades in the whole school and the lowest in the whole school, as well as honor students and bad students. It is a masterpiece that confronts troubles.
However, Kang Se-chan (Choi Daniel), a popular teacher at a prep school in Gangnam, is appointed as a new teacher at Seungri High School.
Kang Se Chan is grade-oriented and doesn’t care about his students. In-Jae, who values each student’s inner self, will go against each other. It’s a drama that doesn’t have heart-pounding feelings about love, but it’s a masterpiece worth watching and I recommend it.
Rank #11 – Cheese in the Trap
Broadcast date: January 4, 2016, to March 1, 2016 (16 episodes in total)
Director: Lee Yoon Jung
Screenplay: Kim Na-mi
Main Cast: Park Hae Jin Seo Kang Jun Kim Go Eun Lee Sun Kyun Nam Joo Hyuk
Hong Seol (Kim Go-Eun), who goes to college while working part-time, accidentally finds out about the cold nature of Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin), a perfect senior who everyone admires.
From that day on, she will be bullied by Yoo Jung. She decides to take a leave of absence from school, but she soon receives news of her tuition exemption. The one who stopped Seol from taking a leave of absence was Yoo Jung, who had become kinder to her than before.
Seol is suspicious of Yoo Jung, who helps her out with all her troubles, but then Baek In-ho, a childhood friend who has a deep connection with Yoo Jung, appears. It’s a complicated romantic drama.
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