Upcoming K-Dramas In October

By this point, calling K-dramas a global obsession feels redundant. It’s like saying kimchi is spicy or Jung Hae In looks good in a turtleneck — we know.

But what I’m most amazed by is that the Korean drama machine is still finding ways to stretch its formula – and it’s still working. This October, the lineup looks like a genre buffet: wish-granting genies, fake marriages (we love that, don’t we?), Joseon soul-swaps, and one middle-aged office worker whose midlife crisis might make you cry a little.

It’s sentimental, it’s chaotic, it’s peak K-drama.

Upcoming K-Dramas

So, grab the soju, cancel your weekend plans, and scroll on — here are the October 2025 K-dramas worth your time.

Genie, Make a Wish

3 October | Netflix

This is the Kim Woo Bin—Suzy reunion we’ve all been waiting for! Genie, Make a Wish is a romantic comedy, a modern fairytale, and supposedly very charming. Suzy plays Ga-young, a cynical woman who accidentally frees a centuries-old genie from a lamp, and he’s—of course—hot and emotionally unavailable. Woo Bin’s deadpan humour paired with Suzy’s soft chaos makes this one feel like a warm hug. I’m expecting magic, melodrama, and the usual slow-burn tropes.

Would You Marry Me?

10 October | Disney+

Contract marriages are a K-drama staple, and Would You Marry Me? Fully leans into the trope. Choi Woo Shik plays a bakery heir with the emotional maturity of a croissant, while Jung So Min’s small-business owner agrees to a fake marriage for a shot at a luxury newlywed home. What follows is a 90-day experiment in chaos, domestic delusion, and unexpected sweetness. It’s got all the clichés, but we love the cliché romance.

Typhoon Family

11 October | Netflix

Typhoon Family is set during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, where Lee Junho stars as a rookie businessman who suddenly inherits a failing trading company just as the economy implodes. This obviously results in a whirlwind of family politics. It isn’t entirely your slick business drama (if you’re thinking Succession) – it’s full of messes, emotions, and better suits.

Romantics Anonymous

16 October | Netflix

Romantics Anonymous follows Han Hyo Joo as a gifted chocolatier battling social anxiety and Shun Oguri as an heir with touch aversion. The two meet over chocolate (of course), and what follows is an awkward, soft, sensory romance. It’s small, slow, and quietly devastating in that way only Korean storytelling can be. Also, the cinematography is like dessert porn.

The Dream Life of Mr. Kim

25 October | JTBC + Netflix

This one’s going to hurt a little. The Dream Life of Mr. Kim follows a middle-aged salaryman (Ryu Seung Ryong) slowly realising that the life he built — the job, the apartment, the quiet respectability — might not actually make him happy. Between its grounded humour and slow emotional unravelling, it feels like the spiritual sequel to Misaeng. The kind of drama that’ll make you want to call your dad, or your therapist.

Moon River

31 October | MBC TV

Time travel, soul swaps, and Joseon-era chaos — Moon River is a typical South Korean historical fantasy with all its tropes. Kang Tae Oh plays a melancholic crown prince, while Kim Se Jeong is a spirited woman who’s lost her memory. And then, “accidentally” their souls are swapped. What follows is a mix of screwball comedy and aching romance.

Cashero

Coming Soon | Netflix

Every year, there’s that one really strange K-drama. This time, it’s Cashero, where Lee Jun Ho plays a government employee whose superpower literally depends on how much cash he has (you can’t make this up). It’s absurd, yes — but also a sharp metaphor for how capitalism dictates your worth. The show swings between satire, action, and heartbreak, and maybe it’ll work. Imagine The Boys, but everyone’s broke and trying to make rent.

Can This Love Be Translated?

Coming Soon | Netflix

Kim Seon Ho as a multilingual interpreter who falls for a celebrity client (Go Youn Jung)? You can already hear the OST. The show plays with the idea of communication — what gets lost between languages, and what doesn’t. It’s a mix of workplace romance and slow emotional education. Expect flirty banter, slow-burn romance, and maybe Italian rooftop confessions under fairy lights.

The Remarried Empress

Coming Soon | Disney+

Revenge looks good on Shin Min A. In The Remarried Empress, Shin Min A stars as Empress Navier, who reclaims her crown after her husband betrays her — by marrying a crown prince of her own. Lee Jong Suk joins her in a swirl of scandal and slow-burn chemistry.

The Manipulated

November | Disney+

Technically a November drop, but worth keeping an eye on. Ji Chang Wook’s revenge thriller The Manipulated feels darker and more grounded than his recent work — a story about injustice, guilt, and moral decay. It’s the kind of show you don’t “binge”; it consumes you.