If you are a fan of Korean entertainment — we are talking K-dramas, K-movies, variety shows (aka 예능), etc. — you are going to want to have a Netflix subscription this year. The streaming giant just unveiled its K-Content roster for 2023, and they are stepping up their game big time.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed how Netflix has been slowly but surely tapping into the Hallyu with multiple original programs such as Squid Game, All of Us Are Dead, and Single’s Inferno, exposing K-content to an entirely new audience. In a press email announcement, the platform shared that “over 60 percent of all Netflix members [watched] Korean titles last year,” which is why they have decided to grow their offering even more in 2023 with their “biggest-ever lineup of Korean films and series.”
Currently, Netflix has 34 new, already-confirmed Korean titles slated for 2023, including “new series and returning favorites.” In the K-Drama space, some of the titles returning for their long-anticipated second season (or part) are Sweet Home, D.P., and The Glory. A plethora of new titles are also expected to release across multiple genres, including romance, social commentary and intrigue, as well as apocalyptic. (Yes, before you ask, chief among them is Park Seojun and Han Sohee’s long-awaited thriller Gyeongseong Creature.)
Korean unscripted shows have also emerged as a new priority for the streamer. Netflix has a handful of reality shows in the pipeline for 2023 with the focus set on endurance (Physical:100, Siren: Survive the Island), zombie survival (Zombieverse), coming of age (Nineteen to Twenty), and mind games (The Devil’s Plan). Six new Korean movies — ranging from sci-fi to crime action thrillers — as well as two new documentaries. One will be centered around Parasite director Bong Joon-ho’s debut film and another true-crime one exploring “the self-proclaimed ‘messiahs’ in modern Korean history.”
“The global popularity of K-content has continued apace over 2022, with Netflix bringing a wider variety of stories and genres to fans around the world," wrote Don Kang, VP of Content (Korea). "Over the last year, Korean series and films have regularly featured in our Global Top 10 list in more than 90 countries, and three of Netflix’s most-watched shows ever are from Korea. This year, we’re pushing the envelope even further with the stories we tell and how we tell them. With this lineup of Korean titles, Netflix will continue to be the ultimate destination for compelling, diverse and must-watch Korean storytelling."
Check out the full list of Korean titles Netflix is releasing in 2023 below:
- Love to Hate You
Starring: Kim Okvin, Yoo Teo, Kim Jihun, Go Wonhee
Release Date: February 10, 2023
- The Glory Part 2
Starring: Song Hyekyo, Lee Dohyun, Lim Jiyeon, Yeom Hyeran, Park Sunghoon, Jung Sungil
Release Date: March 2023
- Bloodhounds
Starring: Woo Dohwan, Lee Sangyi, Park Sungwoong, Heo Junho
Release Date: Q2 - Celebrity
Starring: Park Gyuyoung, Kang Minhyuk, Lee Donggun, Jun Hyoseong
Release Date: Q2 - Queenmaker
Starring: Kim Heeae, Moon Sori, Ryu Sooyoung, Seo Yisook
Release Date: Q2 - Black Knight
Starring: Kim Woobin, Song Seungheon, Kang Youseok, Esom
Release Date: Q2 - A Time Called You
Starring: Ahn Hyoseop, Jeon Yeobeen, Kang Hoon
Release Date: Q3 - Song of the Bandits
Starring: Kim Namgil, Seohyun, Yoo Jaemyung, Lee Hyunwook, Lee Hojung
Release Date: Q3
D.P. Season 2
Starring: Jung Haein, Koo Kyohwan, Kim Sungkyun, Son Sukku, Ji Jinhee, Kim Jihyun
Release Date: Q3
- Mask Girl
Starring: Go Hyunjung, Ahn Jaehong, Yeom Hyeran, Nana
Release Date: Q3 - Gyeongseong Creature
Starring: Park Seojun, Han Sohee, Claudia Kim, Kim Haesook, Cho Hancheul, Wi Hajun
Release Date: Q4 - Sweet Home Season 2
Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jinuk, Lee Siyoung, Ko Minsi, Park Gyuyoung, Yoo Ohseong, Oh Jungse, Kim Muyeol, Jinyoung
Release Date: Q4
- Doona!
Starring: Suzy, Yang Sejong
Release Date: Q4 - Daily Dose of Sunshine
Starring: Park Boyoung, Yeon Woojin, Jang Dongyoon, Lee Jungeun
Release Date: Q4 - Goodbye Earth
Starring: Ahn Eunjin, Yoo Ahin, Jeon Seongwoo, Kim Yoonhye
Release Date: Q4 - Behind Your Touch (Working Title)
Starring: Han Jimin, Lee Minki, Ju Minkyung, Suho
Release Date: TBA - Crash Course in Romance
Starring: Jeon Doyeon, Jung Kyungho
Release Date: TBA - The Good Bad Mother
Starring: Ra Miran, Lee Dohyun, Ahn Eunjin
Release Date: TBA - King the Land
Starring: Lee Junho, Lim Yoona
Release Date: TBA - Destined with You
Starring: Rowoon, Cho Boah, Hajun, Yura
Release Date: TBA - See You In My 19th Life
Starring: Shin Hyesun, Ahn Bohyun, Ha Yoonkyung, Ahn Donggoo
Release Date: TBA
- JUNG_E
Starring: Kang Sooyoun, Kim Hyunjoo, Ryu Kyungsoo
Release Date: January 20, 2023
- Unlocked
Starring: Yim Siwan, Chun Woohee, Kim Hiewon
Release Date: February 17, 2023
- Kill Boksoon
Starring: Jeon Doyeon, Sul Kyunggu, Kim Sia, Esom, Koo Kyohwan
Release Date: Q1 - The Match
Starring: Lee Byunghun, Yoo Ahin
Release Date: Q2 - Believer 2
Starring: Cho Jinwoong, Cha Seungwon, Han Hyojoo, Oh Seunghoon, Kim Dongyoung, Lee Jooyoung
Release Date: Q4 - Ballerina
Starring: Jun Jongseo, Kim Jihun, Park Yurim
Release Date: Q4
- Physical: 100
Release Date: January 24, 2023 - Siren: Survive the Island
Release Date: Q2 - 19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty)
Release Date: Q3 - Zombieverse
Release Date: Q3 - The Devil’s Plan
Release Date: TBA
- In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal
Release Date: March 3, 2023 - Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong’s Unreleased Short Film (Working Title)
Release Date: Q4
