This article discusses the best Kim Yoo-jung K-Dramas to watch and does not contain any spoilers. Check out these brilliant recommendations.
Once regarded as “Korea’s Little Sister”, Kim Yoo-jung has been a celebrity in Korea since the age of 4, when she broke out as a model and actress. After being discovered in a contest that she didn’t even enter, she has gone from strength to strength and is currently making a name for herself in adult roles such as the recent Netflix film, 20th Century Girl.
Known for her work as a youngster and for starring in several highly acclaimed period dramas, Kim Yoo-jung has an impressive and extensive body of work. Using the audience scores from MyDramaList, we’ve curated a list of recommendations for your viewing pleasure, spanning both K-drama series and movies.
Note: To keep the list manageable, we’ve only included titles that Kim Yoo-jung had a starring or supporting role in, and only included titles with an audience rating of 8.0 or higher.
Best Kim Yoo-jung K-dramas you must watch
The Chaser (2008)
Rating: 8.0
Official synopsis:
Ex-cop turned pimp Jung Ho is irritated because his girls keep disappearing without clearing their debts. One night, he gets a call from a customer and realizes the phone number matches that of the calls the missing girls got last; something smells fishy, he believes the girls are being sold in the human market. He sends Mi Jin with a plan to capture the suspect thinking this involves the world of human trafficking. But after not being able to locate her, Jung Ho becomes more suspicious. Jung Ho’s hunt begins, and what he finds is a truth more electrifying.
TV Novel: Beautiful Days (2007)
Rating: 8.1
Official synopsis:
The drama is about 4 siblings living in the 1970s. Their family was poor but they hoped for a better life. Hyang Sook stole her brother’s tuition money because her mother believed that she could succeed. It depicts the story of their lives and their search for a better life.
Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)
Rating: 8.1
Official synopsis:
During the Joseon Dynasty, a young woman named Hong Chun Ki is a painter – a true rarity in Joseon Korea, where Confucian values dictate that such pursuits are unsuitable for a woman. She was born blind but somehow managed to acquire a sense of vision. And now she has been accepted to the most prestigious art college in the land.
One day, she meets Ha Ram, an astrologer whose fate is the polar opposite of her own: Although he was born sighted, he lost his vision in a childhood accident. Regardless, he is also in possession of an astounding talent that allows him to read the future by tracing the movement of the sky at night despite the fact that he is blind.
The duo is sucked into the machinations of the royal court, particularly those involving two princes, the free-spirited Prince Yang Myung and the cruel, scheming Prince Joo Hyang – a man who longs to become the next Joseon king.
Love in the Moonlight (2016)
Rating: 8.2
Official synopsis:
To protect herself and her family, Hong Ra On disguises herself as a man and counsels men on dating. Due to a love letter she wrote for a client, she meets Crown Prince Hyo Myung. Ra On is unaware that he is the Crown Prince, and Hyo Myung is unaware that Ra On is a woman. Soon after Ra On is forced to become a eunuch by loan sharks, and the Crown Prince and Ra On become interested in each other. As Ra On tries to survive the palace and the Crown Prince navigates his journey to become king, will their love prosper?
Iljimae (2008)
Rating: 8.3
Official synopsis:
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Yong acted as a hooligan in the marketplace by day but at night he was a thief who robbed corrupted government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery, he left behind a painting depicting a plum tree branch to make his mark and was thus named Iljimae. His main purpose was not so much to rob but to search for the owner of a specially designed sword which he saw as a child was used to kill his father, a loyal subject of the emperor. Eun Chae is a government official’s daughter who despite her upbringing has a lot of empathy toward the poor. She met Iljimae by chance and couldn’t help admiring him for what he stood for even though she had never seen his face.
Angry Mom (2015)
Rating: 8.3
Official synopsis:
The protagonist, Jo Kang Ja was once legendary for being the toughest, most feared troublemaker at her high school in Busan. Due to her pregnancy in her late teens, she drops out of school and tries to become a responsible mother to her daughter, Oh Ah Ran. Fast-forward to the present, Kang Ja is now 34 years old and Ah Ran is a teenager attending high school. The two have a contentious relationship, with Ah Ran ashamed of Kang Ja’s unrefined ajumma manners.
Meanwhile, in Myungsung High School, when Ah Ran befriends the class outcast Jin Yi Kyung, it makes her the target of the school bullies who make her life hell, yet she’s too proud to tell her mother what’s happening. When Kang Ja finds out that her daughter is getting bullied, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Unbeknownst to Ah Ran, Kang Ja enrolls in Myungsung High as an undercover student with the false name “Jo Bang Wool” to teach those bullies a lesson. But she ends up unraveling the darker problems within the educational system. Kang Ja makes it her mission to put a stop to the school violence, dig up the flaws of the education system, and school corruption at Myungsung High with the help of Ah Ran and naive, idealistic homeroom teacher Park No Ah.
Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)
Rating: 8.4
Official synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a high-ranking official, accompanies her mother to the royal palace to attend her brother, Heo Yeom’s civil service examination congratulatory ceremony. By chance, she comes across Crown Prince Lee Hwon. They fall in love and Yeon Woo is chosen as the Crown Princess of Joseon.
Before they can marry, however, the Dowager Queen secretly orders her death, in order to install Yoon Bo Gyeong, the daughter of a family clan, as Crown Princess, thus securing more power for herself. She orders the head shaman to cast a spell on Yeon Woo to strike her with an unknown sickness. After dying, Yeon Woo is resurrected from her grave but loses her memories. All believe her to be dead, including Crown Prince Lee Hwon, who refuses to love another. Eight years later, Yeon Woo returns as a shaman named Wol (meaning moon). Meanwhile, the young king begins to investigate the death of his love after seeing the grown-up Wol. But he is fighting against time because the queen’s powerful political clan wants him removed from power.
Dong Yi (2010)
Rating: 8.5
Official synopsis:
“Dong Yi” is a historical drama based on the life of Dong Yi later known as Choi Suk Bin. She worked in the royal palace as a lowly water maid. King Sok Jong then selected Choi as his concubine. Choi would then give birth to Yeong Jo, the second son of King Sok Jong and the future king of Joseon. After the birth of Yeong Jo, Dong Yi would become Suk Bin.
20th Century Girl (2022)
Rating: 8.5
Official synopsis:
In 1999, a teen with a heart of gold begins keeping close tabs on a popular classmate as a favor to her smitten best friend. Bo Ra is 17-year-old high school student. She is good at taekwondo and has a bright and positive personality. She is also a member of the broadcasting club at her school. Woon Ho is a member of the same broadcasting club. Bo Ra is best friends with Yeon Du, who attends the same school. Yeon Du has a crush on Hyun Jin. She asks Bo Ra to find out everything about Hyun Jin and goes to the U.S. to have heart surgery. After that, Bo Ra begins to observe Hyun Jin closely and she falls in love with him.
And that’s our list of the best Kim Yoo-jung K-Dramas to watch right now. Do you have any other recommendations for Korean Drama series starring Kim Yoo-jung? Let us know!
