Over the years, many K-dramas have gone on to bring about strong female leads who carry the storyline. Women-led K-dramas have not only strengthened stories but also have received a lot of critical acclaim.
These series showcase a display of strength, courage, and determination to overcome all challenges and rise to success. Each of them is inspiring in the way the character takes shape and how many female protagonists portray the role.
Some of the most popular women-led K-dramas include The Glory, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Strong Girl Bong-Soon, and several others. Women or female leads take center stage and steer the ship, making for a great story. Despite the many challenges that they face, these characters rise and go above and beyond to succeed.
Check out more details about these dramas below:
The Glory
The Glory is one of the strongest women-led K-dramas. The story follows a woman named Moon Dong-Eun (Han Hyo-Joo), who has to drop out of school after enduring traumatic bullying and violence from her classmates.
Years later, she still has the scars from the event but remains determined to seek revenge against her perpetrator, Park Yeon-Jin (Lim Ji-Yeon) and the accomplices. Meanwhile, Dong-Eun also meets Joo Yeo-Jung (Lee Do-Hyun), who helps her through this ordeal. The psychological thriller drama premiered on December 20, 2022, and is available to stream on Netflix.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Extraordinary Attorney Woo premiered on June 29, 2022, and centers the story around attorney Woo Young-Woo (Park Eun-Bin), who is on the autism spectrum. She begins to work as a lawyer at a big law firm but faces challenges due to people perceiving her as unfit to take on the demanding profession.
However, she proves them otherwise and uses her skills to uncover important hints in cases and solve them. During this process, she also meets Lee Jun-Ho (Kang Tae-Oh), who falls in love with her. Meanwhile, viewers can stream the drama on Netflix.
Strong Girl Bong-Soon
Strong Girl Bong-Soon or Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon follows the story of a woman named Do Bong-Soon (Park Bo-Young), who is born with superhuman strength. One day, a video company CEO Ahn Min-Hyuk (Park Hyung-Sik) witnesses her strength and hires her as his bodyguard.
As the two begin to fall in love, they also face numerous challenges, including Bong-Soon getting torn between him and her childhood crush, In Guk-Doo (Jin Goo). Eventually, the two leads get their happy ever after. The drama premiered on February 24, 2017, and is available to stream on Netflix and Viki.
Little Women
Little Women is a purely women-led K-drama that premiered on September 3, 2022. It follows the journey of three sisters, Oh In-Joo (Kim Go-Eun), Oh In-Kyung (Nam Ji-Hyun), and Oh In-Hye (Park Ji-Hu).
The three grew up extremely close to each other while enduring poverty. One day, they find themselves entangled in a major incident that leads them to fight against one of the most elite families in the country. As they navigate their personal challenges, they come together to fight. Meanwhile, viewers can watch the series on Netflix.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo follows the personal growth and love story of weightlifter Kim Bok-Joo (Lee Sung-Kyung). While navigating her weightlifting career, she crosses paths with her childhood friend and swimmer Jung Joon-Hyeong (Nam Joo-Hyuk). She realizes that the doctor she has a crush on is his cousin.
Bok-Joo and Joon-Hyeong eventually help each other out, and she realizes her true feelings for Joon-Hyeong. Meanwhile, the latter falls in love first and helps her through her mental block, which also strengthens her feelings for him. The drama premiered on November 16, 2016, and is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Viki.
While K-dramas are definitely a source of comfort for fans, women-led K-dramas inspire them to follow their dreams and grow stronger over time. They instil the belief that one can emerge stronger no matter the situation.
