Nine (9) Must-Watch Historical Fantasy Korean Dramas (Part 3 of 3)

Part 3 of the 3-part list of nine (9) must-watch historical fantasy Korean dramas.

---

(7) Kingdom (2019) & Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021)

A Joseon-era zombie thriller where political corruption, a deadly resurrection plant, and one woman’s revenge unleash a kingdom-ending plague.

Set in 17th-century Joseon, three years after the Imjin War, Kingdom reimagines the zombie genre through historical horror. A mysterious plague spreads across the land, turning the dead into flesh-eating monsters. The source is not demonic possession or alien parasites, but a deceptively beautiful “resurrection plant” capable of reanimating corpses. As the outbreak worsens, corrupt ministers conceal the truth because the king himself has been infected. The crown prince, isolated and unsure whom to trust, sets out to uncover the origin of the disease and save the kingdom.

The prequel, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, reveals how the horror began. Ashin, a young girl from a border village, loses her family after Joseon officials betray her father and massacre her people to appease the Jurchens. As the sole survivor, Ashin learns the truth and plots devastating revenge—using the resurrection plant that turns humans into monsters. Her tragedy becomes the catalyst for the kingdom’s collapse.

---

(8) Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

A modern woman time-travels to the Goryeo era, where palace intrigue, tragic romance, and destiny shape a love that defies time.

In modern-day South Korea, Hae-Soo is questioning the value of her life when she impulsively jumps into a lake to save a drowning stranger. Instead of resurfacing in her own world, she awakens in the Goryeo era, surrounded by royal princes bathing in the palace. Disoriented and vulnerable, Hae-Soo must quickly adapt to a dangerous world governed by rigid hierarchies, political intrigue, and ruthless power struggles.

Her fate becomes intertwined with Prince Wang So, a feared and enigmatic royal who will later rise to the throne through bloodshed and betrayal. As Hae-Soo grows closer to him, she realizes that her knowledge of future events gives her insight—but not control. Though she foresees tragedy, changing history may be impossible. Love blossoms amid violence, betrayal, and forbidden desire, leading to irreversible consequences. The series asks whether fate can be rewritten or must be endured, and whether love can survive in a world where power always comes at a terrible cost.

---

(9) The Haunted Palace (2025)

A Joseon fantasy where ghosts haunt the palace, a fallen dragon possesses a man’s body, and a reluctant shaman holds the key to salvation.

The Haunted Palace blends Joseon-era intrigue with supernatural fantasy. Yeo-Ri, a young woman born with the ability to see ghosts, is the granddaughter of a powerful shaman. Despite her gifts, she longs for a quiet life selling eyeglasses in the countryside. Her childhood friend Yoon Gab, now a palace official, seeks her help to cure the king’s tormented son—but deceives her about the true purpose of her visit.

Tragedy strikes when Yoon Gab is murdered in the forest, and a fallen dragon, Gang Cheol—an imugi who has followed Yeo-Ri for years—possesses his body. Unaware of the possession, Yeo-Ri awakens in the palace amid ghostly attacks and mounting danger. As spirits haunt the royal family, Yeo-Ri must confront her shamanic destiny while struggling with her feelings for Yoon Gab’s body and Gang Cheol’s presence within it. Trust, identity, and love blur as she fights to protect the palace from restless spirits.

Nine (9) Must-Watch Historical Fantasy Korean Dramas (Part 2 of 3)

Part 2 of the 3-part list of nine (9) must-watch historical fantasy Korean dramas.

(4) Our Blooming Youth (2023)

A Joseon-era mystery where a cursed crown prince and a fugitive noblewoman uncover conspiracies, false crimes, and a hidden truth from the past.

Set during the Joseon dynasty, Our Blooming Youth follows Crown Prince Lee Hwan, a man haunted by rumors and fear. Whispers claim he murdered his brother to secure his position, and when he receives a mysterious “ghost letter” predicting his downfall, he begins to believe he is truly cursed. A series of frightening incidents only deepens his paranoia and isolation.

Min Jae Yi, a noblewoman with a sharp mind, faces her own nightmare after being falsely accused of murdering her family. Hunted as a fugitive, she remembers her father’s dying words: “Protect the crown prince.” To reach him, she disguises herself as a eunuch named Go Soon Dol. Jae Yi convinces Lee Hwan that the curse and ghostly events are elaborate tricks rooted in science, not superstition. They form an alliance—he will help clear her name if she helps uncover the truth. Their investigation reveals a dark incident from a decade earlier that links both their fates.

---

(5) The Forbidden Marriage (2022)

A Joseon romantic comedy where a grieving king bans all marriages and a bold con artist pretends to channel his dead queen’s spirit.

Set in the Joseon era, The Forbidden Marriage tells the story of King Lee Heon, who remains devastated seven years after the death of his beloved queen. Declared a suicide, her death left him so traumatized that he refused to remarry—effectively banning marriage throughout the kingdom. Each year, on the anniversary of her death, another young woman is found hanging, reopening the king’s wounds and worsening his fragile mental state.

Ye So-rang, a clever con artist imprisoned for fraud, sees an opportunity for survival. Claiming to be possessed by the spirit of the late crown princess, she convinces the desperate king that she can channel his beloved from the afterlife. In truth, it is all an act. Ye So-rang is a noblewoman presumed dead after her stepmother’s failed murder attempt, now living by her wits alone. Her plan is simple: deceive the king long enough to escape the palace. But as emotions deepen and secrets unravel, the line between deception and healing begins to blur.

---

(6) Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead (2018)

A Joseon-era mystery comedy where a brilliant detective investigates vampire rumors, strange deaths, and a sinister quest for immortality.

In Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead, eccentric genius Detective Kim Min and his loyal assistant Seo-pil are summoned by the king to investigate a string of mysterious deaths in a remote village. The victims have been drained of blood, sparking rumors of a vampire—or “living dead”—terrorizing the countryside. As fear spreads, the unlikely duo encounters suspicious villagers and a mysterious woman with possible ties to the undead.

Though this is Detective K’s first brush with the supernatural, he remains firmly grounded in logic and reason. Refusing to believe in vampires, he searches for a scientific explanation behind the horrors. The investigation leads to a hidden laboratory where rogue scientists are experimenting with an immortality potion. As secrets surface, Detective K must determine whether the living dead truly exist—or whether fear itself is being used to disguise darker human crimes.

---

Tomorrow With You ~ Can a Time Traveler Change the Future?

“Tomorrow With You” is a 2017 drama series, with 16 episodes, and can be categorized as Time Travel, Romance, Comedy (Rom-Com) and Fantasy or Supernatural.

• SUMMARY: Suppose you meet someone on one day and that chance meeting saved your life. Then on another day you see your lifeless body being a carried away and the lifeless body of the woman who saved your life is also being carried away. Since you have the ability to time travel, maybe you can go back and sever the relationship you have with her. That should be fix everything. Right? That might work IF ... the ability to travel through time also gives you the ability to change the future. But if it doesn't ...

Image credit

♦ Life is Shorter Than You Think

Yoo So-joon is a handsome, young and wealthy CEO. You could say he has it all. What more could he ask for? Love? Well, that's obvious. But what else? How about the ability to travel through time? That wasn't exactly something that Yoo So-joon had on his wish list. But one day while riding the subway train, he felt a terrible pain in his head. The next thing he knew he was in a different time period. As soon as he got off the train he met another time traveler. The time traveler told him he'll have to get used to going back and forth between past, present, and future. But the most important rule is to never be in the same time period with yourself. He can't be with his present self and his future self at the same time. That's bad!

OK! Important safety tip! But guess what happened? Yoo So-joon saw his dead body being carried away on a stretcher. There was also a woman who had died and her name was Song Ma-Rin. Yoo So-joon wondered if it was possible to change the outcome of this tragic event. He time traveled again and it turns out he and Song Ma-Rin were married. In another time period, he and Song Ma-Rin were both on the same train. They got into an argument with each other and got off the train. While they were still arguing, the train blew up! Yoo So-joon had intended to stay on the train that day. If he had, he would have died.

Somehow the timelines of their lives were intertwined. In one period, she saved his life. In another, they both died together.

Song Ma-Rin is unaware that Yoo So-joon has already seen her future. She is barely managing to live in the present because her past keeps getting in the way. Song Ma-Rin used to be a child star but when she grew up she did not pursue an acting career. The problem is reporters keep writing articles about how she has not accomplished anything since her fame as a child actress and this gets in the way of her moving forward. When she met Yoo So-Joon he gave her this advice: "Life is shorter than you think. You shouldn't be hung up on the past.” He could say that, since Yoo So-joon already knew her future.

Yoo So-joon decided to traveled back in time to see if he could break their connection. If he could somehow sever their relationship, they wouldn't be together, they wouldn't fall in love and get married, and they probably would not die in a terrible accident. But does having the ability to time-travel also give you the ability to change your future?

Main Characters:

• Song Ma-Rin (played by Shin Min-A**)

• Yoo So-Joon (played by Lee Je-Hoon, “Chief Inspector 1958”, “Taxi Driver 1 and 2”, “Move to Heaven”, “My Paparotti”, “Time to Hunt”)

** Shin Min-A is a Korean actress who popped up on my radar in “Arang and the Magistrate ”. She stars in several Korean dramas that are still on my watch list: “Diva”, “Chief of Staff 1 and 2”, “Oh My Venus” (award-winning), and “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”. Have you watched any of these?

• Where to Watch: The Roku Channel and Tubi TV

Viewership and Ratings:

• IMDb Rating: 7.4 out of 10 stars

• My Drama List: 8 out of 10 stars

• Dramabeans: 8.3 out of 10 stars

• Letterboxd: 3.6 out of 5 stars

• Google users public rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

This Kdrama series had mixed reviews. Some did not give high marks for the acting or the script. Others said it was underrated and thought the chemistry between the couple was great.

I am always interested in how a scriptwriter will spin a time travel fantasy / love story. In “Tomorrow With You”:

• The female lead had a difficult time trying to get away from her past, so that she could live productively in the present.

• The male lead was trying to get away from his grim future that had her in it.

He felt should she could easily fix her problem if she just wasn't hung up on her past. Whereas the best way to fix his problem was to get her out of his life, because she is the problem!

I had to see how this was going to work out.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Tomorrow With You | Korean Drama Review (“A beautiful, languidly romantic time traveling story,...”)

Twelve (12) of the Best Time Travel K Dramas And Where To Watch Them | TODAY

Lee Je Hoon: An Actor Review | Drama Homebody

Tomorrow With You ~ Can a Time Traveler Change the Future? https://t.co/qMhn9txwm3 #kdramas #Koreandrama #allthingshallyu #entertainment #popcornworthy #fantasy

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) August 10, 2024

WATCH TRAILER:

Ani-Hongo. “TOMORROW, with YOU (2017) - TRAILER.” YouTube Video. YouTube, March 28, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=824cd8uXz8Y.

‌

Healer (2014) K-Drama TV Series Still Popular!

Healer is a Korean drama series that was released in 2014. Even though it is almost 10 years since its release K-drama fans on social sites all around the web are still buzzing about it. No doubt it's because of the three (3) main characters. As soon as you meet them, you instantly become their cheerleader.  Healer can be categorized as a suspense/thriller, action, and romantic comedy. It is so popular that the story will be adapted into a webtoon version. 

There were 3 main characters, but without a doubt, Ji Chang-Wook was the star of this show. He is a very versatile actor. In Healer, he is very athletic, and a skilled martial artist who is almost like Superman. He even disguises himself as a timid mild-mannered reporter named Park Bong-soo, similar to Clark Kent (Superman's disguise). 

By contrast, in The Sound of Magic (2022) he plays a mysterious magician who can convince any unbeliever to believe in magic. Plus he sings! From action star to a musical? If you want to watch him in a historical period drama, he played a lead role in Empress Ki (2013). That's versatility.

Healer is 20 episodes, currently streaming on Viki.com. Over 86,000 viewers in this audience have given the series a rating of 9.7 out of 10 stars. I agree.

11 BEST Korean Dramas Recreated Into WEBTOON Adaptations – KpopPost

Business Proposal (2022): Korean Drama Netflix Series

Business Proposal is a Netflix Series released in 2022.

What is the best way to avoid going on blind dates?  There are two different answers to that question. 

1) Get your friend to show up for the date in your place and have her put on an act that will make the blind date run away and never look back!

-OR- 

2) Propose marriage to your blind date.  For real??  No!  Of course, it is not a real marriage proposal.  But it is a real business proposal.

• Shin Ha-ri (played by Kim Se-jeong) works as part of Go Food's Food Development Team One. 

She not only comes up with great recipes but creative ideas of how to turn the company's food products into best sellers. Her parents run a restaurant that sells great fried chicken. Her family, which also includes a younger brother, is not rich but they live comfortably and are happy. Her BFF (best friend forever) is Jin Young-seo.

Jin Young-seo hates the idea of arranged marriages and wants to marry for love. The problem is she keeps getting set up to go on blind dates to meet her “future husband”. But it's not really a “problem” because she has found the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. She sends her BFF instead.

• Kang Tae-moo (played by Ahn Hyo-seop) is the president of Go Food. 

He did not work his way up the corporate ladder. His grandfather put him in charge. But nobody can accuse him of not doing his job. He runs the business operations successfully, not just in South Korea, but in foreign markets as well.

Kang Tae-moo's grandfather wants him to marry so that hopefully he will see his grandchild before he departs this life. But Tae-moo has “issues” and does his best to avoid marriage. Kang Tae-moo's grandfather orders him to go on blind dates until he finds the woman who will become his mate for life. OR ELSE!!

Shin Ha-ri shows up pretending to be Young-seo, not realizing that the blind date is HER BOSS!  Shin Ha-ri does everything she can to discourage him and make him dislike her, not realizing that Tae-moo didn't want to be on the date either.

Tae-moo thinks her behavior is strange but he is distracted by his own thoughts. He's thinking of how to avoid the remaining blind dates his grandfather set up for him. He comes up with the perfect way to get out of going on these dates. He proposes marriage to Shin Ha-ri.

WHAT???!!!!

No worries. It's not a marriage proposal. It's a business proposal.

Shin Ha-ri signs a contract pretending to be his future wife. She goes FROM pretending for her best friend TO pretending for her best friend's blind date.  That way Kang Tae-moo's grandfather can stop pestering him and he can keep being married to his work.

Why do the best-laid plans always seem to backfire?

Read full review at PopGeeks.com:  Business Proposal | Netflix Korean Drama Series Based on Webtoon

  

Kismat Konnection (2008) is a Delightful Bollywood Movie

Are you a fan of Shahid Kapoor?  

When people say “Kismet” or “Kismat”, they mean it's your fate or destiny. The word is derived from the Arabic qisma, meaning "portion" or "lot." I first heard this word watching a Bollywood movie, “Kismat Konnection” (2008) which starred Shahid Kapoor. 

The female lead is Vidya Balan.  As of September 2022, it was still streaming on Netflix.  "A man finds his lucky charm in the form of a woman whom he had once clashed with on every level, but on whose presence he must now rely to succeed."

When I did some research I found out this film was a remake of an American movie, “Just My Luck” which starred Lindsay Lohan. Since I'm not a Lohan fan, I didn't know anything about that movie. Since I am a huge Shahid Kapoor, I would highly recommend watching this movie. You'll love it! It's delightful!  Totally PG!

Kismat Konnection - Official Trailer 

Thanks for visiting my entertainment blog. While you're here, check out some of the other posts tagged "Bollywood".  It is a wide variety of films, drama, romance, and comedy.

My Two (2) Favorite Aamir Khan Movies

Bollywood Movie: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Movie: Bollywood: What's Your Raashee? (2009)

Movie: Bollywood: Mission Kashmir (2000)

Movie: Bollywood: Chandni Bar (2001)

Movie: Bollywood Films That Address September 11th

Movie: Bollywood: Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007)

Movie: Bollywood: Mary Kom (2014)