FANS of K-drama will swoon all over again with the line-up from Netflix’s ensemble of Hallyu’s best content this summer and fall seasons.
There’s no time like now for fans to refresh their watch-list as Netflix is bringing a host of new Korean original titles. Its six picks cover a variety of stories and genres including drama, sci-fi, thriller, horror, comedy and romance:
“Svaha: The Sixth Finger” (May 30) is a mystery thriller, starring veteran actor Lee Jung-jae and up-and-coming actor Park Jung-min. The film is a tapestry of subplots woven like a puzzle with Pastor Park, (Lee Jung-Jae) hired to expose a religious cult. He learns of a young girl’s murder whose body was found following a tunnel accident and starts to connect the pieces to his investigation. Unfolding in parallel, the obsession of another young girl Geum-hwa by religious fanatic Na-han (Park Jung-min) slowly builds a mystery that rattles and confuses Pastor Park.
“Chief of Staff” (June 14) is a drama series about the world of political aides who are normally outside the spotlight. It portrays aides as the real players in politics, whose desire for power can sometimes be stronger than that of the lawmakers they serve. Jang Tae-jun (Lee Jung-jae) is the chief of staff to a four-term lawmaker. He graduated at the top of his class from the police academy, but he did not want to be a police lieutenant. As Chief of Staff, Jang is excellent at everything he does. He makes the impossible possible. If it were not for Jang’s persistent intuition and cool judgment, the lawmaker could not have become the floor leader of his party. Jang would not stop there, though. The bigger dreams he has are hidden in his soft smile.
“Designated Survivor: 60 Days” (July 1) is a Korean adaptation of the popular American TV series Designated Survivor. It follows the main storyline of the original format, but features more of the Korean reality. “Designated Survivor: 60 Days” is a story of a politician, who ascends from the position of Minister of Environment to President, as an explosion at the National Assembly kills everyone in the Cabinet who is ahead of him in terms of the presidential succession. Park Mu-jin, (Ji Jin-hee) is a scientist-turned-politician who struggles to fit in politics. Park is the acting president for 60 days, and during this period, albeit inexperienced and unwilling, he tries to uncover the truth behind the attack. Independent lawmaker Oh Young-seok (Lee Joon-hyuk), is not only charming but also full of confidence and young energy, which comes off as a stark contrast to Park.
“My First First Love” (July 26), directed by Oh Jin-seok, is launching a second season on July 26, which in fact marks the 100th day since the first season premiered in April. The new season launch was also announced by the five main cast, namely Jisoo, Jung Chae-yeon, Jinyoung, Kang Tae-oh, and Choi Ri, on their respective social channels. Each member took a selfie video with greetings to the fans.
The upcoming season of “My First First Love” will continue to portray how the five characters grow as young adults. The love triangle involving Tae-o, Song-i and Do-hyeon will put them in a spot where they would need to figure things out between friendship and love. Hun and Ga-rin, meanwhile, take one step closer to their career dreams.
“Love Alarm” (Aug. 22) is a Netflix original series, set to launch in the third quarter of this year. It is a story of friends who find themselves caught in between what they truly desire and what a mobile app says they would want. The app is designed to send an “alarm” when someone who has romantic feelings for you comes within a 10-meter radius. “Love Alarm” is based on a popular Korean webtoon of the same title by Chon Kye-young, whose other works like “Unplugged Boy” and “Audition” have a strong following in Korea.
“Vagabond” (September 2019) is an action-packed Korean espionage drama series, starring Lee Seung-gi and Bae Suzy. It is a story about a stuntman Cha Dal-geon (Lee Seung-gi) who gets involved in a tragic airplane crash and ends up discovering a national corruption scandal in the process. Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy), the oldest daughter of a deceased marine, decides to work for the National Intelligence Service as a secret ops agent in order to support her mom and younger siblings, although she had rather hoped for a simpler life, being an ordinary civil servant.
“Vagabond” boasts some spectacular filming locations outside Korea, such as Lisbon, Portugal and a few spots throughout Morocco. Its production quality is also top notch, packed with detailed cinematic action scenes and impressive VFX. (PR)