Expect plenty of action and thrills from K-dramas in July 2024, beginning with Disney+’s Red Swan, which follows a woman who turns her life around through marriage, only to discover dark secrets lurking in her wealthy husband’s family history.
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Returning for its third and final season is Netflix’s hit post-apocalyptic thriller Sweet Home, concluding the devastating battle between monsters and humanity. Meanwhile, Beyond Evil’s Shin Ha-kyun will make his small screen comeback in The Auditors, playing the leader of an audit team trying to root out corruption in a construction company. Elsewhere, No Way Out: The Roulette follows the aftermath of a heinous killer’s release from prison.
For those needing a reprieve from all the thrills can stay tuned for Serendipity’s Embrace, a romance drama adapted from the popular webcomic Is It Fate?. The South Korean remake of US series Your Honor is also set to arrive this month, starring Son Hyun-joo (The Good Detective) and Kim Myung-min (Law School). Meanwhile, Good Partner follows the rocky partnership between a pair of female lawyers played by Jang Na-ra and Nam Ji-hyun.
Here’s all the upcoming K-dramas premiering in July 2024 on Netflix, Disney+ and more
Red Swan
Upcoming Disney+ original Red Swan follows Oh Wan-soo (Kim Ha-neul), a woman from an impoverished family who manages to turn her life around by becoming a pro golfer. At the height of her fame, she catches the attention of Kim Yong-guk, the heir to the wealthy Hwan Group, and marries him to pay off her family’s debt.
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Years pass and the couple remain unhappily married, though Wan-soo has now made a name for herself as the CEO of a foundation. During this time, policeman-turned-bodyguard Seo Do-yoon (Rain) joins the Hwan Group security team and saves Wan-soo’s life when an event goes awry. As she and Do-yoon grow closer, Wan-soo begins to wonder about his true motives for getting close to the Hwan Group.
Episodes: 10
Cast: Kim Ha-neul, Rain
Director and Screenwriter: Choi Yoon-jung, Park Hong-kyun
How to watch: Red Swan premieres July 3 on Disney+
The Auditors
In The Auditors, Shin Ha-kyun stars as Shin Cha-il, the cutthroat team leader of the audit team at a construction company where corruption runs rampant. Newbie employee Gu Han-soo (Lee Jung-ha) joins the team hoping it will be a stepping stone to getting an overseas transfer, but struggles to work under Cha-il.
Also new to the team is Yoon Seo-jin (Jo A-ram), an ambitious and individualistic young woman who will stop at nothing to succeed. She has a childhood connection with Hwang Dae-woong, the company’s vice president who hopes to take over it himself, but the pair pretend not to know each other at work.
Episodes: 12
Cast: Shin Ha-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Jin Goo and Jo A-ram
Director and Screenwriter: Kwon Young-il
How to watch: The Auditors premieres on July 6 on tvN
Good Partner
Good Partner is a legal drama about the partnership between veteran lawyer Cha Eun-kyeong (Jang Na-ra) and newcomer Han Yoo-ri (Nam Ji-hyun). Eun-kyeong is a pragmatic divorce lawyer who prioritises the interests of the law firm and her clients. As she works on her cases, her own impending divorce looms over her.
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Meanwhile, the idealistic Yoo-ri cannot tolerate injustice, resulting in the two lawyers clashing with each other often. Despite their opposing values, they prove themselves to be a formidable duo and later, confidantes when they encounter personal crises of their own.
Episodes: 16
Cast: Jang Na-ra, Nam Ji-hyun, Kim Joon-han and Pyo Ji-hoon
Director and Screenwriter: Kim Ga-ram, Choi Yoo-na
How to watch: Good Partner premieres July 12 on SBS
Sweet Home 3
The third and final instalment of post-apocalyptic drama Sweet Home sees Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Go Min-si and more reprise their roles in the first two seasons. According to Netflix, Sweet Home 3 will see an increasing blurring of the lines between human and monster, leading up to a final battle between the two sides.
Episodes: 8
Cast: Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Go Min-si and Lee Si-young
Director and Screenwriter: Lee Eung-bok
How to watch: Sweet Home 3 premieres on July 19 on Netflix
Serendipity’s Embrace
Based on the webtoon Is It Fate?, this romance K-drama centers around first loves who meet each other again for the first time in ten years. Lee Hong-joo (Kim So-hyun) is an animator and producer who is afraid of love after a painful experience. She unexpectedly crosses paths with her first love Kang Hoo-yeong (Chae Jong-hyeop), a financial planner.
Also starring in the series are Yoon Ji-on and ex-SISTAR member Kim Da-som. The former plays narcissistic writer Bang Jun-ho who develops a special relationship with Hong-joo, while Kim stars as high school English teacher Kim Hye-ji, Hong-joo’s best friend.
Episodes: 8
Cast: Kim So-hyun, Chae Jong-hyeop, Yoon Ji-on and Kim Da-som
Director and Screenwriter: Song Hyun-wook, Park Geu-ro
How to watch: Serendipity’s Embrace premieres July 22 on tvN
Your Honor
A remake of the American television series of the same name, Your Honor stars Son Hyun-joo as judge Song Pan-ho, a righteous man with a squeaky-clean past who brings justice and comfort to those living in Woowon City.
Opposite him is Kim Gang-heon (Kim Myung-min), the cruel leader of a cartel operating in the same city. Despite his cold exterior, he is a loving and dedicated father. The series sees the pair facing off to protect those around them.
Episodes: 10
Cast: Son Hyun-joo, Kim Myung-min, Kim Do-hoon, Yoon Chan-young and Jung Eun-chae
Director and Screenwriter: Pyo Min-soo
How to watch: Your Honor premieres in July 2024 on ENA
No Way Out: The Roulette
In this crime-thriller, heinous murder Kim Kook-ho (Yoo Jae-myung) is released from prison after a 13-year sentence, much to the public’s anger. When a generous bounty is placed on his Kim Kook-ho, detective Baek Joong-shik (Cho Jin-woong) has to work with lawyer Lee Sang–bong (Kim Moo-yul) to protect the killer from the enraged masses.
Episodes: 8
Cast: Jo Jin-woong, Yoo Jae-myung, Yeom Jung-ah, Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Kwang-soo
Director and Screenwriter: Choi Kook-hee
How to watch: No Way Out: The Roulette premieres this July on U+Mobile TV
