K-Dramasare rising in popularity, from the typical light-hearted romance to the intense horrors and thrillers that are bringing in new fans. But,no matter what the genre, one important aspect we love to see is a strong female lead. “Strong” can mean a lot of things, many that stray from a physically capable, emotionally-devoid woman that is often a depiction of the term.
It can mean having the courage to be vulnerable, to be brave enough to stay true to herself and her dreams, or toface adversity and overcome it. Or, of course, a woman who can physically kick butt, as well.
Here are the best K-Dramas with a strong female lead!
10Descendants of the Sun
Descendants of the Suntells the story of Yoo Si-jin and Dr. Kang Mo-yeon, who meet in the middle of a war. Si-jin is a captain in the South Korean special forces, and Mo-yeon is a cardio thoracic surgeon. The two meet when Si-jin must track down a thief who stole his phone at the hospital where Mo-yeon is treating him. After an immediate attraction, the two struggle to date with Si-Jin’s job taking him away on classified missions and with their differences in core philosophies from having such vastly polarizing careers as a soldier and a doctor.
Mo-yeon is a highly intelligent and capable surgeon who values competence above all else. She follows her principles very strictly, and does not get easily swayed by anyone or anything. Her mindset is very logical, which can hurt her in some ways, but is a great strength in many situations.
9Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Extraordinary Attorney Woostars Woo Young-woo, a rookie lawyer who finally lands her first job at Hanbada, a law firm in Seoul. Despite graduating at the top of her class and having a photographic memory, many employers refused to hire her because ofher high-functioning autism. She proves herself to be an amazing lawyer who is highly intelligent, both in court and emotionally, but her unique social skills cause some difficult situations with her co-workers. Nonetheless, Young-woo continues to shine in her cases as some of her colleagues embrace her differences, including her love interest, Lee Jun-ho.
Young-woo never lets adversity stand in her way, and doesn’t give up on her aspirations, even when it seems like the world is against her. She is an inspiring character, particularly for those who can relate to some of the difficulties that she faces.
8The Uncanny Counter
The Uncanny Counterrevolves around a group of four “Counters,” humans who have been possessed by a spirit partner from Yung that offers them healthy bodies and powers in exchange for hunting down evil spirits who have escaped the afterlife. These evil spirits prey on and possess humans who have murdered or wish to, pushing them to act on their deadly desires so that they can consume the spirit of the victim. When the strongest member of the group dies, he’s replaced with an 18-year-old disabled student, So Mun. He joins the Counters and takes up a job at Eonni’s Noodles, their hideout, along with the rest of them.
The show has two female leads, who are each strong in very different ways. The first, Choo Mae-ok, is a mother who lost her child and gained healing abilities from her spirit partner. She is the backbone of the group, with a warm nature that allows her to guide the other Counters as an advisor. The other, Do Ha-na, is the sole survivor of her family being poisoned and gained the powers of physical strength and psychometry. She is an extremely capable fighter who contrasts Mae-ok’s motherly role.
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7Protect The Boss
Protect The Bossfollows No Eun-Seol, an extremely hard-working woman who has trouble finding a full-time job due to her delinquent past. When she tells off her interviewers for not giving her a fair chance, she is hired on at the company, where she becomes the assistant to the spoiled and immature heir for the DN Group. He has no motivation, as well as a series of phobias that make it impossible for him to perform any public speaking. The two must work together to mold him into a worthy heir and protect his position as director for the DN Group.
No Eun-Sol has an incredible work ethic and is not afraid to speak her mind when she feels she’s being treated unfairly. She’s no nonsense when it comes to helping her boss grow as a person, but is extremely supportive as well, helping him overcome his agoraphobia once and for all.
6Squid Game
Squid Gameshowcases a series of deadly childhood games that those who are down on their luck can compete in to win an inordinate amount of money. The story focuses on three players, Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father with a gambling addiction, his childhood friend Cho Sang-woo, a former head of an investment company who is in massive amounts of debt and on the run from the police, and Kang Sae-Byeok, a defector from North Korea that needs money to help her parents follow her across the border. Initially unknowing that the games result in their death if they lose, they choose to continue to play anyway out of desperation for money.
Sae-Byeok may not be the main character, but she stole the show with the strength that she exudes throughout the games. She comes off as indifferent to what’s happening, but ultimately shows her vulnerability and emotion. Even in her lowest moments, she remains undeterred and capable of making difficult decisions when she needs to.
5Her Private Life
Her Private Lifetells the story of Seung Duk-mi, an extremely talented chief curator at a museum of art. Though seeming incredibly professional at all times, she has a dark secret: she is a huge fan girl for Cha Shi-an, an idol in the White Ocean boy group. She even runs an extremely successful fan site for him, though she would never admit it to anyone. Things escalate when rumors start going around that she’s actually dating Shi-an, so her new director at the museum, Ryan Gold, offers to “fake date” her to dispel any other relationship talk.
Duk-mi is a successful, professional woman, but that doesn’t stop her from having her own interests and hobbies that others might deem immature. She is a prime example that not all stereotypes people have of fan girls, or anyone in a looked down upon hobbies, are true. There is a strength of pursuing her interests, no matter what people think of them.
My Namefollows Yoon Ji-woo, a woman who just suddenly lost her father and is desperate to get revenge on whoever killed him. Because of his, she begins to work for a notorious drug lord, the late friend of her father, who offers to help her find her revenge if she goes undercover at the police department and acts as a mole. It’s there that she meets her new partner in the drug unit, Jeon Pil-do, who immediately is wary of her. She must earn his trust and excel in her work to finally find out what happened to her father.
Ji-woo is a strong female lead in the most typical sense of the term. She works hard to prove herself as a police officer, and succeeds, outperforming her male colleagues, while simultaneously tricking them into trusting her fake persona.
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3It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
It’s Okay to Not Be Okayfollows a trio of people who all struggle with mental illness in some form. Moon Gang-tae, and his older autistic brother, Moon Sang-tae, end up changing locations every year due to Sang-tae’s trauma from witnessing his parents' murder. Gang-tae is a very empathetic person, though he has extreme self-esteem and intimacy issues, and he works as a caregiver in psychiatric wards no matter where he goes. His latest move brings him to meet Ko Moon-young, a popular children’s author with anti-social personality disorder, who seems to have a shared past with the two brothers.
Ko Moon-young initially comes off as selfish and arrogant due to her mental health, but Gang-tae sees through it for what it is. Because of this, she has intense growth throughout the show with the help of Gang-tae and Sang-tae. Her strength comes from learning to accept help, as well as her own vulnerability, in order to come out of everything as a more healthy, and ultimately stronger, person.
2Fight For My Way
Fight For My Waytells the story of Kong Dong-man and Choi Ae-ra, two long time friends who are struggling to find success in their careers. Dong-man used to be a famed Taekwondo fighter, but was forced to give it up due to his painful past. Ae-ra is working at a department store, despite her dreams of being an MC. As the two support each other and start to develop new feelings in their friendship, they fight for their career dreams and the life that they deserve. For Ae Ra, that means going through multiple humiliations and defeats in her road to becoming an MC, and for Dong-man, he has to physically and mentally get back to who he was during his prime in his fighting career.
Ae-ra has an impenetrable, sassy personality that helps her refuse to be deterred, no matter what obstacles get in the way of her dreams. It’s a relatable story for many, and there is great strength in not giving up after so much rejection and embarrassment.
1Strong Girl Bong-Soon
Strong Girl Bong-Soonstars Do Bong-soon, a woman who has unnatural super strength, a trait that is passed down through the women in her family. Her dream is to create a video game that stars herself, which becomes a possibility when she meets Ahn Min-Hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company. Seeing her in action, he offers her a deal: she becomes his bodyguard in exchange for a position in his company. The relationship is beneficially mutual, but becomes more complicated when the two start to develop feelings, and when a series of kidnappings occur in Bong-soon’s neighborhood.
Bong-soon is literally the strongest woman on this list. But beyond that, she’s also incredibly brave, with an instinct to help anyone she sees in need, no matter what physical harm it puts her in. This includes going after the criminal in her neighborhood after he targets her best friend.
