Webtoons are getting more popular day by day. They are not limited to the one time read, but now they have got their fandoms. As much as Korean drama has helped in increasing the Hallyu wave across the globe, webtoons too played a major role in establishing this flow. These webtoons often consist of amazing plots, and Korean dramas have always tried to reach out for such plots.
So in today’s list of “25+ Amazing Korean Dramas based on Webtoons To Check Out.” we are presenting you the BEST Korean dramas adaption of the popular webtoons.
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Korean Dramas Based On Webtoons
27. Pop Out Boy!
MDL Ratings: 7.7/10
Genres: Friendship, Romance, Drama, Fantasy
This is an adaption of the romance webtoon Comic Book Boy Girl by the author NimNi. It is a short series in our list of Korean dramas based on webtoons, and one can finish the whole drama in one sitting. The story starts when Chun NamWook, the main character of a manga ongoing for more than 10 years, appears in front of a high school girl, Han SunNyeo. What upheaval this unreal event can make will surely give you a good laugh. Furthermore, the drama is filled with fluff and angsty moments parallelly.
26. Lucky Romance
MDL Ratings: 7.9/10
Genres: Friendship, Business, Comedy, Romance, Drama
Adapted from the same title’s webtoon, Lucky Romance is one of the Korean dramas based on webtoons. In this story, Bo Nee is a woman who believes in superstitions way too much. According to her fortuneteller, she has to make a one-night stand with a man born in the tiger’s year. After this, Soo met with Je Soo-ho, who believes in a logical and practical approach and does not have any interest in dating. How their fate entangles with one another through comic events is fun to watch.
25. Odd Girl Out
MDL Ratings: 7.8/10
Genres: Friendship, Comedy, School, Drama
An amazingly heart-warming webtoon by the author, Morang. It portrays equal parts drama and comedy. It is a genuine surprise that this webtoon has got a k-drama based on it. The story closely follows Nari’s life, a teen entering high school with high hopes that she will be having a great start with this new chapter unfolding in her life. However, things might get a bit dicey for her as she finds herself with the prettiest girls in the school, SeonJi, Yuna, and MiRae.
This has been one of the most awaited names in the list of Korean dramas based on webtoons. It is a heartfelt story of friendship and maturity in high school years, where friends make up the essentials of one’s world. The daily life of late teens, who are falling, growing and learning new life lessons with each other.
24. Goong
MDL Ratings: 7.9/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Drama
Goong is the drama version of a popular webtoon with the same name. It is the story of Chae Gyeong, who is an ordinary art high school student. One day she got to know that she is supposed to marry a prince because of her promise and the prince’s grandfather. The prince was an unemotional boy who goes to the same high school as hers. Chae Gyeong reluctantly marries him to help her debt-ridden family. While facing hardship in adjusting with the royal family, she met the prince’s cousin, who became her good friend and eventually started a love triangle.
23. Rugal
MDL Ratings: 7.6/10
Genres: Action, Thriller, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi
Rugal is a science-fiction action webtoon from the author Rel.mae. The webtoon synopsis follows a cop who gains extraordinary things at the split second as he loses everything else. ‘Rugal’ is an organization that deals with special humans with abilities thanks to bio-engineering technology. Consequently, the organization uses them as weapons against the prevailing terrorist group of ROK: Argus.
The adaptation of this webtoon has three main protagonists. The lead actors Choi JinHyuk, Park SungWoong, and Jo DongHyuk. The drama will go on air on the OCN network, and like most other OCN dramas, this one also engaged the audience to the fullest. It is another dark edition amongst the Korean dramas based on webtoons.
22. Flower Boy next door
MDL Ratings: 7.6/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Flower Boy Next Door is based on Webtoon I Steal Peeks At Him Every Day. Its story revolves around a shy ‘Rapunzel’ girl who keeps herself away from the outside world in her apartment. She works as a freelance copy editor and spends her days spying on the man living in the next building. When that man’s cousin arrives, he caught her in the act and became interested in the reason behind it. The same building lives a manhwa writer Oh Jin Rok, who notices Dok Mi for a long time and likes her. Midst of the picture comes another neighbor across their apartment. With all these new men’s entries in her life, Dok-mi’s regular world will become topsy-turvy.
21. Welcome
MDL Ratings: 7.6/10
Genres: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, Drama, Fantasy
The story follows Sol-A, a mid-20s woman who works for a graphic design company. Her dream is to become a webtoon artist as she keeps up with her life. She gets well along with people and tries her best to protect the ones she loves. Due to some events, she ends up taking a cat, Hong Zo, to her home. However, she is not familiar with the fact that it is not an ordinary cat. Hong Zo is a cat who can turn into a human form. The whole act creates quite mayhem in the life of Sol-A.
The drama is the adaptation of the Eoseowa (Korean Name) webtoon by Go Ara. And its intent popularity makes it a perfect fit for our list of Koren dramas based on webtoons.
20. Full House
MDL Ratings: 7.7/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Drama
Korean drama Full House is the drama version of a Korean webtoon of the same name. It was one of the most famous romantic comedies of K-pop king Rain and versatile actress Song Hye Kyo. It starts when Ji-Eun’s friends trick her into a vacation. Behind her, they sold her ‘Full House,’ built by her late father to Young-Jae, who she met during the vacation. On her return, she found out about her house, and she ends up working for Young-Jae to buy back the house. Later, they get into a marriage contract, but complication starts when they start getting attracted to each other.
19. Love alarm
MDL Ratings: 7.9/10
Genres: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Drama
Based on a webtoon, it is the story of a young girl student and her two admirers. A mobile application, Love Alarm, plays the main part. Love Alarm is an app that ‘rings’ every time a person who likes you or has romantic feelings is near 10 meters of the radius. This app brings complications in the relationship between the three main leads. This show also focuses on the extra dependency of youth over mobile applications and new technology in the present time. It’s season 2 released this year in August.
18. The Scholar who walks the night
MDL Ratings: 7.9/10
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Vampire, Romance, Drama, Melodrama
The Scholar who walks the night is a fantasy-historical romance drama and popular in Korean dramas based on webtoons. In the Joseon Dynasty, Jo Yang-sun is a nobleman’s daughter who lost everything after getting the frame for treason. She cross-dresses as a male bookseller to make a livelihood, and there she meets mysterious scholar Kim Sung-Yeol. In reality, Kim Sung-Yeol is a vampire who guards the throne against the evil vampires. Both of them get to tangle with each other’s fate, making a series full of interest.
17. How To Buy A Friend (Friend Contract)
MDL Ratings: 8/10
Genres: Friendship, Mystery, Comedy, Romance, School, Drama
This webtoon by Kwon Laad got a k-drama adaption this year. The story focuses on the dark side of society and love through the depiction of high school students. The plot is about Park Chan Hong and Heo Don Hyuk, and two high school students lead incredibly different lives.
After the suicide of Don Hyuk’s girlfriend, he became rebellious, and that lead him to juvenile detention. After his release, he returns to school, where he discovers a clue about his girlfriend’s death. He then approaches Chan Hong, a student who has talent in writing, for help. In exchange for help, he offers to serve as Chan Hong’s personal bodyguard. This contractual ‘friendship’ guides them through rollercoaster rides while trying to uncover the truth behind the suicide.
16. Backstreet Rookie
MDL Ratings: 8.1/10
Genres: Action, Comedy, Romance, Drama
‘Backstreet rookie,’ also known as ‘Convenience Store SaetByul,’ is a new drama in our list of 25+ Korean dramas based on webtoons. The story follows Chae DaeHyun, whose life hasn’t been doing him well since the past few years, and the cross between his meeting with Jung SaetByul. Jung SaetByul was a bully back when she was in high school, and four years ago, she asked Chae DaeHyun for cigarettes in exchange for a kiss. She now works at the same convenience store as DaeHyun.
The roles of lead actors are played by Ji Chang Wook and Kim Yoo Jung. The drama attracted a lot of controversies during its airing time, but people loved it too.
15. Extraordinary You
MDL Ratings: 8.5/10
Genres: Friendship, Comedy, Romance, School, Drama, Fantasy
Extraordinary You is among the popular high school-oriented Korean dramas based on webtoons of the same name. It is a story of a high school girl Eun Dan-oh who attends a prestigious school. She suffers an inevitable heart condition, which means she cannot live past her teen years. By chance, she discovers that her world is a comic book in which she is a supporting character. With her newfound knowledge of the world she lives in, she is determined to find true love in her plot-line. She also tries to outwit the author’s plans for her character by utilizing the storyboard’s flashes she alone can see.
14. Do You Want to Have Dinner Together?
MDL Ratings: 8/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Food, Drama
Do you want to have dinner together is a pretty interesting and sweet webtoon by the author Park Si In. The webtoon follows the main characters as they decide to have dinner together instead of eating alone and how this blooms into a sweet relationship. Of course, the story is slightly different from the original webtoon to make it fit for the drama, but it follows the same lead and is highly appreciated by the viewers. Song Seung Heon and Seo Ji Hye are be playing the leads in this adaptation.
13. Sound of your heart
MDL Ratings: 8.4/10
Genres: Comedy, Family, Sitcom, webtoon
Sound of your heart is the longest-running Korean webtoon series, and in 2016 a sitcom drama of the same was made. This series shows the life of the creator cartoonist Jo-Seok, his family, and his girlfriend. The show is filled with hilariously funny and light-hearted moments. From the first episode to the last, one will find each episode filled with a laugh. The show also tells the story of Jo-Seok’s debut and why he never took a leave due to respect and love for his audience.
12. Memorist
MDL Ratings: 8.5/10
Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural, Investigation
Memorist is another drama in the list of Korean dramas based on webtoons. The drama follows the story of Dong Baek, who can read the memories of people due to his supernatural abilities. He is one of the best detectives in Korea and is also good at fighting. He teams up with criminal profiler Han Sun Mi to catch the killer of series of murders. But the more they get close to the killer, the more their own troubled past began to unveil.
This mystery thriller became a superhit in popular culture and received immensely well by the audience.
11. Go back Couple
MDL Ratings: 8.7/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, School, Drama, Family, Supernatural
Go back Couple is one of the Korean dramas based on the webtoons Do it one more time. It follows the life of a married couple Ma Jin Joo and Choi Ban Do. Both of them use to attend the same college where they fell in love with each other. After years of marriage, struggling through daily lives left them exhausted and unhappy, ultimately leading them to divorce. The next day after their divorce, they found themselves back in the time on the day they first met. They decide not to remarry each other and enjoy their second given chance to live a happier life. What will happen in the end? Will they able to live a normal life ever again?
10. Tale of Nokdu
MDL Ratings: 8.5/10
Genres: Action, Historical, Comedy, Romance
Jeon Nok Du was a smart and skillful swordsman who lives on an island with his father and older brother. His father never allowed him to go to the mainland or of studies. One day his father and brother were attacked by a troop of female assassins. During this, Nok Du chases after one of them to the capital, where he meets Dong Dong Ju. Meantime, the attacker goes into a women-only village where men are strictly prohibited. To find about the assassin’s whereabouts, Nok Du disguises himself as a widowed woman and enters the widow village. There he meets Dong Dong Ju again, where she is a kisaeng trainee.
09. Strangers from the hell
MDL Ratings: 8.7/10
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Psychological, Drama
This 10-episode Blood and Gore Korean dramas based on webtoons Hell is other people. The story revolves around a writer Yoon Jong-woo, who moves to Seoul as a paid intern to work in an office. He moves to Eden Studio, a cheap dormitory where residents live while sharing the kitchen and bathroom with other residents due to cheap rent. Jong-woo did not like the behavior of residents and the standard of the place. He decides to live here till he could save some money to shift from this place. But frightening and absurd events started occurring in the studio, making worry Jong-woo fear for his life.
08. Mystic Pop-Up Bar
MDL Ratings: 8.7/10
Genres: Mystery, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural
Mystic Pop-Up Bar is much-enjoyed among Korean dramas based on webtoons. It is based on the webtoon ‘Ssanggap Pocha,’ also termed as Double Decker Carriage. A food and fantasy webtoon tells the story about a late night’s events at a ‘pocha’ (outdoor bar) located at a strange place. The webtoon also received the Korean Manhwa Grand Prize back in 2017. The drama is filled with the supernatural theme, in which the people of Pop-Up bar help out their customers through their dreams.
BTOB‘s Yook SungJae, Hwang Jung Eum, and Choi Won Young are the drama’s lead actors.
07. My ID is Gangnam beauty
MDL Ratings: 8.2/10
Genres: Friendship, Psychological, Comedy, Romance, School, Melodrama
Another in the list of Korean dramas based on webtoons is My ID is Gangnam beauty. It revolves around the girl Kang Mi Rae, who constantly faces bullying for her past looks. All these bullyings affected her psychologically and made her insecure and cautious around people. She then decides to get plastic surgery to give a new start to her life before going to university. In University, she meets Do Kyung Suk, who was her former middle schoolmate. Though Kyung Suk seemed cold and distant, he was a nice boy who did not judge people from their outer shell. Kyung Suk gets to Mi Rae and supports her when she gets teased as “Gangnam Beauty.” In the meantime, Mi Rae begins to regain her lost confidence and understand that true beauty is inside.
06. Cheese in the Trap
MDL Ratings: 7.7/10
Genres: Friendship, Psychological, Romance, Drama
Drama Cheese in the trap is a must-watch in our list of Korean dramas based on webtoons. It is totally based on the same name’s webtoon except the ending, as the webtoon was not concluded at that time. Its story revolves around a hard-working and brilliant University student Hong Seol, Yoo Jung, and its people. Hong Seol is a scholarship student at a prestigious Korean University, where she struggles to maintain her living and studies. In the same university, Yoo Jung is a brilliant, rich and, popular student who is also a senior of Seol. Series of events brought them together, and they get into a relationship. But it is not as clear and happy as it seems. Yoo Jung has a manipulative personality, which brought severe effects on their relationship and Seol’s life.
05. True Beauty
MDL Rating: 8.4/10
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Youth, Drama
True beauty follows one of the most novel ideas as a plot theme and is an extremely popular webtoon. The same goes for its drama adaptation which is received by the audience with full excitement. The art style of this webtoon is jaw droopingly beautiful, and so was the drama cast. It is the story of Jugyeong Lim, who becomes popular due to her beauty. She has attained this beauty by conquering the art of makeup from youtube tutorials. This drama based on webtoon is a roller coaster ride of comedy, with makeup being the major themes of the plot.
04. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?
MDL Ratings: 8.5/10
Genres: Friendship, Business, Comedy, Romance
Another popular Korean dramas based on webtoons of the same name is What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? This story is of the self-obsessed Lee Young Joon and his secretary of 9 years, Kim Mi-so. Lee Young Joon is a Vice President of the company, runs by his family. He is an utter narcissist person, but his secretary managed to remain by his side diligently for so long, not giving enough attention to her private life. She now decides to resign from her job to begin her dating and family life. Young Joon cannot digest this news, and to keep Mi So close to him, he offers to become her boyfriend. Now it is all up to Mi to decide while stabilizing the emotions when their past collides.
03. Sweet Home
MDL Ratings: 8.8/10
Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Psychological, Drama
This is an extremely popular horror-thriller webtoon by Carnby Kim and YoungChan Hwang. The drama was praised by all and highly liked by the audience. Along with a good story, its cast played their part really well, making it a must-watch drama based on webtoon. The plot follows an alarmingly dark story of monsters and humans while throwing light on the social and survival instincts of humans. The main character is Cha HyunSoo, who lost his parents in an accident and previously was a high school loner due to the bullying at school. He leaves his home to live alone but the outside world changes into a world of monsters and he needs to fight them off. The drama force us to ask a question that ‘What it mean to be a human?’
02. Itaewon Class
MDL Ratings: 8.6/10
Genres: Food, Friendship, Business, Romance, Drama
Itaewon class has received massive accounts of viewers liking the plot and showing interest in the drama in 2020.
The story starts when our lead punches a spoilt brat bullying fellow students on his first day of high school. Coincidently, this brat’s father is the restaurateur and the boss of our hero’s father. As a consequence, he loses his job, and the school expelled Park Sae Royi. After this, that brat Jang Geun Won causes an accident in which Park Sae Royi’s father dies. Park Sae Royi spitefully beats Jang Geun Won, for which police arrests him. Upon release from the prison, Park Sae Royi’s mission is to destroy Jang Geun Won, his father, and their business. For this, he opens a restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul, joined by Jo Yi Seo, who is popular on social media and works there as a manager.
01. Kingdom: Season 1&2
MDL Ratings: 8.8/10 (S1), 9.0/10(S2)
Genres: Thriller, Historical, Horror, Drama, Zombies
Kingdom deserves the top spot among the Korean dramas based on webtoons. Adapted from the webtoon ‘The Kingdom of the Gods’, it has received an overwhelming reception from the audience.
The first season starts when Crown Prince Lee Chang falls into a life-threatening political conspiracy in the midst of investigating the spread of a plague. As Prince was not allowed to see his ill father, he takes up the responsibility to find the reason for his father’s illness. The investigation leads him towards the Southern province of Gyeongsang. He met physician Seo-Bi and Yeong-Shin, fighting with a mysterious plague that appears to bring the dead back as zombie-like monsters. They came together to fight against this odd occurrence and save the royal dynasty from being overthrown.
Season 2 continues the story where it was left. In an attempt to save the people during the plague, the crown prince Lee Chang returns to the palace to find the disease’s source and uncovers other secrets and plots within the manor.
Here we come to an end to this list. Let us know if we missed any.