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.
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.
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.
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