Remakes are a risky and ambitious venture, even for something as popular as K-dramas. Where original series such as Squid Game and All of Us Are Dead have the advantage of offering something new and exciting, remakes have to find a way to draw viewers in with stories that have already been told verbatim most times.
There's a long list of popular K-drama remakes which continues to grow longer, including the upcoming Korean version of Money Heist. Despite the repetition of storylines in remakes, many are known better than the original stories they're based on, proving that rehashed material can be just as exciting with some tweaks, twists, and turns.
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
The South Korean series follows Geum Jan-di, a working-class girl, who gets a scholarship to attend a prestigious school for the elite. From her first day, Geum Jan-di clashes with Gu Jun-pyo, leader of the notorious F4. He goes to great lengths to make her time at school miserable but she proves her resilience every time until the hatred between them begins to evolve into something else.
The series is a remake of a Taiwanese drama, Meteor Garden, which was an adaptation of a Japanese manga titled, Hana Yori Dango. This was later adapted into a Japanese drama before the South Korean version was released. The Lee Min-ho led drama also kickstarted the interest in and popularity of K-dramas, despite the unpopular opinions about the genre as a whole.
Playful Kiss (2010)
In Playful Kiss, Oh Ha-ni's crush on Baek Seung-jo compels her to write him a love letter. Sadly, he doesn't feel the same way about her and his rejection breaks her heart. Fate intervenes when Oh Ha-ni's home collapses, leaving her and her father to seek shelter with Baek Seung-jo and his family.
Playful Kiss is one of many remakes of the 1996 Japanese Manga, Itazura na Kiss, with one of the first adaptations being the 2005 Taiwanese TV series, It Started With A Kiss. The original manga wasn't completed as the creator died before completing it, so most adaptations took the liberty of creating an ending they preferred.
The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013)
After the tragic loss of his wife, a father welcomes the help of a housekeeper to manage the household and help with his children. Although the housekeeper is shrouded in mystery, she performs her duties around the house perfectly, following every order she's given. Thanks to her presence, the family begins to heal and broken bonds are repaired.
The Suspicious Housekeeper is a remake of the Japanese original series, Kaseifu no Mita. Where the original focused mainly on the family and their struggles, the remake tweaked the plot to add a little more drama and mystery.
A Witch's Romance (2014)
A Witch's Romance is the story of Ji-yeon, a career-focused woman who lost faith in true love after a past disappointment, and the younger Dong-ha. Despite a considerable gap between their ages, the two of them connect over the things they have in common, including their broken hearts.
The remake is based on a 2009 Taiwanese drama, My Queen. The stories are similar and both dramas are popular, however, the romance in the remake plays out more naturally due to the great chemistry between the leads highlighted by steamy scenes in the K-drama, making it a bit more endearing than the original.
You Are My Destiny (2014)
You Are My Destiny (also referred to as Fated To Love You) is a 20-episode drama about a good-natured office clerk and her vacation one-night stand with a handsome, charming, rich stranger that turns her life completely on its head.
The drama is a remake of a 2008 Taiwanese drama called Fated To Love You. While both versions were popular in their time, the remake gained more recognition due to the popularity of the lead actress Jang Na-ra.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
A near-death experience throws Go Ha-jin back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty period in the body of Hae-soo. She becomes entangled in palace politics, which eventually leads her heart to the dark and alluring 4th prince.
Before the release of the Korean drama, China had Scarlet Heart, a 2011 adaptation of the novel Bu Bu Jing Xin. Scarlet Heart Ryeo may owe its success to the popularity of the drama's leads, Lee Joon-gi and IU, and the amazing chemistry between them.
Rich Man (2018)
Rich Man uses one of the most common tropes in K-dramas of the love story between a rich man and a poor woman. In this drama, Lee Yoo Chan is the wealthy CEO of an IT company every young professional aspires to work for and Kim Bo Ra is one such professional. When their worlds collide, everything in their lives changes.
The original drama that this remake is based on is Rich Man, Poor Woman, a 2012 Japanese series. Although both versions use the rich man, poor woman trope, they throw in a unique angle that makes the story a little different from the rest.
Mother (2018)
Mother is a story of an elementary school teacher who discovers that one of her students is being abused by her family and sets out to save the little girl. She kidnaps the child and assumes the responsibility of being her mother.
The K-drama is a remake of a 2010 Japanese drama of the same name and the two share a similar plot with an amazing emotional journey and an exquisite look into motherhood and unconditional love at its core.
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)
In The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Kim Moo Young falls in love with Yoo Jin-Kang despite her brother's reservations about him. Being a detective, he doesn't hesitate to investigate Yoo Jin-Kang but the heartbreaking plot twist of what he uncovers reveals a shocking connection between them.
The 2002 original Japanese drama is named Hundred Million Stars From The Sky and the remake followed the original storyline closely with a few tweaks in the plot and of course, the names of the characters.