Written By Sesam Rana Magar, Terafty Manager

All the images are sourced from Pinterest

The captivating concepts and themes woven into Korean dramas’ intricately crafted worlds have garnered worldwide praise from the audience. Many of such praiseworthy works have sourced inspiration from webtoons. 

Webtoons are the digital counterparts of Manhwas which are the physical format of Korean comics. While many webtoons are manhwas, not all manhwas are webtoons. They have a wide array of genres from romance to thriller. The formation of beautifully written protagonists, antagonists and other complementing characters, relationship dynamics among them, compelling storylines and inclusion of various elements in numerous K-dramas are adapted from such webtoons.  

According to statistics, in 2020, Webtoon platforms made $700 million in profits only from South Korea and the global webtoon industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.6% between 2021 and 2026. In 2023, another survey showed that approximately 68% felt K-dramas had broad appeal beyond dedicated fan circles. Hence, the adaptation of manhwa into K-dramas presents an opportunity for both webtoon and drama makers to capitalize on each other’s popularity. 

In the preceding years, popular Korean dramas such as My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018), All of Us Are Dead (2020), True Beauty (2020) and many more are K-dramas adapted from webtoons. It’s not even mid-2024 yet, and we’ve already seen numerous K-dramas adapted from webtoons.  In this blog, we’ll explore notable and popular K-dramas of 2024 adapted from webtoons.

1. Marry My Husband

Marry My Husband is a time-travel and revenge-based drama. In the drama, Kang Ji Won, played by Park Min Young, is married to a horrible husband who is having an affair with her best friend. To make things worse, she also ends up having cancer. During a fight, she dies and wakes up 10 years in the past which she uses as an opportunity to take revenge on her husband and best friend.

The drama is a webtoon adaptation of a fantasy, slow-burn romance webcomic written by Sung Sojack and produced by Studio Lico. The webcomic ran for approximately two years from 2021 to November 2023. In total, there are 58 chapters. The primary theme of the drama is the same as the webtoon. However, there are still many notable differences between the two as drama is a different type of media than web comics.

Marry My Husband became TVING’s most-watched TVN entertainment program and increased TVING’s paid subscribers by 1000%. Additionally, it became the first K-drama to be ranked number 1 globally on Amazon Prime Video.

2. Lovely Runner

Lovely Runner is also a time-travel drama filled with romance and comedy wherein a young girl, Im Sol gets transported to 15 years back. Im Sol is a big fan of a star, Ryu Sun-Jae. When he dies, she gets transported and goes to all extents to save Ryu Sun-Jae. The drama is ongoing and the finale is on May 28, 2024 with a total of 16 episodes. 

The drama is the adaptation of the webtoon “The Best of Tomorrow” written by Gimbbang. The screen adaptation of “Lovely Runner” is penned by the same writer as “True Beauty.” So, as per the expectations of the audience built from the previous work of the writer, the drama has lived up to, if not surpassed, the audience’s expectations.

The show ranked number 1 in 133 countries on Rakuten Viki. With a gradual increase in its viewership in the release of every new episode, Lovely Runner has clearly become one of the most loved K-dramas of 2024 after “The Queen of Tears.”

3. Love Song for Illusion

Love Song for Illusion is a fantasy historical drama that follows the journey of Crown Prince, Sajo Hyun, who conceals his real identity and lives a double life as a fashion designer. He struggles with a cursed alternate personality, Ak Hee. 

Meanwhile, Yeon Wol, a former assassin who is seeking revenge for her family is seeking to kill Sajo Hyun. In the turn of events, she loses her memory and falls in love with the king. As their paths cross, they navigate love, betrayal and destiny in a tale of romance. The drama features awesome choreography, stunts and dance sequences.

The KBS drama is adapted from the Naver webtoon with the title “Hwansangyeonga” written by Ban Ji-Woon. The webtoon was first published on November 24, 2021, and continued until July 19, 2023. 

4. A Killer Paradox

A Killer Paradox is a crime thriller dark comedy starring Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk ku and Lee Hee-joon. The story revolves around a man, Lee Tang, working at the convenience store who murders a customer and later, discovers that the murdered victim is a serial killer. Tang realizes his ability to identify evil people after his first unintentional accidental murder and continues to kill evil people. Hence, there is a question about morality, justice and the true cost of taking the law into one’s own hands.

The drama is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name and it is written by “Kkomabi.” At the Baeksang Arts Awards, Director Lee Chang-hee and actors Lee Hee-joon and Kim Yo-han were nominated for Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best New Actor respectively. With rich character, suspenseful plot and mind-bending twists, the K-drama captivated the audience worldwide.

5. Wedding Impossible

Wedding Impossible is a K-drama that interestingly focuses on the LGBTQ theme. It is a romantic drama wherein a rich heir Lee Do-han proposes a fake marriage to little-known actress Na A-jeong, despite being gay. She agrees, but Do-han’s ambitious brother, Lee Ji-han, tries to stop the sham marriage from happening. Things get complicated when Na A-jeong falls in love with Lee Ji-han. The drama aired on tvN from February 26, 2024 to April 2, 2024.

The drama is based on a webtoon of the same name written by Song Jun-won. The illustration of the webtoon is done by Lee Chung. The webtoon was published back in 2017. Hence, the makers of the drama had to work on updating the characters and better suit the preferences of today’s Gen Z and millennials. 

According to Teen Vogue, a representative at Viki informed that the show ranked at the top on the streaming website globally during its run and received praises from global viewers due to the incorporation of a refreshing take on the K-drama’s romance genre.

6. Chicken Nugget

Chicken Nugget is a Netflix comedy mystery television series in which Choi Min-ah, played by Kim Yoo-jung, accidentally gets turned into a chicken nugget by entering into a machine at her father’s company. She is the daughter of the president of the company “More Than Machines.” The intern at the company Go Baek-joong has a crush on her. The father and the intern discover unexpected secrets while trying to turn her back into a human. The drama has 10 episodes on Netflix.

The series is a drama adaptation of the highly popular Naver webtoon of the same name, created by Park Ji-Dok (PJD). In the webtoon, Min-ah mysteriously transforms into a piece of gangjeong fried chicken after using a suspicious machine. While the drama is primarily a science-fiction comedy, it also includes moments of seriousness and emotional elements.

7. Pyramid Game

Pyramid Game is a psychological thriller story about high school girls. It explores the dark side of high school life. In the school, popularity polls are used to rank the students in class and treat them accordingly. The transfer student, Song Soo-ji falls to the bottom of the class and the other students bully her followed by some other violent acts. To put an end to this pyramid game, she becomes a rebellion. The protagonist fights back against this system that is trying to break her. 

The drama is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name. It is written and illustrated by Dalgonyak. The drama is co-produced by Film Monster and CJ ENM Studios. The survival-themed drama explores the subjects of bullying, violence and social hierarchy.

CONCLUSION

Whether you are a long-time webtoon reader or new to the genre, these K-dramas offer an exciting glimpse into the synergy between webtoons and K-dramas. Since the start of 2024, the world of Korean dramas has already seen a surge of series inspired by webtoons. This trend is expected to continue, driven by the audience’s enthusiasm for these unique and engaging adaptations. Let’s anticipate what the remainder of the year will bring. Let’s see what the remaining half of the year has in store for us in the world of K-dramas.