What To Watch
29 K-Dramas Starring K-Pop Stars for Double the Entertainment
More drama, juseyo.
By Regina Kim
March 10, 2026
29 K-Dramas on Netflix Starring K-Pop Idols - Netflix Tudum
There must be something in the water in South Korea: They seem to pump out multi-threat talent with stunning regularity. Not only were two truly unique genres of entertainment born in the country — with K-drama TV series and K-pop music — but they’ve also produced a bevy of stars who excel at both.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise. After all, no one gets as much training in entertaining the masses as a K-pop star, and emoting on camera is one such well-developed skill. Whether you’re curious about what titles your favorite stage performers have starred in or are looking for new multi-hyphenate artists to stan, this thorough (but definitely not exhaustive) collection has suggestions for every K-pop fan. So grab your favorite Korean snack — here’s some inspiration — and settle in for some heart-fluttering romance, jaw-dropping plot twists, and emotional damage you may never fully recover from.
Popular Now
Boyfriend on Demand
An exhausted webtoon producer, Mi-rae, has no bandwidth for dating while balancing her career and her precious little free time. She’s introduced to a subscription-based virtual dating simulation program, where she can go on extravagant dates with men she could otherwise only dream of. But will living out a fantasy love life come at the expense of true love in the real world?
The idols / actors: Jisoo from BLACKPINK takes on the role of Seo Mi-rae in this romantic comedy series.
Genie, Make a Wish
As a child, Ka-young was abandoned by her mother because the girl was born without feeling. Her psychopathic tendencies are kept in check by her grandmother, who gives her certain rules to follow. Genie (Kim Woo-bin) grants three wishes to those who find his lamp, but they don’t know he’s actually Iblis, or Satan, who uses the wishes to prove humans are all corruptible, landing them in hell. When Ka-young comes across Genie’s lamp, she challenges him to prove his theory before she makes her wishes — thus kicking off the most unlikely of romances.
The idols / actors: Suzy from Miss A plays the unfeeling Ki Ka-young.
The Fabulous
This series follows four friends as they navigate their lives, romantic dilemmas and demanding jobs in the competitive — and, yes, fabulous — world of fashion.
The idols / actors: Lee Minho of SHINee, who plays freelance photo editor Ji Woo-min.
Seoul Vibe
An action-thriller set in the days leading up to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, about a group of drivers and mechanics who go undercover to take down a massive money-laundering ring.
The idols / actors: Mino, a member of WINNER and one half of the hip-hop duo MOBB, who contributed a song to the film’s soundtrack.
Under the Queen's Umbrella
In this period drama filled with royal intrigue, a queen tries to turn her troublemaker sons into proper princes so one of them can inherit the throne.
The idols / actors: Kang Chan-hee, aka Chani of SF9, portrays Prince Uiseong.
Business Proposal
Shin Ha-ri reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date in her friend’s place. Things start to go awry, however, when her date turns out to be Kang Tae-moo, the handsome young CEO of her company. Tired of his grandfather pestering him about marriage, Tae-moo announces his plans to marry Ha-ri, unaware that she is actually his employee. How long will Ha-ri be able to keep up her act?
The idols / actors: Kim Se-jeong, who stars as Ha-ri, was a member of former idol groups I.O.I and Gugudan. Ahn Hyo-seop from the project boy band One O One plays Tae-moo, while Choi Byung-chan from Victon plays Shin Ha-min, Ha-ri’s younger brother. Bae Woo-hee of Dal Shabet also stars as Yoo-ra, the ex-girlfriend of Ha-ri’s longtime crush, Min-woo.
Tomorrow
Unable to find a job despite his many qualifications, Choi Jun-woong runs into a pair of grim reapers as he tries to save a man’s life. When the incident lands him in a coma, Jun-woong is taken to the underworld, where he finds employment as a member of a suicide prevention team.
The idols / actors: Rowoon from SF9 stars as Jun-woong.
Hotel Del Luna
After committing a crime that she can no longer remember, Jang Man-wol is cursed to run Hotel Del Luna — a quaint hotel that caters exclusively to ghosts — until she is able to change her spiteful personality. Her only hope may be a young and talented hotelier whom she hires to manage her hotel.
The idols / actors: Superstar soloist IU stars as the mysterious and temperamental Jang Man-wol. The late Sulli from girl group f(x) makes a cameo appearance as a character named Ji-eun (which is also IU’s real name).
Reply 1988
If you ever wanted to know what South Korea was like in the 1980s, look no further. Set during a time when South Korea was still in the throes of political and economic development, this critically acclaimed series follows the everyday lives of five friends and their families who live in a small Seoul neighborhood.
The idols / actors: Hyeri from Girl’s Day plays Sung Deok-sun, one of the lead characters and the sole woman in the group of five neighborhood friends.
100 Days My Prince
After nearly losing his life in an assassination attempt, Crown Prince Yul loses his memory and finds himself betrothed to a peasant girl named Hong-shim. However, Hong-shim is not exactly who she seems.
The idols / actors: D.O. of EXO stars as Lee Yul, the crown prince.
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung
Set in 19th century Korea during the Joseon dynasty, this drama centers on Goo Hae-ryung, a smart and fiercely independent woman who defies traditional gender roles and decides to become a palace historian instead of a wife. She attracts the attention of Prince Yi Rim, a lonely and sheltered prince who secretly writes romance novels.
The idols / actors: Cha Eun-woo of Astro plays the handsome Prince Yi Rim.
Chocolate
As a child, Lee Kang prepares a meal for Moon Cha-young, inspiring her to become a chef. Years later, Cha-young is now a world-renowned chef, while Lee Kang has become a neurosurgeon after being forced to give up his true passion. The two meet again at a hospice, where Kang rediscovers his love for cooking thanks to Cha-young and they start to fall for each other.
The idols / actors: Yoon Kye-sang from first-generation boy band g.o.d plays Lee Kang. Yubin from Wonder Girls also appears in a few episodes as the character Oh Jeong-bok.
Start-Up
Aspiring to be like Steve Jobs, Seo Dal-mi drops out of college to save enough money to launch her own business. Nam Do-san, a math whiz and founder of a tech start-up, struggles to keep his company afloat. He is about to give up when he meets Dal-mi, who inspires him to turn his vision into reality.
The idols / actors: Bae Suzy from Miss A stars as the bold and ambitious Seo Dal-mi.
The King's Affection
When the crown prince is killed, his twin sister, Dam-yi, is persuaded by their mother to take his place. Fearful of revealing her true identity, Dam-yi distances herself from everyone, but she gradually develops feelings for Jung Ji-un, the crown prince’s tutor.
The idols / actors: This drama is brimming with idols, including Rowoon from SF9, who stars as the male lead and Dam-yi’s love interest Jung Ji-un; Byungchan of Victon, who plays the crown prince’s bodyguard Kim Ga-on; and Jung Chae-yeon of DIA and former idol group I.O.I, who plays Noh Ha-kyung, the minister of war’s daughter.
Private Lives
After discovering a secret surveillance program run by the government and a powerful corporation, a group of skilled con artists fights to expose the truth through their cunning.
The idols / actors: Love and Leashes star and Girls’ Generation singer Seohyun plays lead character Cha Joo-eun, a seemingly innocent but experienced con artist.
Run On
This romance drama follows the lives of two couples. Former track star Ki Seon-gyeom learns to take control of his destiny after meeting Oh Mi-joo, a film subtitler. Seo Dan-ah, a young woman CEO who constantly battles gender expectations imposed on her by society and her family, begins to open up when the art student Lee Yeong-hwa walks into her life.
The idols / actors: Three of the four main roles are played by K-pop idols: Siwan from ZE:A, as Ki Seon-gyeom; Kang Tae-oh of 5urprise, as Lee Yeong-hwa; and Sooyoung from Girls’ Generation, as Seo Dan-ah.
My First First Love
When several of Yun Tae-o’s friends suddenly decide to move into his house for various reasons, the motley group must learn to live together while navigating love and friendships and following their dreams.
The idols / actors: This is another K-drama where K-pop idols abound: Jung Chae-yeon from DIA and I.O.I plays Tae-o’s best friend Han Song-i, while Jung Jin-young from B1A4 and Kang Tae-oh from 5urprise also star, as Tae-o’s friends Seo Do-hyeon and Choe Hun, respectively.
Cinderella and the Four Knights
When her evil stepmother steals her savings, Ha-won is forced to take on odd jobs to pay for college. One day, she meets the chairman of a large corporation who asks her to move into his mansion and instill some discipline into his three spoiled grandsons. Ha-won gets more than she bargained for when the three immature but handsome young men all vie for her affection.
The idols / actors: Lee Jung-shin from CNBLUE plays Kang Seo-woo, one of the three grandsons. Son Na-eun from Apink plays Park Hye-ji, a college student who harbors a crush on one of Ha-won’s charges.
Prison Playbook
Just days before his scheduled US major league debut, star baseball player Kim Je-hyeok is convicted of assault and sent to prison after defending his sister from an attempted rape. As he struggles to adjust to his new reality, he gets to know his fellow inmates, who help him overcome the daily challenges of prison life.
The idols / actors: Krystal Jung from f(x) plays Je-hyeok’s girlfriend, Kim Ji-ho.
That Winter, the Wind Blows
Skilled gambler and con artist Oh Soo attempts to deceive a blind heiress by posing as her long-lost brother, but his plans change as he finds himself falling for her.
The idols / actors: Eunji from Apink plays Hee-sun, the younger sister of Soo’s first love Hee-joo.
D.P.
While serving in the military, private An Jun-ho is transferred to the Deserter Pursuit unit, a team of military police officers tasked with capturing deserters. (Upon its release, D.P. received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response in South Korea for its in-depth and realistic portrayal of the horrors endured by Korean men during their mandatory military service).
The idols / actors: Love and Leashes star Jun of U-KISS plays Jeong Hyeon-min, one of the army deserters.
Mask Girl
This suspense thriller shows just how deadly society’s impossible beauty standards can be. Kim Mo-mi is a young woman who once dreamed of becoming a dancer, but her less-than-flawless appearance held her back. Stuck in a mundane office job where she crushes on her manager, she moonlights as a masked camgirl, Mask Girl, building a captive audience with her seductive dance moves and hidden identity. A violent encounter with an obsessive fan leads to revenge, murder, an identity change, and life on the run.
The idols / actors: Singer-actor NANA from the K-pop groups After School and Orange Caramel plays Kim Mo-mi post-surgery. And stay tuned later in 2026 when she appears, as well, in the K-drama series The Scandal.
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Set during the Korean War, this love story spans the lives of two people, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum). They grow up together on a small island, struggling with poverty, family difficulties, and the harsh work of the fishing industry. Ae-sun dreams of escaping to college on the mainland, where she’ll find a wealthy husband, but Gwan-sik is her steadfast friend and biggest champion. As they grow older, their affection deepens, and Ae-sun has to decide if she wants to choose escape or true love.
The idols / actors: Solo artist IU (Lee Ji-eun) stars as Ae-sun.
Squid Game
This wildly popular and award-winning series features some of Korea’s finest talent, but in Season 2, we get the added flair of K-pop royalty. After he won the life-or-death competition involving children’s games and took home the massive cash prize, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) returns in Season 2, vowing revenge on the gamemakers for preying on financially vulnerable people. He’s joined by desperate competitors and sadistic souls — with some familiar K-pop faces — who quickly find out the challenge has much higher stakes than they knew.
The idols / actors: Yim Si-wan, formerly of the boy band ZE:A, plays Myung-gi (Player 333); Jo Yuri, a former member of the girl group Iz*One, plays Jun-hee (Player 222); and Choi Seung-hyun, a singer and rapper under the stage name T.O.P, plays Thanos (Player 230).
Doona!
Suzy, a former member of Miss A, is on this list several times, and here she plays a role that should come naturally: a former K-pop star. Lee Doo-na was once the lead singer of an idol girl group. Fed up with the price of fame, she announces her retirement and disappears from the public eye. Bunking up in a university student house, she meets Lee Won-jun (Yang Se-jong), a devoted civil engineering student and math tutor. The two housemates form a friendship once she realizes he isn’t like the starstruck people she usually meets. They start to fall for each other, but the happier they are, the more they have to consider their diverging life paths.
The idols / actors: Suzy, formerly of Miss A.
King the Land
A rich boy meets a working-class girl in this rom-com of opposites attract. Gu Won (Lee Jun-ho) is one of a few heirs competing for control of the King Group, a hotel empire. Cheon Sa-rang (Lim Yoon-a) was raised by her grandmother under modest circumstances, and despite having no college degree, she lands a position at the prestigious King Hotel and works her way up. When the two are forced to work together, they clash, but eventually a spark of romance ignites, making both their personal and professional lives that much more complicated.
The idols / actors: Lee Jun-ho of the K-pop band 2PM, and Yoon-a of Girls’ Generation.
Cashero
This superpowered K-drama introduces a very different sort of superhero. Kang Sang-ung is an ordinary community center employee, living paycheck to paycheck and saving up to marry his girlfriend. He suddenly gains superpowers, but they have an unfortunate limitation: they’re directly proportional to the amount of cash he has on hand. Sang-ung is introduced to a new world of hidden powers and oddly restricted heroes, but he’s also faced with the choice of being a force for good in the world or draining his bank account.
The idols / actors: Lee Jun-ho of the K-pop band 2PM plays Kang Sang-ung.
Destined with You
Lee Hong-jo (Jo Bo-ah) is a government worker sent to investigate a death at an abandoned shrine. There she meets Jang Shin-yu, a lawyer whose family owns the land. Shin-yu suffers from a curse that’s affecting his health. He gives Hong-jo a box that was buried on the land, which a shaman told him belongs to her, and returning it may rid him of his curse. Inside, Hong-jo finds an ancient spell book, and when she tries out a love spell, it goes hilariously wrong, leading her and Shin-yu on a fated path to fixing both their supernatural problems.
The idols / actors: Rowoon, former member of the boy band SF9, plays Jang Shin-yu.
Our Unwritten Seoul
Park Bo-young plays twins Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae in this switcheroo K-drama. Mi-ji grew up an athlete and held promise as a sprinter, but she was forced to quit sports after an injury. The experience made her reluctant to take risks, and she stayed in their small hometown to care for their grandmother. Mi-rae has always felt pressure to be the more academic of the two, studying hard and taking off for Seoul to obtain a good job. She lands one at a financial management company and is doing well until an unwelcome advance from a married manager leads to bullying in the office. Mi-ji offers to switch places with Mi-rae, to give her a break from the tension, and the two assume each other’s identities and jobs and learn some valuable lessons about themselves.
The idols / actors: Jinyoung (Park Jin-young) of the boy band Got7 plays the twins’ childhood friend Lee Ho-su. You can also see him in Seasons 2 and 3 of the apocalyptic horror K-drama Sweet Home.
K-Dramas Featuring K-Pop Idols to Stream Now
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