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It has been a record-breaking year for K-dramas following the runaway success of Squid Game. The phenomenon was followed by other hit Korean series on Netflix (including Hellbound and most recently The Silent Sea).
This year also saw the launch of Korean content on other streaming platforms, such as Dr. Brain on AppleTV+ and Snowdrop on Disney+.
As 2021 draws to a close, we look at some of the best upcoming K-dramas and Korean films in store for 2022.
Money Heist
The Korean adaptation of the cult Spanish drama of the same name (known as La casa de papel in Spanish) is among the most highly anticipated K-dramas to be unveiled next year.
The original series follows members of a group recruited by the Professor character who come together to tackle a heist.
Starring Squid Game actor Park Hae-soo (who played contestant no. 218 in the series) as the Berlin character, the upcoming K-drama aims to "breathe new life" into the original storyline, Netflix said in March.
Confirming the show's 2022 release in a video posted by the official YouTube channel of Money Heist, Park said the Korean version will also feature a "special mask" that's as unique as the iconic one seen in the Spanish series.
The show's star-studded cast also includes Yoo Ji-tae (the Korean actor is known from several Korean films including Oldboy) as the Professor and Kim Yunjin (the Korean actress from the Lost American television series) as Seon Woo-jin, an inspector on the Task Force Team.
All of Us Are Dead
Dubbed the "first-ever Korean teenage zombie survival challenge," All of Us Are Dead follows a group of high school students who attempt to survive a mysterious virus outbreak at their school.
Featuring "horrific visuals" and "stunning action" sequences, the new Netflix series will see the teenagers find love and friendship amid a zombie apocalypse.
All of Us Are Dead will be released on January 28.
Suriname
Based on a true story, the upcoming Netflix series starring Squid Game's Park Hae-soo follows the life-threatening journey of a businessman who gets involved in a secret operation of the South Korean National Intelligence Service to arrest a Korean drug lord in South America, South Korea's Star Today reported back in May.
Suriname also stars major Korean actor Hwang Jung-min, known from the disturbing Korean horror pic The Wailing.
The new series will be released some time in 2022, according to Variety.
Our Blues
The upcoming K-drama on Netflix starring Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun (who played the Front Man character) follows the "sweet, sour and bitter" life stories that unfold on South Korea's idyllic Jeju Island, according to South Korea's Yonhap.
The new series, slated for release in 2022 according to Variety, also stars a string of other famed actors including Shin Min-a (from Netflix's Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and other K-dramas) and Cha Seung-won (Night In Paradise on Netflix and several other Korean films and series).
Glitch
Starring Jeon Yeo-bin from the hit Netflix K-drama Vincenzo, Glitch sees a woman attempt to track down the whereabouts of her boyfriend who disappears along with an "unidentified light," and uncovers a mysterious secret while seeking the help of a UFO club.
The new Netflix drama is slated for release in 2022, according to IMDb.
The Youngest Son of A Conglomerate
The upcoming series starring Song Joong Ki (known from Vincenzo, Arthal Chronicles and Space Sweepers on Netflix) is loosely based on a web novel of the same name about the Samsung conglomerate family, according to Variety.
Song plays a secretary overseeing risk management for a Korean conglomerate family who later returns to life as the youngest son of the wealthy family, according to South Korea's Maeil Business newspaper.
The series will be released in 2022, according to the newspaper.
Hunt
Squid Game's Lee Jung-jae (the star of the series who played contestant no. 456) will make his directorial debut in the film Hunt.
Lee also stars in the movie with major Korean actor Jung Woo-sung, who is the executive producer of the aforementioned The Silent Sea on Netflix.
The espionage drama pic sees Lee and Jung play agents working for South Korea's National Security Agency who uncover a huge truth while pursuing a spy chief, according to South Korea's Hankyung.
The latest film marks the epic reunion of the two veteran Korean actors, working together for the first time in 22 years since their last movie (City of the Rising Sun).
The film is set for release in 2022, according to South Korea's Hankyoreh.
The Policeman's Lineage
The crime film based on a Japanese novel of the same name stars Parasite's Choi Woo-shik.
Choi plays a rookie cop who goes on a dangerous undercover pursuit trying to uncover the shady dealings of a corrupt police chief played by Park Hee-soon, seen most recently in Dr. Brain on AppleTV+ and My Name on Netflix.
The new film is out on January 6, according to IMDb.
Special Delivery
The film, starring Parasite's Park So-dam, sees a driver get caught up in an unexpected incident following a delivery accident, leaving an unwanted bag and a mysterious sum of 30 billion Korean won ($25.1 million) in their hands.
Special Delivery is out on January 13.
About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more