appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Pierce Conran

In addition to featuring the closing chapter of one of the biggest small-screen events of all time, June will see the launch of a number of hotly anticipated Korean drama series.
They include a dark gangster saga, a school election comedy, a serial killer story and a variety of romantic tales.
1. Mercy for None
Lead cast: So Ji-sub, Huh Joon-ho


So Ji-sub suits up for a return to gangland in Netflix’s Mercy for None. He plays Nam Gi-jun, a former gangster who helped his ruthless boss amass power before leaving a life of crime behind to save his brother, who works for a rival gang.
Eleven years later Gi-jun’s brother dies, compelling him to take revenge by interposing himself between the two gangs.
Last seen in Doctor Lawyer, So makes his small-screen comeback in this webtoon-based action revenge drama. (Netflix, June 3)
2. The First Night with the Duke
Lead cast: Seohyun, Ok Taec-yeon


K-pop icons Seohyun (of Girls’ Generation) and Ok Taec-yeon (of 2PM) join forces for the high-concept period romantic comedy The First Night with the Duke.
Last seen in Song of the Bandits, Seohyun plays K, an ordinary university student who is suddenly sucked into the world of her favourite novel, a period romance. She is now Cha Seon-chaek, an aristocrat’s daughter.
When K possesses her, Seon-chaek spends a night with Lee Beon (Ok), the lead male character in the story who is destined to be king.
Realising what she has done, K attempts to course-correct the story and steer Beon back to Jo Eun-ae, the real female lead. (KBS2, June 11)
3. Our Movie
Lead cast: Namkoong Min, Jeon Yeo-been


Namkoong Min (Hot Stove League) and Jeon Yeo-been (Vincenzo) team up on screen as film director Lee Je-ha and actress Lee Da-eum in the romantic melodrama Our Movie.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Je-ha debuted to acclaim but has struggled to return to form. He decides to make a romantic drama and meets Da-eum, an aspiring actress with an incurable disease.
Da-eum helps Je-ha as he prepares for his cinematic return and the two form a romantic bond in the process. (SBS/Disney+, June 13)
4. Hunter with a Scalpel
Lead cast: Park Ju-hyun, Park Yong-woo, Kang Hoon


Park Ju-hyun returns to the world of small-screen serial killers that launched her to fame in Mouse with the new series Hunter with a Scalpel.
While conducting an autopsy, forensic pathologist Seo Se-hyun (Park Ju-hyun) uncovers clues to the handiwork of her father, serial killer Yoon Jo-kyun (Park Yong-woo, Priest).
With the help of violent-crime detective Jung Jung-hyun (Kang Soon, Dear Hyeri), Se-hyun attempts desperately to track her father down before he strikes again. (U+ MobileTV, June 16)
5. Salon De Holmes
Lead cast: Lee Si-young, Jung Young-Joo, Kim Da-som, Nam Gi-ae


Sweet Home actress Lee Si-young is back in the comedy series Salon De Holmes as Kong Mi-ri, a fastidious woman living in the Gwangsun Jugong complex who picks up on even the smallest of details.
She teams up with three other Gwangsun residents – Chu Kyeong-ja (Jung Young-joo, When the Stars Gossip), Park So-hee (Kim Da-som, Serendipity’s Embrace) and Jeon Ji-hyun (Nam Gi-ae, Blood Free) – to get to the bottom of various mysteries plaguing their complex. (ENA, June 16)
6. I Am a Running Mate
Lead cast: Yoon Hyun-soo, Lee Jung-sic, Choi Woo-sung, Hong Hwa-yeon


With South Korea’s presidential election season upon us, I Am a Running Mate will feature a tense school election. Model student Se-hoon (Yoon Hyun-soo, A Good Day to Be a Dog), seeking to improve his image after an incident at school, decides to be a candidate’s running mate.
The trouble is, both the main candidates for student council president are desperate to get him on their team.
I Am a Running Mate is the directorial debut of Han Jin-won, the Oscar-winning co-writer of global sensation Parasite. The series premiered its first three episodes at the Busan International Film Festival in 2023. (TVing, June 19)
7. Head Over Heels
Lead cast: Cho Yi-hyun, Choo Yeong-woo


Cho Yi-hyun (All of Us Are Dead) and Choo Yeong-woo (The Tale of Lady Ok) lead the school romance Head Over Heels.
Cho plays Park Sung-a, a student during the day who moonlights as a shaman, careful to hide her identity. One day Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo) comes to visit with his mother and she immediately falls for him.
The next day, Gyeon-woo appears before her again as a new transfer student. Sung-a endeavours to save him from his destiny. (tvN/Amazon Prime, June 23)
8. Squid Game season 3
Lead cast: Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon


The smash-hit death game sensation Squid Game is set to wind to a close with its third and final season this June.
Lee Jung-jae’s Seong Gi-hun is back in the games as Player 456, but after a failed rebellion to overthrow the games and with several more rounds to play, his and his co-conspirators’ fate remains very much in the air.
After posing as a player in season two, Lee Byung-hun’s Hwang In-ho returns to his role as the Front Man in control of the games. (Netflix, June 27)


K-drama Reborn Rookie: Lee Jun-young’s corporate body-swap fantasy hums with melodrama

5 of the best new K-dramas to watch in June 2026, including See You at Work Tomorrow!

HBO Max K-drama Fifties Professionals: Shin Ha-kyun action comedy revisits hits of old

K-drama casting news about Nana, Lee Jong-suk, Kim Seon-ho and more

K-drama news

8 of the best new K-dramas to watch in June 2025, including Squid Game season 3 on Netflix

Lee Byung-hun as Frontman in a still from Squid Game season 3. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix

Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun in a still from Squid Game season 3. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix

Who is Lee Jae-wook, the Alchemy of Souls star who shines in Netflix’s Dear Hongrang?

Lee Jae-wook as Sim Hongrang/Soul Reaper in a still from Dear Hongrang. Photo: Eunjung Kim/Netflix

Korean actor Lee Jae-wook, who starred in Alchemy of Souls, plays the lead in Dear Hongrang, his first in a Netflix original. Photo: Instagram/jxxvvxxk

Lee Jae-wook in a still from Extraordinary You (2019).

Lee Jae-wook in a still from Alchemy of Souls (2022).

Lee Jae-wook in a still from Search: WWW (2019).

Go Ara and Lee Jae-wook in a still from Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020). Photo: Netflix

Lee Jae-wook (left) in a still from The Battle of Jangsari. 

9 of the best new K-dramas to watch in May 2025, including Tastefully Yours on Netflix

Go Min-si in a still from Tastefully Yours, which premieres on ENA/Netflix on May 12.

Who is Lee Kwang-soo, Running Man founding member and star of many films and K-dramas?

Lee Kwang-soo in a still from Karma. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Korean actor Lee Kwang-soo is currently appearing in the K-dramas Karma and The Divorce Insurance. Photo: Netflix

Gong Seung-yeon and Lee Kwang-soo in a still from Karma. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Lee Kwang-soo in a still from The Divorce Insurance.

Lee Kwang-soo in a still from It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014).

Jung Yu-mi (centre) and Lee Kwang-soo (right) in a still from Live (2018).

Shin Ha-kyung (left) and Lee Kwang-soo in a still from Inseparable Bros (2019).

(From left) Lee Kwang-soo, Ju Ji-hoon and Ji Sung in a still from Confession (2014).

Lee Kwang-soo (left) and Park Bo-young in a still from Collective Invention (2015). Photo: CJ Entertainment

7 of the best new K-dramas to watch in April 2025, including Netflix thriller series Karma

Shin Min-a as Lee Ju-yeon in a still from Karma. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Shin Min-a as Lee Ju-yeon in a still from Karma, a limited series debuting on Netflix in April 2025. Photo: Jihyeong Seo/Netflix

Lifestyle

K-drama

K-Pop

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Lists

Must-sees include the final Squid Game chapter, gangster drama Mercy for None and romantic melodrama Our Movie


Must-sees include the final Squid Game chapter, gangster drama Mercy for None and romantic melodrama Our Movie.


8 of the best new K-dramas to watch in June 2025, including Squid Game season 3 on Netflix

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Must-sees include the final Squid Game chapter, gangster drama Mercy for None and romantic melodrama Our Movie

1. Mercy for None

2. The First Night with the Duke

Must-sees include the final Squid Game chapter, gangster drama Mercy for None and romantic melodrama Our Movie