5 hit K-dramas with foreign remakes – how do Thailand, China and Indonesia’s versions of Signal, Oh My Ghost and Discovery of Love match the originals?
The treatment, cast and settings may be different, but these popular South Korean drama adaptations still maintain the source materials’ winning formula for local audiences across Asia, and beyond
Imitation is a form of flattery, we often hear. So it comes as no surprise that the Korean dramas beloved across the world would find themselves being remade regionally to suit local viewers. The treatment, cast and settings may be different, but these K-drama adaptations still maintain the source materials’ winning formula.
She Was Pretty
Remade in: China
Two years after actors Park Seo-joon and Hwang Jung-eum starred in the often-overlooked South Korean drama She Was Pretty, a Chinese adaptation found success in 2017 and topped the ranking in its time slot. Pretty Li Huizhen retells the premise of a clumsy heroine who was stunning as a child but lost her beauty as she matured. The leading character navigates through the glossy world of print magazines, where she reunites with an old friend who doesn’t seem to recognise her.
Signal
Remade in: Japan
Signal is a 2018 Japanese series based on the Korean drama of the same name. The original 2016 series was written by award-winning writer Kim Eun-hee and was the 10th highest-rated Korean drama on cable television. Both series tells the tale of a police officer from the past, who uses a mystical walkie-talkie to communicate with a criminal profiler living more than a decade into the future.
Oh My Ghost