Korean dramas have already ruled our hearts with their amazing plots, mesmerizing music, fabulous actors, and characters that connect emotionally with us. People watching Kdramas are increasing rapidly.
Kdramas have different tropes noona romance, love triangle, childhood friends, enemies to lovers, etc. These tropes make them popular and fun to watch. One of the most common is rich boy/poor girl drama.
Rich Boy, Poor Girl Kdramas
In this type of drama, the male lead is a rich boy or man. He can be a CEO, a chaebol, or from a rich family. The female lead is poor or not as rich as the male lead. This is the most common type.
The rich boy’s world collides with the poor girl’s, leading to unexpected connections, heartfelt moments, and captivating chemistry that keeps us hooked. If you’re looking for some good dramas of this type, here is the list.
1. Master’s Sun
Hangul: 주군의 태양
Year: 2013
Joong Won is the CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate. He meets Gong Shil, who can see ghosts. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought by the spirits. And unknowingly, they fall in love.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Gong Hyo Jin as Tae Gong Shil
- So Ji Sub as Joo Joong Won
- Seo In Guk as Kang Woo
- Kim Yoo Ri as Tae Yi Ryung
No. Of Episodes – 17 (62 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
2. What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
Hangul: 김비서가 왜 그럴까
Year: 2018
Lee Young Joon’s family owns a huge corporation, and he serves as its vice president. He is wealthy, attractive, and intelligent, but he is arrogant. Mi So, his secretary, has worked for him for years and is ideal for him, but she abruptly decides to leave.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Min Young as Kim Mi So
- Park Seo Joon as Lee Young Joon
- Lee Tae Hwan as Lee Sung Yeon
- Pyo Ye Jin as Kim Ji Ah
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
3. Kill Me, Heal Me
Hangul: 킬미힐미
Year: 2015
The story is about an heir to a business who has severe dissociative identity disorder. He asks a psychiatrist for help to get his life back under control, but she ends up falling in love with one of his personalities. Her brother looks into him and his family.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Cha Do Hyun
- Hwang Jung Eum as Oh Ri Jin
- Park Seo Joon as Oh Ri On
- Kim Yoo Ri as Han Chae Yun
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. Youth Of May
Hangul: 오월의 청춘
Year: 2021
Set in the year 1980 during the Gwangju Uprising, the drama follows the love story of medical student Hee Tae, who entered medical school and Myung Hee, who worked as a nurse for the past 3 years. Their love seems destined by fate.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Do Hyun as Hwang Hee Tae
- Go Min Si as Kim Myung Hee
- Lee Sang Yi as Lee Soo Chan
- Geum Sae Rok as Lee Soo Ryun
No. Of Episodes: 12
Streaming Options (region-specific):
5. City Hunter
Hangul: 시티헌터
Year: 2011
Lee Yoon Sung is a smart graduate of MIT who works on the Blue House’s international communications team. He makes plans with his surrogate father Lee Jin Pyo to get back at the five politicians who killed his father and becomes a “City Hunter.”
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Min Ho as Lee Yoon Sung
- Park Min Young as Kim Na Na
- Lee Joon Hyuk as Kim Young Joo
- Kim Sang Joong as Lee Jin Pyo
No. Of Episodes: 20 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
6. Shopping King Louie
The drama revolves around a shopaholic named Louis, who is the successor of a business empire but becomes homeless after suffering from amnesia, and Bok Shil, a country girl who lives a life that is worlds apart from the rich.
Cast –
- Seo In Guk as Kang Ji Sung / Louis
- Nam Ji Hyun as Go Bok Shil
- Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Joong Won
- Im Se Mi as Baek Ma Ri
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
7. Coffee Prince
Han Gyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop. To attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun Chan, a tomboy often mistaken as a boy desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince.
8. She Was Pretty
Hangul: 그녀는 예뻤다
Year: 2015
When young, the beautiful Hye Jin often rescued shy and unappealing Sung Joon from awkward situations. Years later, the tables have turned and the now handsome and dashing Sung Jun looks to return the favour to his first love.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Hwang Jung Eum as Kim Hye Jin
- Park Seo Joon as Ji Sung Jun
- Go Joon Hee as Min Ha Ri
- Choi Si Won as Kim Shin Hyuk
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
9. Tempted
Hangul: 위대한 유혹자
Year: 2018
Kwon Shi Hyun and his friends make a bet that he can get Eun Tae Hee, a 20-year-old girl who doesn’t believe in love, to like him. After she meets Shi Hyun and spends some time with him, her view on love changes.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Woo Do Hwan as Kwon Shi Hyun
- Joy as Eun Tae Hee
- Moon Ga Young as Choi Soo Ji
- Kim Min Jae as Lee Se Joo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. Boys Over Flowers
Hangul: 꽃보다 남자
Year: 2009
Poor Jan Di goes to Shin Hwa High, where F4’s leader, Joon Pyo, picks on her (the four richest and most gorgeous boys). Joon Pyo starts to like Jan Di, but Jan Di likes Ji Hoo, who is Joon Pyo’s best friend. The drama revolves around these characters.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Min Ho as Goo Joon Pyo
- Gu Hye Seon as Geum Jan Di
- Kim Hyun Joong as Yoon Ji Hoo
- Kim Bum as So Yi Jung
No. Of Episodes: 25 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. I’m Not A Robot
Hangul: 로봇이 아니야
Year: 2017
Ji Ah receives a phone call from her ex-boyfriend, who developed a robot that looks exactly like her, but it was shattered in an accident. He offers her money in exchange for going to the home of a shareholder and pretending to be a robot.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Yoo Seung Ho as Kim Min Kyu
- Chae Soo Bin as Jo Ji Ah
- Uhm Ki Joon as Hong Baek Gyun
- Park Se Wan as Pi
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
12. So I Married an Anti-Fan
Hoo Joon is a top star and Geun Young is a magazine reporter. She is approached for a TV show. Joon is also offered the same show. When filming begins, they try to give each other a hard time on set, only to fall head over heels for one another.
Cast –
- Choi Tae Joon as Hoo Joon
- Choi Soo Young as Lee Geun Young
- Hwang Chan Sung as Choi Jae Joon
- Han Ji An as Oh In Hyung
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
13. When My Love Blooms
Jae Hyun and Ji Soo met and fell in love when they were university students. Twenty years later, they cross paths once again: Jae Hyun has become a successful businessman, while Ji Soo is a mother and a contract worker living a difficult life.
14. Cinderella and the Four Knights
A young girl living with her cruel stepmother and sister is hired by an old man. She has to figure out how to live with the four very different Kang brothers. Together, they have to work through their problems and find love.
15. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Hangul: 힘쎈여자 도봉순
Year: 2017
Do Bong Soon is a girl who doesn’t have a job but has superhuman abilities. Ahn Min Hyuk, the CEO of a gaming company hires her to be his bodyguard. As they get to know each other better, they realize that their relationship goes beyond work.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Bo Young as Do Bong Soon
- Park Hyung Sik as Ahn Min Hyuk
- Ji Soo as In Gook Doo
- Jun Suk Ho as Secretary Kong
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. My Secret Romance
Jin Wook is a son from a wealthy family who runs a large company. Yoo Mi, who has never had a boyfriend before has a one-night stand with him. They meet again three years later, whereupon they kick off a shaky push-pull romance.
17. Clean With Passion For Now
Sun Gyeol is a germaphobic CEO of a cleaning company. He falls in love with Oh Sol, a carefree and untidy girl who enters his company as an employee. With her help, he faces his mysophobia and learns to love life.
18. Fated To Love You
Mi Young is an office clerk who can’t say no to anyone. While on vacation, she accidentally spends one night with Lee Gun, the successor of a big company. She then finds herself pregnant. Now, they must deal with the consequences.
19. The Legend Of The Blue Sea
Hangul: 푸른 바다의 전설
Year: 2016
The series centers on the love story of Shim Chung, a mermaid, and Joon Jae, a witty con artist. Focusing on rebirth, fate, and unrequited love, their tale is shown with the parallel story of their Joseon-era incarnations, the mermaid, Se Hwa, and town head, Dam Leong.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Min Ho as Heo Joon Jae
- Jun Ji Hyun as Shim Chung
- Lee Hee Joon as Jo Nam Doo
- Shin Won Ho as Tae Oh
No. Of Episodes: 20
Streaming Options (region-specific):
20. Princess Hours
In an alternate version of Korea in the 21st century, an ordinary girl is picked to marry Crown Prince Lee Shin. The two have to figure out how to be royals and deal with the problems that come with their arranged marriage.
Cast –
- Yoon Eun Hye as Shin Chae Kyung
- Joo Ji Hoon as Lee Shin
- Song Ji Hyo as Min Hyo Rin
- Kim Jeong Hoon as Lee Yul
No. Of Episodes – 24
Watch On – Viki
21. Goblin
Hangul: 도깨비
Year: 2017
Kim Shin (Goblin) is framed as a traitor and executed by the young monarch. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to be eternal forever. He encounters Ji Eun Tak, who claims to be his spouse. The plot centres around four main leads.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Gong Yoo as Kim Shin
- Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak
- Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper
- Yoo In Na as Sunny
No. Of Episodes: 16 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
22. The Heirs
Hangul: 상속자들
Year: 2013
Kim Tan, who is in the U.S., is the owner to Empire Group. Cha Eun Sang, who is looking for her older sister, is one of the people he meets. He can’t help but like her more and more. They meet again at a high school attended by richest people.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Min Ho as Kim Tan
- Park Shin Hye as Cha Eun Sang
- Kim Woo Bin as Choi Yeong Do
- Kim Ji Won as Yoo Rachel
No. Of Episodes: 20 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So, these were some of the recommended Korean dramas that include rich and poor main leads, their struggles, and romance. This trope never gets old and new dramas keep releasing.
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FAQs
1. What are really good rich guy poor girl Korean dramas?
Some of the best rich guy poor girl dramas include Boys Over Flowers, Coffee Prince, Fated To Love You, Secret Garden, Full House.
2. What are rich boy poor girl Kdramas?
They are a trope or genre of Kdramas that usually has a romance between a wealthy man and a woman from a less privileged background.
3. Where can I watch or download these dramas?
Netflix, Viki, WeTV, YouTube are some of the platforms where you can download or watch Korean dramas.
