South Korea is home to a lot of dramas and conglomerates. Some of the largest companies include Samsung, Hyundai, and CJ. Most of the time, Kdramas include the CEO or heir of a company known as Chaebol.
Korean dramas are popularly known for their office romance dramas that show the relationship between a boss and employee. If you’re into this trope, read on to find out some good shows to watch.
Best Chaebol Kdramas
A chaebol is a big family-owned business group with many different companies that work together. The typical romance drama commonly has a male lead who is the owner of a company. These are known as chaebol dramas.
If you are looking for some of the best Kdramas with a chaebol or rich male lead, here is a handpicked list. These highly rated dramas are a mix of romance, comedy, and thrillers that are sure to keep you hooked.
1. 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):
2. 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):
3. Business Proposal
Hangul: 사내 맞선
Year: 2012
The drama follows Ha Ri, who goes on a blind date by claiming to be her best friend. But she’s terrified to see Tae Mu, the CEO of the company she works at. And to make matters worse, he’s dead set on marrying her.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kim Se Jeong as Shin Ha Ri
- Ahn Hyo Seop as Kang Tae Mu
- Seol In Ah as Jin Young Seo
- Kim Min Kyu as Cha Sung Hoon
No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. 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):
5. 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):
6. 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):
7. Reborn Rich
Hangul: 재벌집 막내아들
Year: 2022
Yoon Hyun Woo dies after the Sunyang Group family, which he had always been loyal to, frames him for theft. He is reborn as Jin Do Joon, the youngest son of the family, and tries to take over the company to get his payback.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Song Joong Ki as Do Joon / Hyun Woo
- Lee Sung Min as Jin Yang Chul
- Shin Hyun Bin as Seo Min Young
- Yoon Je Moon as Jin Young Ki
No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
8. Secret Garden
Hangul: 시크릿 가든
Year: 2010
When a rich CEO of a successful company falls in love with a simple stuntwoman, he has to deal with a lot of different feelings as he tries to win her over. To make things more confusing, a strange chain of events causes them to switch bodies.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Hyun Bin as Kim Joo Won
- Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im
- Yoon Sang Hyun as Choi Woo Young
- Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
9. 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):
10. See You In My 19th Life
Hangul: 이번 생도 잘 부탁해
Year: 2023
Ji Eum is reborn for the 19th time. She can remember all of her past lives. She tries to find a guy named Seo Ha who she knew in a past life, and they fall in love despite the challenges of their different worlds.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Shin Hye Sun as Ban Ji Eum
- Ahn Bo Hyun as Moon Seo Ha
- Ha Yoon Kyung as Yoon Cho Won
- Ahn Dong Goo as Ha Do Yoon
No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Her Private Life
Deok Mi works as a curator at an art gallery. She is a huge fan of idol and secretly runs a fan website about him. She hides this from everyone. At least until Ryan Gold, the art gallery’s new director, enters into her life. When he uncovers Deok Mi’s secret, everything changes.
12. 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
13. Touch Your Heart
Hangul: 진심이 닿다
Year: 2019
Yoon Seo is embroiled in a scandal that affects her career. Later on, she is offered a prominent role in an upcoming drama. She must, however, first serve as a secretary for a lawyer named Jung Rok. They fall in love eventually.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Dong Wook as Kwon Jung Rok
- Yoo In Na as Oh Yoon Seo
- Lee Sang Woo as Kim Se Won
- Son Sung Yoon as Yoo Yeo Reum
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. Crash Landing On You
Hangul: 사랑의 불시착
Year: 2019
Se Ri goes for a short paragliding ride, a sudden tornado blows her off course, leading her to crash land in North Korea, where she meets an army officer, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. They fall in love, despite the dispute between their countries.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Hyun Bin as Ri Jung Hyuk
- Son Ye Jin as Yoon Se Ri
- Seo Ji Hye as Seo Dan
- Kim Jung Hyun as Goo Seung Jun
No. Of Episodes: 16
Streaming Options (region-specific):
15. 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):
16. 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.
17. W: Two Worlds
Hangul: 더블유
Year: 2016
When Yeon Joo starts to read “W,” a webtoon written by her father, she is pulled into the world of “W.” While she is in the webtoon, she saves Kang Cheol and becomes involved in a murder case.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Han Hyo Joo as Oh Yeon Joo
- Lee Jong Suk as Kang Cheol
- Kim Eui Sung as Oh Sung Moo
- Lee Tae Hwan as Seo Do Yoon
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
18. Oh My Venus
When her boyfriend of fifteen years breaks up with her for gaining weight, Kang Joo Eun, a lawyer gets help from Kim Young Ho, an incredibly perfect personal trainer of Hollywood stars, to get in shape and turn her life around.
Wrapping Up
So these are some recommended Chaebol Korean dramas worth watching right now. Get into the world of love, betrayal, and family relations. You can also watch the best romance dramas of 2023.
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