The return of star screenwriters: K-dramas reclaim the spotlight with original stories

Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung star in the Netflix series “Can This Love Be Translated?” / Courtesy of Netflix.

Star television writers with devoted fan bases are lining up to return to Korea’s small screen this year, offering original stories at a time when adaptations of webtoons and web novels dominate the drama market.

Rather than relying on familiar intellectual property, they are betting on character-driven narratives and distinct authorial voices — a strategy that has already generated buzz among viewers and industry watchers.

'Pure, fairy tale-like writing'

The first to return are Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran, the "Hong sisters," who are renowned for crafting genre-defining romantic dramas such as “The Greatest Love,” “Hotel Del Luna” and “Alchemy of Souls.”

Their new Netflix series, “Can This Love Be Translated?,” is set for release on Friday. The romantic comedy centers on Ju Ho-jin, a multilingual interpreter played by Kim Seon-ho, and Cha Mu-hee, a global superstar portrayed by Go Youn-jung.

As Cha joins a global reality show with Ju as her interpreter, the two are drawn into an unpredictable romance. “The drama grows out of moments when they try to put their feelings into words,” the Hong sisters said. “Ho-jin is the most blunt, straight-talking person imaginable, while Mu-hee is the most layered.”

From left, actors Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung, with director Yoo Young-eun / Yonhap

While the drama offers everything from overseas shoots in locations like Japan, Canada and Italy to sizzling on-screen chemistry between its leads, the element that has drawn the most focus is the script. At a presentation held at a Seoul hotel on Tuesday, many of the questions centered on the cast and crew’s impressions of the Hong sisters and their writing.

“It was exciting to work on the Hong sisters’ long-awaited return to pure romantic comedy after their fantasy projects,” director Yoo Young-eun said. “The drama is built around compelling dilemmas — an interpreter who sometimes feels certain words are better left unsaid, and a star who finds herself wishing the words of love she hears on set were spoken by someone else.”

“It was pure, fairy tale-like writing,” Kim Seon-ho said. “I tried to convey those emotions as carefully as possible.”

Human-centered dramas return with new works by Noh Hee-kyung and Park Hae-young

Veteran writer Noh Hee-kyung, known for comforting audiences worn down by the hardships of everyday life through works such as “Dear My Friends” and “Our Blues,” is also returning to Netflix after a four-year hiatus.

Her upcoming series, “Show Business,” spans 22 episodes and was produced with a budget of over 70 billion won ($52 million). Set against the backdrop of Korea’s entertainment industry from the 1960s through the 1980s, the drama traces the growth of individuals who throw themselves fully into the pursuit of success in an era marked by violence and upheaval.

Song Hye-kyo stars as Min-ja, a tenacious woman who enters the world of Korean popular music, while Gong Yoo plays Dong-gu, her childhood friend.

Writer Noh Hee-kyung / Courtesy of tvN

Park Hae-young, another acclaimed writer of human-centered dramas, is preparing a new series set in the film industry, tentatively titled “Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness.” The exact premiere date has yet to be announced, but the series is expected to air on JTBC later this year.

In an in-depth interview included in a book published last year, Park described the new project as a tonal shift from her earlier work. She said that compared with her previous scripts, the upcoming drama leans more clearly into comedy. “I’d say ‘My Liberation Notes’ was lighter than ‘My Mister,’ and this one is even funnier,” Park said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.