LIST: 11 new K-dramas that will premiere in October

Mark your calendars as more K-dramas will premiere next month. Here are 11 upcoming series to watch.

1. The National Wife / All-Around Wife

Episodes: 120 | Duration per episode: To be announced

Genre: Drama

Main Cast: Han Da-Gam, Shim Ji-Ho, Han Sang-Jin, Kim Jae-In

Director: Choi Ji-Yeong

Network: KBS1

Release Date: Oct. 4 (Monday) | Airs on: Mondays to Fridays

Seo Cho-Hee is an account executive for an advertising company. She struggles living in a house in Gangnam, the rich district of Seoul. Later, she realizes that happiness is not about the house but about the caring family that lives in it.

2. Jinx

Episodes: 10 | Duration per episode: TBA

Genre: Romance, fantasy

Main Cast: Gyu Han, Se Kyung

Director: Nam Tae-Jin

Network: Kakao TV

Release Date: Oct. 6 (Wednesday) | Airs on: Wednesdays & Saturdays

Chani (Gyu Han) is cursed with a lousy jinx. Every time he sneezes, things turn out precisely the way he doesn’t want them to. It is putting him in all kinds of awkward situations in his daily life. Despite this, he continues to pursue his one-sided crush, believing that if he only tries hard enough, nothing is impossible.

 3. The King’s Affection

Episodes: 20 | Duration per episode: 70 minutes

Genre: Comedy, drama, romance

Main Cast: Park Eun-Bin, Rowwon, Nam Yoon-Su, Bae Yoon-Kyung, Choi Byung-Chan

Director: Song Hyun-Wook

Network: KBS2 and Netflix

Release Date: Oct. 11 (Monday) | Airs on: Mondays & Tuesdays

The romance drama is based on a manhwa (Korean comic) titled “Yeonmo.” A hidden princess, Lee Hwi (Park Eun-Bin), is brought back to the palace after her twin brother’s sudden death. Her mother, the Crown Prince’s wife, raises her and orders her to disguise herself as the crown prince, the monarch’s heir.

4. Reflection of You

Episodes: 16 | Duration per episode: 70 minutes

Genre:  Drama

Main Cast: Go Hyun-Jung, Shin Hyun-Bin, Kim Jae-Young, Choi Won-Young, Kim Jo-Hung

Director: Im Hyun-Wook

Network: JTBC and Netflix

Release Date: Oct. 13 (Wednesday) | Airs on: Wednesdays & Thursdays

Jung Hee-Joo (Go Hyun-Jung), who had her great share of struggles in her youth, is a successful painter and essayist. She is married to a medical hospital heir. She meets the poor and struggling young woman Hae Won (Shin Hyun-Bin), who reminds her of her younger self.

5. My Name

Episodes: 8 | Duration per episode: 50 minutes

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Main Cast: Han So-Hee, Ahn Bo-Hyun, Park Hee-Soon, Kim Sang-Ho, Lee Hak-Joo

Director: Kim Jin-Min

Network: Netflix

Release Date: Oct. 15 (Friday) | Airs on: Fridays

To find the truth about her father’s death, Yoon Ji-Woo (Han So-Hee), a member of an organized crime ring, infiltrates the police as an undercover agent and acts as a mole for the group. No one knows that she is a member of an organized crime ring; she is assigned to work in the drug investigation unit in the police department.

6. Jirisan (Jiri Mountain)

Episodes: 16 | Duration per episode: 70 minutes

Genre: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Drama

Main Cast: Jeon Ji-Hyun, Joo Ji-Hoon

Director: Lee Eung-Bok

Network: tvN, iQiYi

Release Date: Oct. 23 (Saturday) | Airs on: Saturdays & Sundays

The story tells about national park rangers, Jeon Ji-Hyun and Joo Ji-Hoon as Seo Yi-Gang and Kang Hyun-Jo, who are struggling to save the lost trekkers in a mysterious and unexplored region of the Jiri Mountain.

7. Inspector Koo

Episodes: 12 | Duration per episode: 65 minutes

Genre: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Comedy

Main Cast: Lee Young-Ae, Kim Hye-Joon

Director: Lee Jung-Heum

Network: JTBC

Release Date: Oct. 30 (Saturday) | Airs on: Saturdays & Sundays

Kyung Yi, an insurance investigator who used to be a police officer, enjoys solving cold cases for the thrill of it rather than to serve justice. She comes across a female college student, who is a serial killer, when she begins investigating an unsolved murder.

8. Chimera

Episodes: 16 | Duration per episode: TBA

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Main Cast: Park Hae-Soo, Lee Hee-Joon, Kim Soo-Hyun, Cha Joo-Young

Director: Kim Do-Hoon

Network: OCN

Release Date: Oct. 30 (Saturday) | Airs on: Saturdays & Sundays

A present-day case is found to be related to an explosion and series of murders in 1984 known as the Chimera Incident. Thirty-five years later, a detective, a criminal profiler and a surgeon work together to find the culprit behind the mystery.

9. Work Later, Drink Now / City Girls Drinkers

Episodes: 10 | Duration per episode: (To be announced)

Genre: Drama

Main Cast: Lee Sun-Bin, Han Sun-Hwa, Jung Eun-Ji, Super Junior’s Choi Si-Won 

Director: Shin Won-Ho

Network: tvN

Release Date: October (TBA) | Airs on: TBA

An So-Hee (Lee Sun-Bin), a broadcasting writer, Han Ji-Yeon (Han Sun-Hwa) a yoga instructor, and Kang Ji-Gu (Jung Eun-Ji) a YouTuber, love gathering after office hours and drinking together. They are a group of single thirtysomethings. Kang Buk-Gu (Choi Si-Won), a PD of a TV variety show, also loves to hang out with them. 

10. Crime Puzzle

Episodes: 16 | Duration per episode: TBA

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological, Romance, Drama

Main Cast: Yoon Kye-Sang, Go Ah-Sung, Yoon Gyung-Ho, Song Sun-Mi

Director: Go Jae-Hyun

Network: Olleh TV

Release Date: October (TBA) | Airs on: TBA

A male criminal psychologist is sent to prison for murder, and the female criminal profiler who loses her father to the murder conducts interviews with him. These two are ex-lovers and now face the unexpected truth to a series of murders.

 11. My Sweet Dear

Episodes: TBA | Duration per episode: TBA

Genre: Boys Love, Romance, Youth, Drama

Main Cast: Jang Eui-Soo, Lee Chan-Hyung, Jang Do-Yoon

Director: So Joon-Moon

Network: Viki

Release Date: October (TBA) | Airs on: TBA

The drama is about a genius chef at a top restaurant and another chef who suddenly gets hired to work in the same kitchen. After getting to know one another, the beginnings of an unlikely love story start to form.

Thumbnail photos by Netflix, KBS, Asian Wiki, My Drama List. Banner photo by Netflix, KBS, Asian Wiki, My Drama List, Kpop Hit, and Reddit