5 underrated K-dramas with strong female leads worth watching this weekend

Korean dramas have produced some of the most compelling female characters on television in recent years. But not all of them got the attention they deserved. While K-dramas like ‘The Glory’ and ‘Crash Landing on You’ dominated global conversations, several equally well-written dramas with powerful female leads quietly came and went without enough viewers noticing.

Here are five K-dramas with strong female leads that flew under the radar and deserve a proper second look.

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1. My Name (2021)

Han So-hee plays Yoon Ji-woo, a young woman who witnesses her father being shot and spends the rest of the series hunting down whoever is responsible.

To investigate herself, she has to work for a gang leader and get onto the police force as a mole to figure out which group is really responsible. She faces plenty of physical fights, lies, and tragedies in her life to get her answers, but she always keeps going.

My Name is only eight episodes long. It moves fast, hits hard, and gives Han So-hee the kind of role that most actors wait years for. Ji-woo is not defined by romance or redemption. She is defined entirely by grief and fury, and that combination makes her one of the most memorable female leads in recent Korean drama history.

The fight sequences are also genuinely impressive. Han So-hee trained extensively for the role and it shows.

2. Queenmaker (2023)

Queenmaker is a South Korean political series starring Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri. Hwang Do-hee, played by Kim Hee-ae, is a strategic planner at a conglomerate who meets Oh Kyung-sook, played by Moon So-ri, a human rights lawyer running for mayor. The drama deals with high-stakes power politics as the two women fight for their idea of justice. It explores themes of corruption, class disparity, and power struggles.

What makes Queenmaker stand out is that neither woman is a simple hero or villain. They come from opposite worlds and want different things. But the series gives both leads equal weight and equal complexity. It is a rare K-drama that puts two women at the centre of a political battle and lets both of them be flawed, strategic, and compelling.

It ran for 11 episodes and received strong reviews. It still did not reach the audience it deserved.

3. Agency (2023)

Agency stars Lee Bo-young as Go Ah-in, who becomes the first female executive member of a large advertising agency. The drama explores the competitive, fast-paced, and cutthroat world of advertising.

For much of her life, Ah-in has had to face various hardships. It is inspiring to see her make a name for herself and take control of her life. She does not do this by being likeable or soft. She does it by being better than everyone else in the room and refusing to apologise for it.

Agency is a workplace drama but it does not feel like one. It feels like a war. Lee Bo-young is exceptional in the lead role and delivers one of the most nuanced performances in recent Korean drama. The show was a hit with Korean audiences on broadcast television but never found the same traction internationally.

4. Sell Your Haunted House (2021)

Hong Ji-ah, played by Jang Na-ra, is a real estate broker and an exorcist. She owns Daebak Real Estate, which offers the service to clean out buildings where ghosts frequent and people have died in. She inherited the ability to exorcise from her deceased mother. Oh In-beom, played by Jung Yong-hwa, is a con-artist who uses ghosts to earn money. Hong Ji-ah and Oh In-beom team up to solve the secret behind her mother and his uncle’s deaths 20 years ago.

Despite a juicy premise and strong lead performances, Sell Your Haunted House struggled to keep ratings against more conventional crime dramas. Fans still praise it for its unique marriage of supernatural thrills and emotional depth.

Jang Na-ra is the real reason to watch this. Ji-ah is cold, capable, and carrying decades of unresolved grief. The show is also notable for keeping the romance minimal and letting the plot drive everything.

5. Love to Hate You (2023)

Yeo Mi-ran, played by Kim Ok-vin, is a lawyer working with celebrities when she meets one of the biggest actors in Korea, Nam Kang-ho, played by Teo Yoo. The two have had unpleasant dating experiences in the past, causing them to despise anyone of the opposite gender. However, both Mi-ran and Kang-ho learn love is not as terrible as they thought when they begin falling for one another. As a character, Mi-ran is passionate and always does what she feels is right, especially when it comes to defending her clients.

Love to Hate You is lighter than the other four shows on this list. But it earns its place here because Mi-ran is genuinely funny, genuinely sharp, and completely unwilling to shrink herself for anyone. The enemies-to-lovers setup is familiar but the execution is sharp and the chemistry between the leads is easy to watch.

Due to its shorter season and quick pace, Love to Hate You is an easy K-drama to binge in a day. It is ten episodes and moves quickly. A good entry point for anyone new to K-dramas who wants a strong female lead without committing to something heavier.