Writer: Pragyanshree Mishra (Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India)
Editor: Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India)
K-Dramas have become a worldwide phenomenon and have garnered a global audience. Fans watch them for their amazing storylines, dazzling star casts, and plots that keep one hooked until the very end. K-Dramas based on Webtoons (episodic digital comics) gained popularity in 2016, but the dramas released in 2018 solidified their success, and the industry has not looked back since, as the fan base continues to grow.
Today, I will discuss some popular Webtoons and their corresponding drama adaptations. The first one on the list is adapted from a popular Manga, while the others are adapted from fan-favourite Webtoons.
Playful Kiss (2010)
Picture Credits: Viki
In 2010, a K-Drama titled Playful Kiss (장난스런 키스) starring Jung So-min and Kim Hyun-joong was released. It was adapted from the popular Manga series ‘Itazura na Kiss’ written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada, with a storyline where a girl called Oh Ha-ni, has a crush on the school topper and perfectionist Baek Seung-jo, she confesses to him and gets brutally rejected; circumstances happens leading them to live under the same roof and that’s when their love story begins.
Picture Credits: Wikipedia
The South Korean adaptation garnered a huge fan base and has become a must-watch for avid K-drama watchers. But the main question remains — what is the difference between the Manga and the K-drama?
Picture Credits: IMDb
The drama follows the same arc as the manga till the time they are in their school. But after that, there are some creative differences as the characters enter their married life, as well as start college.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018)
Image Credits: Soompi
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (김비서가 왜 그럴까?) is still everyone’s go-to rom-com K-drama and is adapted from the webtoon of the same name. The drama consists of 16 episodes, following the storyline of Kim Mi-so, played by Park Min-young, and Lee Young-joon, played by Park Seo-joon. Young-joon is the Vice-President of a well-known company, and Mi-so has been his secretary for 9 years.
Image Credits: Tappytoon
One day, suddenly, she decides to quit, which shocks Young-joon, and he does everything in his power to make her stay, and slowly the story of their connected childhood and past unfolds. The show, compared to the webtoon, is heavily dramatised, even the smallest sequences, which makes one laugh and feel giddy at the same time. While reading the webtoon, you get to see the slow progression of their story and everything that transpires in the midst.
True Beauty (2020)
Image Credits: Wikipedia
True Beauty (여신강림) itself was a sensation when it was released, with fans divided between ‘Team Su-ho (played by Cha Eun-woo) ’ and ‘Team Seo-jun (played by Hwang In-hyeop)’. It contains 16 episodes and follows the storyline of Lim Ju-kyung, played by Moon Ga-young, who is bullied in her middle school for being ugly, causing her to become extremely insecure about her looks.
Video Credits: CJ ENM Global
So, when she starts high school, she decides to use makeup and quickly becomes known for her beauty. She uses makeup heavily and is called a ‘true beauty’ in her high school, but as the story progresses, she realizes that what matters is the beauty inside.
Image Credits: Soompi
When it comes to this drama, I think the webtoon is more dramatised as it revolves around the love triangle formed between the lead characters. The writers of the drama changed the characters to make them appear more amiable, causing the audience to love all the characters and their charm. But in the webtoon, you get into the minds of the characters, and we get to see more brutal betrayals and complex feelings of each character.
Business Proposal (2022)
Picture Credits: allkpop
The hype Business Proposal (사내맞선) created when it was released is known to every K-drama lover. Kang Tae-moo, played by Ahn Hyo-seop, and Shin Ha-ri, played by Kim Se-jeong, were like our household names, so of course, it is must be included in our list.
The plot revolves around Shin Ha-ri and Kang Tae-moo, who meet on a blind date. Ha-ri pretends to be her best friend, Young-seo, played by Seol In-ha, and goes to meet Tae-moo at her request. He finds her interesting and becomes determined to date her. On the other hand, Young-seo falls for Tae-moo’s assistant Cha Sung-hoon, played by Kim Min-kyu. And so, their chaotic love story begins.
Video Credits: Netflix K-Content
Since the webtoon has 190+ chapters and the drama has only 12 episodes, it’s obvious that more details and heart-fluttering moments are there in the webtoon, and it would definitely make you fall in love with the characters. Also, in my opinion, their happily ever after scenes make the webtoon more charming than its drama adaptation.
The Uncanny Counter (2 Seasons) (2020-23)
Image Credits: IMDb
Everyone who has watched The Uncanny Counter (경이로운 소문) has one thing to say about it — it’s worth it! The plot revolves around Counters, a group of paranormal hunters that fight evil spirits trying to gain immortality through humans.
Video Credits: Netflix K-Content
The Yung is the boundary between life and the afterlife, and the Counters are the medium that helps in capturing the escaped evil spirit. The story takes an interesting turn when they hire a high school student, So-mun, played by Jo Byeong-kyu, with uncanny powers as a counter.
Image Credits: Tapas
The webtoon is way more detailed than the series about the concept of Yung and Counters, the powers of the counters worldwide, how they are all connected, the degree of uncanny powers that So-mun has, and everything magical in it. The connection of the storyline is done perfectly. While the drama itself has world-class acting and a captivating storyline, the webtoon would make you say wow! every time you read.
Semantic Error (2022)
BL (boy’s love) dramas are gaining popularity in the South Korean media industry, and at the forefront is Semantic Error (시맨틱 에러). It contains 8 episodes and follows the story of Chu Sang-woo, played by Park Jae-chan, who is a computer science student forced to do a group project alone. He decides to exclude the names of those who did not participate in making the project, causing Jang Jae-young, played by Park Seo-ham, a senior, to lose the opportunity to study abroad as well as to graduate.
He is ghosted by Sang-woo, and coincidentally becomes an integral part of the project Sang-woo is developing — he decides to bother Sang-woo but ends up falling for him and vice versa.
Video Credits: GagaOOLala
Sang-woo is way more straightforward in the webtoon than in the drama. We get to understand their slow progress of the story, and witness their enticing chemistry. We learn more about the characters and their thoughts through POV-focused chapters; while the drama falls more into the cuter side, capturing the main events that made the characters come together.
Have you watched or read any from the list? Have you ever read the webtoon first and then watched its drama or vice versa? Let us know in the comments!
Playful Kiss,what’s wrong with secretary Kim, True Beauty and Business Proposal all these are amazing 💖
I really enjoyed how this article emphasized the creativity behind webtoon adaptations. It’s amazing to see how stories that started as illustrations come alive with such emotional impact on screen. Many of my favorite dramas actually came from webtoons, and this list reminded me why they feel so unique — strong characters, fresh plots, and relatable themes. It also made me want to read the original webtoons now!
My first ever webtoon true beauty.i still remember my cousin had recommended me this drama.and after some week I get to know that they are releasing a adaption of the drama I was so happy.
I have watched every drama except semantic error
K-dramas adapted from webtoons always hit differently 🎀🎀
Some of my absolute favorites are ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?’, ‘True Beauty’, and ‘Business Proposal’. My first ever webtoon was ‘True Beauty’, recommended by a friend. K-dramas adapted from webtoons always hit differently—I love seeing the characters come to life on screen
I have watched business proposal, true beauty, and what’s wrong with secretary Kim and these all are really good
True Beauty and Semantic Error, I loved them both. The actors and storyline really did their job well, though I still feel a little bad for Seojun. 😂
Woww I didn’t even know such popular dramas are created from webtoons like I watch three of them The true beauty, what’s wrong with secretary Kim, and the most popular and many of k drama lovers first drama the business proposal and heared about others for now I want to watch playful kiss and semantic error and want to read their webtoons too because of this article I get to know about so much intresting facts of I drama and about different webtoons too looking for such More articles
I’ve watched True Beauty, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, and Business Proposal, but I didn’t know they all came from webtoons! Now I’m curious to read the webtoons too
I think most Kdrama fans know about these dramas because these are truly so iconic. Both Webstoons and dramas have their own charms. Most Dramas here deliver well as adaptations and are favourites of many fans. Same goes for me 🌟
I’ve watched almost every drama on this list except Semantic Error and Playful Kiss, and I totally agree with the picks! True Beauty, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, and Business Proposal are my top favorites — each one had its own charm and amazing chemistry.Webtoon adaptations really hit different when done right!
🌟 Fantastic list! I completely agree with your take on how webtoon adaptations “hit differently.” It’s fascinating to read your analysis on the subtle changes, like how True Beauty made the characters more amiable in the drama, or how the webtoon for The Uncanny Counter provides so much more detail on the ‘Yung’ and the Counter system.
I’ve watched What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? and Business Proposal, and now I’m definitely motivated to read their webtoons for the extra moments and details you mentioned!
This is a perfect guide for any K-drama fan curious about the original webtoons!
I had a similar experience with True Beauty—I watched the drama first and was so hooked that I immediately started reading the webtoon. It was so interesting to see the more “brutal betrayals and complex feelings” you mentioned come to life in the source material.
I’d recommend Semantic Error to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet—the drama is a wonderful, cute adaptation!
Great analysis, Pragyanshree! It’s always fascinating to see how K-dramas choose to adapt webtoons, and you did a great job highlighting those key differences. Your point about the webtoon for What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? showing the slow progression versus the drama’s heavier dramatization really resonated with me.
It makes me appreciate both formats! The webtoon gives us the deep dive, and the drama gives us the dazzling star power.
It’s amazing to see korean webtoon inspiring global dramas. I have read true beauty,business proposal while watch adaption version of what’s wrong with secretry kim and uncanny counter. The visuals,cast,story, background everything screams perfection and love.
I really enjoyed how this article emphasized the creativity behind webtoon adaptations. It’s amazing to see how stories that started as illustrations come alive with such emotional impact on screen. Many of my favorite dramas actually came from webtoons, and this list reminded me why they feel so unique — strong characters, fresh plots, and relatable themes. It also made me want to read the original webtoons now!
K-dramas adapted from webtoons really hit differently because you get to experience the same story in two completely unique ways. I love how each version deepens the characters ,sometimes the drama feels sweeter, and other times the webtoon shows the raw emotions better. Reading this list made me realise how many of these I’ve watched without even knowing they came from webtoons! It actually makes me want to start reading them first next time. And honestly, it’s fun comparing which version feels closer to my heart.
I love how webtoon adaptations bring familiar stories to life in such unique ways! True Beauty, Business Proposal, and Secretary Kim were all so fun to watch. It’s interesting seeing how different the tone can be compared to the webtoon. I enjoy experiencing both versions—each adds something special to the story!
OMG this list is literally my entire K-drama personality in one article 😭🔥 True Beauty, Business Proposal, Secretary Kim — all certified comfort dramas!! Now I feel like rereading all the webtoons too aaahhh!! 💕📚
true beauty is the first drama i watched based on webtoon. it was really worth watching and especially the message it delivers that physical or facial beauty isnt everything
I really loved True Beauty and Business Proposal, they’re both such comfort watches for me. I actually watched Business Proposal first and later read the webtoon, and it was fun noticing all the extra details and moments in the original story.
I’ve watched what’s wrong with secretary Kim, True beauty, business proposal & uncanny counter amongst these webtoon based k dramas. I really had a great time watching these😍loved how webtoon characters were portrayed with such effect in dramas. I recommended these to my non k drama people even they loved true beauty & started watching k dramas after that. True beauty is one of my favs. Team seojun here 😭🫶