Best K-Dramas Adapted From Webtoons

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)

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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. 

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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?  

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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)

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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.

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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)

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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. 

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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.

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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)

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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. 

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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)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!