K-DRAMA NEWS - June 2026
By Sharon Stern
Summer months tend to be a little lighter in dramaland and this June is no exception. However, the dramas coming out cover interesting subjects. There is a body-swap drama where the now-hidden chairman of a conglomerate gets to investigate his company because of his new body. Another has an elite plastic surgeon sent to a remote island as a public doctor to fulfill his military service. Another tackles school violence. Another has a bored employee re-spark her interest in work due to a manager everyone else finds cold. And the last June drama is a psychological cliff-hanger based on a failed-writer-turned-professor, featuring a star-studded cast. If you dash through these by binge-watching them, you may be able to catch up on some past dramas there haven’t been time for.
Reborn Rookie – 신입사원 강회장
Viki– Starring: Lee Jun-young, Son Hyun-joo, Lee Ju-myoung, Jeon Hye-jin
Genre: Office, fantasy, mystery, drama, revenge
Based on the web novel The New Employee Chairman by San Kyung.
Kang Yong-ho (Son Hyun-joo) is the chairman of the Choi Sung Group conglomerate and he has built the company himself. Hwang Jun-hyeon (Lee Jun-young) is a League 1 soccer player for the FC Choiseng soccer club. Because of a messy (and hard to explain quickly) embezzlement scheme by Chairman Kang’s children, Jun-hyeon ends up getting hit by the car of the Chairman’s son. Jun-hyeon is angry because his brand-new career is suddenly brought to a halt and now he has to pay back a huge fee to the soccer club for not playing the contract he signed. Jun-hyeon confronts Chairman Kang in the hospital, but the two end up falling down the stairs and, as a result, doing a body swap.
Jun-hyeon’s body, with Chairman Kang in it, is in a coma. Chairman Kang, in Jun-hyeon’s body, decides to get even with his children by exposing their wrong-doings at the conglomerate. He (in Jun-hyeon’s body), applies for an entry-level job at the conglomerate and then gets the help of his oldest daughter (Lee Ju-myoung), who he has kept hidden for years.
Doctor on the Edge (also called Endurance Doctor) – 닥터 섬보이
Disney+ – Starring: Lee Jae-wook, Shin Ye-eun, Hong Min-gi, Kim Yoon-woo, Lee Soo-kyung
Genre: Medical drama, romance
Based on the webtoon Endurance Doctor by Kim Tae-poong
Even though military service in South Korea is mandatory for all men, there are a few ways to get around actually serving. One is if you serve time as a public health doctor. Do Ji-ui (Lee Jae-wook) is a plastic surgeon at a university hospital. He resigns to work as a public health doctor to fulfill his military service and is sent to a remote village on the island of Pyeongdong-do. No one would want this assignment. There are ominous signs everywhere. There he meets Yook Ha-ri, a nurse who had also worked at a university hospital, but who came to work at Pyeongdong-do for undisclosed reasons. Thinking he just needs to survive his time, Do Ji-ui slowly finds compassion as he treats the patients in this remote location.
Teach You a Lesson – 참교육
Netflix – Starring: Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Sung-min, Jin Ki-joo, Pyo Ji-hoon
Genre: Action, school
Based on the Naver webtoon Get Schooled by Chae Yong-taek and Han Ga-ram.
Campus violence is an issue all over the world and South Korea is no exception. When teachers can’t control unruly students, they can lose control of the classroom. In this drama, the government decides to pass an amendment to the Act on the Protection of Teachers’ Rights and establishes the Educational Rights Protection Agency (ERPA). This agency has the legal authority to physically and psychologically pressure students to get them to comply with them in order to restore order in classrooms. ERPA Supervisor, Na Hwa-jin (Kim Mu-yeol) is sent to several schools to dismantle gangs and root out administrative corruption. Investigator Im Han-rim (Jin Ki-joo) accompanies him on his assignments.
See You at Work Tomorrow! – 내일도 출근
Prime Video – Starring: Seo In-guk, Park Ji-hyun, Kang Mi-na
Genre: Rom-com, workplace
Premieres June 22 | Cha Ji-yun (Seo In-guk) has been working at Saeum Electronics for seven years and her career and her life have hit a bit of a plateau. She wants to change departments in order to be able to advance and starts working under the manager Kang Si-woo (Park Ji-hyun), known for being blunt and disciplined, giving him a reputation of being grumpy.
Agent Kim Reactivated – 김부장
Netflix – Starring: So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, Yoon Kyung-ho, Joo Sang-wook, Son Na-eun
Genre: Action, revenge, thriller, mystery
Premieres June 26 | Kim Do-hyeon (So Ji-sub) works at a small bank. A seemingly ordinary single father, he is raising his daughter, Min Ji. He is hiding a secret – he used to be a spy who was sent on numerous special operations. Because of this, he is on North Korea’s most wanted list, so maintaining his cover is really, really important. When his daughter goes missing, he has to reveal who he used to be, which he does without hesitation, risking everything. When his secret is revealed, he is seen by the director of the National Special Missions Bureau, who has been looking for him. Add in a North Korean spy (Kim Sun-kyu) who is also looking for him and his challenges become even more challenging. Former colleagues and others with secrets surround him as he rushes to find his daughter.
Notes From the Last Row – 맨 끝줄 소년
Netflix – Starring: Choi Min-sik,Choi Hyun-wook, Jin Kyung,Huh Joon-ho, Kim Yoon-jin
Genre: Suspense
Premieres June 26 | This series is adapted from Juan Mayorga’s Spanish play of the same name.
OK, drama fans, as with any drama, this could totally enthrall or totally disappoint, but the trailers make it look like a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat good time. Choi Min-sik is one of the most well South Korean actors beginning in the 1990s and has starred in some huge blockbusters, including the original Oldboy and he is by no-means the only big name in this drama. Acting power alone should make this a good drama.
Heo Mun-o (Choi Min-sik) is a literature professor who is frustrated with students’ poor writing skills. He once wrote a novel, but stopped writing when his successful writer friend, Kim Su-hun (Huh Joon-ho) coldly criticized his writing when they were younger. Heo Mun-o is weighed down by insecurity and unfulfilled dreams. Kim Su-hun is relaxed and self-assured because of his fame. Heo Mun-o begins tutoring an engineering student named Lee Gang (Choi Hyun-wook) who has a real talent for writing and who motivates Heo Mun-o to want to write again. He loses perspective as he becomes obsessed with Lee Gang’s writing, which drags them both into a game of manipulation and ambition
