In February 2021 on YouTube live, Netflix announced its plan on investing 500M USD in projects in Korea this year.

This includes a total of 13 exciting South Korean projects coming out on Netflix globally in the year 2021!

Let's dive in and take a look at these highly anticipated projects one by one.

Night In Paradise
낙원의 밤

Movie

Cast: Uhm Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been, Cha Seung-won

Director: Park Hoon-jung

Genre: Action, Noir, Drama

Release Date On Netflix: April 9, 2021

Night In Paradise is about a man named Tae-goo who loses his sister and nephew after attempting to leave his gang and a woman named Jae-yeon standing at the end of her life with a terminal illness on Jeju Island.

The film premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in September 2020 and will be available in 190 countries on Netflix in April 9, 2021.

I Wish The World Would Fall Tomorrow
내일 지구가 망해버렸으면 좋겠어

Netflix Original Series / Sitcom

Cast: Park Se-wan, Shin Hyun-seung, Choi Young-jae, Minnie, Han Hyun-min

Director: Kwon Ik-joon

This sitcom takes place in an international dorm of a university in Seoul and tells the stories of friendships and romances that unfold.

The director Kwon Ik-joon is well-known for his previous works on classic sitcoms including Three Guys And Three Girls and the Nonstop series.

Lee Soo-geun's Sense Coach
이수근의 눈치코치

Netflix Original Series / Comedy

Cast: Lee Soo-geun

This stand-up comedy special features comedian/entertainer Lee Soo-geun and him consulting audiences who are tired of life and caring about what other people think of them.

Lee Soo-geun debuted 25 years ago and starred in Korea's entertainment shows including Men On A Mission, Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller, New Journey To The West, The Fishermen And The City, and many more.

Paik's Spirit
백스피릿

Netflix Original Series / Entertainment

Cast: Paik Jong-won

Korean celebrity chef/entrepreneur Paik Jong-won will sit down with the nation's celebrities for dining and drinking while telling stories of their lives.

At the same time, the show will feature Korea's traditional cuisine and liquor and get in-depth with the culture.

The Silent Sea
고요의 바다

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon

Genre: Drama, Sci-fi

Director: Choi Hang-yong

Episodes: 8

The Silent Sea is a Netflix original series that revolves around elite members at a research base abandoned on the moon while water and food are scarce on the future Earth due to desertification.

The drama is a series originating from director Choi Hang-song's short film that received great attention at the 13th Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival in 2014.

Actor Jung Woo-sung participated as a producer, while big-name Korean actors like Bae Doona, Gong Yoo and Lee Joon play roles of life-risking crews on the moon.

D.P

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Jung Hae-in, Kim Sung-kyun, Koo Kyo-hwan

Director: Han Jun-hee

Genre: Action, Drama

Original story by a Lezhin Comics webtoon titled D.P. 개의 날, this Netflix original series shows a Private named Jun-ho serving in the military like any other South Korean youth.

The story realistically depicts the abuses and human rights issues in the Korean military with the fresh subject of D.P. (Deserter Pursuit) of the Army Military Police.

The drama filmed from September 2020 to February 2021 and is in the second half of the production phase.

My Name
마이네임

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun

Director: Kim Jin-min

Genre: Action, Noir, Drama

Ji-woo (played by Han So-hee) becomes an undercover of an organization to solve the mysteries behind her father's death.

Han So-hee, after receiving an overwhelming amount of attention and praise on The World Of The Married last year, along with actors Park Hee-soon and Ahn Bo-hyun, is expected to present a phenomenon action noir.

Director Kim Jin-min also directed Netflix original series Extracurricular (2020) which was released last year.

Move To Heaven
무브 투 헤븐:
나는 유품 정리사입니다

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang

Director: Kim Seong-ho

Genre: Drama

Release Date: May 14, 2021

Move To Heaven tells the story of Guru, a young man with Asperger's syndrome and Sang-gu, who suddenly becomes his guardian.

The story unfolds as the two run a keepsake organizing company for the dead and the stories left behind the dead are unravelled one by one.

Click To Learn More About Move To Heaven.

Round Six
오징어 게임

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk

Genre: Action, Drama

This Netflix original series shows people participating in a survival game with a prize of 45.6B KRW (approx. 40M USD).

The participants are willing to risk their lives when feeling desperate and the choices they make when faced with extreme agony are expected to provide an unavoidable thrill to viewers.

Lee Jung-jae will play Ki-hoon who's hit his rock bottom after losing his job and Park Hae-soo will play Sangwoo, Ki-hoon's childhood friend who has embezzled the company's funds and is now facing a difficult situation.

Love Alarm
좋아하면 울리는

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Kim So-hyun, Song Kang, Jung Ga-ram, Go Min-si

Director: Kim Jin-woo

Genre: Romance, Drama

Release Date: March 12, 2021

Seasons: 2

Episodes: 8 (Season 1), 6 (Season 2)

Based on the Daum webtoon with the same name, the story follows a high school girl and her world where a mobile app's notification will ring when someone in their vicinity has romantic feelings for them.

Hellbound
지옥

Original Netflix Series

Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Park Jung-min, Kim Hyun-joo

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Genre: Supernatural

Hellbound is a story of a supernatural phenomenon where people encounter the messengers of hell appearing without warning and suddenly get sentenced to hell.

To make things more complex, a new religion emerges to stir up the already chaotic world.

The original Naver webtoon, a co-working project of webtoon artist Choi Gyu-seok and director Yeon Sang-ho with the same Korean title, attracted a lot of attention from the beginning.

Yeon Sang-ho is the director behind Korea's major zombie content including Train To Busan, Peninsula and Seoul Station. Fans of his are already filled with anticipation for this upcoming drama.

All Of Us Are Dead
지금 우리 학교는

Netflix Original Series

Cast: Park Ji-hoo, Yoon Chan-young, Kim Ji-soo

Director: Lee Jae-gyu

Genre: Horror, Zombie, Action

This Korean drama tells the story of a zombie apocalypse in a high school and how those stuck in the school work together to survive.

The original story, a webtoon with the same Korean title, hit number one on Naver Webtoon right from its release in 2009.

Many fans are excited to watch the webtoon get recreated on screen!

Kingdom: Ashin Of The North
킹덤 아신전

Netflix Original Series / Spin-off

Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Park Byeong-eun

Director: Kim Sung-hoon

Release Date: July 23, 2021

Playtime: 93 minutes

This special spin-off of the popular K-drama Kingdom will tell the story of Ashin, the successor of the northern tribe.

While fans are patiently waiting for season 3, they're excited to hear about this special spin-off in production and to understand this mysterious character more!

Sources: SBS, The Qoo