Russian entertainment outlet Lenta.ru has published a ranking of the 20 best South Korean school dramas, a list that runs from uplifting romantic comedies to dark crime thrillers built around bullying and social pressure inside the country's competitive education system.
Korean school dramas, or K-dramas, have become a global streaming staple over the past several years. Most run just one or two short seasons and center on first love and friendship, though a growing number of series tackle heavier subjects such as school violence.
Rivalries, makeovers and secret side hustles
Cheer Up! (2015): At an elite school obsessed with grades, rival clubs, the underachieving street-dance crew Real King and the honors-only White Tiger, are forced into one cheerleading squad by administrators trying to boost the school's image. It stars Jung Eun-ji, Lee Won-geun and Chae Soo-bin.
To the Beautiful You (2012): Based on the manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e, Korean American student Gu Jae-hee (Sulli) cuts her hair and poses as a boy to enroll at the boys-only boarding school of injured high jumper Kang Tae-joon (Choi Min-ho), the athlete she loves, and becomes his roommate.
Extracurricular (2020, Netflix): Model student Oh Ji-soo (Kim Dong-hee) secretly runs an illegal escort service to pay for school. When classmates Bae Gyu-ri (Park Ju-hyun), Seo Min-hee (Jung Da-bin) and her boyfriend Kwak Ki-tae (Nam Yoon-su) find out, they join his business, pulling the teenagers into conflict with police and local gangs.
True Beauty (2020-2021): Bullied over her appearance, Lim Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young) transfers schools and becomes a makeup expert to hide her insecurities, catching the attention of top student Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) and bad boy Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-yeop) as she tries to keep her secret from unraveling.
How to Buy a Friend (2020): School strongman Heo Dong-hyuk (Shin Seung-ho), reeling from his girlfriend's suicide, returns from juvenile detention to investigate her death. He strikes a deal with average student Park Chan-hong (Lee Sin-young), whose poem holds a clue: protection from bullies in exchange for help solving the case.
Murder mysteries, music and school bullies
Class of Lies (2019): Ki Mu-hyuk (Yoon Kyun-sang), a ruthless lawyer stripped of his license after a case collapses, goes undercover at an elite school to solve the stabbing of a popular student, whose classmate and best friend fell into a coma rather than confess.
The Liar and His Lover (2017): Based on Kotomi Aoki's manga, disillusioned composer Kang Han-gyeol (Lee Hyun-woo), hiding behind the pseudonym K, regains his inspiration after hearing high schooler Yoon So-rim (Joy) sing, while she falls for him without knowing who he really is.
Page Turner (2016): Pianist Yoon Yoo-seul (Kim So-hyun) loses her sight in a car crash; pole vaulter Jeon Cha-sik (Ji Soo), sidelined by a spinal injury, switches to music at her school; and rival Seo Jin-mok (Shin Jae-ha), who once sabotaged her, becomes her page turner.
Boys Over Flowers (2009): Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-sun), a cheerful student from a poor family, enrolls at an elite school and clashes with Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), leader of a feared clique of wealthy heirs, who falls for her after she stands up to him.
Angry Mom (2015): Former Busan delinquent Jo Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun), now a housewife, discovers her daughter O A-ran (Kim Yoo-jung) is being bullied while the school and police do nothing, so she poses as a troubled transfer student to find and punish those responsible.
Revenge, K-pop dreams and corporate heirs
My Strange Hero (2018-2019): Kang Bok-su (Yoo Seung-ho) was expelled after a false assault accusation from his girlfriend Song Su-jeong (Jo Bo-ah) and best friend O Se-ho (Kwak Dong-yeon). Nine years later he takes a job at the same school, now employing both of them, to pursue his revenge.
The Heirs (2013), no relation to the HBO drama of the same name: working student Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye), who supports her deaf mother, is pursued by two wealthy heirs, Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) and Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin), and is drawn into corporate intrigue.
Dream High (2011-2012): Pianist Go Hye-mi (Bae Suzy) enrolls at the Kirin Art School to chase K-pop stardom alongside newcomers Song Sam-dong (Kim Soo-hyun) and Jin-guk (Taecyeon), competing with former best friend Yoon Baek-hee (Ham Eun-jung) for a shot at real fame.
She Was Pretty (2015): Once-wealthy Kim Hye-jin (Hwang Jung-eum), now broke and insecure, sends a glamorous friend in her place to meet childhood friend Ji Sung-joon (Park Seo-joon), who has grown into a successful magazine editor, then must hide the truth after landing an internship at his office.
Weak Hero Class 1 (2022-2025): Top student Yeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) is frail and withdrawn, making him a target for bullies, but he fights back using intelligence rather than strength, eventually allying with strongman An Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook) and timid newcomer O Beom-seok (Hong Kyung).
Campus mysteries, sports and fantasy worlds
Cheese in the Trap (2016): College student Hong Seol (Kim Go-eun), juggling several jobs to pay tuition, senses something insincere beneath the polished charm of popular senior Yoo Jung (Park Hae-jin) after he suddenly takes an interest in her.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016-2017): Weightlifter Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), chasing an Olympic dream, falls for dietitian and former athlete Jung Jae-yi (Lee Jae-yoon), while her close friend Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) develops feelings for her too.
Extraordinary You (2019): Eun Dan-o (Kim Hye-yoon), a wealthy student with a congenital heart condition, discovers that she and everyone around her are characters in a webtoon called The Secret, and that she is a minor character with a fate she never chose.
Moorim School (2016): Idol group leader Yoon Si-woo (Lee Hyun-woo), secretly losing his hearing, and spoiled heir Wang Chi-ang (Hong Bin) become rivals and roommates at a hidden school, both falling for hardworking student Shim Soon-deok (Seo Ye-ji), amid a mystery tied to an ancient wish-granting artifact.
School 2017 (2017): Part of KBS's long-running School anthology, this installment follows aspiring comic artist Ra Eun-ho (Kim Sejeong), who is wrongly blamed for exam sabotage carried out by a mysterious "Student X" at a school that favors students with money and top grades.
