BTS V's Hwarang And Other K-Dramas That Didn't Make Waves In Korea But Found A Global Fanbase

A drama may be a huge smash for one audience but a bust for another since Korean and foreign viewers often have different preferences.

Here are 8 Korean dramas that initially struggled in Korea but gained international fame later on.

In Welcome To Waikiki, three men risk everything on a guesthouse in order to fund their ideal movie. They quickly realise that making a profit is more difficult than they all thought.

In 2020, ASTRO's Cha Eunwoo, Hwang In Yeop, and Moon Ga Young relished their parts in True Beauty, which was inspired by Yaongyi's eponymous webtoon.

It's Okay To Not Be Okay, starring Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Yea Ji, follows the tale of a mental health ward caretaker as he tends to his older brother who has autism.

Featuring Moon Ga Young and Nam Joo Hyuk, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo from 2016 is a welcome change of scene. International fans enjoyed the poignant and humorous moments as they followed the ups and downs of a group of college athletes.

Trapped in another person's body and travelling a millennium back in time, IU's character is the main focus of the drama. The remarkable cast of the 2016 historical drama features Kang Ha Neul, IU, Lee Jun Ki, and others.

Park Bo Young plays a woman who gets a cancer diagnosis and has only one hundred days to live in the supernatural thriller Doom At Your Service, which released in 2021.

International fans loved the romance between the two characters who showed how opposites attract, but Korean viewers expressed their discontent with the story and the show's got surprisingly low ratings.