Netflix unveils Korean slate with 31 new & returning shows for 2024

Mr. Plankton (Source: Netflix)

Netflix is looking to secure its popularity among fans of Korean content with more than 30 new and returning shows set to debut on the streamer in 2024.

The Korean slate crosses scripted and unscripted, as well as features, and follows similar reveals around the streamer’s upcoming English- and Spanish-language shows made last week.

Hellbound S2 (Source: Netflix)

While the 31 Korean shows confirmed for 2024 is down on last year’s 34, this year’s slate includes a first partnership with Oldboy director Park Chan-wook, who is behind Uprising.

The second season of Squid Game, whose return was confirmed in 2022, is also returning this year as previously reported, alongside a third season of Sweet Home, which will premiere in the summer.

Gyeongseong Creature is also returning for S2, this time taking Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee to present-day Seoul, and a second run of well-travelled Hellbound is also returning in Q4.

Unpacking Netfix’s new Korean scripted series

New scripted series on the slate include historical drama Captivating The King, while Queen Of Tears reunites an estranged couple and Doctor Slump is a medical-skewing romcom.

Squid Game S2 (Source: Netflix)

A spin-off from Hospital Playlist is also in the works with Resident Playbook (wt), which features Go Youn-jung (Alchemy Of Souls).

Netflix has also ordered: Mr. Plankton, where an unhappy woman accompanies her ex-boyfriend on the final journey of his life to search for his biological parents; Hierarchy, a teen revenge romance; and The Trunk, where dark secrets from a clandestine matchmaking service come to light.

Crime thrillers include The Bequeathed, In A Killer Paradox and The Frog, while The Whirlwind explores the settling of a political feud.

Comedies range from Chicken Nugget and The 8 Show, both based on webtoons, while Parasyte: The Grey is based on manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki.

Netflix details Korean unscripted shows

There are also a raft of renewals for the streamer’s unscripted sate, with Physical: 100 – Underground testing contestants’ limits in large-scale challenges in a new underground concept, while Zombieverse is also back.

The Influencer (Source: Netflix)

Single’s Inferno becomes the first Korean unscripted show to be renewed for a fourth season on Netflix, while talk show Risqué Business will explore the adult entertainment industry in Europe following a firs season focused on Asia.

New unscripted shows include Agents Of Mystery, which follows special agents solving bizarre cases, while multibillionaires are the focus in Super Rich In Korea.

Other series include The Influencer, which sees South Korean influencers compete for attention, and Unknown Chefs, which gathers 100 cooks for a culinary showdown.

Films include My Name Is Loh Kiwan, Vincenzo, Officer Black Belt, Black Knight, The Great Flood, Narco-Saints, Badland Hunters, The Eternals and aforementioned Uprising.

Don Kang, Netflix’s VP of content in Korea, said the slate “delivers a diverse array of titles that capture the true essence of Korean storytellers.”