10+ Mainstream K-Dramas With LGBTQIA+ Representation In 2024

Viewers loved many of the characters!
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Spoiler Alert

This article reveals plot details of a current movie or series.

Although South Korea is still considered a conservative society, we’re continuing to see progress in terms of representation for the LGBTQIA+ community. While BL (Boy Love) and GL (Girl Love) K-Dramas are often a genre of their own, we saw a lot more queer character storylines even in mainstream K-Dramas in 2024. Here are 10+ examples:

1. Squid Game 2

Seong Gi Hun, a.k.a Player 456, has reentered the Squid Game after winning at the conclusion of the previous game. Now armed with the knowledge of what the game is really about, he seeks to save the lives of other players and end the game once and for all. But those good intentions may fall flat in the face of millions of won.

— MyDramaList

Squid Game 2 introduced a former sergeant in the Special Forces and Transgender woman, Cho Hyun Ju (Player 120), who joined the games after being disbarred from the military and blocked from jobs due to her identity. Her dream is to move to Thailand to start a new life. Despite the initial concerns, netizens especially praised actor Park Sung Hoon’s portrayal of the character, as she was portrayed positively and strongly.

2. Wedding Impossible 

Na A Jeong, a struggling actress stuck playing extras, agrees to pose as her longtime friend Lee Do Han’s wife to appease his chaebol family. While preparing for her “role,” Do Han’s younger brother Ji Han, determined to secure his brother as the LJ Group’s heir, throws a wrench in their plan. Ji Han introduces Yun Chae Won as Do Han’s potential bride, sparking unexpected chaos. As secrets, ambitions, and fake relationships collide, A Jeong finds herself at the center of a dramatic and unpredictable family saga.

— MyDramaList

Wedding Impossible garnered attention for including a gay male lead. Lee Do Han (Kim Do Wan) and his best friend entered a contractual relationship to hide his sexuality. While netizens were initially excited about the representation, Do Han’s character took a backseat to the real romance of his best friend falling in love with his straight brother. Viewers also didn’t like the inclusion of Do Han’s toxic ex-boyfriend. On the other hand, they praised the female lead’s allyship, and the show technically had a happy ending.

3. Pyramid Game

Once a month, students at Baekyeon Girls’ High School cast their votes in a popularity poll. The result? A brutal ranking system that determines the entire social hierarchy of the school. Seong Su Ji has just transferred and scored a zero. After starting at the bottom and becoming a target of school violence, can Su Ji make her way to the top of the pyramid? Or will she topple the game altogether?

— MyDramaList

Viewers loved the sapphic vibes throughout Pyramid Game. Canon lesbians Im Ye Rim (Kang Na Eon) and Sim Eun Jeong (Lee Ju Yeon) stole fans’ hearts, though.

4. Fragile

Captures the realistic concerns and daily lives of “fragile” teenagers without any hesitation. Shows the taboos that adolescents face during their final teenage years before becoming adults, such as dangerous love with a friend of the opposite sex and risky deviations that they enjoy while avoiding the eyes of adults.

— MyDramaList

In Fragile, Kong Ju Han starred as Kang San, who ultimately confessed to his best friend, the male lead, that he likes him. Viewers weren’t surprised but they also weren’t fans of the abrupt ending.

5. Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born

Jeong Nyeon has no money or education, but she is a Mokpo girl with a talent for singing! Her dream is to join a women’s traditional theater company, and make it big. But she has a lot to learn and a long way to go before becoming a lead actor. Will Jeong Nyeon achieve her dream of becoming a big star and getting rich? The story begins in 1956 (post-war Korea) in the southwestern port city of Mokpo.

— MyDramaList

Viewers agreed that main duos Moon Ok Gyeong (Jung Eun Chae) and Seo Hye Rang (Kim Yoon Hye), as well as Yun Jeong Nyeon (Kim Tae Ri) and Hong Ju Ran (Woo Da Vi) radiated sapphic vibes. Yet, the show never explicitly identifies them as lesbian couples. Still, viewers praised the actresses’ chemistry despite their disappointment in the writers’ erasure of the GL storyline. 

6. Light Shop

The series follows the story of a group of strangers who are all having a hard time processing a horrible experience from their past. Each of them is going about their normal lives when they are all strangely pulled to a light shop located at the end of a dubious alleyway. A cautious shopkeeper guards the light shop, which may contain the key to the strangers’ pasts, present, and futures.

— MyDramaList

Park Hye Won (Kim Sun Hwa) and Yoon Sun Hae (Kim Min Ha) were a lesbian couple who planned a life together before they tragically got sent to the “light shop” after a bus crash. This storyline was both touching and heartbreaking for viewers to watch.

7. Bitter Sweet Hell

No Yeong Won, a famous psychologist, seems to have it all—a successful career and a loving husband, Choi Jae Jin, a top doctor. But her perfect life falls apart when she finds out her husband is having an affair with Lee Sae Na, a mysterious woman. As things spiral out of control, No Yeong Won teams up with her mother-in-law, mystery writer Hong Sa Gang, to try to save their family.

— MyDramaList

DKZ’s Park Jaechan, who rose to fame for starring in BL (Boy Love K-Drama) Semantic Error, appeared in a supporting role as Choi Do Hyun. His storyline shocked viewers, as the show initially wanted them to think he had a girlfriend. By the end, it was revealed he had a boyfriend instead. Overall, the ending left viewers pleasantly surprised and happy. 

8. The Tale of Lady Ok

Set during the Joseon period, Ok Tae Yeong is a legal expert. She is smart, has an excellent work ethic, and is athletic. Even in difficult situations, she doesn’t hesitate to help people. That is why she is loved by people around her, but she has a secret. Her secret is that her name, husband, and her status are all fake. She happens to meet Cheon Seung Wi. He is a storytellerand travels all around the country, reciting novels to people. He happens to meet Ok Tae Yeong and falls in love with her at first sight. He stays near her and helps her no matter what.

— MyDramaList

Choo Young Woo portrays Cheon Seung Hwi, Song Seo In, and Seong Yun Gyeom in The Tale of Lady Ok. Seong Yun Gyeom, specifically, is the leader of a support group that protects sexual minority kids. As the show is ongoing, it’s too soon to state whether the representation is fully praise-worthy. So far, viewers have commended it.

9. LTNS

The days of burning with sexual desire and lusting after each other’s bodies are long gone, and Woo Jin and Samuel have evolved into a somewhat withered couple, both physically and emotionally. By coincidence, they find themselves forming a blackmail team that specializes in exposing cheating couples, seeking an opportunity to turn their lives around.

— MyDramaList

In Episode 4 of the explicit black comedy LTNS (Long Time, No Sex), Cho Won (Kim Seung Bi) and Su Ji (Hwang Hyun Bin) appeared as lesbians who were in a “situationship.” Thankfully, they had a happy ending, and other minor gay characters had appearances.

10. The Trunk

In Ji works for a contract marriage provider in NM, arranging 1-year marriages for clients. After completing her 4th contract, she meets Jeong Won, a music producer, for her 5th. Jeong Won, still haunted by the pain of his past and missing his ex-wife, Seo Yeon, starts his second marriage with In Ji. As they grow closer, a mysterious trunk is discovered in a lake, unraveling dark secrets behind the NM company.

— MyDramaList

Netflix’s thriller The Trunk included an unexpected storyline about the bisexual fiancé, Seo Do Ha (Lee Ki Woo), of female lead No In Ji (Seo Hyun Jin) being blackmailed by a compromising video that outed him. While viewers were pleasantly surprised by the bisexual representation, as it’s rare, they still had mixed feelings overall about the portrayal and some dialogue.

11. Love Next Door

Choi Seung Hyo is the most noteworthy young architect in Korea, and he runs the architecture firm “Atelier In.” Not only is he nearly perfect as an architect, but he is also very attractive and has a great personality. Yet, Choi Seung Hyo has experienced moments that he wants to erase from his life. Those moments usually involve Bae Seok Ryu. When they were 4 years old, their moms became friends. Because of their moms, Choi Seung Hyo and Bae Seok Ryu spent a lot of time together, bathing together at a women’s bathhouse. Now, Choi Seung Hyo meets Bae Seok Ryu as an adult. While growing up, Bae Seok Ryu’s life was smooth sailing. During her school days, she never missed ranking first academically at her school. She was always passionate and energetic in the things she did. After graduating from university, she was hired by a large company. She worked hard as a project manager, but for some reason, she quit her job. She has been unemployed since then. She meets Choi Seung Hyo.

— MyDramaList

In this romantic comedy, the male lead’s (Jung Hae In) parents have their own dramatic love story. The husband (Lee Seung Joon) suspected his wife (Jang Young Nam) was cheating on him with her boss (Jo Seung Yun), but it was revealed that they were only friends and that the man was actually gay. It’s a minor plot twist but amused most viewers.

12. Love In The Big City

An audacious tale of two roommates, one a gay man and another a straight woman. Through the eyes of Mi Ae begins Ko Yeong’s clumsy love story. Stories of laughter, tears, and wounds between a mother in denial of her son’s sexuality and his being unable to escape societal judgment. Ko Yeong finally meets a pure love like no other, Gyu Ho, but has no choice but to let him go. With Gyu Ho gone, Ko Yeong follows a stranger to Thailand and spends a late monsoon vacation. Reminiscing about the good old days that can never be retrieved, he achieves complete personal growth.

— MyDramaList

Since it was announced that actors Jin Ho Eun (All of Us Are Dead, Revenge of Others, Nevertheless, and Sh**ting Stars) and Nam Yoon Su (Extracurricular, Birthcare Center, Beyond Evil, and The King’s Affection) were cast as Kyu Ho (also romanized Gyuho) and Go Young, respectively, in mainstream BL K-Drama Love in the Big City, many fans looked forward to the release. The K-Drama is adapted from Park Sang Young’s best-selling novel of the same name, which was Sang’s first work published in English as it was translated by Anton Hur, who also worked on BTS’s Beyond the Story. Despite promotions being pulled due to homophobia, netizens worldwide praised the show for its realistic representation, as the lead had multiple romantic storylines with men as well as a great supportive friend group of fellow gay men.

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