Culture

7 New Korean Dramas Airing In July 2021, Including The Devil Judge & Kingdom: Ashin of the North

New Korean dramas in July 2021


Kicking off the 2nd half of 2021 is yet another list of Korean dramas to keep an eye out for. From chilling thrillers to fantasy dramas, these 7 new Korean dramas in July 2021 will have you binge-watching till late. 


1. The Devil Judge



Image credit: tvN

Main Cast:

  • Ji Sung as Kang Yo-han
  • Kim Min-jung as Jung Sun-a
  • Jin-young as Kim Ga-on
  • Park Gyu-young as Yoon Soo-hyun

Ji Sung is finally making his K-drama comeback after 2 years. In The Devil Judge,  he will be playing Judge Kang Yo-han, who mercilessly punishes wrongdoers in the court of law. Every trial held in the courtroom is aired live on TV, and that was how he earned his nickname,Devil Judge”.

Kim Min-jung will play Yo-han’s rival, Jung Sun-a. She’s a power-hungry director of a corporate social responsibility foundation. 

Jin-young and Park Gyu-young will play childhood best friends, Kim Ga-on and Yon Soo-hyun, who strive for justice and aim to unveil Kang Yo-han’s secrets.

Catch the teaser of The Devil Judge here:

Video credit: tvN DRAMA

Korean title: 악마판사
Genre: Drama, crime, mystery
Airs on: 3rd July
Available on: Viki and iQiyi


2. You Are My Spring



Image credit: tvN

Main Cast:

  • Seo Hyun-jin as Kang Da-jung
  • Kim Dong-wook as Joo Young-do
  • Yoon Park as Chae Joon
  • Nam Gyu-ri as Ahn Ga-young

You Are My Spring follows a group of people staying in the same apartment building. One day, 2 of the residents, a hotelier and psychiatrist, get entangled in a murder. As they spend time together, the 2 discover that they shared a traumatic past when they were 7. 

Seo Hyun-jin will be acting as Kang Da-jung, a hotelier with poor taste in men. She will be acting alongside Kim Dong-wook, who will take on the role of Joo Young-do, a psychiatrist who helps others heal from their emotional scars and regain purpose to live another day. 

Other members of the main cast include Yoon Park and Nam Gyu-ri. Yoon Park will be acting as Chae Joon, a suave CEO of an investment company, and Nam Gyu-ri will play Ahn Ga-young, an actress who was used by others for their own benefit.

Watch the trailer to You Are My Spring here:

Video credit: The Swoon

Korean title: 너는 나의 봄
Genre: Drama, fantasy, romance
Airs on: 5th July
Available on: Netflix


3. Red Shoes



Image credit: KBS

Main Cast:

  • Choi Myung-gil as Min Hee-kyung
  • So Yi-hyun as Kim Gemma
  • Park Yoon-jae as Yoon Ki-seok
  • Shin Jung-yoon as Yoon Hyun-seok

Red Shoes revolves around Min Hee-kyung and her daughter, Kim Gemma. Gemma wants to take revenge on her mother after she abandons the family to pursue success and her first love. At the same time, Gemma wants to get to the bottom of her father’s sudden death. 

Gemma meets Yoon Gi-seok while investigating her father’s death. Gi-seok gave up on love after his wife betrayed him, but while helping Gemma, he finds love in her. 

Teasers of the drama reveal that Hee-kyung was unhappy after getting married, and she yearns for success. The most recent teaser shows Hee-kyung taking care of Gemma and Gemma’s brother. One day, Hee-kyung’s husband and son get into an accident. Hee-lying disappears, leaving the family behind.

Check out the teaser below:

Video credit: KBS Drama

Korean title: 빨강 구두
Genre: Family, melodrama
Airs on: 5th July


4. Our First: Seventeen



Image credit: @reddoorstudio2021

Main Cast:

  • Choi Ji-su as On-yoo
  • Kwon Tae-eun as Ye-chan
  • Park Chae-rin as So-mang
  • Jeong Soo-hyun as Isaac
  • Nam Hye-ri as Ha-eun

Our First: Seventeen is a web drama that follows a group of friends in a cover song club as they go on their way to discover their dreams. 

On-yoo is a transfer student who lacks talent, but she’s driven to realise her dream of becoming a composer. She’s joined by her long-term crush Ye-chan, popular YouTuber Isaac, beauty influencer So-mang, and social butterfly Ha-eun. Together, they discover the importance of friendships and the efforts they’ve got to put in to turn their dreams into reality.

Korean title: 첫번째 열일곱
Genre: School life, romance
Airs on: 7th July
Available on: YouTube


5. The Witch’s Diner



Image credit: TVING

Main Cast:

  • Song Ji-hyo as Jo Hee-ra
  • Nam Ji-hyun as Jeong Jin
  • Chae Jong-hyeop as Lee Gil-yong

The Witch’s Diner is a live-action adaptation of a novel of the same name. The novel was written by Goo Sang-hee, and it won the grand prize at Kyobo Book Centre’s Writing Competition. 

The story takes place in a witch’s restaurant. It serves food and grants customers their wish to live another life – even if they’d have to lose their soul. In the drama, we’ll be able to see people overcome difficulties after visiting the restaurant.

Running Man’s Song Ji-hyo will be playing the witch, Jo Hee-ra, who is also the owner of the restaurant. Hee-ra runs the restaurant with full-timer Jeong Jin, played by Nam Ji-hyun, and part-timer Lee Gil-yong, played by Chae Jong-hyeop.

Catch the teaser of The Witch’s Diner below:

Video credit: TVING

Korean title: 마녀식당으로 오세요
Genre: Drama, fantasy
Airs on: 16th July
Available on: Viki and TVING


6. Kingdom: Ashin of the North



Image credit: Netflix

Main Cast:

  • Jun Ji-hyun as Ashin
  • Park Byung-eun as Min Chi-rok

Kingdom: Ashin of the North is a prequel to the Kingdom series. The special episode will explore the origins of the resurrection plant and how it got spread to Joseon. The backstory of Ashin, the new face that was introduced at the end of season 2, will also be revealed.

In the latest teaser, a young Ashin tells her father of her discovery of the resurrection plant, and that she plans to use it on her bedridden mother. Her actions lead to a string of consequences as her village gets terrorised by an unknown creature, causing lots of blood to be shed.

Click here for a recap of what happened in Kingdom 2, and check out the full teaser of Kingdom: Ashin of the North below:

Video credit: The Swoon

Korean title: 킹덤: 아신전
Genre: Thriller, fantasy, action
Airs on: 23rd July
Available on: Netflix


7. Blue Birthday



Image credit: PLAYLIST

Main Cast:

  • Yeri as Oh Ha-rin
  • Hong-seok as Ji Seo-jun

Blue Birthday is a fantasy web drama involving time travel. The main character, Oh Ha-rin, loses her first love, Ji Seo-jun, after he took his life on her birthday.

10 years after Seo-jun’s passing, she finds pictures of her and Seo-jun, and she travels back in time to determine the real cause of Seo-jun’s passing.

Fans of Yeri and Hong-seok are eager to see them star in their 1st drama together. Yeri has showcased her acting skills in Mint Condition, and Hong-seok took part in Move to Heaven, a drama that’s been popular recently

Find out more about Blue Birthday here, and catch Blue Birthday’s intriguing teaser below:

Video credit: PLAYLIST Originals

Korean title: 블루 버스데이
Genre: Drama, fantasy, romance
Airs on: 23rd July (6th August on YouTube)
Available on: Naver TV and PLAYLIST GLOBAL


Upcoming Korean dramas in July 2021


These new Korean dramas in July 2021 run the gamut from fantasy romance to hard-hitting crime thrillers that will have you questioning the concept of morality, and we can’t wait to see what the shows have got in store for us. Till then, why not binge on the dramas that are currently airing in June?

For more K-drama content, check out:


Cover image adapted from: Netflix, TVING, and tvN

Erica Ng

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