15 Korean Dramas Based On Webtoon In 2023 | Best Manhwa-Based Korean Shows
Wondering to watch next? Here is a list of Korean dramas based on webtoons that you can binge on this weekend!
Korean dramas have been so successful in recent years. And not just with South Korean audiences.
A lot of western audiences have lapped them up as K-dramas become easily accessible due to streaming sites like Netflix.
These shows are so popular thanks to their unique storylines, characters, and the refreshing way plot points are handled.
But did you know that a lot of your favorite K-dramas such as Itaewon class and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim are actually based on webtoons?
And so are many others, but what actually are webtoons? Let’s find out!
What is a Korean webtoon or Manhwa?
Korean webtoons are short comics uploaded to online sites where readers can access them.
These comics are usually episodic and uploaded to the internet on a weekly or monthly basis.
They are created to fit into a vertical strip that makes for easy viewing on the phone and can either be black-and-white or in color.
Some of these comics run for months together and have over 100 episodes while others are shorter.
Just like Japanese comics of this sort are called “Manga”, their Korean counterparts are called “Manhwa”.
Korean webtoons come in many different genres like Romance, Fantasy, Adventure, Thriller, Horror, Teen Comedy, and more.
There are several K-dramas that have used these Manhwas as their source material. In this article, I’ve listed the top Korean dramas based on webtoons.
| Korean Drama Based on Webtoon | Number of Episodes | Our Rating |
| True Beauty | Viki | 9/10 |
| Cheese In The Trap | Viki | 8.5/10 |
| Sweet Home | Netflix | 8/10 |
| What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? | Netflix, Hulu, Viki | 10/10 |
| Love Alarm | Netflix | 7/10 |
| Strangers From Hell | Netflix | 7.5/10 |
| Itaewon Class | Netflix | 8.5/10 |
| Extraordinary You | Netflix, Viki | 7.5/10 |
SBS releases new poster of #TheKillingVote featuring our 3 leads #ParkHaejin #ParkSungwoong and #LimJiyeon. Based on webtoon about Korea as a country where people vote for the fate of criminals, premieres on 10 August.
— KoreanUpdates! (@KoreanUpdates) July 28, 2023
Globally on Prime Video#KoreanUpdates RZ pic.twitter.com/m6DiM2p0bV
Best Korean Dramas Based On Webtoon 2023
True Beauty
Genre: Romance
What Manhwa Is It Based on – True Beauty
Cast of the K-Drama: Moon Ga-young, Hwang In-youp, Park Yoo-na
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com
This K-drama revolves around high school girl Ju-kyoung who transforms herself into a beauty using makeup after being bullied by her peers.
There’s an exciting love triangle between the lead character as well. All in all, this a fun teenage romantic comedy that you have to watch!
Cheese In The Trap
Genre: Romance, Comedy
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Cheese In The Trap
Cast of the K-Drama: Park Hae-jin, Lee Sung-kyung, Seo Kang-joon, Kim Go-eun
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com
Perhaps one of the longest-running webtoons out there, Cheese In The Trap spans over 154 episodes that were uploaded to the internet over a span of 7 whole years!
Also, there are 4 seasons to this K-drama!
It revolves around Hong Seol, a student to returns to school after a gap year only to find her former bully, the handsome Yoo Jung, is being suspiciously nice to her.
- Related: Best Korean Webtoons In English
- Related: Best Korean Dramas on Netflix
Sweet Home
Genre: Horror, Thriller
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Sweet Home
Cast of the K-Drama: Song Kang, Lee Do-hyun, Lee Si-young, Lee Jin-wook
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Manhwaworld.com
If you’re not into the regular old romance Korean dramas, then you should watch this horror thriller.
In this K-drama, the main lead Song Kang finds himself leading the residents of a complex called Green Home in a fight against monsters.
Spanning over 140 episodes, the Manhwa was adapted into a crisp, 10-episode long K-drama.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
Genre: Romance
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Why Secretary Kim
Cast of the K-Drama: Park Seo-joon, Park Min-young, Lee Tae‑hwan
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix, Hulu, Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Tappytoon.com, Tapas.io
One of the most popular Kdrama based on a webtoon is the Netflix show What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?
In this show, narcissistic businessman, Lee Young-joon is taken aback when his studious secretary Kim Mi-so hands in her notice.
The reason? She wants to get married. So Young-joon in a desperate attempt to keep Kim by his side starts to woo her!
This funny Korean drama is definitely a must watch!
Itaewon Class
Genre: Drama
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Itaewon Class
Cast of the K-Drama: Park Seo-joon, Yoo Jae-myung, Kwon Nara, Kim Da-mi
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Tapas.io, Manhwatop
This slice-of-life K-drama is a very faithful live-action adaptation of the Manhwa of the same name.
The show follows Park Sae-ro-yi, a brooding young man who opens a restaurant in the Itaewon district of Seoul.
He hopes to make it big in order to avenge the death of his father.
Extraordinary You
Genre: Romance
What Manhwa Is It Based on? July Found by Chance
Cast of the K-Drama: Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Jae-wook, Rowoon, Lee Na-eun
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix, Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Mangabuddy, Kissmanga, Novelcool
The Extraordinary You webtoon was written by Moo Ryu and has a very novel concept. In it, the protagonist Eun Dan-oh realizes she’s actually a Manhwa character in a comic book called Secret.
This meta plot is very well translated into live-action and allows the characters to develop.
It does stray from the original story in a few places, but it’s still a faithful adaptation.
Rugal
Genre: Thriller, Action
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Rugal
Cast of the K-Drama: Choi Jin-hyuk, Park Sung-woong, Cho Dong-hyuk, Jung Hye-in
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Anime-planet, Novelcool
Tired of all the romances and teenage shenanigans? You should try watching Rugal on Netflix.
The show follows the journey of Kang Ki-beom, a former-detective who wants to hunt down a criminal organisation called Argos.
To do so he must join the group called Rugal that works for the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of Korea.
Memorist
Genre: Action, Mystery
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Memorist
Cast of the K-Drama: Yoo Seung-ho, Lee Se-young, Ko Chang-seok, Jo Sung-ha
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Mangatoon, Anime-planet
Based on the webtoon of the same name written by Jae Ho, Memorist follows Dong Baek a detective, and Han Sun-mi, a criminal psychologist.
Together they try to solve murder mysteries in Korea.
If you love Sherlock, Law & Order, and other such police mystery shows, you’ll love this one!
Related: Best Korean Action Movies
Love Alarm
Genre: Romance
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Ringing If You Like
Cast of the K-Drama: Kim So-hyun, Jung Ga-ram, Song Kang
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com
This two-season K-drama is based on a webtoon called Ringing If You Like.
It tells the story of a romance app called Joalarm that lets users if a secret admirer is within a 10-mile radius.
Due to this app, the lead character Jo-jo finds herself being the object of attraction of Hwang Sun-oh and Lee Hye-young, who are best friends.
Related: Best Korean Drama of Kim Soo Hyun
Strangers From Hell
Genre: Horror, Thriller
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Hell is Other People
Cast of the K-Drama: Im Si-wan, Lee Dong-wook
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Naver Webtoons, Webtoons.com
Do you want to watch a short K-drama with jumpscares, mysteries, a quick-paced plot? You should check out Strangers From Hell based on the webtoon Hell Is Other People by Kim Yong-ki.
The dark, twisted show revolves around Yoon Jong-woo, a young intern in Seoul who starts staying at a creepy, cheap apartment complex with weird characters for neighbors.
Mystic Pop-Up Bar
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Ssanggabpocha
Cast of the K-Drama: Hwang Jung‑eum, Yook Sungjae, Choi Won‑young
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com, Tapas.io
This lighthearted drama follows Wol Joo, a pop-up bar owner who mysteriously helps her patrons solve their lives problems.
Related: Best Funny Korean Dramas
Taxi Driver
Genre: Action, Thriller
What Manhwa Is It Based on? The Deluxe Taxi
Cast of the K-Drama: Lee Je-hoon, Kim Eui-sung, and Esom
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com, Naver Comics
Related: List of Korean Gangster Movies
Backstreet Rookie
Genre: Romance, Comedy
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Convenience Store Saet Byul
Cast of the K-Drama: Ji Chang Wook, Kim Yoo Jung
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Viki
Where to Read the Manhwa: Toongod.com, Manhwacomic.com
Nevertheless
Genre: Romance, Drama
What Manhwa Is It Based on? Nevertheless
Cast of the K-Drama: Song Kang, Han So Hee
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix
Where to Read the Manhwa: Naver Webtoons
My ID is Gangnam Beauty
Genre: Romance, Comedy
What Manhwa Is It Based on?
Cast of the K-Drama: Im Soo-hyang, Cha Eun-woo, Jo Woo-ri, Kwak Dong-yeon
Where to Watch the K-Drama: Netflix, Viu
Where to Read the Manhwa: Webtoons.com
Conclusion
If you’re a fan of Manhwa’s and K-dramas then this list of Korean dramas based on webtoon will help you find the live-action versions of your favorite comics.
Also, if you’ve just finished watching a Korean drama and now don’t know what to do next, you can check out the webtoons afterwards.
So what are you waiting for? Go on and grab the popcorn and get ready for a comfy stay-in with these K-dramas.
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