The Best And Most Buzzworthy K-Drama Couples Of 2022 (So Far)
Did your favorite make it to this list?
We’ve reached the third quarter of 2022, and what a year it truly has been so far! Fans of K-dramas have been treated to titles from different genres, catering to a wide audience with varied tastes and preferences. From rom-com and melodrama to legal and fantasy, there was something for everyone.
This year has indeed given the viewers more couples to add to their own lists of memorable K-drama pairings that showcased love from different angles.
And the year is far from over, what with new K-drama couples like Ji Chang-wook and Choi Soo-young for If You Wish Upon Me; Lee Seung-gi and Lee Se-young for The Law Cafe; and Park Min-young and Go Kyung-pyo in Love in Contract.
While we look forward to the next kilig K-drama couple, let’s take a look at those pairings that have been buzzworthy for their notable chemistry in their 2022 K-dramas:
Photo Gallery
Photo Gallery
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi in “Our Beloved Summer”
In this series that aired from December 6, 2021 to January 25, 2022, Choi Woo-shik portrayed the role of Choi Ung, who was free-spirited and ranked last in high school but ends up as a successful building illustrator, while Kim Da-mi took on the character of Kook Yeon-seo, who was always at 1st place in high school but later struggles with her career in the field of PR.
Photo Credit: SBS
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi in “Our Beloved Summer”
Photo Credit: SBS
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi in “Our Beloved Summer”
Photo Credit: SBS
Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi in “Our Beloved Summer”
Photo Credit: @dntlrdl
Jung Hae-In and Jisoo in “Snowdrop”
Jung Hae-in and Jisoo’s romance/melodrama series aired from December 18, 2021 to January 30, 2022. Despite the controversies “Snowdrop” faced due to alleged historical distortion, the series pushed through, much to the delight of these artists’ fans. Set in 1987 during a historic time in South Korea, the series tells the love story between Jung Hae-in’s Su Ho and Jisoo’s Young Ro in the midst of political unrest.
Photo Credit: JTBC
Jung Hae-In and Jisoo in “Snowdrop”
Photo Credit: JTBC
Jung Hae-In and Jisoo in “Snowdrop”
Photo Credit: JTBC via Allkpop
Jung Hae-In and Jisoo in “Snowdrop”
Photo Credit: Harper's Bazaar Korea
Nam Joo-Hyuk and Kim Tae-Ri in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”
This coming-of-age, romance series aired from February 12 to April 3, 2022. In “Twenty-Five Twenty-One,” Nam Joo-hyuk’s Baek Yi-jin comes from a rich family that went bankrupt due to the IMF crisis; forced to become independent, he later becomes a sports reporter. On the other hand, Kim Tae-ri’s Na Hee-do is a fencing prodigy, who moves on to win the gold medal at the Asian Games.
Photo Credit: tvN
Nam Joo-Hyuk and Kim Tae-Ri in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”
Photo Credit: tvN
Nam Joo-Hyuk and Kim Tae-Ri in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Nam Joo-Hyuk and Kim Tae-Ri in “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”
Photo Credit: The Swoon
Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Sejeong in “Business Proposal”
The webtoon-based series was released on February 18, 2022 and aired its final episode on April 5, 2022. “Business Proposal” stars Ahn Hyo-seop as Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of a food company who’s forced by his grandfather to go on a blind date. As a substitute for her friend, Kim Sejeong’s Shin Ha-ri meets Kang Tae-moo in this blind date, without him knowing that she’s a researcher in his company.
Photo Credit: SBS
Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Sejeong in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: SBS
Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Sejeong in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: SBS
Ahn Hyo-Seop and Kim Sejeong in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: Marie Claire Korea
Kim Min-Kyu and Seol In-Ah in “Business Proposal”
Aside from Ahn Hyo-seop (Kang Tae-moo) and Kim Sejeong’s (Shin Ha-ri) team-up, fans of “Business Proposal” also couldn’t get enough of the second lead couple: Kim Min-kyu’s Cha Sung-hoon and Seol In-ah’s Jin Young-seo. Cha Sung-hoon is the chief secretary at Kang Tae-moo’s company, while Jin Young-seo is Shin Ha-ri’s best friend and the one who was supposed to go on a blind date with Kang Tae-moo.
Photo Credit: SBS
Kim Min-Kyu and Seol In-Ah in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: SBS
Kim Min-Kyu and Seol In-Ah in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: SBS
Kim Min-Kyu and Seol In-Ah in “Business Proposal”
Photo Credit: SBS
Hwang In-Yeop and Seo Hyun-Jin in “Why Her”
“Why Her” aired from June 3, 2022 to July 23, 2022. The legal/romance/melodrama series starred Hwang In-yeop as Gong Chan, a law school student with a painful backstory that involves Seo Hyun-jin’s Oh Soo-jae, the youngest partner at a prestigious law firm and a law school professor.
Photo Credit: SBS
Hwang In-Yeop and Seo Hyun-Jin in “Why Her”
Photo Credit: SBS
Hwang In-Yeop and Seo Hyun-Jin in “Why Her”
Photo Credit: SBS
Hwang In-Yeop and Seo Hyun-Jin in “Why Her”
Photo Credit: IMDb
Lee Jae-Wook and Jung So-Min in “Alchemy of Souls”
This ongoing period/fantasy/romance series aired last June 18, 2022. “Alchemy of Souls,” which plays on the concept of "hwanhonsool" (the soul of the dead return to the living), stars Lee Jae-wook as Jang Uk, a man from a noble family whose birth is surrounded by mystery, and Jung So-min as Mu-deok, an elite warrior whose soul is trapped in a physically weak body; Mu-deok serves as Jang Uk’s servant.
Photo Credit: tvN / TVING
Lee Jae-Wook and Jung So-Min in “Alchemy of Souls”
Photo Credit: tvN
Lee Jae-Wook and Jung So-Min in “Alchemy of Souls”
Photo Credit: tvN
Lee Jae-Wook and Jung So-Min in “Alchemy of Souls”
Photo Credit: tvN
Kang Tae-Oh and Park Eun-Bin in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
This legal drama with a rom-com twist aired on June 29, 2022 and is scheduled to come out with its finale episode on August 18, 2022. “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” revolves around Park Eun-bin’s Woo Young-woo, a rookie lawyer at a top law firm and is the first attorney who’s on the autism spectrum in Korea. She meets and falls in love with Kang Tae-oh’s Lee Jun-ho, who’s an employee at the same law firm.
Photo Credit: ENA/Netflix
Kang Tae-Oh and Park Eun-Bin in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
Photo Credit: ENA/Netflix via Soompi
Kang Tae-Oh and Park Eun-Bin in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
Photo Credit: ENA
Kang Tae-Oh and Park Eun-Bin in “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Jinyoung and Kim Go-Eun in “Yumi’s Cells 2”
Aired from June 10 to July 22, 2022, romantic drama “Yumi’s Cells 2” sees the relationship of Kim Go-eun’s Kim Yumi and Jinyoung’s Yoo Bobby progressing from co-workers in season 1 to lovers in season 2.
Photo Credit: TVING
Jinyoung and Kim Go-Eun in “Yumi’s Cells 2”
Photo Credit: TVING
Jinyoung and Kim Go-Eun in “Yumi’s Cells 2”
Photo Credit: TVING
Jinyoung and Kim Go-Eun in “Yumi’s Cells 2”
Photo Credit: Elle Korea
BONUS: Yoon Chan-Young and Park Ji-Hu + Lomon and Choi Yi-Hyun in “All of Us Are Dead”
In “All of Us Are Dead,” viewers saw romantic connections brew between high school students Nam On-jo (Park Ji-hu) and Lee Cheong-san (Yoon Chan-young) as well as Choi Nam-ra (Choi Yi-hyun) and Lee Su-hyeok (Lomon) despite finding themselves in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The series was released on January 28, 2022, and is confirmed to have been renewed for a second season.
Photo Credit: Netflix
Yoon Chan-Young and Park Ji-Hu in “All of Us Are Dead”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Lomon and Choi Yi-Hyun in “All of Us Are Dead”
Photo Credit: Netflix
Which is your favorite K-drama pairing so far?
Lead photos from SBS and tvN
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