#FriendshipGoals: Our Favorite K-Drama Squads

The "Reply 1988" squad

When it comes to the topic of K-Drama squads, this iconic group from "Reply 1988" is sure to be a top-of-mind pick. The family rom-com series revolves around the lives of five friends (Lee Hye-ri as Sung Duk-seon, Park Bo-gum as Choi Taek, Go Kyung-pyo as Sung Sun-woo, Ryu Jun-yeol as Kim Jung-hwan, and Lee Dong-hwi as Ryu Dong-ryong). They have been friends since they were kids, they grew up together, and they are living in the same neighborhood. Even their parents are friends! #FriendshipGoals, indeed! This is exactly what the term "friends for life" pertains to.

The "Reply 1994" gang

In "Reply 1994," six university students come from different provinces in South Korea and meet each other as they find themselves living in a boarding house in Seoul, owned by Sung Na-jung's (Go Ara) parents. The K-Drama, centered on the friendship of these seven characters, also features Jung Woo as Sseureki (a medical major), Yoo Yeon-seok as Chilbong (a university freshman and a baseball player), Kim Sung-kyun as Samcheonpo (a computer engineering major), Son Ho-jun as Haitai (a computer engineering major), Baro as "Binggeure (a medical student), and Min Do-hee as Jo Yoon-jin (a foul-mouthed student). For those who are yet to see this, it'll be interesting to find out who among the guys in this group will end up marrying Go Ara's character.

The "Reply 1997" group

The first installment in the "Reply" series, this follows the story of a group of six friends who met as high school students and are now 33-year-olds reminiscing all the great memories they've had together as 18-year-olds. It stars Jung Eun-ji as Shung Shi-won, Seo In-guk as Yoon Yoon-jae, Hoya as Kang Joon-hee, Shin So-yul as Mo Yoo-jung, Eun Ji-won as Do Hak-chan, and Lee Si-eon as Bang Sung-jae.

The "Hospital Playlist" band

The characters in "Hospital Playlist" met when they entered medical school. The first time they got together, they just immediately clicked. Years later, they've become successful doctors in different departments: Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-joon (a general surgeon), Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jung-won (a pediatric surgeon), Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Joon-wan (a cardiothoracic surgeon), Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyung (an obstetrician-gynecologist), and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa (a neurosurgeon). Well, in case you're curious why it has "playlist" in the title, it's because all of them are into music and playing instruments, and they actually have their own band. After work, they'd always play music and rehearse together. "Hospital Playlist" is written by the same woman behind the "Reply" series, Lee Woo-jung.

The "Crash Landing on You" ahjummas

Who could forget this funny all-ahjumma squad in a North Korean village? Aside from Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) and Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), the village women in the show also caught our attention for their strong bond. They may get into petty fights, but you know they all care about each other and will support each other no matter what.

Photo Credit: IMDb

The "Crash Landing on You" comrades

Of course, we can't talk about K-Drama squads without including our dear comrades from hit series "Crash Landing on You." The Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin starrer became even more hilarious, thanks to these four North Korean soldiers: Park Kwang-beom (Lee Shin-young), Geum Eun-dong (Tang Joon-sang), Kim Ju-muk (Yoo Su-bin), and Pyo Chi-su (Yang Kyung-won)—with the bonus of wiretapper-turned-comrade Jeong Man-bok (Kim Young-min). All those times their characters were in awe of South Korean culture were just hilarious!

Photo Credit: tvN

The "Fight for My Way" fantastic four

This K-Drama features the "Fantastic Four" cast of Park Seo-joon as taekwondo-player-turned-mixed martial arts fighter Ko Dong-man; Kim Ji-won as department store employee and aspiring announcer Choi Ae-ra; Ahn Jae-hong as home shopping network employee Kim Joo-man; and Song Ha-yoon as home shopping network customer service employee Baek Sol-hee. All of them are working hard on achieving their dreams while dealing with both friendship and relationship issues.

The "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo" swaggers

In this coming-of-age sports drama featuring college athletes, Lee Sung-kyung is paired with Nam Joo-hyuk. She's a weightlifter while he's a swimmer. K-Drama fans loved this pairing, but it cannot be denied that the friendship between Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), Lee Seon-ok (Lee Joo-young), and Jung Nan-hee (Cho Hye-jung) is just way too awesome and oozing with "swag," too. We especially loved that scene where they talked about their eating routine/sequence: grilled meat, grilled marinated meat, friend rice, and naengmyeon (Korean cold noodle soup).

Photo Credit: Kocowa Blog

The "My First First Love" housemates

Friendship, first love, and life's challenges—those three themes make up the core of this coming-of-age drama. Five 20-year-olds end up living under one roof for various reasons. During this time, they learn to become independent and express their individuality, navigate their way around the concept of first love, and get to strengthen their friendship in the process. It stars Ji Soo as Yun Tae-o, Jung Chae-yon as Han Song-i, Jung Jin-young as Seo Do-hyeon, Choi Ri as O Ga-rin, Kang Tae-oh as Choe Hun.

The "Hello, My Twenties" gal pals

Also known as "Age of Youth," this K-Drama is all about the lives of five college students who live in the same house and are all going through the typical issues, challenges, and dramas people in their 20s face. Starring Han Ye-ri, Han Seung-yeon, Park Eun-bin, Ryu Hwa-young, and Park Hye-su, this series will soon be back for a second season. You know how girls love going on slumber parties or sleepovers, well, imagine if you can actually be roommates with your best gal pals—how fun and crazy would that be, right?!

The "Because This is My First Life" trio

A K-Drama that tells the unexpected love story that bloomed between the characters of Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min as they end up as housemates, it also shines the spotlight on the friendship between three women: Jung So-min as Yoon Ji-hoo, Esom as Woo Soo-ji, and Kim Ga-eun as Yang Ho-rang. We love the way they support each other; they're always there to boost the confidence of their friend and uplift each other's spirits.

"The Welcome to Waikiki" triad

In this series, three men are having a hard time running their guesthouse called Waikiki. It stars Kim Jung-hyun as aspiring movie director Kang Dong-gu, Lee Yi-kyung as newbie actor Lee Joon-ki, and Son Seung-won as freelance writer Bong Doo-sik. They meet single mom Han Yoon (portrayed by Jung In-sun) and her baby, who end up living in the Waikiki guesthouse. Hilarity ensues when these three unlucky friends co-exist with these unexpected guests.

The "Welcome to Waikiki 2" buddies

Lee Joon-ki (portrayed by Lee Yi-kyung) said goodbye to his friends from "Welcome to Waikiki" season 1 and said hello to a new group of friends in the K-Drama's season 2. He is now the CEO of the Waikiki guesthouse, joined by Cha Woo-shik (Kim Seon-ho), Gook Gi-bong (Shin Hyun-soo), Han Soo-yeon (Moon Ga-young), Kim Jong-eun (Ahn So-hee), and Cha Yoo-ri (Kim Ye-won). Together, they work on reviving this failing guesthouse while tackling topics on friendship, love, and ambitions along the way.

The "Hwarang" warriors

In the historical, comimg-of-age drama "Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth," we see the ultimate squad in this elite warrior group of young men (aka "Flower Boys") who hope to make a difference in the Silla kingdom. It is through this show that Park Seo-joon, Park Hyung-sik, and Kim Tae-hyung (aka BTS' V) started to become real-life friends. Also part of this onscreen squad are actors Choi Min-ho, Do Ji-han, and Cho Yoon-woo, with Go Ara as the female lead and the rose among the thorns.

The "Descendants of the Sun" team Alpha

In the midst of a war, an earthquake, and an epidemic, team Alpha stuck to each other and overcome the challenges together. This hunky bunch of South Korean military men is memorable for their teamwork and loyalty to each other. It's led by Captain Yoo Si-jin aka Big Boss (Song Joong-ki), master sergeant Seo Dae-young aka Wolf (Jin Goo), first sergeant Choi Woo-geun aka Snoopy (Park Hoon), staff sergeant Gong Cheol-ho aka Harry Potter (Choi Woong), and first sergeant Lim Gwang-nam aka Piccolo (Ahn Bo-hyun).

The men from "A Gentleman's Dignity"

"A Gentleman's Dignity" is about four men who have been friends since they were 18 years old, and have pretty much seen each other grow and evolve to become professionals. Through all the hardships in life—heartbreaks and career slumps included—Kim Do-jin (Jang Dong-gun), Im Tae-san (Kim Su-ro), Choi Yoon (Kim Min-jong), and Lee Jung-rok (Lee Jong-hyuk) always make sure to be there to make each other smile. Here's a quote we specifically loved in the series: "Even if the whole world laughs at us it's okay as long as you laugh."

The "Oh My Venus" hunks

In "Oh My Venus," So Ji-sub is Kim Young-ho or John Kim, a personal trainer to Hollywood stars who figures in a scandal. He meets lawyer Kang Joo-eun (portrayed by Shin Min-ah), and he ends up helping her lose weight. While we can't help but fall in love with the chemistry between the two lead stars, we also can't deny the charm of the two men that complete this super cute "Oh My Venus" trio: professional MMA fighter Jang Joon-sung (portrayed by Sung Hoon) who's been trained by John Kim and Kim Ji-woong (portrayed by Henry Lau) who's the goofy manager of Joon-sung.

The "Clean With Passion for Now" cleaning fairies

Starring Yoon Kyun-sang as Jang Seon-kyul, the CEO of a cleaning company, the series introduces us to the cleaning fairies. It initially includes three of the cleaning company's employees who are certified heartthrobs: Yang Hak-jin as Kim Dong-hyun, Cha In-ha as Hwang Jae-min, and Ko Gun-Han as Lee Young-sik. They were later joined by female lead Kim Yoo-jung as Gil Oh-sol. It'd be nice to see this funny squad in another season, but sadly, actor Cha In-ha passed away last December.

The "Hi Bye, Mama!" eommas

"Hi Bye, Mama!" is a deeply emotional K-Drama that focuses on the different faces of motherhood, zooming on the story of Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hoo) who becomes a human again for 49 days after being a ghost for five years. For her to stay as a human, she needs to return to the lives of her husband (Lee Kyu-hyung as Jo Kang-hwa) and her daughter (Seo Woo-jin as Jo Seo-woo), but there's now another woman in the picture: Oh Min-jung (Go Bo-gyeol) as a second wife and stepmom. There are several stories of friendships that were highlighted throughout this series, but what we particularly had fun watching was the all-girl power of Cha Yu-ri, Oh Min-jung, and Ko Hyun-jung (Shin Dong-mi). That scene where they dressed up in matching trench coats to fight other bully moms is so funny!

Photo Credit: starbiz.net

The "My Secret Terrius" KIS agents

In this rom-com mystery series, lead characters Kim Bon (So Ji-sub) and Go Ae-rin (Jung In-sun) live in the same apartment complex called the King Castle. Go Ae-rin has three good, supportive, and ever-reliable friends who are KIS (Kingcastle Information System) agents: Shim Eun-ha (Kim Yeo-jin), Bong Sun-mi (Jung Si-ah), and Kim Sang-ryeol (Kang Ki-young). These "KIS agents" have an online chat group, where they update each other about what's happening in their neighborhood and provide assistance whenever someone needs help. They play crucial roles in circumstances where Go Ae-rin find herself and her kids in danger.

The "Itaewon Class" DanBamers

In the recently-concluded series, male lead Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) is a struggling restaurateur who runs the bar-resto DanBam in Itaewon. He dreams that his business becomes a top food company in Korea, toppling his competitor's Jangga group. In his pursuit for success, he meets hardworking, passionate, and loyal friends who are committed to help him reach his goals: Jo Yi-seo (Kim Da-mi), Choi Seung-kwon (Ryu Kyung-soo), Ma Hyeon-yi (Lee Joo-young), and Kim To-ni (Chris Lyon).

Photo Credit: JTBC

BONUS! The Classics

Some of the iconic K-Drama squads we also loved include: the F4 from "Boys Over Flowers," the four Joseon era men who traveled to the future from "Rooftop Prince," the A.N.JELL band members from "You're Beautiful," and the good-looking staffers from "Coffee Prince."