Discover 5 of the best K-dramas about revenge, ranging from brutal killings to organized crime and real-life events.
The Glory
Netflix’s “The Glory” depicts a woman who was broken to the core by school violence in her childhood seeking a meticulously planned and brutal revenge.
Song Hye Kyo stars as the lead in “The Glory,” reuniting with writer Kim Eun Sook after six years since “Descendants of the Sun” in 2016. It is also Kim Eun Sook’s first revenge drama and the first 19+ rated drama she has written.
“The Glory” consists of 16 episodes, with part one (episodes 1-8) being released on December 30th last year and part two (episodes 9-16) being released in March. Song Hye Kyo and Lim Ji Yeon won the TV category’s Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Drama Award at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards held on April 28th.
Vincenzo
tvN’s “Vincenzo,” which aired in 2021, tells the story of Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong Ki), an Italian mafia lawyer who comes to Korea due to a betrayal within the organization and punishes the abuses of power by the cartel formed by Babel Group’s chairman, Jang Joon Woo (Ok Taec Yeon), and prosecutor Choi Myung Hee (Kim Yeo Jin), in a mafia-style way.
“Vincenzo” recorded the highest nationwide viewership rating of 14.6% at the time of its broadcast and won the Best Drama Award and Best Actor Award for Song Joong Ki in the 16th Seoul Drama Awards in 2022 and the Grand Prize at the 8th Apan Star Awards.
The King of Pigs
Tving’s original “The King of Pigs,” which aired from March 18th to April 22nd in 2022, is a drama produced based on the animated film “The King of Pigs” directed by Yeon Sang Ho.
“The King of Pigs” tells the story of Hwang Kyung Min (Kim Dong Wook), who was subjected to domestic and school violence 20 years ago, who kills the perpetrators who tormented him in the past, and is chased by Jung Jong Seok (Kim Sung Kyu), his former best friend and now a detective.
“The King of Pigs” has been praised as one of the most brutal Korean works ever made with its fast-paced development and better adaptation than the original work.
Taxi Driver Series
SBS’s “Taxi Driver” series tells the story of Kim Do Ki (Lee Je Hoon), a Rainbow Taxi driver who avenges those who have been wronged.
Season 1 aired in 2021 with 16 episodes, and Season 2 aired from February to April this year. “Taxi Driver” received rave reviews for adapting real-life events such as “Burning Sun,” “School Violence,” “Workplace Bullying,” and “Cult Religion.”
Season 3 of “Taxi Driver” was announced just a day after the end of “Taxi Driver 2” on April 16th.
The Fiery Priest
SBS’s 2019 drama “The Fiery Priest” follows Kim Hae Il (Kim Nam Gil), a former National Intelligence Service agent with anger management issues who is now a Catholic priest, and detective Gu Dae Young (Kim Sung Kyun) as they collaborate in solving a murder case.
The drama recorded the highest nationwide viewership rating of 22.0% at the time of its broadcast and won Kim Nam Gil, Honey Lee, and Kim Sung Kyun the Grand Prize, Best Actress, and Best Actor awards, respectively, at the 2019 SBS Drama Awards. “The Fiery Priest” is currently in production for season 2, scheduled to air in 2024.
Source: Wikitree.
