‘La Gloria’ and other most watched K-dramas of the week on Netflix

As has happened with the K-pop, television series produced in South Korea known as K-dramas are becoming more and more successful globally, one of the most recent tests was Squid Game, which since its premiere became the most watched production of Netflix with more than 142 million viewers worldwide.

And it is incredible how, despite cultural differences, different languages ​​and geographical distance, hallyu (translated as Korean wave) has had such a robust impact on the Western public, especially in Latin America.

Characterized by being very brief, of 16 chapters in general, and with themes ranging from the classic story of the couple from different social classes who fall in love, going through plots of doctors, schoolchildren, comics, action and fiction, like mythological beings, among others, Platforms like Netflix have become a key factor in its internationalization.

Given its good reception, it is not surprising that the streaming platform already has a ranking one of the most watched K-dramas in South Korea; here the list of the most popular of the week of January 2 to 8:

1. The glory

2 weeks in the ranking

Years after surviving vicious bullying from several schoolmates, a woman concocts an elaborate revenge plan to bring them down one by one.

Starring: Song hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, among others.

2. Alchemy of Souls: Part 2

4 weeks in the ranking

Uk becomes a hunter of invading souls, when a woman, who is a prisoner in her own home, seeks his help to regain her freedom.

Starring: Lee Jaewook, Go Younjung, Hwang Min-hyun, and more.

3.Reborn Rich

8 weeks in the ranking

Yoon Hyun Woo (Song Joong-ki) is a devoted, hard-working and loyal secretary to the Jin family, which runs the lucrative Soonyang Group business empire. But one day, he is brutally betrayed by the family, who falsely accuses him of embezzlement. He dies soon after, but miraculously “comes back to life” by waking up in the body of the youngest male in the family, Jin Do Joon.

Starring: Song Joong-ki, Shin Hyun-bin, Tiffany Young, Park Jin-young, among others.

4. Heaven for Two: Season 2*

5. Alchemy of Souls: Part 1

18 weeks in the ranking (accumulated after re-entry)

A powerful sorceress trapped in the body of a blind woman meets a member of a prestigious family, who needs her help to change her destiny.

Starring: Lee Jaewook, Go Younjung, Hwang Min-hyun, and more.

6. Red Balloon: Season 1

1 week in the ranking

Eun Kang appears ordinary and simple on the outside, but her true desire remains hidden within her heart. Since freshman year of high school, when she met Ba Da, she has been her best friend, despite the feelings of relative deprivation she experiences from her when Ba Da is around her. Watching her supposed best friend take her secret love away from her is hard enough, but things quickly take a turn for the worse when she’s dumped by her boyfriend she’s been together with for four years. With nothing else in her life, Eun Kang hatches a little plan involving Ba Da’s in-laws, with whom she has been on good terms for longer than Ba ​​Da herself, but it backfires on her. Ba Da, on the other hand, trusts the fake version of Eun Kang enough to share all of her secrets, but her trust backfires on her. Eun Kang’s wish, hidden for so long, finally begins to materialize.

Starring: Seo Ji-Hye, Jung Yoo-Min, Lee Sung-Jaey, and more.

7. Diary of a Prosecutor

1 week in the ranking

Being a prosecutor isn’t always a glamorous job: breaking international criminal networks and bringing corrupt politicians to justice, like Cha Myung Joo (Jung Ryeo Won) soon discovers.

She was once the rising star of her department, working in a central prosecutor’s office, dealing with newsworthy cases. But she has now been transferred to a small branch in a provincial town, where her daily work is much more mundane.

At the branch he meets Lee Sun Woong (Lee Sun Gyun), a fellow prosecutor with a very different outlook on life and what the role of a prosecutor should entail.

The two are polar opposites when it comes to their methodology. Cha Myung Joo is cold and meticulous, she insists on abiding by the letter of the law. But Lee Sun Woong takes a more pragmatic approach, chatting with the people she investigates, always eager to uncover the human stories behind the crimes he investigates.

It seems the two prosecutors are on a collision course, with both disapproving of the other’s methods. Can they find a way to work together, or will the district attorneys’ battle turn ugly?

Starring: Jung-Ryo-won, Lee Sun-Gyun, Lee Sang-hee, and more.

8. I am Alone*

9. The love interest

1 week in the ranking

Four men and women who work at the same bank find themselves embroiled in a complicated romance as they discover just how far they are willing to go for love.

Starring: Yoo Yeon-seok, Mun Ka-young, Keum Sae-rok, and more.

10. Mr Sunshine

12 weeks in the ranking (accumulated after re-entry)

A young Korean man who arrives in the US after an 1871 expedition returns to his native country at a critical historical moment and falls in love with an aristocrat.

Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeok-seok, and more.

Some titles are marked with an asterisk

because they are not korean dramas or reality shows. Some of these titles are also within the top 10 of the most viewed rankings in other regions, such asThe glory

which is the most viewed in 62 countries, including several in America such as the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago. Other titles that are also among the most viewed in other countries areAlchemy of Souls

K-drama “The Glory”. (Netflix) To find out why series titles like Goblin, Boys Over Flowers, Moon Lovers, You Are Beautiful and other titles have been so successful you can’t stop talking about the origin of thehallyu

. This phenomenon was first called this way in the late 1990s when the Chinese newspaper The Peoples Daily used the term to refer to the good reception of the Korean culture

in countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia. Hallyu is nothing more than the consolidation of television dramas, movies, K-pop, celebrities or idols, gastronomy, makeup among other aspects that have increased their consumption globally.

A wave that has jumped oceans and has touched the farthest corners of the planet, even in those nations where barriers have been placed to the alien, such as North Korea.

K-dramas are different from Hollywood productions, Arab soap operas or even Mexican soap operas, since after the war with Japan and North Korea they have provided an opportunity for Korean society to reconfigure itself in front of the world. Last but not least, there is also the industry of korean pop (K-pop)

which is intrinsically related to the television industry since the original soundtracks (OST) are likewise one of the bases for publicizing productions and gaining more viewers.