20 Great K-Dramas With LGBTQ+ Representation

Summary The rise of LGBTQ+ representation in K-dramas has had a strong impact in South Korea, pushing the genre forward in a conservative industry.

Shows like "To My Star" and "Color Rush" tell heartwarming love stories with LGBTQ+ characters, contributing to the rise of the "BL" genre.

K-drama fans seeking diverse romantic stories should explore shows with LGBTQ+ representation, showcasing moving storylines and unique dynamics.

Representation in Korean television has been improving over the years, and the best gay K-dramas have some of the most heartwarming storylines that push the subgenre forward. American shows have, more recently, been noted for showcasing LGBTQ+ representation on the small screen, albeit in a relatively small way. However, when it comes to K-dramas, the genre has been a bit more conservative. Over the years, there has been a growing number of LGBTQ+ representation in K-dramas, whether involving same-sex couples or small storylines.

The representation may feel small to the Western audience, but they have a strong impact in a country that previously never tackled these themes on TV. There are now even several K-dramas dedicated to a gay love story and helping the rise of the new "Boy’s Love (BL)" genre. While there's still a long way to go, there are a handful of gay Korean dramas that break the mold and feature LGBTQ+ characters. K-drama fans looking for more diverse romantic K-dramas with moving storylines should check out ones with LGBTQ+ representation.

Related The Best K-Dramas Of All Time, Ranked K-Dramas have been enjoying a lot of success and fan adoration as of late, and these are the best K-dramas of all time.

20 To My Star (2021-2022)

Romance Among Aspiring Artists

The idea of people struggling with their sexuality while being in the public eye is a growing trend in many gay K-dramas as there is still real-life scrutiny that faces gay public figures. To My Star tackles this issue while also telling a charming story of star-crossed lovers. The show focuses on Kang, an actor who sees his career fading and his popularity declining. However, when he meets a more reserved and traditional aspiring chef named Han, Kang believes that his fortunes have finally started changing.

The different dynamics and backgrounds of these characters make their love story all the more charming and intense as they work to keep it strong. This gay K-drama has 10 episodes and all are shorter than most series with just 12 minutes per episode. This also led to an original release, which saw all the episodes released as a two-hour movie before it was split up as a series.

Where To Watch To My Star

19 Color Rush (2020-2022)

True Love Cure Color-Blindness

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Magic or unexplained supernatural aspects often find their way into K-dramas, and it is at the center of the charming love story in Color Rush. The show follows Choi (Yoo Jun) who has a form of color blindness that causes him to only see the world in gray. However, when he meets Go (Heo Hyun Jun), Choi is able to see color for the first time. The fantasy elements involved here see Choi as a "Mono" and in this world, every "Mono" has a "Probe" that can help him finally see the world as it was meant to be.

While it is not a very subtle metaphor, the sweet concept also speaks to how a person's outlook on life can open up when they embrace and accept their sexuality with a person they care about. This gay K-drama is based on the eponymous Boys' love novel of the same name. The series was successful, as it ended up renewed for a second season, meaning there are 16 episodes currently for viewers to enjoy.

Where To Watch Color Rush

18 Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart (2020)

Aspiring Musicians Make Music Together

Along with being another sweet gay K-drama love story, Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart became a global hit thanks to its effective blend of music in its romance as well. The show follows Kang (Kang In Soo), a passionate and determined aspiring musician who meets a young keyboardist named Yoon (Lee Sang). While their partnership is initially based on their love of music, they eventually begin to see a love growing between them. The central relationship is aided by the musical numbers that make it all the sweeter.

Like many K-dramas, this one is also based on a comic, as this one has the same title and 38 episodes, which wraps up the story with a conclusive finale. As for the Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart movie, it plays similar themes as the American musical movie Once, but with an LGBTQ+ slant. It also is smart in that it doesn't bog itself down too much with the relationship and expectations and just allows the story to play out as a love story between two individuals.

Where To Watch Wish You: Your Melody From My Heart

17 Out Of Breath (2019)

A Timid Woman Tries Dating In The Digital Age

A lot of gay K-dramas focus on the fear of LGBTQ+ characters having their sexuality found out. While this represents a very real fear of many members of the community in Korea, it is also nice to see the stories where these people have loved ones who support and accept them. Out of Breath tackles both aspects as it follows Ha-eun (Sohn Su-hyun), a young lesbian struggling to come out of her shell who is helped by her kind best friend who encourages her to try the world of dating apps.

While on the app, she meets Min-seo (Lim Ji Ahn), and the two of them do everything that Ha-eun always wanted to do with her ex but never had a chance until now. The movie takes a hard look at what it is like to be a young gay woman in South Korea, and the struggles that she encounters along the way.

Out Of Breath is not currently available to stream.

16 You Make Me Dance (2021)

Two Men Pursue Their Dreams

You Make Me Dance is another K-drama that connects to the world of artistic expression. The series follows Song Shi On (Chu Young Woo), a student studying contemporary dance who is shunned by his family. He then moves in with Jin Hong Seok (Won Hyung Hoon), a young man who abandoned his dreams of being a pianist in favor of a secure corporate job. The themes of embracing the art that they love mirror the two men gradually acknowledging the romance that blossoms between them.

This is a miniseries short enough to binge-watch for most fans of gay K-dramas and there are eight episodes, each checking in at about 10 minutes each in length. Directed by Joon-moon So, who worked under the brilliant Park Chan-wook on the supernatural Korean horror movie Thirst, You Make Me Dance tells a beautiful story about two young men finding love while also achieving their greatest dreams and desires.

Where To Watch You Make Me Dance

15 Secret Garden (2010)

A Struggling Actor Meets An Aspiring Musician

The K-Drama Secret Garden is one of the first gay K-drama narratives. The show focuses on four different main characters, all of whom are dealing with their own issues. One of the main characters in the show is named Oska, played by actor Yoon Sang-Hyun, a free-spirited Hallyu actor whose time in the limelight is slowly fading away. His life is given purpose when he meets Han Tae-Sun (Lee Jong-Suk), who is a musical prodigy.

While the show features a heartwarming love story between its two main characters, it also doesn't forget to add depth to the narratives of its supporting characters. The original series ran on Saturdays and Sundays on SBS and finished off its run with 20 episodes before coming to an end. The series was a huge success, winning eight of the nine SBS Drama Awards it received nominations for, as well as four out of eight wins at the 47th Baeksang Arts Awards, including the Grand Prize for Hyun Bin.

Where To Watch Secret Garden

Related The Best K-Dramas Based On Webtoons, Ranked These top K-dramas ranked were once all popular webtoons and either got their start on the webtoons.com site or other sites and platforms.

14 Schoolgirl Detectives (2014)

Love Emerges Within A Female Detective Club

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While it may first appear that Schoolgirl Detectives is a light-hearted female-centric show, it actually touches on some heavy, but real-life themes, such as suicide and bullying. It follows five high school students who form a detective club. In their cases, they help their classmates solve their personal issues and mysteries. The show is considered groundbreaking in South Korea as it features the first lesbian kiss on Korean television — a truly pivotal moment both for LGBTQ+ people in Korea and queer fans of K-Dramas.

The series only lasted for one season and 14 episodes, but it ended up in the news when complaints were filed with the Korea Communications Standards Commission concerning the kiss, but it received support from LGBTQ+ awareness groups (via Korea Times). While the show remains known for the kiss, and it didn't win any awards that year, it is still an entertaining young adult mystery series for fans of K-dramas in general.

Where To Watch Schoolgirl Detectives

13 The Lover (2015)

An Introvert And Extrovert Move In Together

It's refreshing to see a show like The Lover, considering Korean dramas went so long without LGBTQ+ representation. The K-drama is unapologetic when it comes to featuring its gay characters and their romance. In the series, four couples living in one apartment complex slowly come together as they navigate their day-to-day life. Lee Jae Joon plays the LGBTQ+ character in the show, and he is looking for a roommate purely for financial reasons. However, he wants a foreign roommate to avoid having to talk to them.

However, he ends up with a Japanese roommate who is extroverted enough to help Joon Jae revive his social life. Takuya, who is traveling, ends up not only moving in as a roommate, but he helps Joon-jae learn that he is wasting his youth and gets him to leave his apartment and get into the world. This gay K-drama aired in 2015 and only lasted for 12 episodes.

The Lover is not currently available for streaming.

12 Be Melodramatic (2019)

A Look At A Modern Gay Relationship

Be Melodramatic is a K-drama show that doesn't leave its LGBTQ+ characters on the sidelines. In the K-drama, three female best friends are seen living their lives in their thirties, where they are forced to handle the transformations in their personal lives and careers. The show also prominently focuses on the brother of one of the characters, a drama producer named Lee Hyo-bong, who is openly gay and is in a loving and stable relationship with another male producer.

While not inherently a gay K-drama, Be Melodramatic is a show that will tug at the heartstrings of viewers thanks to its three-dimensional portrayal of its characters, as well as its relatable narrative. The series lasted for 16 episodes and received minor awards recognition for 2019. It received nominations at the 11th Melon Music Awards and the 21st Mnet Asian Music Awards for the song "Your Shampoo Scent in the Flowers" by Jang Beon-jun. It also picked up a nomination at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards for Best New Actress (Jeon Yeo-been).

Where To Watch Be Melodramatic

11 Lily Fever (2015)

A Chance Meeting Turns To An Unexpected Romance

The gay K-drama Lily Fever features a romance between two women. Kim Kyung-Ju's (Kim Hye-Joon) boyfriend breaks up with her, and she tries to get her passport from his new girlfriend's house. Along the way, she meets the charismatic Jang Se-Rang (Jung Yeon-Joo). Soon after, a budding relationship between the main characters blooms after they both realize they're mutually attracted to each other.

Lily Fever might have a very simple plot, but the two leads in this LGBTQ+ K-Drama, as well as the narrative of the story, are compelling enough to hook the audience. Even more impressive is that this was Kim Hye-jun's debut role after studying theater and film at Hanyang University. She has since become a major star, one of the leads in the Netflix original Korean horror series Kingdom, based on the webtoon The Kingdom of the Gods. As for Lily Fever, there were nine total episodes in 2015.

Lily Fever is not currently available for streaming.

10 Love Alarm (2019 - 2021)

Hidden Love Is Revealed

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Love Alarm was a Netflix K-drama that helped elevate the genre into popularity overseas. It was a unique take on a teen love story combined with the addiction to a social media app. But there was one aspect of the show that fans didn't expect to see, and what set the show apart was its inclusion of a discussion around LGBTQ+ issues.

The story revolves around an app that lets people know whether someone in one's radius is in love with them. Hye-Young (Jung Ga-ram) gets an alert and discovers it's another male student, and he pushes him into the bathroom to confront him. Hye-Young would also go on to stop another student from being bullied because his app alert rang when he walked by a group of male students. There were two seasons with a total of 14 episodes.

Where To Watch Love Alarm

Related 10 K-Drama Endings That Completely Stuck The Landing K-dramas are growing in popularity and many nailed their endings. Whether the endings are happy or satisfying, it's easy to see why they're good.

9 Moment Of Eighteen (2019)

Teens Discover Love and Sexuality In High School

This K-drama is a coming-of-age show around a young male student who decides to be a loner after transferring schools, but he and his classmates' lives experience turmoil and a whirlwind of emotions. Some of this drama surrounds a supporting character, Oh-Je (Moon Bin). Oh-Je is athletic, built, and handsome, and another girl's crush. However, in episode 13, it's revealed that he's gay.

In the scene, Da-Heen (Kim Bo-Yun) is in the infirmary, and he tries to set things straight. He tells her he likes someone, but that it's not a girl. It gets emotional as he has never felt these emotions and can't change how he feels. It's then revealed that another student was listening in on them, and from there Moment Of Eighteen's rollercoaster story truly kicks off. There are 16 total episodes in the one season of this gay K-drama.

Where To Watch Moment of Eighteen

8 Romance Is A Bonus Book (2019)

An Unexpected Affair Is Revealed

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The LGTBQ+ representation in this K-drama is minimal, but still worth discussing. The series as a whole became popular for its dream-worthy romance and one standout scene. It occurs early on in episode two when the male lead admits that the female salesperson was the one his girlfriend cheated on him with. However, the issue is handled sensitively in the series. He also doesn't mind what happened, and he even says he had no chance, referring to the saleswoman's looks.

His ex soon meets her new partner at the salon and Dan-I (Lee Na-young) smiles at the fact that Eun-Ho (Lee Jong-suk) accepts the new relationship. The series lasted for one season with a total of 16 episodes in 2019. It had some minor success at the end of the year with awards recognition. Wi Ha-joon received a nomination at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards for Best New Actor for his performance as Ji Seo-joon. It also received a nomination at the 21st Mnet Asian Music Awards for the song "Take My Hand" by Jannabi.

Where To Watch Romance Is A Bonus Book

7 Hello Dracula (2020)

Three Women Struggle With Their Love Lives

Hello Dracula was only a short drama with two episodes, but one of the best gay Korean dramas left a lasting impact as it revolved around three women. The lead character was a lesbian who had just broken up with her girlfriend of eight years. An-Na, along with the other two female characters, go about their life and experience its many troubles. An-Na tries to get over her lost love while trying to reconnect with her mother, whom she often hid her emotions from since coming out to her. The show was seen as a game-changer in terms of K-drama LGBTQ+ representation.

The name of the show is not a reference to the blood-sucking Universal Horror monster, but was instead a term used to describe the problems the women faced - their "draculas." The two episodes arrived in 2020, and had an alternative title in Drama Festa: Hello Dracula. It was nominated for the Best Single Drama or Telemovie at the 2020 Asian Television Awards, although it ended up losing to The Festival of the Little Gods in that category.

Hello Dracula is not currently available for streaming.

6 Life Is Beautiful (2022)

A Scandalous Relationship Has Emotional Consequences

The 2010 K-drama had a subplot revolving around a gay relationship. The main focus is on a multi-generation family on Jeju Island and their everyday lives and conflicts. One story involves the family's oldest son, who gets involved in a romantic relationship with a divorced male professor. Kyun-Soo's (Lee Sang-Woo) sexuality isn't accepted by his family, and there's even a point where his mother tries to force him to change and return to his ex-wife.

There are some intense and emotional moments because of this, and it further pushes the kind of storytelling in K-dramas. The movie is also the first jukebox musical in South Korea (a movie playing popular songs rather than original ones), with a woman and her husband setting out to find a perfect birthday present, so there is much more here than just the romantic subplot. It premiered at the 36th Fribourg International Film Festival and hit South Korean theaters six months later. Yum Jung-ah and Sim Dal-gi both won acting awards for the movie.

Life Is Beautiful is not currently available for streaming.

5 Reply 1997 (2012)

A Young Man Deals With His Feelings For His Friend

Reply 1997, along with its prequel, Reply 1988, became a K-drama staple. However, the sequel had something the first didn't - a small subplot involving LGBTQ+ representation. One of the main characters, Joon-Hee (Hoya) is best friends with Shi-Won (Jung Eun-Ji) and Joon-hee soon confides in her his biggest secret. He's gay and is in love with Yoon-Jae (Seo In-Guko), Shi-Won's childhood best friend. Reply 1997 ended up as one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history (via enewsWorld).

Reply 1997 was a critical success, winning awards at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards, 1st K-Drama Star Awards, 5th Korea Drama Awards, and tvN10 Awards. After the show's end, the actor who played Joon-Hee was met with discrimination and speculation about his real-life sexual orientation. On the 4-Things Show, he explained that many people questioned his sexuality just because he played a gay character on screen.

Where To Watch Reply 1997

Related 10 K-Dramas That Ended Way Too Soon K-dramas are becoming an increasingly popular genre. While many dramas are well-received, some struggled to end in ways that satisfy audiences.

4 Love With Flaws (2019)

A Relationship Leads To Self-Acceptance

Love With Flaws had a subplot of an LGBTQ+ relationship that dealt with them in an honest and charming way. The budding relationship between Won-Suk (Cha In-Ha) and Ho-Dol (Jang Yoo-Sang) stole the spotlight many times in the series. Ho-Dol is coming to terms with his sexuality and soon meets bartender, Won-suk, at a gay bar. Their relationship soon blossoms as Won-Suk helps Ho-Dol accept who he is. When Ho-Dol is bullied at school, Won-Suk swoops in to sit next to him, puts his arm around him, and effectively quiets the judgy students.

The main story is not an LGBTQ+ story, as it features a young woman who hates men and thinks they are nothing but trouble. She meets a young man who has doubts about her, but they eventually fall in love. However, the best scenes surround Ho-Dol and Won-suk and their relationship in the side story. There were 32 episodes in this series, which stretched from 2019 to 2020, and it was a big hit on South Korean television concerning the ratings, averaging 2.7% over its run.

Where To Watch Love With Flaws

3 Itaewon Class (2020)

A Transgender Woman Embraces Her Identity

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The Netflix K-drama Itaewon Class quickly became one of 2020's hit shows in the genre, and it's one of the best gay Korean dramas thanks to one specific character. Besides the riveting storyline, viewers were happy to see an LGBTQ+ character in Hyeon-Yi. Many important characters help Sae-Ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon) build his dream of opening a bar restaurant and defeating his arch-nemesis, one of them being Hyeon-Yi (Lee Joon-Young).

She meets Sae-Ro-Yi in a factory where they work. In the show, it's revealed that Hyeon-Yi is a transgender woman who has been saving money for her sex reassignment surgery. Along the way, she became more comfortable with her gender identity, and her character became a fan favorite. Based on the webtoon by Gwang Jin, the K-drama was a monster success, both in streaming numbers and critical acclaim as it ended up winning the Best Drama Series Award at the 25th Asian Television Awards.

Where To Watch Itaewon Class

2 Mr. Heart (2020)

Rival Athletes Form A Connection

Mr. Heart was a short K-drama in 2020 that was a follow-up project to Where Your Eyes Linger. The drama marked the beginning of a new K-drama genre called "BL drama," short for "Boy Love," a Japanese term normally used for manga series in which the two main characters are both males. The genre has some controversial aspects to it, but it is well-loved by overseas audiences for its LGBTQ+ representation. The K-drama tells the story of two track athletes, both wanting to achieve success.

However, when one is partnered with the other, there are some ill feelings. The more they get to know each other, they realize their emotions have taken a turn. Where Your Eyes Linger had a total of eight episodes in 2020, and Mr. Heart matched it with eight episodes. Both shows share similar themes, and their respect and focus on the love between two people play out well, without exploiting the ideas of a male-on-male relationship and remaining respectful of their love.

Where To Watch Mr. Heart

1 Where Your Eyes Linger (2020)

Tension Builds Between Best Friends

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Where Your Eyes Linger has everything lovers of the best romantic K-dramas crave, including intense chemistry, riveting romance, and swoon-worthy kisses. Kang-Gook (Jang Eui-Soo) and Han Tae-Joo (Han Gi-Chan) have been best friends for 15 years, but Kang-Gook knows his real feelings for Tae-Joo, and he longs to tell the truth, but he can't.

Tae-Joo is the opposite, having had many girlfriends, but there's an unrequited sexual tension between them and the arrival of a female student might push both of them off the edge, and this unique dynamic makes it one of the best gay K-dramas with LGBTQ+ representation so far in the eyes of many viewers. This was also a huge South Korean release, as the series actually screened at the 24th edition of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

Where To Watch Where Your Eyes Linger