The 6 K-Dramas and Films Coming Out in May 2022 To Look Out For

It’s been another strong month for K-dramas, from the explosive success of Business Proposal, the engrossing Netflix romantic comedy that climbed the streamer’s global rankings (just behind Bridgerton) to the stunning Pachinko series on AppleTV+.

Here, we round up some of the most compelling new K-dramas and Korean films to be unveiled in May 2022.

1. The Sound of Magic

Release date: May 6

Based on a webtoon known as Annarasumanara, this fantasy musical drama on Netflix is the latest work from Kim Sung-youn, who directed the hit K-drama Itaewon Class on Netflix.

The Sound of Magic sees a disenchanted teenager (played by Choi Sung-eun from Beyond Evil on Netflix) desperate to escape the harsh realities of her life meet a mysterious magician (played by Ji Chang-wook from Lovestruck in the City and Suspicious Partner on Netflix) living in an abandoned theme park who wants to remain a kid forever.

The teen gains a sense of hope as the enigmatic man makes her troubles disappear into thin air. “Do you know what to do when your heart is broken? Just say the magic words,” he says in the trailer for the series.

2. Woori the Virgin

Release date: May 9

This Korean remake of the U.S. romantic comedy series Jane the Virgin sees Woori (played by Im Soo-hyang from My ID is Gangnam Beauty on Netflix), a writer facing pressure to get married after catching the bouquet at a wedding, be stunned to discover she’s pregnant with the child of a party-loving CEO of a cosmetics company following an accident at a gynecologist’s office.

Things get tricky as Woori’s boyfriend (played by Shin Dong-wook from Dr. Romantic on Netflix) stages an elaborate marriage proposal which forces her to confess the shocking truth.

Woori the Virgin, airing on South Korea’s SBS television channel, will be also available to stream on Rakuten Viki.

3. Hunt

Release Date: Between May 17-28

Squid Game‘s Lee Jung-jae, the Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Award winner who played contestant no. 456 in the hit Netflix K-drama, will make his directorial debut with Hunt, an action thriller premiering at Cannes Film Festival in May.

Lee also stars in the film as an agent for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service who works with another agent played by Jung Woo-sung (the major Korean movie star who is the executive producer of the Netflix K-drama The Silent Sea) to track down a spy.

See a poster for Hunt shared on Lee’s official Instagram account here.

4. Broker

Release Date: Between May 17-28

Featuring a star-studded cast including Parasite actor Song Kang-ho, Bae Doona from The Silent Sea and the Kingdom series on Netflix and K-pop singer-songwriter/actress IU, this moving Korean film by famed Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda will also premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, competing for the top Palme d’Or award.

The film follows the lives of several characters that cross paths via a “baby box,” where mothers anonymously drop off babies they’re unable to raise.

5. Decision to Leave

Release Date: Between May 17-28

The much-anticipated new film from Park Chan-wook, the visionary director behind the Korean films Oldboy and BAFTA-winner The Handmaiden, sees a detective investigate the mysterious death of a man in the mountains.

Park’s latest work, which is also competing for the Palme d’Or award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in May, stars Chinese actress Tang Wei as well as Park Hae-il (the Korean actor from the Bong Joon-ho films The Host and Memories of Murder) and Go Kyung-Pyo (from the gripping Netflix K-drama D.P.).

6. Kiss Sixth Sense

Release date: May 25

This upcoming new K-drama on Disney Plus sees an “extrasensory” romance unfold between Ye Sul (played Seo Ji-hye from Crash Landing on You on Netflix and Dr. Brain on AppleTV+), a workaholic at an advertising firm who can see one’s future when she kisses a person, and her boss (played by Yoon Kye-sang), whose five senses are 10 times stronger than that of others. Ye Sul is surprised to see herself in Min-hoo’s future following an accidental kiss between the pair.

See a poster for Kiss Sixth Sense on the Disney Plus Korea Instagram account here.