Reviews of Seven (7) Korean Dramas Released in January 2026

InkiStyle published a great roundup of the Korean dramas that premiered in January 2026 (link below). This website has been around since October 2019 and has already become one of the go-to sites for K-drama and K-pop fans or anyone who loves both K-drama and the culture around it.

PopGeeks should also be your go-to site to keep up with K-drama releases. One can find reviews of all of the titles included in InkiStyle’s watch list published right here. (List in alpha order, not by date of release.)

(1) Can This Love Be Translated?

Joo Ho Jin, a brilliant interpreter, communicates flawlessly in every language except the one that matters most: expressing his own feelings and emotions. His inability to articulate his feelings cost him his past relationship. Life shifts for him when he meets Cha Mu Hee, a struggling actress searching for closure. Her boyfriend abruptly ended their relationship, and she needs to know why. Unable to speak the local language, she turns to Joo Ho-Jin for help. Through his translations, she finds the answers she needs, and gains the strength to move on.

Years later, Joo Ho-Jin is stunned to discover that Cha Mu-Hee, once unknown, has become a global celebrity. A tragic accident happened on set during filming. She was in a coma, and the public became interested in her story. One day, she opened her eyes, and in a televised announcement, the excited doctors said she was in good mental and physical condition. Her miraculous recovery captured public attention. Joo Ho-Jin is reunited when he’s assigned as her interpreter. The two navigate fame, emotional misfires, and their contrasting personalities across Japan, Canada, and Italy. They slowly learn to understand each other beyond words.

(2) No Tail to Tell

A fantasy rom-com that follows Eun Ho, a gumiho who refuses the traditional destiny of becoming human. After witnessing a friend’s tragic future on her wedding day, Eun Ho decides immortality is much better than humanity. In modern Seoul, she uses her powers and eternal youth to grant wishes for the wealthy. She finds that one needs a lot of money to live comfortably in the human world. So she manipulates human greed and avoids emotional entanglements. As long as she doesn’t kill anyone, it’s all good!

Her marvelous eternal life shatters when one of her wealthy clients kills someone. The deities say it’s her fault. Not only did her meddling cause the death of a human, but it also changed the future of another human. She accidentally altered the future of aspiring soccer star Kang Kang Si-Yeol. Consequently, she began losing her supernatural abilities. Years later, Kang Si-Yeol becomes wealthy enough to be her next “client”. Eun Ho’s powers weaken, and her money is dwindling, but it’s an easy fix. All she has to do is grant Kang Si-Yeol one wish. There’s just one problem. Kang Si-Yeol doesn’t have a wish because he’s happy with his life. Oh no! Eun Ho might lose her nine tails and become human after all.

(3) Positively Yours

Two successful adults who carefully control their lives are upended by a single unexpected night. Kang Doo Joon, a disciplined chaebol heir, has sworn off marriage after witnessing how family duty destroyed his brother’s relationship. Jang Hee Won is a career woman and rising star in product development. She is equally determined to avoid romance after growing up amid her parents’ bitter divorce. Both are independent, guarded, and avoid romantic commitment like it’s the Black Death.

Their one spontaneous encounter leads to an unplanned pregnancy, forcing them to confront choices neither ever intended to make. Kang Doo Joon could deny responsibility; Jang Hee Won could walk away and preserve her hard-won independence. Instead, the unplanned circumstances kept drawing them together, at work, among friends, and through the shared responsibility of a new life. As they navigate societal expectations, emotional wounds, and the challenges of co-parenting outside marriage, their connection deepens in ways neither expected.

(4) Spring Fever

Yoon Bom, a once beloved Seoul teacher, retreats to a quiet seaside village after a painful emotional experience. Determined to avoid further hurt, she hides behind self-imposed strict rules. Wear muted clothes, have minimal conversation with anyone and everyone, and most importantly… FEEL NOTHING! Emotion is not allowed. Her distant demeanor sparks curiosity among students, colleagues, and villagers. They all sense she has a secret story hiding behind her silence.

Her carefully controlled solitude unravels when Sun Jae Gyu enters her life. Warm, outspoken, and often misjudged because of his tough appearance and a tattoo. He remembers Yoon Bom from the past, even if she refuses to acknowledge it. Though he’s focused on caring for his nephew, their paths keep crossing. His humor and sincerity slowly chip away at her emotional walls.

Through awkward meetings, village festivals, and quiet seaside moments, their connection deepens. The quirky locals and the coastal charm of the small village also help thaw the ice. Slowly, the emotional walls come down and the doors to trust and love reopen.

(5) The Judge Returns

Lee Han Young was a corrupt judge who spent years protecting the powerful through biased rulings shaped by the influence of a prestigious law firm he married into. He dislikes his wife, but she won’t give him a divorce. He knew what the marriage arrangement was for. But this one time, he develops a conscience and defies the “orders” from the law firm.

It was a major case, and he sentenced a conglomerate chairman to life in prison. His defiance cost him his life. He was framed, targeted, and ultimately killed. Then the impossible happens: he came back to life, only it’s ten years earlier. All of his memories are intact. Given this second chance, Lee Han Young vows to correct past injustices and dismantle the corruption he once enabled.

(6) To My Beloved Thief

Hong Eun Jo, a brilliant low-born physician, secretly lives a second life as the elusive righteous thief Hong Gil Dong. Shaped by her mixed heritage and her father’s fall from grace, she rejects the rigid class system and uses her skills to protect the vulnerable. Villagers whisper countless contradictory rumors about the masked thief, adding to the mystery.

Prince Yi Yeol, a sharp-minded grand prince, is obsessed with solving crimes, especially those involving the legendary righteous thief. A chaotic first encounter leads each to misjudge the other’s social status. He was wearing the garb of a commoner, and she was dressed like a noblewoman. They agreed to meet again. But before their next meeting, Hong Eun Jo learns she is to be married off to an elderly, sick nobleman.

Since there is no chance of her ever enjoying love and the warm embrace of a young husband, Hong Eun Jo reacts in desperation. The prince was standing by the tree waiting for her as they had agreed. She ran up to him and stole a kiss. Before he could object or even react, she ran away. Neither knows the other’s true identity. Fate keeps pulling them together, until a supernatural twist causes them to swap bodies, forcing them to confront secrets, destiny, and each other.

(7) Undercover Miss Hong

Hong Keum Bo, a supervisor at the Financial Supervisory Service in late 1990s Seoul, has been trying to expose financial fraud at Hanmin Securities. An informant, who was also the chairman’s son, dies before handing over evidence, and her investigation collapses. Hong Keum Bo is reassigned to infiltrate the corporation, working undercover, disguised as her younger sister, Hong Jang Mi. Posing as a naïve twenty-year-old rookie, she trades her authority for entry-level drudgery while secretly hunting the chairman’s slush fund trail.

The undercover mission becomes even more complicated when she discovers the firm’s new CEO is Shin Jung Woo, her former lover. Years earlier, she ended their relationship after he ignored signs of financial misconduct at Hanmin Securities. Now, forced into daily interactions while maintaining her false identity, Hong Keum Bo must balance emotional turmoil with her mission. As friendships, rivalries, and old feelings resurface, she stays focused on exposing the truth.

♦ RELATED LINKS:

“7 New K-Dramas In January 2026 To Add To Your Watch List.” InkiStyle, 24 Dec. 2025, https://inkistyle.com/new-korean-dramas-january-2026/.

“JANUARY 2026.” KORB, 11 Dec. 2025, https://korean-binge.com/2025/12/11/january-2026-korean-drama-full-list/.

• NOTE: “Recipe for Love” was released January 31, 2026, and is streaming on KOCOWA+. It is on the PGTBR list (PopGeeks To Be Reviewed). Please check back later.

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My Drama List. “10 Hottest Korean Dramas To Watch in January 2026! [Ft. HappySqueak].” YouTube, 18 Jan. 2026, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUvVIvlDOvQ.

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