Love to see women run the world? Here are 6 KDramas with strong, inspiring women leads!

The KDrama universe surely does sometimes encourage toxic things such as wrist grabbing, forcefully kissing and others. But they’re also increasingly focusing on strong women-led dramas or at least giving women characters a strong role, which all of us are utterly grateful for! Where the female leads would mostly just be one dimensional with the only identity of being a love interest, recent shows are thankfully, getting wiser and breaking that mould. 

Just like society is ever-changing, so should be the case with dramas. We’ve had characters who break glass ceilings, are on the top of their male counterparts, achieve their dreams, run the world and much more in recent times. Their characters are not just love interests anymore, they have their own identity with their own ambitions. Let’s take a look at the top shows that have these multidimensional women as their leads!

Chae Song Hwa in Hospital Playlist 

The only woman among a group of five friends, Song Hwa (Jeon Mi Do) perfectly encapsulated the modern woman. She portrayed a strong character that showed a woman can be both ambitious in her career, stay unmarried, love her life and friends, and not be desperate for love. An associate professor of neurosurgery in a major hospital, she definitely is a refreshing character and extremely inspiring too. 

Bae Ta Mi, Hyeon and Song Ga Kyung in Search: WWW

With three strong leads, you’d wonder if this is all about blackmailing or catfights. Safe to say, it’s nothing of that sort. It toys with the society’s checklist of women - what age is appropriate for them to get married, what sacrifices they can make, where do their choices lie and what actually holds more importance for the women - a married life over a career-driven life. And our three leads break all these boundaries. All in their 30s and in a highly competitive job, they enjoy their freedom and love hyping each other up without paying a heed to the world. 10/10 recommended. 

Sung Deok Mi in Her Private Life 

An exceptional business person, Sung Deok Mi (Park Min Young) leads a double and almost opposite life. This character deserves a mention in the list as it not only is about a strong female lead, but it’s also a refreshing take of ‘fangirls’ in the K-Pop industry. While die-hard female fans are stereotyped as teenage girls with no brains, Deok Mi proves that a fangirl can also be a mature, hard working, glass-ceiling shattering woman too.

Choi Ae Ra in Fight For My Way 

In a world where everything and everyone is against her, excluding her friends, Choi Ae Ra (Kim Ji Won) struggles to find a way for her dreams. She portrays a woman’s life which is riddled with thorns of the society judging her at every step, but still continues to be ambitious and never backs down. It’s almost like every jab the universe throws at her, she turns them into fuel to fire her passion even more. 

Kang Mo Yeon in Descendants of The Sun

The ultimate ‘beauty with brains’ phrase that many people use, becomes true with Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo). As the lead in the super hit show Descendants of The Sun, she portrayed a strong-minded cardiothoracic surgeon who is both fierce and soft. Kang Mo Yeon knew when to follow her heart and her mind, keeping her humility intact throughout the show. Even when things in her personal life went astray, she made sure to not let it affect her professional life. Can we have more headstrong characters like Kang Mo Yeon please? 

Go Hae Ri in Vagabond

A spy capable of fighting her own fights who is a well-trusted woman by many? Yes please! Go Hae Ri (Bae Suzy) is an undercover spy who is extremely skilled for her job. With her ability to combat and fight the enemy outside and within her mind, she showcases women in the special forces, giving proof that women are as skilled in firearms and combat as men. 

Other notable mentions in the list of strong women breaking stereotypes include Shim Su Ryeon and Cheon Seo Jin in The Penthouse, Ji hae Soo in It’s Okay, That’s Love, Do Bong Soon in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Cha Ji Won in Flower Evil and Yoon Se Ri in Crash Landing On You. 

Also Read: Anatomy Of A KDrama Scene: When Jo Yi Seo unravels her sensitive side to Park Sae Royi in a tearful moment

Which of these strong female leads inspire you? Tell us in the comments below and do drop more recommendations if you have any!