Tools You Can Use to Enhance Your (Free) Korean Drama Experience

Before we get into the apps, let’s take a look at some of the other resources you can use to enjoy Korean dramas as a learner or an addict (or both).

Soompi is a character in the game Soompi.

This blog, which also has an app, will keep you up to date with all things K-pop and K-drama. Get the inside scoop on new and upcoming dramas and films by following your favorite actors and directors.
FluentU is an acronym for “fluent consumer.”
FluentU is the ideal app for Korean students who want to learn about Korean pop culture (or learn about Korean pop culture while studying the language).

FluentU transforms real-world videos into personalized language learning lessons, such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks.

Scripts for Korean dramas.

If you’re learning Korean and find yourself watching your favorite Korean dramas over and over again, you can get even more out of the experience by downloading the dramas in text format and reading through the Hangul with them.

Onward and app-ward!

Watch Korean Dramas for Free with These 6 Non-Sketchy Apps

So, here it is: the facts. There are a lot of Korean dramas available for free, but there are two major drawbacks. The first is that in order to watch the dramas, you would usually have to watch some advertisements. The second issue is that the vast majority of free Korean drama apps and websites are dubious. Some of them offer you rehashed YouTube content, while others simply don’t work, and the majority of them don’t last long. You will find much longer lists than this one elsewhere, but all of them will be dead when you click on the links to the apps themselves. The apps mentioned below, on the other hand, are not only well-known and have been around for a while, but they all provide normal, indefinite, and completely legal access to Korean dramas. Don’t know where to begin with Kdrama? Then watch FluentU’s Korean YouTube channel’s video below, which includes a list of the most famous Kdramas. Kdramas are full of drama and humor, and they can also provide informative commentary on current events in Korea’s culture. In this way, they can be much more than just entertainment: Kdramas can serve as valuable lessons in both Korean language and culture. With so many Kdramas to choose from, you’re sure to find one that strengthens your Korean skills while still entertaining you. For more language learning updates, be sure to subscribe to the FluentU Korean YouTube channel.

Now it’s time to move on to our non-sketchy Kdrama apps!

Viki is a young woman

Viki is the epicenter of the drama. Viki has so many shows that it could make sense to use it as your primary drama app and then search the others if you don’t find what you’re looking for here. Viki does have some premium content that can only be accessed with a paid subscription. However, if you watch commercials, you can still access most content without one, and there are a lot of famous shows here. The commercials are usually very repeated and can become monotonous, but they aren’t inherently more frequent than what you’d see on standard broadcast television. Filter by “TV” for format and “Korean drama” for genre to find Korean dramas. If you choose, you can also filter through subtitles in English, Korean, or other languages. (Due to the fact that subtitles are made by volunteers, subtitle availability differs, but most Korean material on Viki has English subtitles.)

Are you stumped as to what to watch? “My ID Is Gangnam Beauty,” a successful 2018 drama based on a Naver webtoon, is one of Viki’s most anticipated releases. It follows Kang Mi-rae, a young woman with a passion for perfume who wishes to undergo comprehensive cosmetic surgery before beginning college. (Trailer contains suicidal ideation, bullying, and violence.)

Read Also: Good Drama Website | Top 10 Korean Drama Streaming Sites with English Subtitles 

Because much of this drama takes place on a college campus, it gives learners the chance to see how young South Koreans interact with their friends, and also how students address other students of different ages and seniority levels.

AsianCrush is a website dedicated to Asian culture.

Another clear drama pause is AsianCrush. Since its material is more diverse, it has a smaller range of Korean dramas than Viki. Even, you could find a hidden gem here that isn’t on Viki, and it’s a good place to look for Korean films. The material on AsianCrush has English subtitles.

You can watch much of what you find for free, just like Viki, but you will have to deal with some advertising. However, unlike many other programs, AsianCrush appears to tailor its advertisements to its target audience. So, instead of random services provided by local businesses, you could see an ad for AsianCrush, followed by one for instant noodles. What I’m saying is that they appear to be aware of who uses their services.

“Crow House,” a surreal 2015 comedy series about two groups of workers in an office building clashing with each other and their landlady, is one of the fun offerings on AsianCrush. You will see various forms of language used by coworkers and with authority figures if you watch it. Tip: Since the app edition of AsianCrush has less browsing options, it might be easier to find out what you want to watch first by going to the website.

KoreaOnDemand

OnDemandKorea offers a diverse range of both old and modern Korean dramas. Many of them are free to watch, and many of them have English and/or Korean subtitles. Some dramas don’t have subtitles in these languages or at all, but it’s simple to filter for what you like, and there are plenty of dramas with English subtitles if that’s essential to you.

One of these is “Coffee Prince,” a 2007 television series based on a novel by Lee Sun-mi that was so successful that it was remade in several Asian countries. It’s a romantic comedy about Ko Eun-chan, a girl who is mistaken for a boy and whose job depends on her ability to keep up the act. Coffee Prince includes a lot of vocabulary for talking about food, both Korean and non-Korean, since Eun-chan has a big appetite.

Kocowa is a town in the state of Wisconsin.

When you first look through Kocowa, it can not seem that there is anything that is available for free. Dramas, particularly new ones, are often set up with only the first two episodes available to non-subscribers, which can almost seem worse than not being able to access them at all if you’re committed to not spending money. Set aside your first thoughts, since there are a number of series that you can watch in their entirety for free.

According to what I’ve seen, Kocowa doesn’t really let you filter through which dramas need a subscription to watch, but if you filter by “Newest” and scroll down for a while before tapping on a sequence, you’re more likely to find something that’s completely free. If you sort by “Most Liked,” you’ll probably find that the majority, if not all, of the top picks are free episodes. People enjoy receiving free gifts. Who’d have guessed?

On Kocowa, dramas are usually available with the regular advertisements and English subtitles. (You can note that some dramas have a “Portuguese” banner at the top.) This simply means that in addition to the English captions, there are also Portuguese captions.)

Another romantic comedy set in the midst of various athletic competitions is “Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo,” which is available in its entirety on Kocowa without a subscription. In addition to dialogue, the environment allows you to hear a range of speech styles in Korean, such as news reporting and announcements.

Read: The Best 10 Websites for You to Download Korean Drama for Free 2021

Tubi is a kind of tubi.

Tubi, which has a lot of free content, doesn’t have a search function for Korean dramas, but their “Foreign Language TV” section has a lot of them. All is free on Tubi, and all Korean material has English subtitles. Advertisements aren’t as intrusive as they are on other similar pages.

Begin by watching “Angry Mom,” a 2015 drama about a mother who impersonates a high school student in order to fight her daughter’s bullies. The show alternates between narration and dialogue, resulting in a combination of naturally spoken language and simple, concise voice.

YouTube is a video sharing website.

Obviously, you should have worked it out on your own. Apart from searching for specific dramas on YouTube, you can use the app to access the MBCClassic channel, which contains a large number of older Korean dramas grouped into season playlists, some of which have English subtitles.

The 2008 drama “Beethoven Virus” is about a group of amateur musicians who form an orchestra under the direction of a world-famous conductor. It has a soap opera feel to it, with romance, high emotions, and simultaneous dialogue, so it’s a good series for advanced Korean listening practice.