Goodbye Mr Black - Based on a manhwa of the same name, Goodbye Mr Black is a The Count of Monte Cristo-esque romance thriller drama starring Lee Jin-wook as Cha Ji-won, a Navy SEAL demolitions officer branded as a traitor due to a former friend’s machinations. He is then exiled to another country, but returns with a new identity and a plan to exact revenge.
Goodbye Mr Black - Wi Ha-joon is part of the extended cast, retaining his own name in a small role. We don’t get to see much of him, but the drama itself is a quality watch.
My Golden Life - This drama revolves around two families, piecing together multiple storylines that contrast their day-to-day realities. Park Si-hoo stars as Choi Do-kyung, a third generation chaebol born into the wealthy Choi family as well as the only heir to Haeseong Group and the head of its strategic planning team. Shin Hye-sun is Seo Ji-an, a probationary employee in the same company who dreams of getting hired for a full-time position. She is cheerful and hard-working, but is also struggling financially as her father went bankrupt years ago. Somehow, she gets a chance to alter her circumstances and live as she were someone else when she is sent by her mother to live with the Choi family.
My Golden Life - Again, we don’t see much of Ha-joon here. He is part of the Haeseong Group, portraying Ryu Jae-shin, the former driver of Do-kyung’s younger sister.
Something in the Rain - This popular noona drama is famous for pairing together Jung Hae-in and Son Ye-jin, as well as for marking Ye-jin’s return to the small screen after five years. It explores the relationship between Yoon Jin-ah (Ye-jin), a 35-year-old store supervisor who wants more out of life. She finds herself falling in love with Seo Joon-hee (Jae-in), a 31-year-old character animation designer as well as her best friend’s younger brother.
Something in the Rain - The drama chronicles the ups and downs of their unconventional romance—their age difference is considered taboo in some circles—as well as other factors concerning social status (associating with people who are “below” one’s wealth class or educational attainment), career (women being expected to flirt with male colleagues during team dinners), and even food (an older woman buying food for a younger man signifies a brother-sister relationship).
Something in the Rain - Ha-joon features as Yoon Seung-ho, Jin-ah’s younger brother and Joon-hee’s best friend. He is studying for his PhD, and splits his time between home and the university. He is very protective of his older sister.
Matrimonial Chaos - A Korean adaptation of the J-Drama Saikou no Rikon, Matrimonial Chaos casts the spotlight on two couples doing their best to iron out the kinks in their relationships. It unravels the intricacies of give and take, of wanting love but having difficulty expressing it, and about sacrificing one’s happiness for the other but deserving something in return. Cha Tae-hyun is Jo Seok-moo, a 36-year-old recluse who is very stubborn; Bae Doona is Kang Hwi-roo, his 35-year-old wife who is easygoing and likes to take things at a slow pace; Lee El is Jin Yoo-young, an introverted but smart woman; Son Suk-ku is Lee Jang-hyun, Yoo-young’s charismatic love interest who is pursued by multiple admirers.
Matrimonial Chaos - Ha-joon plays a small role as the 29-year-old Im Shi-ho.
Romance is a Bonus Book - Life isn’t going all that great for Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young), a former topnotch copywriter trying to re-enter the workforce after a year of recuperating from an accident. This was because she stepped in to save Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk), a successful author and chief editor at a book publishing company. They became good friends, but this relationship grew strained after she decided to date and later marry her inconsiderate boyfriend. In the present, Dan-i is an unemployed divorced single mother working as a temporary task support team member in the same company Eun-ho is part of. Due to the financial hardships she is going through, she secretly works as Eun-ho’s housekeeper as well.
Romance is a Bonus Book - Ha-joon is Ji Seo-joon, a young freelance book designer who eventually develops feelings for Dan-i. He has a complicated relationship with Eun-ho as well.
Romance is a Bonus Book - It’s a solid performance from Ha-joon, who shines in this main role. He was nominated for a Best New Actor - Television accolade in 2019 at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
Soul Mechanic - This drama follows a team of psychiatrists employed at Eun Kang Psychiatric Hospital as they help their patients achieve total healing. Their unique approach to dealing with mental health issues grants them an enviable success record, and this is all thanks to the doctors’ solid commitment to their patients, going as far as to think of novel ways to cure them and guide them to leading normal lives. The eccentric Lee Shi-joon (Shin Ha-kyun) is the star of the show, often getting into trouble with his supervisors because of his radical healing methods. He gets assigned to look after Han Woo-joo (Jung So-min), a celebrity with anger management issues.
Soul Mechanic - Ha-joon makes a two-episode cameo as football player Oh Yoo-min.
18 Again - If you could go back in time to undo your mistakes in life, would you? Well, that’s what happens to Hong Dae-young (Yoon Sang-hyun at 37; Lee Do-hyun at 18), whose happy marriage starts crumbling when his wife files for divorce and his children distance themselves. Making a wish, he miraculously morphs back into his teenage body but keeps his adult outlook. He assumes the name Go Woo-young and enrolls in the school where his children go, eventually learning more about them and understanding the circumstances that led to his fractured family life.
18 Again - Wi Ha-joon is cast as Ye Ji-hoon, the pitcher for Seum Wolves and a famous baseball athlete with a large fanbase. He assumes a parental role in the life of his niece after his older brother died in an accident and his sister-in-law left the family.
18 Again - He develops romantic feelings for Dae-young’s wife, but is instrumental in getting her to reconcile with him upon learning she is still in love with him.
Squid Game - Netflix’s most-watched series became the top viewed programme in over 90 countries, edging out shows such as Bridgerton and The Witcher. It received multiple accolades from numerous international award-giving bodies such as the Golden Globe Awards, Emmy Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Squid Game - Squid Game is a survival thriller that focuses on economic class struggles in South Korea and issues that stem from capitalism on a global level. Numerous individuals, all in some form of debt, are handpicked to compete in a series of deadly children’s games. For every player that is eliminated, the cash prize increases, allowing the ugly side of human nature to rear its head as the remaining competitors eschew morality to increase their chances of winning the game.
Squid Game - Ha-joon infiltrates the game as undercover detective Hwang Jun-ho, who later learns that his missing brother is actually the Front Man, the one responsible for all this madness. The end of the first season leads us to believe that his character has been killed off, but we’re still hoping to see Jun-ho in the sequel. After all, they never show us his body.
Bad and Crazy - Corrupt and ambitious detective Ryu Su-yeol (Lee Dong-wook) is great at his job, but utilizes questionable methods to support his equally questionable ethics. All is well until K (Wi Ha-joon), a crazy guy in a helmet, shows up. His solution to injustice? Punch the living daylights out of it.
Bad and Crazy - It’s a wild game of cat and dog between the two, and the comedic tone the show adapts makes it all the more endearing to watch. There’s more fun in it for K, though, who often ends up beating up poor Su-yeol.
Bad and Crazy - This is a terrific role for Ha-joon, who finally gets to loosen up and show us another side to him. There’s the added extra challenge of him and Dong-wook essentially playing the same character—Su-yeol suffers from a split personality disorder—and it’s amazing to see the actors portray two sides of the same coin. Can we get these two in another drama together, pretty please?
Little Women - With the finale just around the corner, it’s almost surprising how we’re still in the dark about a lot of things. Loosely based on Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel of the same name, Little Women follows the lives of three sisters: Oh In-joo (Kim Go-eun), the eldest sister who laments growing up and wants to earn as much money as she can to provide for her family; Oh In-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun, the middle sister whose righteous nature often finds her in trouble due to her work as a reporter; and Oh In-hye (Park Ji-hu), the youngest sister who is artistically gifted but has a tendency to be callous when she feels smothered by her family’s attention. All three become involved in the case of 70 billion won going missing, and they find themselves going toe-to-toe with one of the most powerful families in Korea.
Little Women - Ha-joon is constantly stoking our do-we-trust-him-or-is-he-evil senses as the enigmatic Choi Do-il, who is working with the ambitious politician that is seeking to bring down the sisters.
Little Women - This is definitely one of his strongest performances to date, as every gesture, every change in facial expression has us thinking one way before setting us back to square one. We’ll miss you when Little Women ends, Do-il.
