...
...
Next Story

October 2026 K-dramas are stacked with Kim Ji Won, Ji Chang Wook, Kim You Jung, Park Jinyoung, Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Jae Wook leading the pack

From Kim Ji Won's Doctor X: Mafia in White to Ji Chang Wook's Merry Berry Love, GOT7's Jinyoung's 100 Days of Deception, the month of October is loaded.

Published on: Oct 1, 2026, 15:08:28 IST
Advertisement

October 2026 is set to be a busy month for K-drama fans. The lineup covers a little bit of everything, from romances and healing dramas to medical thrillers, period espionage stories and even a drama set around a cooking competition. If you are already planning your October watchlist, here are the Korean dramas arriving throughout the month, along with their release dates, casts, story details and streaming platforms.

1. Your Personal Taxi

Kim Ji Won goes medical noir, Ji Chang Wook gets romantic and Kim You Jung becomes a spy: 12 K-dramas this October.
Kim Ji Won goes medical noir, Ji Chang Wook gets romantic and Kim You Jung becomes a spy: 12 K-dramas this October.

This series kicks off October’s K-drama lineup with a supernatural mystery centred on a mysterious taxi driver. Cha Tae Hyun plays a driver whose passengers are far from ordinary. They cannot simply hail his cab on the street, and his service comes with a set of unusual rules that slowly become part of the mystery. The drama follows the strange passengers who get into his taxi and the stories they carry with them. As their journeys unfold, questions also arise about the driver himself and why his taxi operates by such different rules.

The show will premiere on October 1, 2026, and will have eight episodes. The cast also includes Lee Yeon Hee, Im Se Mi and Joo Jong Hyuk. The drama will stream on Studio Flow.

2. Between Steps

Seo Jung Yeon and Kim Min Seok will also be appearing in the drama. Between Steps will premiere on October 5, 2026, and will air on ENA and stream on Disney+. The series will have 12 episodes. Though it is unclear if it will be available on JioHotstar in India.

3. Merry Berry Love

The upcoming Japanese-Korean drama follows Lee Yoo Bin (Ji Chang Wook), a Korean spatial planner who is struggling to find his footing in life. Things take an unexpected turn when he meets Shirahama Karin (Imada Mio), a Japanese strawberry farmer living on a scenic island. Their meeting sets the stage for a cross-border romance, with the two finding a connection despite coming from different backgrounds.

The romantic comedy stars Kim Tae Hoon, Jung Soon Won, Moon Woo Jin and Kangnam. The series is a collaboration between South Korea's CJ ENM and Japan's Nippon TV. It will premiere on October 7, 2026, and will be available to watch on Disney+, Nippon TV and Hulu. Though it is unclear if it will be available on JioHotstar in India.

4. Doctor X: Mafia in White

Remake of Japanese medical drama Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon, this follows Gye Soo Jeong (Kim Ji Won), a highly skilled surgeon who refuses to play along with the corrupt practices inside her hospital. Instead of keeping her distance from the politics and power struggles around her, she decides to take them on and uncover what is really happening. The drama combines the familiar medical setting with a darker story of corruption, power and the fight to expose those pulling the strings.

The series stars Kim Woo Suk, Lee Jung Eun and Son Hyun Joo. It marks her first role in two years following the success of Queen of Tears. This K-drama premieres on October 9, 2026, and will be available to watch on Netflix. The series will have 12 episodes.

5. Take Charge of My Heart

The series blends sci-fi with romance and follows Baek Ho Rang (Kim Young Kwang), a wealthy chaebol heir whose seemingly perfect life hides a serious problem. He relies on an artificial heart to stay alive, but its power is slowly running out. As Ho Rang searches for a way to keep himself alive, his plans become more complicated when an unexpected romance enters his life. He meets Na Bo Bae (Chae Soo Bin), a miraculous woman who is capable of keeping him alive. The series is based on the web novel Recharge Me.

The series will premiere on October 9, 2026, and will stream on Netflix with 12 episodes.

6. 100 Days of Deception

Set in 1930s Gyeongseong during the Japanese occupation of Korea, 100 Days of Deception follows Lee Ga Gyeong (Kim You Jung), a skilled pickpocket who dreams of saving enough money to escape her difficult circumstances. Her life changes when she takes on a false identity and goes undercover inside the Japanese government, secretly working as a spy for the Korean independence movement. Her mission becomes more complicated when she crosses paths with a government interpreter (Park Jinyoung), who is also the son of the Inspector General.

The drama also stars alongside Kim Hyun Joo, Lee Moo Saeng and Jin Seon Kyu. 100 Days of Deception will premiere on Netflix on October 10, 2026, with 16 episodes.

7. Make Me Tingle

This series follows Yeon Su (Nam Ji Hyun), a woman with traditional views whose carefully ordered life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Dokgo Dal (Kim Jae Young), the confident CEO of a successful sex toy company. Their very different personalities and outlooks lead to a series of awkward and funny situations as they get to know each other. The relationship also pushes Yeon Su to question some of the assumptions she has held for years.

The drama premieres on October 15, 2026, and will have 10 episodes. It will be streaming on Viki.

8. Love in Disguise

Adapted from the web novel Why You Don't Know It's a Girl? by Lee A Yeon and Ryu Do Ha, this drama blends workplace romance with a mystery. Yim Si-wan plays a sheltered conglomerate heir Yun I Jun (Yim Si Wan) who finds himself at the centre of an investigation after being accused of killing his former secretary. An undercover investigator Kang Jae Hui (Seol In Ah) assigned to the case. As she gets closer to uncovering what really happened, she joins him as his new secretory as a man. She finds herself spending more time with the man she is investigating. What starts as a professional relationship soon becomes complicated when unexpected feelings enter the picture.

Starring Kim Jung Hyun and Yeon Woo as well, the 12-episode drama will premiere on October 19, 2026, on tvN. It will stream on Prime Video.

9. Final Table

The series follows a high-pressure culinary competition that brings talented Korean chefs from around the world together as they battle for the top spot. The drama explores the intense rivalries, pressure and ambition inside the kitchen, while putting food and cooking at the centre of the story.

Chef Kang Han (Ahn Hyo Seop) enters the competition representing "Familia" after an unexpected turn of events. He soon finds himself up against a group of skilled competitors, including a formidable chef Cha U Jin (Chang Ryul).

Hyo Seop leads the cast, alongside Hong Hwa Yeon, Chang Ryul and Jung Eugene. Final Table will premiere on October 24, 2026, on Prime Video and will have 12 episodes.

10. Summer Vacation

This is a long-awaited drama that was filmed in 2023 and is finally set to premiere in October 2026. Blending teenage romance with fantasy, the series follows 18-year-old Kim Ha Yeon (Cho Yi Hyun), whose ordinary summer holiday takes an unexpected turn after a mysterious encounter with Jo Yoo Gyeom (Jung Jin Young). As the two get drawn into an unusual experience, Ha Yeon finds herself caught up in a summer she will not easily forget before eventually returning to her everyday life.

It will be available to watch on Wavve from October 26, 2026.

11. The Perfect Lie

This k-drama marks the reunion that is likely to catch the attention of fans. Yoo Yeon Seok and Seo Hyun Jin reunite nearly a decade after they worked together in Dr. Romantic. It follows Kang Ji Seon and Min Jun Ho after what appears to be a perfect first date. Things soon take a disturbing turn when the two remember the same incident in completely different ways. As their versions of events continue to clash, they begin searching for the truth while questioning everything they thought they knew about each other. With trust quickly becoming the biggest casualty, the question is simple: who is telling the truth and who is lying?

The drama seems like an adaptation of the British Show with the same name though the makers are yet to confirm it. It also stars Ok Ja Yeon and Im Seong Jae. The Perfect Lie will premiere on Disney+ on October 30, 2026.

12. Dead-End Job

This follows Byeon Hyeok Jun (Lee Jae Wook), a young man struggling to make ends meet. His life takes an unexpected turn when he discovers the "Spyder Human Resource Center", an unusual employment agency offering part-time jobs that pay 50 times the standard hourly rate. The money sounds too good to pass up, but the jobs come with their own risks. What starts as a desperate attempt to earn some extra cash soon pulls Hyeok-jun into a strange and dangerous world.

Lee Jae Wook, currently serving in South Korean military, leads the cast. This show is scheduled to premiere on October 30, 2026 on Netflix.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Monica Yadav

Monica Yadav is a senior entertainment journalist with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Mumbai, with nearly 11 years of experience covering Bollywood, Hollywood and Asian entertainment, including Korean, Chinese and Thai cinema, television and music. She is among the few Indian journalists in India with a dedicated focus on Korean entertainment, including K-pop and K-dramas, and has interviewed some of the industry's biggest stars while closely tracking the rise of global pop culture. Her reporting has also taken her beyond India, where she has covered travel, culture and entertainment. Alongside her work at Hindustan Times, her bylines have appeared in several international publications. Known for her in-depth interviews, feature stories and engaging storytelling, Monica enjoys exploring the human side of entertainment. From breaking news and long-form features to music coverage, explainers and on-camera conversations with artists, she is passionate about telling stories that connect with audiences across the world.

Get World Cup ready with Crick-it! From live scores to match stats, catch all the action here. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
Get World Cup ready with Crick-it! From live scores to match stats, catch all the action here. Explore now!.

Get more updates from Bollywood, Taylor Swift, Hollywood, Music and Web Series along with Latest Entertainment News at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Notifications

Get breaking alerts directly from the newsroom

Notifications are on!You'll be notified when news breaks