Top 20 Motivational Netflix Korean Dramas that will Fire You Up In 2022!

In this article, We’re gonna share the best motivational korean dramas that will fire up your heart and make you start taking actions toward your dreams. This time I will share a list of korean dramas that will totally motivate you and help you overcome every hardships in your journey to success and achieving what you are set out to do.

I wish these list of motivational korean dramas will not just entertain you, but really help you to start doing something towards achieving your dream in this 2022, new Year, new World, and new YOU.

As we enter into the new 2022, we need to be able to stir ourselves up and live our new life in this new world, and being a new version of ourselves.

I wish these list of the best motivational korean dramas will not just entertain you, but really help you to start doing something towards achieving your dream in this 2022, new Year, new World, and new YOU. Let’s make it happen this year.

1. Start-Up (2020)

I guess many of you already knew of watched this great movie, this is a really must watch movie for you who want to reach your dream, defy the odds and fight to make your dream come true, especially in hi-tech career path,

As it’s name suggest, Korean drama start up is about Start-up company. Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy), inspired by her late father, dreams of becoming Korea’s Steve Jobs. Through a childhood incident, she meets Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk), the founder of an AI firm called Samsan Tech.

After successfully getting into Sandbox’s residency program, the team works towards innovating a new AI project under the mentorship of Han Ji-pyung (Kim Seon-ho), the team leader. This drama shows the journey of successful start up that facing a lots of obstacles along the way to reach their dreams.

Main cast:

Bae Suzy as Seo Dal-mi
Nam Joo-hyuk as Nam Do-san
Kim Seon-ho as Han Ji-pyeong
Kang Han-na as Won In-jae

2. Itaewon Class (2020)

Itaewon Class korean drama was one of the best netflix korean dramas of 2020, thanks to its meaningful plot and depiction of societal issues, such as racism and gender discrimination.

Park Sae-royi (Park Seo-joon), who owns a bar-restaurant called DanBam (Honey Night) in Itaewon has a main goal to become a successful business owner as his revenge plan to beat a food conglomerate.

The story is centred on the DanBam team members, who learn the importance of teamwork and acceptance of diversity as they grow the business together.

Main cast:

Park Seo-joon as Park Sae-royi
Kim Da-mi as Jo Yi-seo
Yoo Jae-myung as Jang Dae-hee
Kwon Na-ra as Oh Soo-ah

3. Misaeng (2014)

Misaeng korean drama is a story of an office workers daily life. This movie offers you a detailed portrayal of the corporate world and the hardships faced. This drama share the stories of individuals living an incomplete life that later seek out on what it takes to make one’s life fulfilling.

Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan)’s childhood dream was to be a professional baduk player. However, he fails to achieve this dream and ends up taking on an office job at One International. Together with Ahn Young-yi (Kang So-ra), a fellow new employee, Geu-rae navigates through the trials and tribulations of office life as they try to please their boss.

Main cast:

Im Si-wan as Jang Geu-rae
Kang So-ra as Ahn Young-yi
Kang Ha-neul as Jang Baek-gi
Byun Yo-han as Han Seok-yool

4. Fight For My Way (2017)

Fight For My Way korean drama tells the story of 4 childhood friends who decide to chase after their dreams as they grow older. It reminds us once again that it’s never too late to chase after your dreams.

The childish interactions between Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-joon) and Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) turn into a sweet romance, while Kim Joo-man (Ahn Jae-hong) and Baek Seol-hee (Song Ha-yoon) face new challenges in their 6-year relationship.

The drama not only showcases the determination behind getting one’s dream job and the arduous journey it takes to get there, but also draws on the journey of friendship and love as they chasing their dreams.

This is the most relatable K-drama that talks about the struggle of trying to fit in the job that we desire. This drama showed us the sad reality that some people’s dream job changes overtime because no one actually has full control of where they would end up in their career.

Dong Man was a famous taekwondo player who quit because of an unfortunate event that involves her little sister but still dreams of going back.

His best friend Choi Ae Ra is working in the information desk of a department store but has a lifelong dream of becoming an announcer.

Unlike Dong Man who already had a taste of his dream but chose to quit, Choi Ae Ra is struggling to reach hers. In the end, their perseverance led them to a successful career, even if it’s not actually what they expected.

Main cast:

Park Seo-joon as Ko Dong-man
Kim Ji-won as Choi Ae-ra
Ahn Jae-hong as Kim Joo-man
Song Ha-yoon as Baek Seol-hee

5. While You Were Sleeping (2017)

While You Were Sleeping korean drama stars Bae Suzy as Nam Hong Joo, a young woman who gets bad premonition dreams before they actually happen. She’s always thought that she’ll always unable to change the future.

That is until she meets the prosecutor Jung Jae Chan (Lee Jong Suk) and the police officer Han Woo Tak (Jung Hae In), who both have the same ability as her.

But aside from its fantasy slant, the drama also showed us that there’s no such thing as an easy way to reach your dream job than passion and perseverance.

Hong Joo was a stellar journalist, but because of her dream where she saw how she would die while at work, she quit. However, even after she started working for her mother’s restaurant, she still couldn’t stop thinking about the days when she was working for a big broadcasting company.

In the end, her haunting dream didn’t stop her from pursuing her passion. Hong Joo taught us that a job that makes you happy is a job that you shouldn’t let go despite your fears!

Main cast:

Bae Suzy as Nam Hong-joo 남홍주
Lee Jong-suk as Jung Jae-chan 정재찬
Jung Hae-in as Han Woo-tak 한우탁

6. Search: WWW (2019)

Search WWW korean drama is a story mainly about woman who chooses career over being house wife or a mother. The story revolves around 3 women in their late 30s – Bae Ta-mi (Im Soo-jung), Cha Hyeon (Lee Da-hee) and Song Ga-kyeong (Jeon Hye-jin) – who all work in top web portal companies.

Main cast:

Im Soo-jung as Bae Ta-mi/Tammy
Lee Da-hee as Cha Hyeon/Scarlett
Jeon Hye-jin as Song Ga-kyeong
Jang Ki-yong as Park Morgan
Lee Jae-wook as Seol Ji-hwan
Ji Seung-hyun as Oh Jin-woo

7. Shopaholic Louis (2016)

Shopaholic Louis korean drama is a story about Seo In Guk, who transforms into a rich chaebol named Louis who’s lived a sheltered life and is dubbed as the king of shopping. One day, he met someone who teaches him how to adjust his spending habits. In this series, you will see how vital technology is, and how it makes the world running with just a tap or a click.

Main cast:

Choi Jin-hyuk as Park Gwang-ho
Yoon Hyun-min as Kim Sun-jae
Lee Yoo-young as Shin Jae-yi

8. My Holo Love (2020)

If you want another K-drama centered on Silicon Valley, My Holo Love korean drama is definitely for you. It’s a story about technology of AI and robotics. This movie presents them in the form of extraordinary glasses that allowed the female lead to actually see her AI assistant.

Main cast:

Han Suk-kyu as Do Chi-kwang
Seo Kang-joon as Kim Yeong-goon
Kim Hyun-joo as Han Tae-joo

9. Pinocchio (2014)

Pinocchio korean drama follows the everyday life of Choi In-ha (Park Shin-hye) as she fulfils her lifelong dream of being a trustworthy reporter. This movie titled Pinocchio is because in this movie, it tell that Choi In Ha, suffers from a fiction condition called Pinocchio Syndrome that cause her to always hiccup each time she lie

Meanwhile, Choi Dal-po hides behind a shabby appearance to mask his true identity as Ki Ha-myung, an intelligent and sharp man. Both of them become news reporters. The drama highlights the moral dilemmas faced by news reporters, and the main characters constantly find themselves torn between reporting for impact or the truth.

Main cast:

Lee Jong-suk as Choi Dal-po/Ki Ha-myung
Park Shin-hye as Choi In-ha
Kim Young-kwang as Seo Beom-jo
Lee Yu-bi as Yoon Yoo-rae

10. I Am Not A Robot (2018)

I am not a robot korean drama is actually story about high technology humanoid robot and its programming. The two main characters of this story are Kim Min-kyu (Yoo Seung-ho) and Jo Ji-ah (Chae Soo-bin).

Kim Min-kyu lives a luxurious but isolated life due to a severe allergy to physical contact with other human beings. Jo Ji-ah is trying to make it in life by creating businesses based on her inventions. The two first meet when Kim Min-kyu hires her to purchase an exclusive toy.

This one will attract tech guys and gals, if you are one of them, make sure you watch this movie.

Main cast:

Yoo Seung-ho as Kim Min-kyu
Chae Soo-bin as Jo Ji-ah
Um Ki-joon as Hong Baek-kyun

11. School 2013

School 2013 korean drama is a story about Seungri High School. Seungri High School ranks as one of the worst of the 178 high schools in Seoul based on academic scores. Seungri High School is now busy preparing presentations for its new students.

Class 2 is at the bottom of grade 2 at Seungri High. Nam-Soon (Lee Jong-Suk) is elected class president for grade 2, thanks to the support of Jung-Ho (Kwak Jung-Wook), who is a member of the school gang.

Se-Chan (Daniel Choi) is the top Korean language teacher at a famous institute in Gangnam. In order to improve the student’s scores at Seungri High School, the school hires Se-Chan. When Se-Chan appears at the school’s opening presentation, Nam-Soon becomes embarrassed.

Main cast:

Jang Nara as Jung In-jae, homeroom teacher
Choi Daniel as Kang Se-chan, former top lecturer
Um Hyo-sup as Uhm Dae-woong “Uhm Force”, math teacher
Park Hae-mi as Im Jung-soo, principal
Lee Han-wi as Woo Soo-chul, vice principal
Oh Young-Sil as Yoo Nan-hee, ethics teacher
Yoon Joo-sang as Jo Bong-soo, gym teacher
Kwon Nam-hee as Kwon Nam-hee
Kim Yun-ah as Kim Yun-ah
Lee Won-suk as Kim Dae-soo

12. Run On (2020)

Run On korean drama is a story about the 2 couples from diverse backgrounds. The first couple consists of Ki Sun-gyeom (Im Si-wan), a former national team sprinter that quit being a sprinter, and Oh Mi-Joo (Shin Se-kyung), who is a movie’s translator.

Meanwhile, the second couple comprises Seo Dan-ah (Choi Soo-young), the CEO of a sports agency who faces gender discrimination, she is pushed back on the list of potential successors to the Seomyung Group. So She lives fiercely to get back what originally belonged to her, and Lee Young-hwa (Kang Tae-oh), an art major in university then appears in her life.

Main cast:

Im Si-wan as Ki Seon-gyeom
Shin Se-kyung as Oh Mi-joo
Choi Soo-young as Seo Dan-ah
Kang Tae-oh as Lee Young-hwa

13. She Was Pretty (2015)

She was pretty korean drama is a story about the reality of job seekers in Korea. Kim Hye Jin was a popular and pretty girl when she was young. But because of her family’s financial problems, she forget to take care of herself and now struggle to look for a job because of her physical appearance and limited skills.

We all can really relate to this story especially when it comes to making an impression in the working environment. Throughout the drama, we saw how Hye Jin grew as an employee by picking up new skills and building confidence, and proving to the world that career shouldn’t be determined by looks and social status.

This story showed us that you shouldn’t give up easily just because you feel unappreciated and unrespected. Keep fighting for your dreams, because at the end of the day, hard works never fail you.

Main cast:

Hwang Jung-eum as Kim Hye-jin
Park Seo-joon as Ji Sung-joon
Go Joon-hee as Min Ha-ri
Choi Si-won as Kim Shin-hyuk

14. Doctor Crush (2016)

Doctor Crush korean drama is a romance and medical K-drama that follows Yoo Hye Jung who became a doctor when her grandmother passed away due to a failed surgery.

This drama teach us about how Hye Jung overcome her anger and insecurities, grow into a young, compassionate doctor who always makes sure her patients got the right treatment that they deserve.

This story teach us what it really takes to become a doctor and the challenges they faced that we don’t see as patients. There’s no doubt that every job has its own advantages and disadvantages. This drama teach us to find a job that would serve our purpose, not just for money and position.

Main cast:

Kim Rae-won as Hong Ji-hong
Park Shin-hye as Yoo Hye-jung
Yoon Kyun-sang as Jung Yoon-do
Lee Sung-kyung as Jin Seo-woo

15. Radiant Office (2017)

Radiant Office korean drama is a story about someone who is repeatedly rejected during job hunt. Especially as an experienced 28-year-old Eun Ho Won, that’s really hard and tough to feel rejected repeatedly.

That’s just the sad reality of career, some never stop trying until they get one, while others simply lose hope. When she was taken to the hospital due to her suicide attempt, she discovered that she might be terminally ill along with two other guys who also tried to kill themselves.

It’s fate that they all met up and were told that one of them might potentially die in 6 months. With this knowledge, Eun Ho Won looked at life with a new perspective since she has nothing to lose anymore.

Whether you’re currently looking for a job or already have one, Eun Ho Won showed us what we all should be at work: someone who takes care of their job like there’s a time bomb. When it explodes, you have no regrets because you know you gave your best.

Main cast:

Go Ah-sung as Eun Ho-won
Ha Seok-jin as Seo Woo-jin
Lee Dong-hwi as Do Ki-taek
Kim Dong-wook as Seo Hyun
Hoya as Jang Kang-ho

16. Record Of Youth

Record of Youth kdrama also one of the best motivational drama revolves around youth that chase their dreams. In entertainment industry. Sa Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) and Won Hae-Hyo (Byeon Woo-Seok) are both model-turned actors hoping to make a big hit and become successful.

An Jeong-ha (Park So-dam) quits a secure office job to pursue her dream job of being a makeup artist. As they go after their dreams, there are people against them and try to block their paths. This drama tells a story of them fighting and overcome the setbacks in the journey towards their dreams.

Main cast:

Park Bo-gum as Sa Hye-jun
Im Jae-ha as young Sa Hye-jun
Park So-dam as Ahn Jeong-ha
Byeon Woo-seok as Won Hae-hyo

17. The Producers

The producers tells a story of four people behind the scenes of broadcasting entertainment industry. This drama shows how things gets harder and how the reality of having a dream job is not as we might imagine. These four people try to protect their dreams.

Seung-Chan (Kim Soo-Hyun) decided to work at the entertainment division of KBS television network because of his secret crush on a KBS employee. On his his first day on the job, Seung-Chan goes through training, but has a difficult time with PD Ye-Jin (Kong Hyo-Jin). Ye-Jin is the producer of music program “Music Bank.”

Seung-Chan is then devastated when he sees his secret crush and PD Joon-Mo (Cha Tae-Hyun) being affectionate towards each other. Joon-Mo is the producer of variety show “2 Days & 1 Night” and he is a long time friend of PD Ye-Jin.

PD Ye-Jin has been feeling sick since the morning, because of an incident with an expensive parked car. She tries to contact the owner of the parked car, but fails. Ye-Jin then argues with popular singer Cindy (IU) over her stage outfit. PD Joon-Mo is also going through a hard time. He hears rumors that his show is going to be cancelled because of low ratings. After a long and hard day, PD Ye-Jin is finally able to track down the owner of the expensive car. Surprisingly, the owner of the expensive car is Seung-Chan.

Main cast:

Cha Tae-hyun as Ra Joon-mo
Gong Hyo-jin as Tak Ye-jin
Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Seung-chan

18. Welcome To Waikiki

Welcome to Waikiki dramas revolves around three young men and women who runa guesthouse together while each one of them pursue their own dreams. They try their best to pursue their dream and even do something they don’t like to do in order to pursue opportunity towards their dreams.

Kang Dong-Goo (Kim Jung-Hyun) dreams of becoming a movie director, but he is cynical due to bad luck. Cheon Joon-Ki (Lee Yi-Kyung) wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become an actor, but he is now just a minor actor. Bong-Doo-Sik (Son Seung-Won) came to Seoul to become a scenario writer, but things have not been easy for him.

Main cast:

Kim Jung-hyun as Kang Dong-gu
Lee Yi-kyung as Lee Joon-ki
Son Seung-won as Bong Doo-sik

19. Rookie Historian Of Goo Hae Ryung

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung korean dramas revolves around free-spirited Goo Hae-ryung who focuses on studying instead of romance. Despite of gender stereotypes, she really work hard to become a historian.

Even though she was being looked down because of her gender, Hae-ryung doesn’t go back on her dream and voice her opinions and defend people who have been wronged by society. This kdrama shows and tells a story of someone who stands up for what she believes in even if it means going up against the king.

Main cast:

Shin Se-kyung as Goo Hae-ryung
Cha Eun-woo as Yi Rim
Park Ki-woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin

20. Oh My Ghost

Oh My Ghost kdrama revolves around Na Bong-Sun (Park Bo-Young) who works as an assistant chef. Because of her timid personality and low self-esteem, she doesn’t have any friends. Since she was a child, she has been able to ghosts because of her shaman grandmother. One day, she becomes possessed by seductress ghost Shin Soon-Ae.

Kang Sun-Woo (Cho Jung-Seok) is a star chef. Na Bong-Sun has a secret crush on him. He is good looking and confident as a chef. Even though he is popular with women, he has yet to get over his ex-girlfriend. He begins to notice Na Bong-Sun after her sudden change.

Main cast:

Park Bo-young as Na Bong-sun
Jo Jung-suk as Kang Sun-woo
Lim Ju-hwan as Choi Sung-jae
Kim Seul-gi as Shin Soon-ae
Park Jung-ah as Lee So-hyung

Motivational Korean Drama for Students

The best motivational korean drama for students might be Start Up as it help us fight our way to reach our dreams. Which one motivates you the most? Do you like these motivational korean dramas? Let us know in the comment sections below!

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