Early this year, the Thai adaptation of “Hana Yori Dango” (“Boys Over Flowers” for the Korean adaptation) into “F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers” gathered a lot of interest and views on YouTube. The first part of the first episode reaching over 14M views (07/12/2022 data), and actors of the series are gaining millions of followers on Instagram. For those new to Thai dramas and want to try them, it has a lot of its content that can be watched legally and fully subtitled on YouTube or your usual OTT (Netflix, Viki, etc). Note: K-Dramas adapted from other countries are also included.
1. “My ID is Gangnam Beauty” (2018) -> “Beauty Newbie” (2023)
This is the newest Thai drama to be added to this list of Korean Drama adaptations. The Korean campus romance “My ID is Gangnam Beauty,” based on the webtoon of the same name, tells the story of MiRae (Im SooHyang), who was bullied for her looks in high school and decided to do plastic surgery. When she starts university, she meets KyungSuk (ASTRO’s Cha EunWoo) from the same middle school. She starts to gain confidence thanks to him. Baifern and Win act in the Thai version to be released in 2023. Cha EunWoo and Win are one of the most handsome Asian actors (and talented, of course) and they are both invited to overseas Fashion shows. There is no doubt that the casting was well done for this role. Thai version trailer:
2. “Princess Hours/Goong” (2006) -> “Princess Hours” (2017)
The famous Korean drama “Princess Hours” starring Yoon EunHye, Ju JiHoon, Song JiHyo, and Kim JeongHoon is one of the legendary K-Dramas. It tells the story of the energetic high school girl ChaeGyeong (Yoon EunHye), who has to marry the tsundere prince Lee Shin (Joo JiHoon) and her struggles in the palace. Pattie, Tao, Phan Pagniez, and Bebe are the Thai cast of this drama. Thai version trailer:
3. “Coffee Prince” (2007) -> “Coffee Prince” (2012)
Gong Yoo and Yoon EunHye are the lead couple of the Korean romance “Coffee Prince”. HanGyul (Gong Yoo) is forced to open a coffee shop and hires good-looking male employees. EunChan (Yoon EunHye) in need of money hides her gender and gets the job. In the Thai version, Maxime and Mac are the lead actors. Thai version trailer:
4. “My Love From The Star” (2013) -> “My Love From Another Star” (2019)
“My Love From the Star” is one of the iconic romantic K-Dramas starring Kim SooHyun and Jun JiHyun. It tells the story of an alien with perfect abilities who met the biggest star a few months before leaving Earth. Barry and Matt are the actors in the Thai drama. Thai version trailer:
5. “Full House” (2004) -> “Full House” (2014)
Rain and Song HyeKyo acted in the popular drama “Full House”. It tells the story of JiEun (Song HyeKyo) who found out her friends sold her house and ended up living with the top star YeongJae (Rain) who just bought her house. Aom and Mike Angelo are the actors in the Thai remake. Thai version trailer:
6. “Secret Garden” (2010) -> “Secret Garden” (2019)
“Secret Garden” tells the story of an arrogant CEO (Hyun Bin) and a poor stuntwoman (Ha JiWon) who grows from enemy to lovers through issues, including a body swap. This drama has been loved by a lot of K-Dramas viewers. Ananda Everingham and Baifern acted in the Thai version. Thai version trailer:
7. “She Was Pretty” (2015) -> “Me Always You” (2021)
In the drama “She Was Pretty”, HyeJin (Hwang JungEum) has changed a lot since she was young and her childhood friend SungJun (Park SeoJun) happens to be her new nasty boss. So she decides to hide her identity. Pae and Fang were cast in the Thai version. Thai version trailer:
8. “W” (2016) -> “Switch On” (2021)
The Korean drama “W” is acted by Lee JongSuk and Han HyoJoo. It tells the fantasy romance of YeonJoo (Han HyoJoo), who enters the webtoon written by her father and meets the handsome Kang Chul (Lee JongSuk), looking for the truth behind his family’s death. Aom and Gee are the Thai actors in the remake that is no longer happening in a webtoon but in a game. Thai version trailer:
Famous Korean adaptations
9. “Hana Yori Dango” (2005) -> “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) -> “F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers” (2021)
Based on the Japanese manga “Hana Yori Dango”, the story of the handsome and elite boys F4 and the poor girl attending their rich school has been made into several adaptations. One of the famous adaptations was the Korean one in 2009 starring Gu HyeSeon, Lee MinHo, Kim HyunJoong, Kim Beom, and Kim Joon. The 2021-2022 Thai version made waves online. It is acted by Tu, Bright, Dew, Win, and Nani. Thai version trailer:
10. “It Started With A Kiss” (2005) -> “Playful Kiss” (2010) -> “Kiss Me” (2015)
The Japanese manga “Itazura na Kiss” has been adapted into several dramas, including the Taiwanese one “It Started With A Kiss” and the Korean one “Playful Kiss”. The latter starred Kim HyunJoong and Jung SoMin. Aom and Mike Angelo are the actors in the Thai remake, the same cast as the Thai “Full House”. Thai version trailer: Some more dramas has been adapted like: “Oh! My Ghost”, “My Girl”, “My Lovely SamSoon”, “I Need Romance”, “My Sassy Girl”, “Let’s Eat”, “Bring It On, Ghost”, “Autumn Tale”, “Hello Monster”, “Signal”, “I’m Sorry I Love You”, “Tunnel”, “The World Of the Married”, “Another Miss Oh”, “Voice”, “Who Are You: School 2015”, etc. The Chinese drama “A Love So Beautiful”- with a Korean adaptation- will also be released in 2023. Is there any K-Drama you would like to see in a Thai adaptation? What about “You’re Beautiful” or “True Beauty”? Note: If you too are looking to send your article to Kpopmap, check out the guideline here. Look Back At The Handsome Leads Of “Boys Over Flowers” With New Thai Upcoming Adaptation KDRAMA STORIES|Sep 21, 2020
