The found family trope is easily one of the most beloved tropes in media, and for good reason. K-dramas featuring found families whose bond transcends blood relations are guaranteed to be filled with heartwarming moments and beautiful platonic relationships. Found family K-dramas create compelling and engaging narratives that explore what makes a family.
Witnessing a group of strangers come together to form a friendship strong enough to turn into a familial bond is always an emotional and heartening experience. K-dramas are guaranteed to put you in a good mood.
10 Racket Boys (2021)
A Middle School Bton Club
The sports comedy show Racket Boys tells the uplifting and hilarious tale of an underfunded middle school bton club and its players. With only three players, the bton club is on the verge of disbanding until a bton coach, Yoon Hyun Jong (Kim Sang-kyung), s the school and turns things around. The three original bton club begin to bond with the new of the team and work together to win competitions.
Set in a small rural town, Racket Boys features several close-knit friendships and communities that each other through countless hardships and challenges. Hyun Jong's serves as a coach and ive figure for the team, helping the bton team to create a strong and unbreakable familial bond that transcends blood and DNA.
9 Vincenzo (2021)
The Geumga Plaza Residents
The thrilling crime drama K-drama Vincenzo follows the titular character, Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong-ki), a lawyer and consigliere for the mafia who flees from Italy to Seoul and finds himself battling the corrupt and evil pharmaceutical corporation Babel Group. Vincenzo s hands with the quirky yet kindhearted tenants of Geumga Plaza to take down the Babel Group.
While Vincenzo only offers to help the tenants at Geumga Plaza for his selfish reasons, as he hopes to reclaim the gold he hid under the building, he forms a genuine bond with the residents. The found family in Vincenzo gives audiences a much-needed break from the dark thriller elements of the K-drama, as the scenes with the residents of Geumga Plaza are an entertaining and lighthearted contrast to the violence of the show.
8 Crash Landing On You (2019)
Se-ri Finds An Unexpected Family In North Korea
Crash Landing on You is a romantic comedy K-drama that revolves around the romance between a South Korean chaebol heiress and businesswoman and a North Korean army captain. The unlikely romance begins after the businesswoman Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is knocked off-course while paragliding, crash-lands in North Korea, and is found by Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a captain of the Korean People's Army.

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Crash Landing on You is a romantic drama series that follows a South Korean heiress who accidentally lands in North Korea after a paragliding incident. She encounters an army officer who, despite the political tensions, aids her in concealment, forging an unexpected connection amidst their contrasting worlds.
- Cast
- Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Kim Jung-nan, Park Myung-hoon, Yoon Sang-hoon, Park Seung-jun, Yong-Jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun, Yang Kyung-won, Lee Sin-young, Yoo Su-bin, Tang Joon-sang, Oh Man-seok, Kim Young-min, Jeon Kuk-hwan, Jung Ae-ri, Nam Kyung-eup, Pang Eun-jin, Choi Dae-hoon, Hwang Woo-seul-hye, Park Hyeong-su, Yoon Ji-min, Jang Hye-jin, Go Gyu-pil
- Directors
- Kim Hee-won
While Se-ri is trapped in North Korea, she is helped and ed by Jeong-hyeok. The sweet and compelling romance between Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok may be central to the K-drama, but the highlight of Crash Landing on You is the unexpected family that Se-ri finds when she's in North Korea. Se-ri's temporary refuge turns into a strong community that protects and s her.
7 Reply 1988 (2015)
Five Neighbors Who Are Best Friends
The coming-of-age K-drama Reply 1988 is the highly rated third and final installment of the anthology series Reply. The K-drama series revolves around a group of five close-knit friends and their families residing in the Ssangmun-dong neighborhood.
Reply 1988 is one of the best found family K-dramas, featuring heartwarming small acts of kindness and moments of human connection.
The K-drama effortlessly taps into the nostalgia of the 1980s and the joys of living in the same neighborhood as your closest friends. Reply 1988 shines in its portrayal of the loving bond between the five friends, along with its portrayal of the bond that forms between the parents of the friends.

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In 1988 Seoul, five childhood friends navigate adolescence in their tight-knit neighborhood. Deok Sun struggles as the middle child, Jung Hwan fixates on soccer despite newfound wealth, Sun Woo excels academically, Dong Ryong, a lovable geek, faces academic challenges, and Taek, a baduk prodigy, leaves school to go professional.
- Cast
- Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-Pyo, Lee Dong-hwi, Ryu Hye-young
- Seasons
- 1
The K-drama beautifully depicts the love and between neighbors who become a found family through years of proximity and friendship. Reply 1988 is one of the best found family K-dramas, featuring heartwarming small acts of kindness and moments of human connection.
6 Itaewon Class (2020)
The Employees Of DanBam In Itaewon
Itaewon Class is a revenge K-drama that follows an ex-convict, Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon), who embarks on a mission to get revenge by opening up a popular bar and restaurant, DanBam. Sae-ro-yi plans on turning DanBam into a massive franchise that overtakes the food company Jangga Group, which is run by the family that ruined his and his family's lives.

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Itaewon Class is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2020. The show revolves around Park Sae-ro-yi, a young entrepreneur who seeks revenge against the corrupt businessman who wronged him and his family. Alongside a group of misfits, Sae-ro-yi establishes a bar in Itaewon, a popular nightlife district in Seoul, and together they navigate love, friendship, and ambition.
- Cast
- Park Seo-jun, Kim Da-mi, Kwon Na-ra, Yoo Jae-myung, Ahn Bo-Hyun
- Seasons
- 1
The employees of DanBam in Itaewon become a family, and go through countless ups and downs as they help Sae-ro-yi turn his restaurant and bar into a huge success. Despite betrayals and tensions between the staff of DanBam, they ultimately learn to each other and work together. In Itaewon Class, the underdogs unite, work together, and take down their powerful enemy while growing as individuals and as a team.
5 Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
The Residents Of A Seaside Village
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a romantic comedy slice-of-life K-drama that follows Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a), a dentist from Seoul who impulsively decides to move to a gorgeous seaside village and open a dental clinic. While the initial days following her move to the village of Gongjin are difficult, Hye-jin is ed by Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), the resident handyman.

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Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a South Korean television series starring Shin Min-a as a pragmatic dentist and Kim Seon-ho as her free-spirited counterpart. The narrative unfolds in the seaside village of Gongjin, where personal and professional lives intersect in heartwarming and often humorous ways. Directed by Yu Je-won, the series explores themes of community, love, and personal growth amidst picturesque coastal scenery.
- Cast
- Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Gina Su, Ren Hanami, Jo Han-chul, Gong Min-jung, Harrison Xu, Lee Bong-ryun
- Seasons
- 1
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha doesn't just feature a found family, it features an entire community. The small and idyllic village invites Hye-jin into their kindhearted and helpful community, where the residents of Gongjin continue to love and each other. The entire village of Gongjin becomes a found family, from the elderly grandmothers who are always willing to lend an ear and some good advice to the young and adventurous adults figuring out their lives.
4 Hospital Playlist (2020-2021)
Five Doctors Who Have Been Best Friends Since Medical School
Hospital Playlist is a medical workplace K-drama series that follows the lives of five doctors working together at a medical center. The doctors Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung-suk), Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-seok), Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho), Yang Seok-hyeong (Kim Dae-myung), and Chae Song-hwa (Jeon Mi-do) initially became friends while they were students at medical school and maintained their friendship through the years.

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Hospital Playlist is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of five doctors working at a hospital. It explores their personal and professional struggles as they navigate the challenges of their jobs and personal relationships. The series delves into themes of friendship, love, and growth as the characters face various medical cases and personal struggles.
- Cast
- Cho Jung-seok, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-Myung, Jeon Mi-do
- Seasons
- 2
The incredible medical K-drama revolves around the personal and professional lives of the group of doctors and follows the friends as they stay connected and navigate the hardships of working in the medical field. Their regular band practices and their endless of each other make Hospital Playlist an entertaining and heartwarming K-drama series that shines in its moments of friendship and camaraderie.
3 Move To Heaven (2021)
An Intelligent Young Man And His Estranged Ex-Convict Uncle Form A Bond
Move to Heaven is a touching and heart-wrenching K-drama that explores life, death, and grief as two trauma cleaners deal with their loss while packing up and cleaning the belongings of the deceased. The K-drama revolves around Han Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang), an intelligent young man, and his estranged ex-convict uncle, Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), as they begin working as trauma cleaners after the death of Geu-ru's father.

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Move to Heaven follows a meticulous trauma cleaner and his estranged uncle as they unravel the unsung stories of the deceased through their belongings. The series portrays their emotional journey to connect with loved ones left behind, highlighting themes of loss and reconciliation.
- Cast
- Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang, Hong Seung-hee, Jeong Seok-yong, Jung Young-ju, Lee Moon-sik, Im Won-hee, Jung Ae-yeun, Ahn Ji-ho, Yang Hong-seok, Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-wook, Park Jung-won, Go Ha, Yoon Ji-hye
- Seasons
- 1
Geu-ru and Sang-gu form a strong bond as they heal from their family's past and build a strong and loving system. In each episode of Move to Heaven, the trauma cleaners learn about the lives of the recently deceased and on their beloved belongings to their loved ones. The moving K-drama focuses on the bond between Geu-ru and Sang-gu, and the bonds the deceased shared with their friends and family.
2 Mother (2018)
An Abandoned Girl And Her Loving Teacher
The K-drama Mother is a remake of the Japanese TV series with the same name and revolves around a temporary teacher who learns that one of her students is being abused and goes to drastic lengths to protect her. The teacher, Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young), forms a bond with her student Kim Hye-na (Heo Yool), and after finding the young girl abandoned out on the street, decides to take the child and attempts to flee the country.

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Mother is a South Korean television series that aired in 2018. It stars Lee Bo-young as a substitute teacher who discovers that one of her students is experiencing abuse at home. She makes a life-changing decision to protect the child by abducting her, setting off a chain of dramatic events. The series is a suspenseful and touching exploration of maternal love and the moral complexities of doing what is right.
- Seasons
- 1
Soo-jin and Hye-na form a beautiful mother-daughter bond as they go on the run and avoid the authorities and Hye-na's abusive family. Mother proves that blood and DNA don't make a family and that respect, love, and are far more important than biology in making a loving family.
1 Prison Playbook (2017)
Friendships In Prison
The dark comedy K-drama series Prison Playbook is a surprisingly heartwarming exploration of prison life and unlikely friendships. The K-drama follows Kim Je-hyuk (Park Hae-soo), a popular baseball player whose life is turned upside down after he's convicted of assault and sentenced to a year in jail.

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Je-hyuk is forced to adjust to prison life and is helped by his best friend, the prison guard, Lee Joon-ho (Jung Kyung-ho), and his fellow inmates. The thought-provoking K-drama highlights the importance of found family during difficult times.

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Baseball star Kim Je-hyeok is about to make his Major League Baseball debut. However, due to some misfortune, he ends up in prison and must learn to survive in this new world full of life and death challenges.
- Cast
- Park Hae-soo, Jung Kyung-ho, Krystal Jung, Yoo Hyeong-kwan, Lee Kyoo-hyung, Jeong Woong-in, Choi Moo-seong, Kang Ki-doong
- Seasons
- 1
The close bonds and strong network that Je-hyuk forms in the prison are the highlights of Prison Playbook. The unexpected found family of the prison inmates is a source of genuine moments of human connection and a source of hilarity and amusement in the K-drama.
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