Korean dramas are experiencing a significant shift as female characters move from passive supporting roles to active protagonists who take control of their own narratives. The Bechdel Choice 10, selected from 102 entries released between June 2024 and May 2025, highlights this evolving trend where women are no longer defined by their relationships with men but by their own ambitions, relationships, and agency.
Bechdel Day 2025, a festival hosted by the Directors Guild of Korea, aims to raise audience awareness of gender equality and diversity through film and television. This year's selections reflect a broader cultural transformation in Korean storytelling, where female-centered narratives have moved beyond traditional romance plots to explore complex themes of independence, professional ambition, and female solidarity.
Critic Jung Duk-hyun observed that while romance remains a staple in K-dramas, there's an increasing emphasis on "womance" – stories focusing on women's relationships with each other. "Female-centered dramas have always existed, but what has shifted more strongly in recent years is how actively these women choose and live within their own stories," Jung explained.
Yun Suk-jin, a cultural critic and professor of Korean language and literature at Chungnam National University, noted that this transformation has been developing over time. "We've moved into a stage where the narrative no longer requires a male counterpart at all," he said. "Previously, women and men often shared balanced roles within dramas. Now, however, it is women who take the lead, with men appearing in supporting positions, signaling a clear shift in storytelling structures."
Among the standout selections is Netflix's "When Life Gives You Tangerines," produced with a budget of 60 billion won. The series became a global hit by transforming previously one-dimensional portrayals of women, including mothers and grandmothers, into rich, deeply detailed narratives. The drama spans 65 years across three generations of women on Jeju Island, beginning in the 1960s, with IU's Ae-soon and Park Bo-gum's Gwan-sik at its center, showcasing themes of sacrifice, love, and perseverance.
SBS's legal drama "Good Partner" represents another significant departure from traditional courtroom dramas. Instead of featuring a charismatic male lawyer with a female supporting character, the series places two women – a seasoned lawyer played by Jang Na-ra and rookie Nam Ji-hyun – at the narrative's core. Judge Kim Kyo-seok praised the show for breaking away from traditional male-centered dynamics, noting that "two female characters carry the story" while delivering the same genre thrills in a way that transcends gender.
TvN's "Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born" explores Korea's mid-20th century all-women theater tradition through Kim Tae-ri's commanding performance as a young woman in an all-female theater troupe during the 1950s. The series not only revived interest in women's gukgeuk theater but also portrayed the complex dynamics among women, including both rivalries and solidarity within the troupe.
JTBC's "The Tale of Lady Ok" broke new ground in the historical drama genre by featuring Lim Ji-yeon as Gu-deok, a female slave who escapes and assumes a noblewoman's identity during the Joseon Dynasty. The character becomes a skilled legal advocate fighting societal injustices and challenging rigid Confucian norms, representing what the festival committee called "a notable milestone in the genre."
Other notable selections include tvN's "Our Unwritten Seoul," featuring Park Bo-young in dual roles as twin sisters who switch places, addressing workplace harassment and exploitation while exploring themes of identity and healing. Park Bo-young won the Bechdelian Award for Lead Actor for her performance.
JTBC's "Miss Night and Day" cleverly uses a body-swap fantasy to highlight the contrasting realities faced by young adults and middle-aged women, featuring Jung Eun-ji as a woman in her 20s who transforms into Lee Jung-eun's 50-something character by day. Disney's "Hyper Knife" transcends traditional medical drama tropes through Park Eun-bin's portrayal of a brilliant but disgraced neurosurgeon, while MBC's psychological thriller "Doubt" centers on a complex father-daughter relationship in a murder investigation.
The list concludes with Utv's "Friendly Rivalry," a psychological thriller set at a prestigious girls' high school exploring intense academic competition, and JTBC's "A Virtuous Business," a 1990s-set comedy-drama about four women who challenge social taboos by selling adult products door-to-door in a rural village.
According to the Bechdel Day 2025 organizing committee, this year's selections particularly highlight how large-scale dramas, including period pieces and historical epics, stand out when they develop female characters with nuance and depth. This shift represents a fundamental change in Korean storytelling, moving from narratives where women waited to be chosen to stories where they actively choose their own paths and define their own success.
