K-dramas remade abroad

Yes. Foreign producers regularly license the story and format of Korean dramas and reshoot them with local casts and crews. A well-known case is KBS's Good Doctor (2013), which became ABC's The Good Doctor in the United States in 2017. Because social systems and customs differ, remakes usually adjust parts of the plot to fit the local audience.

Besides the American version, Good Doctor has been remade in Japan, Turkey and Thailand, among others. Each version keeps the core story of a young surgeon on the autism spectrum growing into his role at a hospital, while changing the medical system and character relationships to suit local viewers. It is often cited as one Korean drama that travelled to many markets.

tvN's Signal was remade as a Japanese series on Fuji TV in 2018 and later continued as a theatrical film in 2021. JTBC's Itaewon Class became TV Asahi's Roppongi Class in 2022, and JTBC's SKY Castle received a Japanese version on TV Asahi in 2024. For exact broadcast details, check each broadcaster's official information.

Roppongi Class is the Japanese remake of the JTBC drama Itaewon Class, broadcast on TV Asahi in 2022. It moves the setting from Seoul's Itaewon to Tokyo's Roppongi. It was introduced as being based on both the Korean drama and a Japan-set version of the original webtoon, and the Korean company that produced the original series is reported to have collaborated on it.

The Japanese SKY Castle keeps the central theme of wealthy parents obsessed with their children's education, but adapts the setting to Japan. While the Korean original revolves around university admissions, the Japanese version was introduced as focusing on high school entrance exams. Remakes often rework systems like exams or workplaces this way so the story feels realistic locally.

Yes. The Philippine network GMA produced a local version of KBS's Descendants of the Sun (2016) in 2020. That adaptation was reported to have won a popularity award for foreign dramas at the Seoul International Drama Awards in 2020. Several Southeast Asian countries have also remade Korean romance and family dramas over the years.

Typically the production company or broadcaster that owns the original drama licenses a foreign producer the right to recreate its story, characters and setting. Some deals include scripts and production know-how, and in some cases the original side joins as a co-producer. Contract terms vary by title and are often not made public.

A dubbed version keeps the original Korean footage and simply replaces the voices with another language. A remake is a separate production: local actors and crews rewrite the script and shoot everything from scratch. Because of that, a remake can change the setting, character names and even the ending compared with the original drama.

Most remakes keep the main storyline, but details often change a lot. Elements tied to Korea, such as military service, the college entrance exam, family titles and workplace hierarchy, are adapted or removed, and the episode count is adjusted to local scheduling. If you have seen the original, comparing what was changed can be part of the fun.

Starting from a story structure and characters that have already proved themselves in Korea lowers the risk of developing something new. Many also see the K-drama format, which wraps up conflicts and endings within a limited number of episodes, as something that can work for viewers elsewhere. Still, whether a remake succeeds depends heavily on how well it is localized.

Yes. Korean broadcasters have also licensed and remade foreign series. Examples based on American shows include tvN's The Good Wife (2016), tvN's Criminal Minds (2017), KBS's Suits (2018) and tvN's Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019). The Korean versions reworked prosecutors, law firms and political systems to match Korean reality.

Life on Mars is OCN's 2018 Korean remake of the British BBC drama. It keeps the premise of a present-day detective who finds himself in the past, but the Korean version is set in 1988 and depicts the social mood and police methods of that time. It is a good example of moving a story's period to fit Korean history.

Yes, several Korean dramas are based on Japanese manga. KBS's Boys Over Flowers (2009) adapted the manga Hana Yori Dango, and KBS's Tomorrow's Cantabile (2014) adapted Nodame Cantabile. Because the same source material was also turned into dramas in Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere, fans often compare the versions country by country.

The 60 days come from a provision in the Korean Constitution requiring a successor to be elected within 60 days when the presidency becomes vacant. In adapting the American series Designated Survivor to the Korean constitutional system, the acting president's period until that election became the backbone of the story. It shows a remake reflecting legal differences even in its title.

The most reliable source is an official announcement from the original production company, the broadcaster or the foreign network making the remake. Plans reported at the development stage do not always turn into an actual production. Keep in mind that selling rights, confirming production and starting broadcast are separate steps.

Start by noticing how the city, jobs and family relationships were changed, since that reveals cultural differences between the two countries. A different episode count also changes the pacing and how the ending is handled, which is another point to compare. Rather than judging which is better, it is rewarding to watch how one story is interpreted in different cultures.

Sometimes, yes. The original production company may join as a co-producer or development partner. For example, Roppongi Class, the Japanese Itaewon Class, and the Japanese SKY Castle are reported to have been made in cooperation between the original Korean production company and the local broadcaster. Compared with selling rights only, this can help preserve the feel of the original.

Yes. Many K-dramas are adapted from webtoons or novels, so a remake can involve a source behind the source. Itaewon Class began as a webtoon, and the Japanese Roppongi Class was introduced as drawing on both the Korean drama and a Japan-set version of that webtoon. To see which version a remake used as its basis, check the official production information.

Usually not, because most remakes move the story to a local city. A typical example is Itaewon Class, whose setting shifted to Tokyo's Roppongi in the Japanese version. If you want to visit filming sites, use information about the original Korean drama and check the regional tourism guides.

No one can say for certain, but licensing Korean drama stories abroad has continued steadily. Alongside exporting finished series, collaborating with foreign producers from the development stage is also increasingly discussed. For news of new remakes, it is best to rely on official announcements from production companies and broadcasters.