Did you know these K-dramas are adapted from other, international shows?

Despite being the capital for emotional and engaging dramas, sometimes K-dramas do take inspiration from other shows too! Here are some K-dramas that are actually remakes of other shows and have managed to stand out in their own right.

Image: Netflix

‘Signal’ has become super successful on its own by breaking many records, such as one for being one of South Korea’s top TV dramas of all time, reports The Korea Times! Did you know that it was actually adapted from an American film in 2000, titled ‘Frequency’?

Image: Netflix

Many know ‘The World of the Married’ for being one of South Korea’s top dramas of all time too, despite its initial criticism for mature content at the time, reports Naver. This JTBC drama was actually adapted from the BBC One drama series ‘Doctor Foster’.

Image: JTBC

Does ‘18 Again’ sound familiar? This is because this JTBC romance comedy was adapted from the American comedy film and cult-classic, ‘17 Again’! Going further back, ‘17 Again’ was also likely inspired by the 1988 comedy film ‘18 Again’, reports the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Image: JTBC

According to Korea JoongAng Daily, 'Boys Over Flowers' is an example of an adaptation becoming more famous than its original counterparts, as this K-drama was one of the primary drivers of the 'Hallyu Wave' that swept Asia.

Image: KBS2

‘Boys Over Flowers’ was adapted from a Japanese manga series, ‘Hana Yori Dango’, that has been adapted into Taiwanese and Japanese dramas that had been rather successful dramas themselves, before the release of KBS2’s ‘Boys Over Flowers’.

Image: Netflix

Whilst part of the original Spanish Netflix series ‘Money Heist’, also known as ‘La Casa de Papel’, ‘Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area’ was also considered to be an adaptation and sequel of the Spanish original, HanCinema reports.

Image: Netflix

Another K-drama with a rather familiar name is ‘Woori the Virgin’, which is easily guessed to be adapted from the American comedy drama, ‘Jane the Virgin’! Deadline reports that ‘Jane the Virgin’ also happens to be an adaptation as well, being adapted from the Venezuelan telenovela ‘Juana la Virgen’.

Image: SBS

The TvN Korean drama 'Criminal Minds' is an adaptation of the American CBS drama of the same name. However, unlike the American original, which aired for 23 seasons, the Korean version of the show only lasted one season!

Image: TvN

When hearing the words 'Life on Mars', one may immediately think of David Bowie. However, the phrase also refers to the title of a South Korean television series that is based on the BBC One British television series of the same name. However, the BBC says that their show was also titled after David Bowie's original song from the 1970s.

Image: OCN