Struggling to pick something for the weekend? You’ve got options this week. Nam Joo-hyuk’s comeback series The East Palace dropped all eight episodes at once, Ji Sung’s The Apartment Job hit No. 1 on Netflix Korea just three days after premiering, and in theaters, director Na Hong-jin’s first film in a decade — HOPE — just smashed the year’s opening-day record. Dramas, films and variety shows — here’s your full K-Contents roundup for the week.
1. The Big One — Netflix’s The East Palace
- Released: Friday, July 17, 2026 — all 8 episodes on Netflix
- Cast: Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo, Cho Seung-woo
- Creators: Director Choi Jung-kyu (The Devil Judge), writers Kwon So-ra & Seo Jae-won (The Guest, Bulgasal)
- Logline: A palace occult period drama about Gu-cheon, a ghost-slayer who can cross into the spirit world, and Saeng-gang, a court lady who hears the dead, summoned by the king to uncover a curse buried inside the East Palace.
2. The Hottest Drama Right Now — The Apartment Job (JTBC / Netflix)
- Airing: Premiered July 11, 2026 — JTBC, Sat 10:40 p.m. / Sun 10:30 p.m. KST, 12 episodes (same-day on Netflix)
- Cast: Ji Sung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Park Byung-eun, Moon So-ri
- Plot: Former gang boss Park Hae-gang runs for president of an apartment complex’s residents’ association to get his hands on the long-term repair reserve fund — and accidentally becomes a hero by exposing the corruption already buried there.
3. Netflix Korea — K-Contents Top 5 (as of July 16)
We took Netflix Korea’s Top 10, stripped out every non-Korean title, and re-ranked what was left — Korean dramas, variety shows and films only.
📺 K-Series Top 5
| Rank | Title | Where | In a line |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Apartment Job (아파트) | JTBC/Netflix | Ji Sung’s first Netflix series — gangster comedy |
| 2 | Agent Kim Reactivated (김부장) | SBS/Netflix | So Ji-sub as an ex-agent racing to save his daughter |
| 3 | The Psychopath I Met (내가 만난 사이코패스) | MBN/SBS Plus | True-story thriller talk show hosted by Jun Hyun-moo (variety) |
| 4 | Better Late Than Single (모태솔로지만 연애는 하고 싶어) | Netflix | Dating reality, season 2 (variety) |
| 5 | Teach You a Lesson (참교육) | Netflix | Kim Mu-yeol & Lee Sung-min take on school bullies |
🎬 K-Movie Top 5
| Rank | Title | In a line |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lobby (로비, 2025) | Written, directed by and starring Ha Jung-woo — a black comedy about a 4-trillion-won government contract fought over on a golf course |
| 2 | People and Meat (사람과 고기, 2025) | Park Geun-hyung, Jang Yong, Ye Soo-jung as three seniors who dine and dash. A Tribeca premiere |
| 3 | The Unrighteous (원정빌라, 2024) | Lee Hyun-woo & Moon Jeong-hee. One flyer in a mailbox pulls a whole building into a cult |
| 4 | The Noisy Mansion (백수아파트, 2025) | Kyung Soo-jin & Ko Kyu-pil hunt down the source of a 4 a.m. banging noise — mystery comedy |
| 5 | Husbands in Action (남편들, 2026) | Jin Seon-kyu, Gong Myung, Kang Han-na in a Netflix action comedy released June 19 |
🔗 Source: FlixPatrol — Netflix TOP 10 South Korea (July 16, 2026; re-ranked after excluding non-Korean titles)