Korean, Japanese dramas target each other's home screens

Korean and Japanese dramas are adapting each other’s legal and medical hits for viewers across the sea. Japan’s Extraordinary Attorney Minami, premiering Oct. 19, remakes Korea’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo and will stream worldwide on Netflix. Korea is preparing remakes of Doctor X and Unnatural, while the exchange increasingly focuses on accessible genre stories set in courts and hospitals. Critics say successful adaptations depend on translating each country’s social perspectives.

Extraordinary Attorney Minami stars Mana Ashida and recreates the original series’ palindrome-based self-introduction in Japanese.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo remained in Netflix’s global Top 10 for 21 weeks during its 2022 run on ENA.

Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia stars Kim Ji-won as freelance surgeon Gye Su-jeong and retains the character’s catchphrase, “I never fail.”

tvN’s Unnatural, targeted for a premiere next year, will feature Lim Yoona as a forensic pathologist investigating cases at a fictional autopsy center affiliated with the National Forensic Service.

Japanese versions of Signal and Good Doctor succeeded in 2018, helping shift Korean-Japanese remakes from melodrama and romance toward genre dramas.

Published Oct 10, 2026 12:04 pm KST

Rookie lawyer Minamida Minami (Mana Ashida), who possesses both a brilliant mind and autism spectrum disorder, is the protagonist of “Extraordinary Attorney Minami,” the Japanese remake of ENA’s “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” Captured from X

“My name is Minamida Minami. Whether you read it forward or backward, it’s Minamida Minami. Kitsusuki (woodpecker), tomato, Swiss, koneko (kitten), Minamida Minami.”

The line comes from “Extraordinary Attorney Minami,” the Japanese adaptation of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” In the original series, protagonist Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) introduces herself using words that read the same forward and backward, such as “gireogi (wild goose), tomato, Swiss and Indo-in (Indian).” The Japanese remake recreates the wordplay in Japanese.

Around the same time, a genius surgeon who swept Japan is moving the setting to a Korean hospital. Two representative legal and medical dramas from Korea and Japan are switching home turfs as they seek viewers across the sea.

Kansai TV and Fuji TV will premiere “Extraordinary Attorney Minami” on Oct. 19. Like the original “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” which aired on ENA in 2022, the series follows the growth of a rookie lawyer on the autism spectrum. “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” made history by remaining in Netflix’s global Top 10 for 21 weeks during its run, and the Japanese remake will also be released worldwide through Netflix.

The protagonist, who is on the autism spectrum, practices facial expressions with her father in “Extraordinary Attorney Minami,” a Japanese drama premiering Oct. 19. Captured from X

Mana Ashida, who stars in the remake, said on the show’s official website that she was surprised when she received the offer because she had originally been a fan of the series. “I want to cherish the texture of the original, which delicately portrays not only the fun of a courtroom drama but also relationships and emotions,” she said.

In Korea, a string of remakes of Japanese hit dramas will be released through next year. First up is SBS’ new Friday-Saturday drama “Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia,” billed as a “refreshing medical noir.”

Based on TV Asahi’s “Doctor X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon,” which ran for seven seasons starting in 2012, the drama follows Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won), a freelance surgeon who knows only one thing — surgery — as she takes on the corrupt medical establishment at a university hospital.

Gye Su-jeong (Kim Ji-won), left, the protagonist of SBS’ Friday-Saturday drama “Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia,” premiering Oct. 9, and Jang Hee-sook (Lee Jung-eun), head of the medical staffing agency where Gye works / Courtesy of SBS

Gye refuses to do anything that does not involve saving patients, including making rounds, attending staff dinners, helping professors with their papers and working unwanted overtime — tasks that can be done without a medical license. The character’s catchphrase, “I never fail,” also serves as a link to the original.

TvN’s “Unnatural” (working title), currently in production with a target premiere next year, will continue the fictional universe of the Japanese drama of the same name, which aired on TBS in 2018. The mystery medical drama follows a forensic pathologist at a fictional autopsy center affiliated with the National Forensic Service as she investigates cases hidden behind unnatural deaths.

Lim Yoona, who has won over audiences primarily through romantic comedies, will take on the lead role of a forensic pathologist, marking a new acting challenge for her.

Korean-Japanese drama remakes in the 2000s were centered largely on melodramas and romance, including “I’m Sorry, I Love You” and “Boys Over Flowers.” But after the Japanese versions of “Signal” and “Good Doctor” scored successive successes in 2018, the focus shifted toward well-made genre dramas.

In particular, stories about justice and life set in universal spaces such as courtrooms and hospitals are considered accessible genres that can easily build a global audience. Their distinctive episodic structure, in which new cases emerge depending on the client or patient, also reduces the burden on viewers of having to watch an entire series in one sitting.

Some analysts say the active exchange of remakes between Korea and Japan could provide an opportunity for each country to borrow from the other’s strengths.

Yun Suk-jin, a drama critic and professor at Chungnam National University, said, “The delicacy of Japanese dramas, which does not overlook even the smallest details of everyday life, can complement Korean dramas, while the dynamic storytelling and diverse structures of Korean dramas can work in the opposite direction in Japan.”

The key, he said, is “cultural translation.” “Problems in the medical and legal professions are universal, but the perspectives of the two countries on those problems are different,” Yun said. “The essence of a remake drama is to translate those differences well and give the story social meaning that fits the realities of each country.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

韩日两国电视剧正在互相改编对方的热门法律和医疗题材作品，以吸引海外观众。日本的《非凡律师南》（Minami）将于10月19日首播，翻拍自韩国的《非凡律师禹》（Woo），并将在Netflix全球上线。韩国也正在筹备翻拍《Doctor X》和《非自然》（Unnatural），而两国的电视剧改编交流也日益聚焦于以法庭和医院为背景的通俗易懂的类型剧。评论家认为，成功的改编取决于能否准确传达两国的社会视角。

《非凡律师南》由芦田爱菜主演，并以日语重现了原剧中以回文为基础的自我介绍。

《非凡律师吴》在 2022 年于 ENA 播出期间，连续 21 周位列 Netflix 全球十大热门剧集榜单。

《Doctor X：白黑时代》由金智媛饰演自由外科医生桂秀晶，并保留了该角色的口头禅“我从不失败”。

tvN 的电视剧《非自然死亡》计划于明年首播，由林允儿饰演一名法医病理学家，在隶属于国家法医服务中心的虚构尸检中心调查案件。

2018 年，日版《信号》和《好医生》取得了成功，帮助韩日翻拍剧从爱情剧和通俗剧转向类型剧。

发布于2026年10月10日下午12:04（韩国标准时间）

拥有超凡智慧却患有自闭症谱系障碍的菜鸟律师南田南（芦田爱菜 饰）是日本翻拍自ENA动画《非凡律师伍》的《非凡律师南》的主角。

“我的名字是南田南。无论正着读还是倒着读，都是南田南。啄木鸟、番茄、瑞士、小猫，南田南。”

这句话出自日剧《非凡律师南》（Extraordinary Attorney Minami），它是《非凡律师禹》（Extraordinary Attorney Woo）的日版。在原版剧中，主人公禹英宇（朴恩彬饰）自我介绍时会使用一些正读反读都一样的词语，例如“野鹅”、“番茄”、“瑞士”和“印度”。日版则用日语重现了这种文字游戏。

与此同时，一位曾风靡日本的天才外科医生将故事背景搬到了韩国的一家医院。两部分别来自韩国和日本的代表性律政医疗剧，为了吸引海外观众，纷纷转换拍摄地。

关西电视台和富士电视台将于10月19日首播《非凡律师南》。与2022年在ENA电视台播出的原版《非凡律师禹》一样，这部剧讲述了一位患有自闭症的新人律师的成长故事。《非凡律师禹》播出期间曾连续21周位列Netflix全球播放量前十，创造了历史。这部日版翻拍剧也将通过Netflix面向全球发行。

在10月19日首播的日本电视剧《非凡律师南》中，患有自闭症的女主角南和她的父亲一起练习面部表情。（图片来自X）

出演翻拍版的芦田爱菜在剧集的官方网站上表示，她接到邀约时感到非常意外，因为她原本就是原剧的粉丝。“我想珍惜原剧的质感，它不仅细腻地展现了法庭剧的精彩之处，也刻画了人物关系和情感，”她说道。

在韩国，一系列翻拍自日本热门电视剧的剧集将陆续播出，一直持续到明年。首先登场的是SBS电视台周五周六档播出的新剧《Doctor X：白色黑手党时代》，该剧被誉为“一部令人耳目一新的医疗悬疑剧”。

该剧改编自朝日电视台于 2012 年开始播出的七季电视剧《Doctor X：外科医生大门美智子》，讲述了自由外科医生桂秀晶（金智媛 饰）的故事，她只会做手术，却在一家大学医院里与腐败的医疗机构作斗争。

图为SBS周五周六剧《Doctor X：白色黑帮时代》的女主角桂秀晶（金智媛饰，左）和桂秀晶所在医疗人员派遣公司的负责人张熙淑（李姃夷饰）。该剧将于10月9日首播。/图片由SBS提供

盖伊拒绝做任何与救治病人无关的事情，包括查房、参加员工聚餐、帮助教授修改论文以及加班——这些工作无需行医执照也能完成。他的口头禅“我从不失败”也与原著有所关联。

tvN 的电视剧《非自然死亡》（暂定名）目前正在制作中，预计明年首播。该剧将延续 2018 年在 TBS 播出的同名日剧的虚构世界观。这部悬疑医疗剧讲述了一位隶属于国立科学搜查所的虚构尸检中心的法医病理学家，调查一系列隐藏在非自然死亡背后的案件的故事。

凭借浪漫喜剧赢得观众喜爱的林允儿将出演法医病理学家一角，这对她来说是一个全新的演技挑战。

2000 年代的韩日合拍电视剧大多以爱情剧和爱情片为主，例如《对不起，我爱你》和《花样男子》。但随着 2018 年日版《信号》和《好医生》相继取得成功，合拍剧的重心转向了制作精良的类型剧。

尤其是那些以法庭、医院等普世场所为背景的，讲述正义与人生故事的剧集，被认为是易于吸引全球观众的类型。它们独特的单元剧结构——新案件根据委托人或病人的情况展开——也减轻了观众一次性看完整部剧集的负担。

一些分析人士认为，韩国和日本之间积极的翻拍作品交流，可以为两国提供借鉴对方优势的机会。

忠南国立大学戏剧评论家兼教授尹锡镇表示：“日本电视剧的细腻之处，甚至连日常生活中的最小细节都不放过，可以与韩国电视剧形成互补；而韩国电视剧充满活力的叙事方式和多样化的结构，在日本则可以起到相反的作用。”

他表示，关键在于“文化翻译”。“医疗和法律领域的问题是普遍存在的，但两国对这些问题的看法却截然不同，”云说道。“翻拍剧的精髓在于如何恰当地翻译这些差异，并赋予故事符合两国现实的社会意义。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。