Why King the Land was voted one of the worst K-dramas of 2023

While plenty of K-dramas premiere every month, not all of them are well-liked. But fans were blown away when a media outlet ranked Netflix’s King the Land as the worst K-drama of 2023.

K-drama fans were over the moon when it was announced that 2PM’s Lee Ju-ho and Im Yoon-ah would star as love interests in the romantic comedy King the Land. It came from the two previously showing their incredible chemistry while performing Camilla Cabello’s ‘Señorita’ for a live broadcast. K-drama fans urged them to star in a romance together.

The 2023 K-drama focused on a luxury hotel where Cheon Sa-rang (Im) has always dreamed of working. She rises the ranks as one of the best employees for her care and smile. But she soon meets the hotel’s chaebol heir, Goo Won (Lee), whose past has made him cold and detest smiling.

The two begin a whirlwind romance as enemies to lovers while working together. King the Land gained a favorable response, but certain cliches pushed fans to be somewhat disappointed with the storyline.

King the Land got the most votes for the worst K-drama

Media outlet Joynews24 released their list of the worst K-drama of 2023 – with King the Land and Pandora: Beneath Paradise receiving eight votes total.

According to KBIZoom, King the Land got unfavorable votes due to its poor script that didn’t match the caliber of the actors and the overall grandiose romance storyline. Many felt the K-drama’s poor quality wasn’t in tune with what JTBC was making the K-drama out to be.

But fans were enamored by Lee and Im’s inherent chemistry together. Many were stunned and speechless over their steamy kiss scenes, lustful gazes, and overall sizzling tension. They convinced fans so much that it created a flurry of posts wondering if the two actors were secretly dating. But the K-drama had its faults.

K-dramas are well-known to stick to certain tropes that fans expect. In a romance comedy, it was no surprise that Goo Won would be the cold-hearted rich male lead. Not to mention his childhood trauma that shaped him and his broken relationship with his father. King the Land also added the overall umbrella storyline of Sa-rang being the bright and cheerful woman who teaches Goo Won to enjoy life again, smile, and push himself into his well-deserved role as a businessman. King the Land hit all the major markers, but fans felt it was far too predictable with no real drama or tension.

One fan on X/Twitter commented, “I’m Junho’s fan. But this drama is too cringey and lame. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Usually I watch his drama at least 3 times per episode. But I never re-watched any episode of this drama. Junho’s and Yoona’s acting are the best, just the drama is the problem.”

Many agreed the K-drama was overrated and Lee and Im’s chemistry was the only saving grace. King the Land also received backlash for its portrayal of an Arab prince. The debate on whether it deserves the spot on the list is up in the air among fans. Some enjoyed King the Land’s less stressful romance and happy ending.

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