It is always nice to watch a drama with a fresh twist. So, check out these 17 never-seen female jobs that we’d like to see taken on by a female lead in a K-Drama. Note: This list is not a ranking and is in no particular order. The images and videos used in the article are also only for reference. Some of the jobs mentioned have also been touched on in certain dramas, but have not been seen done by a lead role yet.
1. Pansori singer
Pansori is a type of Korean folk music that involves storytelling through song. The sound is incredibly unique and the singing is quite technical. As a traditional type of Korean music, it would make great subject matter for K-Drama fans who are curious about more elements of Korean culture. It would also be a great opportunity for an acting-dol to show another level to their vocal prowess.
2. Modern Korean traditional dancer
Korean traditional dancing is mesmerizing and elegant. Not only would a K-Drama about a Korean traditional dancer (during modern times) be interesting and fascinating to watch, but once again, as mentioned for the pansori singer, it would be a great opportunity for an acting-dol or even famous choreographer to show fans a new side to themselves. There are many forms and types of Korean traditional dance which could add an interesting dynamic to the storyline. A modern OST could also create new iconic pieces of music for fans to listen to.
3. Female shipmaster (marine captain)
We have seen male marines captaining ships in K-Dramas but not many females at the helm of the ship. Especially during any type of warfare. It would be empowering to see a woman leading a crew to victory in a battle at sea.
4. Gayogeum player
Whilst we’ve seen K-Dramas about piano players, band members who can play different instruments, and vocalists. It would be refreshing to see someone take on the Korean traditional zither instrument called the gayogeum as a challenge to play as the female lead in the K-Drama.
5. Emotional support animal trainer
Emotional support animals are also called comfort animals. They assist people with mental health issues by providing them comfort, responding to things that trigger them, and calming them down in the face of panic. In order to be a comfort animal, they need proper training and a license. We’ve seen dramas about vets but it could be more engaging to focus on animals that need specialized training. An added bonus would be seeing cute fluffy animals onscreen.
6. Modern brewery/distillery owner
This would be a fresh K-Drama concept, especially in the age of craft and gourmet alcohol. The drama does not have to be alcohol-focused but could also let more K-Drama fans (of drinking age) who are curious about various traditional Korean alcohols know more about them. It could also be a good mix of a country and city drama as there could be scenes where they go harvest ingredients and even times where they would be in board meetings discussing marketing the product. Fans could also discover hidden restaurants and cool spots in Seoul that they can visit one day through the storyline.
7. Construction worker
Korean films and dramas always portray construction workers as men. It would be a twist to see a female construction worker and maybe even better if she was actually an architect who believes in having construction work experience as an essential part of the job. It could also be an opportunity to add in an element like super strength and maybe have the drama be a fantasy genre like “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon”.
8. A hanbok designer
There are a lot of stunning hanboks (Korean traditional clothes) shown in K-Dramas, however, we’ve never seen the designers behind them. Designing a hanbok is said to be a very intricate and precise process. A story about a hanbok designer would not only allow for a lot of beautiful scenes but also educate many international K-Drama fans on the intricacies behind the creation process.
9. A driver for a chaebol family
Drivers who work for conglomerate families are always portrayed as men onscreen. Everyone knows that these drivers are trusted (whether intentionally or not) with a lot of inside information about these families. It would be interesting to see a woman play the role, especially if it developed into a love line between her and a member of the family.
10. Pilot and co-pilot duo
Aviation is one of the professions that is still male-dominated. Besides that, in K-Dramas, women in the aviation industry are often flight attendants or stewardesses. There have been a couple of female pilots in dramas, but it would be interesting to see a female pilot and co-pilot duo as the female leads. They could potentially have love lines with male flight attendants or the men could even be the second leads.
11. Acupuncturist
We have seen dramas about male acupuncturists or women who have acupunctural knowledge before but have yet to have a female lead in that role who does the job full-time. In “Deserving of the Name” the female lead was a surgeon who only started to believe in traditional medicine. It would be interesting to have a drama with an acupuncture/traditional medicine enthusiast as the lead. It could be interesting if it was placed during the Joseon times or even in a modern context.
12. Ethical hacker
Whilst we have seen dramas where the lead is into tech and hacking (usually to gain something out of it). We have yet to see a female lead who is an ethical hacker. An ethical hacker is someone who performs security assessments through hacking. This drama would be fun if they stumbled upon something life-changing whilst doing an assessment.
13. Snack tester or mukbang broadcaster
Korea is home to some of the most delicious snacks/foods and especially snacks with unique flavors such as banana-flavored chips, cheese-flavored cookies, and a lot of other unexpected flavor combinations. It would be interesting to see a female lead who not only is a snack tester but also potentially does mukbang broadcasting on the side. It might show us a new side to these YouTubers and their profession while giving us a vicarious taste of Korean food.
14. A travel influencer
This would be a great opportunity for K-Drama fans to travel Korea vicariously through a K-Drama character. Although we always get to see beautiful filming locations in dramas, a travel influencer would allow a more touristy perspective and more detailed exploration. The format of this K-Drama would be interesting because it could go back and forth between a vlog type format and a regular filming style, creating a bit of depth into the world we are seeing.
15. Virtual assistant
We have seen many female secretaries in dramas but have not yet seen a virtual assistant. The job is especially relevant to the current global context and it would be quirky to see a love line that starts off virtually as a result of this client-assistant relationship.
16. An ice hockey player
These days K-Dramas about sports are picking up in popularity. One of the K-Dramas that many would expect to see on this list would be a figure skater. Which would be awesome to see, but what if the female lead was a female ice hockey player instead? She could either be leading a female ice hockey team or it could be the classic story of a woman trying to prove her worth and going undercover on the men’s team. Either one would be riveting to see.
17. A product photographer
We have seen female leads who are photographers, photographer assistants, or in love with a male lead who is a photographer, but we have yet to see one who is a product photographer. Product photography is extremely technical and in most cases interesting to watch in action. Not only would the technical aspect be entertaining but it would be cute if she encountered a difficult client (enemies to lovers storyline) or had to enter a competition with a team of people she barely knows, forming a bond with one of them. Which role would you like to see played by a female lead in a K-Drama? Let us know in the comments. 21 Never-Seen Jobs We Need To See Male Leads Take On In K-Dramas KDRAMA STORIES|Jan 20, 2022
