Few professions lend themselves to drama like journalism. In K-dramas, reporters are truth-seekers, reluctant heroes, idealists, cynics, detectives, and even storytellers of their time. Sometimes, more than often they are all of the above.
Whether they’re confronting sensationalist media, chasing conspiracies across decades, or navigating the messy politics of a modern newsroom, or even making themselves better people, these characters show how the pursuit of truth can shape lives, relationships, and even history. Here are six K-drama leads who succeeded in winning viewers’ hearts and their bylines.
“Pinocchio”
Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye) is the daughter of a primetime news anchor and reporter. Like her mother, she wants to get into journalism as well, but suffers from a rare malady where she tends to get a bout of hiccups whenever she lies. Her childhood friend, Choi Dal Po (Lee Jong Suk), wants to join journalism for an entire different reason. He wants to investigate a case and mis-reporting by a journalist which destroyed his family. As the two enter the newsroom as rookie reporters, they realize journalism is not about just ethics, but navigating power, pressure, and the uncomfortable gray areas in-between.
Their romance is tender, but the real heart of the show lies in its indictment of sensational media and its exploration of how truth-telling often comes with personal cost. You get to see Dal Po confront the same system that wronged him, while In ha learns that honesty is both a burden and a superpower. “Pinnocchio” is an emotional, deeply human look at how journalism can both destroy and redeem.
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“Healer”
Seo Jung Ho (Ji Chang Wook), also known as “Healer,” is an enigmatic night courier, who, on one of his many missions, finds himself pulled into the orbit of Chae Young Shin (Park Min Young). Young Shin is a spunky, but relentless tabloid reporter who wants to break into investigative reporting. She idolizes the seasoned news anchor Kim Moon Ho (Yoo Ji Tae) and wants to work alongside him.
Unbeknownst to Young Shin, it is Moon Ho who has assigned Jung Ho to track her down, since there is a past that connects him to her. However, both Young Shin and Jung Ho, under the guise of an intern, start working with Kim Moon Ho. Kim Moon Ho has leads into a decades-old conspiracy which involves both Young Shin and Jung Ho.
As the trio unravels a political conspiracy that once cost innocent lives, journalism becomes both their battleground and salvation. “Healer” is an all-time favorite amongst K-drama fans and scores on all grounds. It’s a wholesome narrative with an excellent background score, and most importantly, there’s the scorching chemistry between Park Min Young and Ji Chang Wook.
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“Twenty Five, Twenty One”
A coming-of-age drama, “Twenty Five, Twenty One” won hearts for its nostalgia — a tender look back at the wonder years — as well as the heartbreak of first love. The show also offers one of the most sensitive portrayals of a young journalist. Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk), once the son of a wealthy family brought low by the IMF crisis, painstakingly rebuilds his life and eventually finds purpose as a sports reporter.
It is the aspiring fencer Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri) who becomes instrumental in Yi Jin’s journey. The two begin as friends, their bond gradually deepening into something more. As Hee Do rises in her fencing career, Yi Jin’s reporting becomes a chronicle of her dreams, heartbreaks, and victories. His evolution, from a displaced, uncertain young man to a responsible storyteller, forms the emotional spine of the series, turning journalism into an act of resilience and responsibility.
“Twenty Five, Twenty One” was one of those rare dramas in which viewers stayed deeply invested in the characters’ arc. Both Nam Joo Hyuk and Kim Tae Ri won hearts with their “go-for-gold” performances.
“My Perfect Stranger”
“My Perfect Stranger” twists the journalist narrative into a gripping time-travel mystery. Yoon Hae Joon (Kim Dong Wook), a principled news anchor known for his quiet integrity, is transported back to the 1980s while investigating a serial killer case. There, he meets Baek Yoon Young (Jin Ki Joo), a woman desperate to change the past to save her mother. Together, they uncover secrets buried in a small town and learn how even small truths can alter the future.
The show’s intrigue lies not just in its mystery, but in how it examines the ripple effects of storytelling across timelines, reminding viewers that journalists often carry the weight of histories they never intended to rewrite. And Kim Dong Wook and Jin Ki Joo make sure that the show never loses its tempo or steam.
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“Vigilante”
Dark, stylish, and morally charged, “Vigilante” explores journalism from the vantage point of a society hungry for justice.
Kim Ji Yong (Nam Joo Hyuk) leads a double life. He is a model police academy student by day and a brutal vigilante by night, taking matters into his own hands as he hunts down criminals. He soon becomes the object of obsession for Choi Mi Ryeo (Kim So Jin), a sharp, unrelenting investigative reporter. Their cat-and-mouse dynamic turns into a confrontation about justice, legality, and the stories that shape public opinion.
As Mi Ryeo digs deeper into the vigilante phenomenon, the show asks difficult questions about crime, punishment, and the media’s power to turn crusaders into heroes — or monsters. It’s riveting, provocative, and uncomfortably timely.
“Nice to Not Meet You”
Imagine a political reporter thrown into the whirlwind world of entertainment. Wi Jeong Sin (Lim Ji Yeon), an award-winning political journalist forced into the showbiz beat, collides headfirst with Lim Hyeon Jun (Lee Jung Jae), an actor desperate to escape being typecast. What starts as professional irritation slowly evolves into unexpected attraction, as Jeong Sin’s sharp instincts clash with Hyeon Jun’s glossy celebrity world.
The show works because it’s equal parts romance and industry satire, unpacking typecasting, image-building, and the uneasy dance between celebrities and the journalists who cover them. Its charm lies in its grounded humor, believable newsroom politics, and the electric push-pull between two people who can’t help but challenge each other.
Puja Talwar is a Soompi writer with a strong Yoo Yeon Seok and Lee Junho bias. A long time K-drama fan, she loves devising alternate scenarios to the narratives. She has interviewed Lee Min Ho, Gong Yoo, Cha Eun Woo, and Ji Chang Wook to name a few. You can follow her on @puja_talwar7 on Instagram.
