The best new K-drama releases in December 2026 and where you can watch them
The new K-drama releases arriving in December 2026 make for one of the strongest year-end lineups in recent memory, spanning supernatural baseball, Goryeo-era action, a once-in-a-generation showbiz epic, a workplace romance, and a haunting colonial-era mystery. Five series land across tvN, JTBC, Netflix, MBC, and Disney+ this month, giving every kind of viewer something unmissable.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Tantara is the most anticipated new K-drama of December 2026, marking the first on-screen pairing of Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo in a Netflix period epic.
- The month's earliest premiere is Gift on tvN from 5 December, a supernatural sports drama starring Kim Woo-bin as a baseball coach with a paranormal talent-spotting ability.
- Sacred Jewel brings Goryeo-era action to JTBC and Prime Video, following a high-stakes mission to recover a sacred relic during the Mongol invasions.
- Portraits of Delusion on Disney+ reunites Bae Suzy and Kim Seon-ho for the first time since Start-Up, in a 1935-set mystery thriller.
- Your Ground marks Han Hyo-joo's return to MBC for the first time in ten years, premiering 11 December.
Summary of December 2026 K-drama releases
Here is a quick overview of every confirmed new K-drama release in December 2026, including platform and premiere date.
The confirmed December 2026 slate includes Sacred Jewel (JTBC, 5 December), Gift (tvN, 5 December), Tantara (Netflix, 11 December), Your Ground (MBC, 11 December), and Portraits of Delusion (Disney+, December 2026).
Title | Premiere date | Platform | Episodes | Genre |
Gift | 5 December 2026 | tvN | 12 | Sports, Fantasy |
Sacred Jewel | 5 December 2026 | JTBC / Prime Video | 14 | Historical, Action, Romance |
Tantara | 11 December 2026 | Netflix | 22 | Period Drama |
Your Ground | 11 December 2026 | MBC | 10 | Romance, Office |
Portraits of Delusion | December 2026 (TBC) | Disney+ | 9 | Historical, Mystery, Fantasy |
The best new K-drama releases in December 2026
This list presents December 2026's confirmed new K-drama releases, ordered from earliest premiere to the most anticipated title. Rankings reflect a combination of casting power, production pedigree, and pre-release buzz.
5. Your Ground (MBC, 11 December 2026)
- Full title: Your Ground (너의 그라운드)
- Premiere date: 11 December 2026
- Network: MBC (Friday–Saturday)
- Genre: Romance, office drama, youth
- Episodes: 10
- Cast: Han Hyo-joo, Gong Myung, Kim Shin-rok, Sung Joon
- Where to watch: MBC TV, MBC Drama Net
Your Ground is a 2026 MBC Friday–Saturday drama scheduled to air from 11 December 2026 through January 2027. Han Hyo-joo returns here after the Netflix Japanese drama Romantic Anonymous, and the role also marks her first appearance in an MBC drama — and her first leading role in a terrestrial drama — in ten years, since the MBC series W.
Your Ground is a breezy ten-episode romance that pairs Han Hyo-joo with Gong Myung in what looks like a workplace and youth-themed love story. With its compact episode count and a lead returning to her Korean TV roots, the series is listed among the key December 2026 K-drama titles on MyDramaList.
4. Portraits of Delusion (Disney+, December 2026)
- Full title: Portraits of Delusion (현혹)
- Premiere date: December 2026 (exact date TBC)
- Network: Disney+
- Genre: Historical, mystery, horror, fantasy
- Episodes: 9
- Cast: Kim Seon-ho (Yun I-ho), Bae Suzy (Song Jeong-hwa), Huh Joon-ho, Choi Hyun-wook
- Director: Han Jae-rim
- Where to watch: Disney+
Set in 1935 Gyeongseong, Portraits of Delusion tells the story of painter Yun I-ho (Kim Seon-ho), who is commissioned to paint a portrait of Song Jeong-hwa (Bae Suzy) — a mysterious woman, shrouded in rumours and suspicion, who has remained hidden from the world for over half a century.
The series is based on the webtoon Hyunhok by Hongjacga, published on Naver between 2019 and 2020, and is directed by Han Jae-rim, known for The King, Emergency Declaration, and The 8 Show. The project reunites Bae Suzy and Kim Seon-ho, who previously shared the screen in the 2020 drama Start-Up.
3. Sacred Jewel (JTBC/Prime Video, 5 December 2026)
- Full title: Sacred Jewel (신의 구슬)
- Premiere date: 5 December 2026
- Network: JTBC (Saturday–Sunday); streaming on Prime Video
- Genre: Historical, action, romance
- Episodes: 14
- Cast: Ahn Bo-hyun (Baek-gyeol), Lee Sung-min (Choi Gu), Claudia Kim (Wang-hee), Ha Yoon-kyung (Geol-seung), Yoon Kyun-sang (Wang-mu)
- Director: Jeong Dae-yoon
- Writer: Jung Hyeon-min
- Where to watch: JTBC / Prime Video
Sacred Jewel is set in 1258 during the Goryeo Dynasty, when the kingdom is on the brink of defeat after 30 years of war with Mongolia, and follows the heroic fight of an expedition unit searching for a sacred relic — the Avalokitesvara Bead — believed to hold divine power to protect the nation.
The drama is helmed by director Jung Dae-yoon of Reborn Rich, W, and She Was Pretty, and penned by writer Jung Hyun-min of The Nokdu Flower and Assembly. Ahn Bo-hyun stars as Baek Gyeol, the expedition unit's special commander tasked with retrieving the sacred relic — often likened to a Goryeo-era "Holy Grail." The drama is scheduled for December 2026 on JTBC, with streaming also planned through Coupang Play and Amazon Prime Video.
Read also
Here are the most anticipated new K-dramas starting in August 2026 and where to stream them
2. Gift (tvN, 5 December 2026)
- Full title: Gift (기프트)
- Premiere date: 5 December 2026
- Network: tvN (Saturday–Sunday, 9:10 PM KST)
- Genre: Sports, fantasy, drama
- Episodes: 12
- Cast: Kim Woo-bin (Jung Min-yong), Seo Eun-soo (Yoon Seo-jin), Seo Hyun-woo (An Gi-man)
- Director: Kim Kyu-tae, Ham Seung-hoon
- Where to watch: tvN/TVING
Based on a popular webtoon, Gift is a sports drama about a former professional baseball pitching coach who gains a special ability after an unexpected accident and winds up becoming the head coach for a bottom-ranked high school team. His newfound ability allows him to recognise a person's natural baseball talent and potential for improvement at a single glance — information that appears above the players' heads, invisible to everyone else.
Kim Woo-bin plays Jung Min-yong, a former pitching coach for the professional baseball team Manders who faces a turning point after being unfairly branded an abusive coach and suffering an unexpected accident. Seo Eun-soo plays Yoon Seo-jin, a passionate baseball team manager who cares deeply about the Deokcheon High School team and its players. The drama is adapted from the Kakao webtoon Gift by Jungiriiri, first published on 25 May 2021.
1. Tantara (Netflix, 11 December 2026)
- Full title: Tantara (천천히 강렬하게 / "Slowly and Intensely")
- Premiere date: 11 December 2026
- Network: Netflix (worldwide)
- Genre: Period drama, showbiz, historical
- Episodes: 22
- Cast: Song Hye-kyo (Min-ja), Gong Yoo (Dong-gu), Kim Seol-hyun (Min-hee), Cha Seung-won (Gil-yeo), Lee Hanee (Yang-ja), Na Moon-hee
- Director: Lee Yoon-jung
- Writer: Noh Hee-kyung
- Where to watch: Netflix
Netflix is set to release the highly anticipated 22-episode K-drama Tantara on 11 December 2026, starring acclaimed actors Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo in their first on-screen collaboration. Set in the reckless and merciless Korean entertainment industry of the 1960s through the 1980s, Tantara chronicles the rise of those who had almost nothing, yet bet everything on a dream of dazzling success.
Song Hye-kyo (The Glory, Autumn in My Heart) plays Min-ja, a determined woman from a poor family who refuses to let hardship stop her ambitions, while Gong Yoo (Train to Busan, Squid Game) plays Dong-gu, her childhood friend. The series is penned by Noh Hee-kyung, the writer behind Our Blues and Dear My Friends, and directed by Lee Yoon-jung, who directed Coffee Prince and Cheese in the Trap.
The K-drama romance at the heart of Tantara is amplified by the show's epic scope. Director Lee Yoon-jung reunites with Gong Yoo for the first time since the popular 2007 drama The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. On 24 October 2026, Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo, and Kim Seol-hyun appeared together publicly for the first time at Netflix Janchi, an event celebrating the streaming platform's tenth anniversary in Korea.
FAQs
What is the best new K-drama to watch in December 2026?
Tantara, arriving on Netflix on 11 December, is the most talked-about December release. The series marks the first on-screen collaboration between Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo and spans the Korean entertainment industry from the 1960s to the 1980s. With 22 episodes, a prestige writer-director team, and a blockbuster cast, it is the clear standout of the month.
Where can I watch the new K-drama Gift?
Gift premieres on tvN at 9:10 p.m. KST on 5 December and is based on a baseball webtoon of the same name. The story follows a former professional baseball pitching coach who, after an unforeseen accident, gains a special ability and is appointed head coach of a high school team ranked last nationwide. In addition to tvN, it streams on the TVING platform.
Is Sacred Jewel on Netflix or Prime Video?
Sacred Jewel airs on JTBC from 5 December 2026, with streaming releases also planned through Coupang Play and Amazon Prime Video. It is not a Netflix title. The 14-episode historical action series is one of the platform's most ambitious Goryeo-era productions of the year.
What is the new K-drama Portraits of Delusion about?
Set in 1935 Gyeongseong, Portraits of Delusion tells the story of painter Yun I-ho (Kim Seon-ho), who is commissioned to create a portrait of Song Jeong-hwa (Bae Suzy), a mysterious woman who has remained hidden from the world for over half a century. An exact Disney+ premiere date within December 2026 has not yet been confirmed.
Is there a new K-drama romance releasing in December 2026?
Several December titles blend romance with other genres. Gift raises a central question through its fantastical premise: which matters more — natural talent or hard work? — setting up a clear emotional throughline between its leads. Your Ground on MBC is the most directly romance-focused of the month's new K-drama slate, while Tantara weaves a K-drama romance through its sprawling showbiz epic across two decades of Korean history.
We shared details about the K-dramas set to premiere in November 2026, including their release dates, streaming platforms, casts and storylines. The lineup includes romantic dramas, crime thrillers and legal sequels.
One standout is Possible Love, Lee Chang-dong's first film in eight years and South Korea's official Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film. The month also brings The Remarried Empress, a star-led fantasy romance based on a popular web novel.
Source: Legit.ng
