6 Soul-Swap K-Dramas To Add To Your Watch List
Soul Swap and body exchange dramas remain one of K-drama’s most fascinating narrative tools, exploring themes of identity, power, and love in one sweeping move. From a soul caught in the wrong body or even the wrong timeline, these stories force characters to confront lives they never chose and emotions they never expected.
Over the years, this trope has produced some of the most iconic, entertaining and emotionally devastating Korean dramas. An increasingly popular theme these days, upcoming drama “To My Beloved Thief” starring Moon Sang Min and Nam Ji Hyun is also set to explore the idea of soul swap. While waiting for the premiere of “To My Beloved Thief,” check out these six soul-swap dramas to binge on this season.
“Moon River”
“Moon River” is a whimsical fantasy sageuk which blends soul-swap hijinks with palace intrigue, fate, and revenge.
Crown Prince Lee Gang (Kang Tae Oh), who on the surface comes across as cheerful and eccentric, is beneath the facade, consumed by revenge. He wants to avenge his wife who was wrongly pushed to her death five years ago. His life takes a turn when he comes across someone who looks exactly like his wife. Park Dal I (Kim Se Jeong), a salt merchant, apparently has no recollection of her past life after having lost her memory from five years ago.
Destiny is the main force at play here, after all, what are the chances of their souls getting swapped? Now the Crown Prince must survive life outside the palace, and Dal I must navigate the deadly politics of the royal court. As the story unfolds, the body swap becomes a gateway to understanding grief, identity, and second chances, while a larger revenge plot adds tension and momentum
Kim Se Jeong and Kang Tae Oh bring warmth, charm, and vulnerability to their roles, creating chemistry that balances humor with heartbreak. “Moon River” offers a fresh and engaging take on the soul-swap genre.
Start watching “Moon River”:
“Secret Garden”
One of the iconic body swap romances in K-drama history, “Secret Garden” follows the unlikely romance between a wealthy CEO and a humble stunt woman.
Joo Won (Hyun Bin) is a charming yet arrogant head of a conglomerate, while Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won) is a stunt woman who doubles up as an extra on film sets. Their worlds collide when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for an actress, sparking a comical love-hate relationship. Things take a stranger turn when the two find their souls swapped, offering an insight into the other’s life.
The exchange forces the male lead to experience vulnerability and prejudice, while the female lead navigates power and privilege. Blending fantasy and romance, the drama remains memorable for its performances, emotional payoff, and insane chemistry between the two leads.
Start watching “Secret Garden”:
“The First Night with the Duke”
What are the chances of becoming the main character from your favourite book? A regular college student (played by Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun) is transported into her favorite romance novel. She is now Lady Cha Sun Chaek, who, despite her noble status, is meant to be entirely irrelevant in the story.
Everything changes when she crosses paths with the charming and dangerously magnetic Prince Yi Beon (2PM’s Taecyeon). Thrust into palace politics and an unexpected romance with the novel’s main lead, she begins to disrupt the narrative itself, rewriting the fate of her character, who was never meant to matter.
“The First Night with the Duke” thrives on self aware humor, genre subversion, and crackling chemistry between its leads, making it a smart and addictive watch.
Start watching “The First Night with the Duke”:
“Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”
Go Ha Jin (IU), a heartbroken young woman living in the modern world, is transported back to the Goryeo dynasty after a near drowning incident. She has a new identity as Hae Soo, a lady of nobility. If uprooted from her own reality was not enough, she finds herself thrust into the lives of ambitious princes. There is the poetic and compassionate Wang Wook (Kang Ha Neul) and the rebelliously charming Wang So (Lee Joon Gi).
Caught between the internal dynamics of the palace, Hae Soo finds herself drawn toward the maverick Wang So, a romance which is intense and heady but is unlikely to have a happily ever after.
More than just a time-slip romance, “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” endures as an emotional touchstone for many K-drama fans. Its soul-swap premise may draw viewers in, but it’s the tragic weight of love, loyalty, and fate that linger long after the final episode. Strong performances backed by a stunning production design make this one an all-time favorite.
Start watching “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”:
“Mr. Queen”
A genre-bending hit that revels in chaos, “Mr. Queen” flips the soul-swap trope on its head with gleeful irreverence. A cocky modern-day chef, Jang Bong Hwan (Choi Jin Hyuk), suddenly finds his soul trapped inside the body of Queen Kim So Yong (Shin Hae Sun) in the Joseon era. He is bewildered to be trapped in the body of a woman and in a reality far removed from his, right into the heart of court politics and intrigue.
So Yong’s relationship with her husband, the King (Kim Jung Hyun), is also impacted, as she finally sees him for what he is.
“Mr. Queen” cleverly uses the soul-swap premise to create a playful, yet meaningful clash between modern sensibilities and Joseon traditions. A modern man’s soul inside a queen’s body naturally sparks humor, but it also reshapes palace politics, relationships, and ideas of gender and power in ways that feel fresh and engaging. Shin Hae Sun’s performance anchors the chaos, balancing sharp comedy with emotional warmth, while her evolving dynamic with Kim Jung Hyun adds heart beneath the laughs. The result is a drama that is bold, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful without ever losing its sense of fun.
Start watching “Mr. Queen”:
“Branding in Seongsu”
Kang Na Eon (Kim Ji Eun) and So Eun Ho (Lomon) work at the same high-profile marketing agency, but their personalities could not be more different. While Eun Ho is warm, idealistic, and easygoing, Na Eon is sharp, ambitious, and ruthlessly driven. Na Eon’s qualities have made her one of the agency’s top performers, but have also earned her plenty of enemies. After a mysterious accident, Na Eon survives only to discover that she has switched bodies with Eun Ho.
Refusing to slow down, she takes charge of the agency’s weakest team and proves her brilliance as a marketing ace, even in an unfamiliar body. Meanwhile, Eun Ho uses the unexpected swap to get closer to her and uncover a long-buried secret that connects them. Blending fantasy with workplace drama, comedy, and a slow-burn romance, “Branding in Seongsu” offers a fresh, engaging twist on the soul-swap trope.
Start watching “Branding in Seongsu”:
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.