The Dream Life of Mr. Kim Netflix Series Premieres October 25

Netflix is adding a new Korean drama to its lineup. The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, a live action series based on a popular webtoon, arrives on October 25, and Netflix shared a first clip on Thursday.

The story comes from a best selling novel by Hee Gu Song and its webtoon adaptation. It follows a middle aged man who loses nearly everything he once held dear and sets out to rediscover who he really is, beyond his job title as a corporate manager.

The webtoon, illustrated by Byung Gwan Kim, has been running since 2023 and quickly found an audience, passing 10 million views within a month thanks to its grounded and emotional storytelling.

At a press conference in Seoul on October 22, lead actor Seung Ryong Ryu, who plays Mr. Kim, talked about how much filming has changed over the years. He noted that shorter working hours and more preparation time let the cast focus on rehearsals and on set adjustments, a real shift from the all night shoots of the past.

Rounding out the cast, Se Bin Myung plays Kim’s wife, Ha Jin Park, and Kang Yoon Cha appears as his son. The full series will be available to stream on Netflix.

My take: A quiet story about a man rebuilding his sense of self is a nice change of pace, and webtoon adaptations have been on a real roll lately. I am curious to see whether this one keeps the gentle tone that won readers over.