# DNA Lover (러버)
**DNA Lover** (DNA 러버) is a 2024 South Korean weekend romantic comedy television series broadcast by TV Chosun, in which a genetic researcher who has failed at repeated relationships sets out to find her genetically compatible partner, whom she calls her "DNA lover".[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) It was TV Chosun's first romantic comedy drama, part of the channel's effort to reach a younger audience than the middle-aged dramas it had previously favored.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and slot | TV Chosun weekend mini-series, Saturdays and Sundays at 9:10 pm[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) |
| Run | 16 episodes, August 17 to October 6, 2024[3](https://tme-group.co.kr/download.cm?tk=YToyOntpOjA7czoxMzoiOGEzNmVkOGFiODU2MSI7aToxO3M6MjI6ImYyMDI2MDIyNTY0M2Q1Y2I3NmFlZGMiO30%3D) |
| Writer / director | Jung Soo-mi (script), Sung Chi-wook (direction)[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) |
| Main cast | Choi Siwon, Jung In-sun, Lee Tae-hwan, Jung Yu-jin[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723) |
| Production companies | Hi Ground, IP Box Media, Pan Entertainment[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/DNA_Lover) |
| First-episode rating | 1.132% Nielsen (peak 1.312%)[5](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/DNA_Lover/Episode_Ratings) |
| Streaming | Rakuten Viki (subscription or free with ads); listed on Netflix in Korea[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dna-lover) |
## Premise
Han So-jin (Jung In-sun) is a researcher at a genetics center who, after many failed relationships, becomes convinced that her perfect partner is written in her genes and pursues a match based on genetic compatibility.[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) The series is described by its makers as a "five-senses-awakening romantic comedy" in which she finally finds her mate through genes.[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) Director Sung Chi-wook described the show's intent as showing how four men and women with different wounds heal and grow, while handling socially sensitive subjects warmly.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
The premise draws on the idea that attraction to another person's scent signals genetic compatibility, a belief So-jin holds as a researcher: she uses a cloth sprayed with her favorite perfume and a dog to search for her DNA lover.[7](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/11095501)
## Cast and characters
**Choi Siwon** plays Shim Yeon-woo, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Sim Hospital whose social intelligence exceeds his IQ and EQ; he is affectionate while dating but cold when ending a relationship, and he does not believe in fated love.[1](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv) Choi returned to the romantic comedy genre with the role after two years and said playing an obstetrician taught him about the difficulties of pregnant women and doctors.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
**Jung In-sun** plays Han So-jin, the genetics researcher obsessed with finding her perfect genetic match, a character she described as full of otaku tendencies; she returned to television after two years and persuaded the director to let her cut her hair short for the role.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
**Lee Tae-hwan** plays Seo Kang-hoon, a rescue worker in the field response team of the Jungin Fire Station, steadfast in both love and work; it was his first role after military service.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
**Jung Yu-jin** plays Jang Mi-eun, a top-booked love columnist and dating-show regular who practices polyamory, a non-exclusive approach to love that the production described as a first for Korean dramas.[2](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
Supporting cast includes Yoon Seul as Yu Young-ah, a woman with depression who finds a reason to live through pregnancy but faces a difficult choice after receiving an unusual diagnosis from her obstetrician Yeon-woo, and Lee Chul-woo as Father Andrea, a priest.[8](https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/broadcast/2024/08/13/PSN3TAT4G6DPDEXMB5RPBISR5Y/) • [9](https://www.kdramalove.com/DNA_Lover.html)
## Story development
The first episodes establish the central pairing through an accident: a drunk So-jin breaks into Yeon-woo's home and sprays a hair-growth tonic on him, and the two later meet again at the genetics center.[10](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-08-19/202408190100137970017810) Episode 2 ends with the two falling together from a rooftop while Yeon-woo saves a mother attempting suicide, a scene that drew attention as a "hug-fall ending".[10](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-08-19/202408190100137970017810)
A mid-series turn reveals that So-jin's DNA test was run on the wrong sample: she had taken the wrong jersey, so her true genetic match is Kang-hoon rather than Yeon-woo, a fact that Mi-eun discloses and that Yeon-woo had known without telling So-jin.[11](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/dnalover-s1e10review/) The series also develops a suspense thread: Yeon-woo's father dies in a fire and his mother is left unconscious, and the stalker responsible is revealed to be Father Andrea.[12](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-09-23/202409230100157960023064) In the final episode, So-jin accepts that she has come to love Yeon-woo rather than the man she believed was her DNA lover.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLdyA03MLCw)
## Reception and availability
The premiere drew a Nielsen rating of 1.132% nationwide, peaking at 1.312%.[5](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/DNA_Lover/Episode_Ratings) On IMDb the series holds a 6.0/10 rating from about 260 users, while on the subtitled-streaming platform Rakuten Viki it holds an 8.5 rating from more than 13,000 users.[14](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30397416/) • [15](https://www.viki.com/tv/40581c-dna-lover?locale=en) Reviewers noted the show's tonal mixture, moving between romantic comedy and crime-thriller elements, with assessments ranging from enthusiastic to critical of its plot logic.[9](https://www.kdramalove.com/DNA_Lover.html) • [16](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/dnalover-s1e4review/)
The series is available on Rakuten Viki, by subscription or free with advertisements, and is listed on Netflix in South Korea.[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dna-lover) An original soundtrack accompanied the broadcast, including "By Your Side" (너의 곁에) by [Park Ji-hyeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-ji-hyeon) and "Because of You" (너라는 이유) by YEWON.[17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOQGw_L-m24) • [18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3fAWyrNW7g)
## References
1. [TV CHOSUN press release: DNA Lover first teaser and premiere confirmation (June 12, 2024)](https://twww.tvchosun.com/pressroom/pressroom_001/675986/detail.cstv)
2. [iMBC News: TV Chosun's first rom-com DNA Lover production press conference](https://enews.imbc.com/News/ViewAmp/426723)
3. [TME Group company profile: DNA Lover broadcast details](https://tme-group.co.kr/download.cm?tk=YToyOntpOjA7czoxMzoiOGEzNmVkOGFiODU2MSI7aToxO3M6MjI6ImYyMDI2MDIyNTY0M2Q1Y2I3NmFlZGMiO30%3D)
4. [DNA Lover, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/DNA_Lover)
5. [DNA Lover/Episode Ratings, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/DNA_Lover/Episode_Ratings)
6. [DNA Lover streaming information, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/dna-lover)
7. [Star Today: DNA Lover perfume and hair-growth tonic plot points](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/11095501)
8. [Chosun.com / OSEN: Yoon Seul cast in DNA Lover](https://www.chosun.com/entertainments/broadcast/2024/08/13/PSN3TAT4G6DPDEXMB5RPBISR5Y/)
9. [DNA Lover Korean drama review, KdramaLove](https://www.kdramalove.com/DNA_Lover.html)
10. [Sports Chosun review: episodes 1–2 hug-fall ending](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-08-19/202408190100137970017810)
11. [The Review Geek: DNA Lover episode 10 recap and review](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/dnalover-s1e10review/)
12. [Sports Chosun: Choi Siwon's emotional acting and Father Andrea reveal](https://www.sportschosun.com/entertainment/2024-09-23/202409230100157960023064)
13. [TV CHOSUN YouTube: DNA Lover episode 16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLdyA03MLCw)
14. [DNA Lover (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt30397416/)
15. [DNA Lover, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/40581c-dna-lover?locale=en)
16. [The Review Geek: DNA Lover episode 4 recap and review](https://www.thereviewgeek.com/dnalover-s1e4review/)
17. [Park Ji-hyeon, By Your Side, DNA Lover OST, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOQGw_L-m24)
18. [YEWON, Because of You, DNA Lover OST, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3fAWyrNW7g)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license