# Suits (South Korean TV series)
**Suits** (슈츠) is a 2018 South Korean legal drama that remakes the American television series *Suits* (2011–2019), starring [Jang Dong-gun](https://www.edgepedia.org/jang-dong-gun) and [Park Hyung-sik](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-hyung-sik) as two lawyers at South Korea's top law firm who practice and win cases even though the younger partner has no law license.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315) It was the first version of the American show to be remade overseas and aired as a single 16-episode season on KBS2.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 16 episodes, broadcast April 25 to June 14, 2018, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 on KBS2[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
| Episode length | About 70 minutes per episode[3](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=1583) |
| Lead cast | Jang Dong-gun as Choi Kang-seok; Park Hyung-sik as Go Yeon-woo[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315) |
| Source format | Korean remake of the American *Suits* (USA Network, from June 2011), NBCUniversal's first scripted format sale in Asia[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315) • [4](https://www.contentasia.tv/features/drama-adaptations-whole-new-asia-story) |
| Storyline scope | Condenses roughly the first five seasons of the American series' overarching story into its 16 episodes[5](https://www.tvline.com/2046551/best-legal-dramas-like-suits/) |
| Production | Written by Kim Jung-min, directed by Kim Jin-woo, produced by KBS-affiliated Monster Union[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1047555wpp/jang-dong-gun-park-hyung-sik-star-korean-remake-popular-tv-show-suits) |
| Recognition | 2018 KBS Drama Awards: Excellent Actor (mini series) for Jang Dong-gun; Netizen Award for Park Hyung-sik[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) |
## Premise and characters
The drama is set at Kang & Ham, the top law firm in South Korea. Choi Kang-seok, played by Jang Dong-gun, is a legendary lawyer there who wins cases before he even enters the courtroom and who takes only contests he knows he can win, earning the firm's high-dollar, high-profile work. The character has a hidden weakness: a case from his time as a prosecutor that pushed him to the bottom and has not gone away. He hires Go Yeon-woo, played by Park Hyung-sik, as an entry-level lawyer even though Yeon-woo has never attended law school and holds no lawyer's license; his sole credential is a photographic memory.[3](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=1583) • [7](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/Guide/Data/guide_drama2019.pdf)
In the plot, Yeon-woo grew up poor, worked as a parking valet, and agreed to deliver drugs to a hotel room to pay his grandmother's hospital bill. Fleeing the police, he stumbles into the office of Choi Kang-seok, who is interviewing candidates for an associate position. Kang-seok recognizes that Yeon-woo is not the scheduled applicant but is impressed by his intelligence and memory, and hires him anyway, a decision that could endanger his own career.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29)
The Korean counterparts of the American ensemble are named accordingly: Kang Ha-yeon (Jin Hee-kyung) is the firm's CEO, the equivalent of Jessica Pearson; Hong Da-ham (Chae Jung-an) is Kang-seok's secretary, the equivalent of Donna; Kim Ji-na (Ko Sung-hee) is a legal assistant and Yeon-woo's love interest, the Rachel equivalent; and Chae Geun-sik (Choi Gwi-hwa) is the [Louis Litt](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-litt) counterpart, competitive with Kang-seok and hungry for status.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1161291wpp/fresh-yet-familiar-6-reasons-premiere-suits-solid-start)
## Production and adaptation choices
The project was announced in September 2017, when the American *Suits* was midway through its seventh season.[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1047555wpp/jang-dong-gun-park-hyung-sik-star-korean-remake-popular-tv-show-suits) The original series, which premiered in June 2011 on the [USA Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/usa-network) and is set at a fictional New York law firm, had never been remade in another country before; the Korean version was its first overseas adaptation, with an Arabic version announced as the second.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315) According to trade reporting, the remake aired three years after [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal) announced the format acquisition in 2015.[4](https://www.contentasia.tv/features/drama-adaptations-whole-new-asia-story)
Producer Park Sung-hye, CEO of the Seoul-based production company Monster Union, said the company had planned the remake for several years.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315) Director Kim Jin-woo described the approach as interpretation rather than copying: "We don't want to copy but to interpret (the original) in our own way," balancing the original storyline with Korean color and originality, including revisions to reflect Korean law and legal situations.[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315)
For Jang Dong-gun, the drama was a return to television for the first time since *[A Gentleman's Dignity](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-gentlemans-dignity)* (2012). He said he joined without watching the original series, then watched part of it and stopped midway through season one for fear of unconsciously copying [Harvey Specter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvey-specter).[2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315)
## Scope relative to the original
The American *Suits* ran for nine seasons and more than 130 episodes; the Korean version is a single 16-episode season of about 70-minute episodes.[5](https://www.tvline.com/2046551/best-legal-dramas-like-suits/) • [3](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=1583) Reviewers note that it streamlines the overarching narrative of the American show's first five seasons into those 16 episodes while keeping the case-of-the-week structure, telling the larger story concisely.[5](https://www.tvline.com/2046551/best-legal-dramas-like-suits/) The single-season format drew mixed assessments: some viewers felt the pacing rushed relationships that unfolded slowly in the American version, such as the Yeon-woo and Ji-na storyline, and that most plot beats were taken directly from the US series.[9](https://www.theseconddiscovery.com/2023/11/04/suits-korean-drama-review-in-one-question/) • [10](https://www.oppanoona.kr/2019/09/k-drama-review-suits-korean_28.html)
## Reception
Nielsen figures recorded by AsianWiki showed a premiere of 8.2% nationwide (TNmS), a mid-run peak of 10.3% for episodes 9 and 10, and a finale of 10.0% nationwide (10.6% in Seoul) on TNmS and 10.7% nationwide (11.3% in Seoul) on AGB Nielsen.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) At the 2018 KBS Drama Awards, Jang Dong-gun won Excellent Actor (mini series) and Park Hyung-sik won the Netizen Award.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29)
Critical reception from English-language reviewers divided along lines of comparison with the original. Positive accounts praised the casting and the chemistry between Jang and Park, calling it a faithful likeness of the Harvey and Mike dynamic, and singled out Jin Hee-kyung's performance as firm CEO Kang Ha-yeon.[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1161291wpp/fresh-yet-familiar-6-reasons-premiere-suits-solid-start) • [11](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-suits/) A 2023 review judged the American version stronger on legal realism and characterization, citing rushed pacing and underplayed supporting characters.[9](https://www.theseconddiscovery.com/2023/11/04/suits-korean-drama-review-in-one-question/) A later retrospective in TVLine described the remake as retaining the core premise and offering "its own unique stamp on the setup."[5](https://www.tvline.com/2046551/best-legal-dramas-like-suits/) The drama later became available on streaming platforms, including Netflix.[12](https://www.justwatch.com/kr/TV-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B7%B8%EB%9E%A8/suits)
The Korean version also sits within a wider pattern of localized remakes of the franchise, which later included a Japanese adaptation (Fuji TV, 2018, with a second season in 2020) and an Arabic one.[1](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29) • [2](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315)
## References
1. [Suits (Korean Drama), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?title=Suits_%28Korean_Drama%29)
2. [Korean adaptation of 'Suits' adds local color to popular U.S. drama, Yonhap News Agency (April 23, 2018)](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20180423010200315)
3. [Suits, KBS WORLD TV program page](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=1583)
4. [DRAMA ADAPTATIONS: A whole new Asia story, ContentAsia (April 22, 2018)](https://www.contentasia.tv/features/drama-adaptations-whole-new-asia-story)
5. [12 Best Legal Dramas To Watch If You Like Suits, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/2046551/best-legal-dramas-like-suits/)
6. [Jang Dong Gun And Park Hyung Sik To Star In Korean Remake Of Popular TV Show "Suits", Soompi (September 22, 2017)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1047555wpp/jang-dong-gun-park-hyung-sik-star-korean-remake-popular-tv-show-suits)
7. [Suits, KBS Program Catalogue (2019), KBS Media](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/Guide/Data/guide_drama2019.pdf)
8. [Fresh Yet Familiar: 6 Reasons Why The Premiere Of "Suits" Was A Solid Start, Soompi (April 28, 2018)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1161291wpp/fresh-yet-familiar-6-reasons-premiere-suits-solid-start)
9. [Suits Korean Drama Review in One Question, The Second Discovery (November 4, 2023)](https://www.theseconddiscovery.com/2023/11/04/suits-korean-drama-review-in-one-question/)
10. [K Drama Review: Suits (2018), Oppa Noona (September 28, 2019)](https://www.oppanoona.kr/2019/09/k-drama-review-suits-korean_28.html)
11. [K-Drama Review: "Suits", The Legal Drama That Brings Justice To Your Screen, HelloKpop (June 21, 2018)](https://www.hellokpop.com/review/k-drama-suits/)
12. [Suits streaming availability, JustWatch Korea](https://www.justwatch.com/kr/TV-%ED%94%84%EB%A1%9C%EA%B7%B8%EB%9E%A8/suits)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Legal drama series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 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