Yoona Stars in 2025’s Best K-Drama, Think ‘Outlander’ Meets ‘The Bear’

2025 has been a big year for Korean art, ranging from K-pop music to K-movies like KPop Demon Hunters, and now K-dramas have successfully joined the bandwagon. Netflix’s Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is the latest addition to the streaming platform’s abundant list of K-drama series, as well as the latest K-drama series to achieve global popularity. The romantic comedy follows Yeon Ji-young (Im Yoon-ah), an aspiring Michelin chef, who accidentally time-travels to the Joseon Era, Korea’s longest dynasty, where she becomes the royal cook for the tyrannical king Lee Yi-Heon (Lee Chae-min). The series, much like other historical K-dramas, is a story of star-crossed lovers brought together by time, and whether time will keep them together or separate them remains to be seen. In the meantime, viewers are treated to delicious meals, comedy, romance, and intriguing characters.

Since its release on Aug. 23, the rom-com K-drama soared to the number two spot on the streaming platform’s top 10 non-English shows list and garnered 8.1 million views over the weekend, a 4.6 million viewership increase from the 3.5 million views it received on its premiere weekend. The fantasy drama is directed by Chang Tae-yoo, who’s also known for directing the historical drama My Love from the Star as well as other similar projects. With rom-com queen and Girls’ Generation (SNSD) member Yoon-ah and the charismatic Chae-min, the K-drama does more than explicitly depict the tyrannical rule of a disgraced historical figure. The comedic timing provides levity to moments that seemingly reflect the actions taken during this tumultuous time in Korean history.

What Is ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’ About?

Netflix

The Netflix K-drama Bon Appétit, Your Majesty breaks a longstanding tradition in Korean dramas, and rather than being a manhwa, a Korean comic adaptation, it’s adapted from a web novel titled Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Chef, written by Park Guk-jae. The novel and the K-drama adaptation follow Yeon Ji-young (Yoon-ah), a young chef from the 21st century, on her way home to South Korea from France after winning a culinary competition. Instead of returning to modern-day South Korea, Ji-young is transported back to the Joseon Era of Korean history. As she comes to terms with the idea of time travel, Ji-young quickly realizes that she’s traveled back to a perilous time in Korean history: the rule of King Lee Yi-Heon (Chae-min).

The two immediately get off on the wrong foot as they’re both from two drastically different time periods. Before she’s aware that he’s the domineering ruler, Ji-young challenges his authority, prompting the short-tempered king to threaten her life. Ji-young is the type of protagonist who lands on her feet, so she uses her masterful culinary skills to appeal to the tyrannical ruler’s palate as a means to survive. Her cooking skills break through his cold exterior and touch his heart, a task others have struggled to achieve, so instead of sentencing her to death, he makes her his official chef, meaning she’s unable to leave the palace. There are rules she has to follow, including never cooking the same meal twice or presenting him with a meal that’s unsuitable for his exceptional taste in food; otherwise, that would be the end of her journey. Ji-young, left with no other option, decides to make the best of her situation if she hopes to survive Yi-Heon’s ruthlessness and cruelty and get back home.

The Real Life Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’

Netflix

The latest K-drama to join the streaming platform’s extensive list of Korean content has fantastical elements, but the historical context is also worth noting. The story is set during the Joseon Dynasty, which spanned over 500 years between 1392 and 1910. For K-drama connoisseurs, the Joseon Era setting is nothing out of the ordinary, given that many series gravitate to this time period, so this series brings a sense of comfort in terms of the setting. The wild card is in Lee Chae-min’s character, King Lee Yi-Heon, who is loosely based on the real-life tyrannical ruler King Yeonsangun, who is referred to as one of the most notorious rulers for his brutality during the Joseon Dynasty.

Like the fictional character, King Yeonsangun’s mother was executed when he was a young boy. As he grew up and was crowned king, Yeonsangun sentenced and deposed anyone complicit in his mother’s demise. He also, like in the historical drama, had women rounded up and presented to him for pleasure purposes, which was depicted in the first two episodes and continues to be referenced in the latest round of episodes. Any form of criticism was suppressed either by imprisonment or execution. After ruling for nearly 15 years, Yeonsangun was overthrown by other nobles and officials, replaced by his younger brother, and died after two months in exile. Like Ji-young mentions in the first four episodes, Yeonsangun was a bloody, authoritarian figure, and the K-drama, although fictionalizing the real-life ruler, keeps that essence in Chae-min’s character.

‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’ Is a Series K-Drama Fans Don’t Want to Miss

As a frequent consumer of Korean content, some K-dramas seem repetitive and lack originality. Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a welcome breath of fresh air and the K-drama I was waiting for this year. There have been other successful K-dramas on Netflix, most notably When Life Gives You Tangerine, but this series is all-around entertaining. There’s romance, fantasy, history, and comedy all geniusly blended and carried out by a talented cast ensemble. The comedic deliveries are perfectly placed and timed without appearing out of the blue and missing their mark.

Seeing that it follows the story of an aspiring Michelin chef, the culinary aspects of the narrative are thought out and presented in extraordinary detail. There is time set aside for the characters to express their love for the food and describe it in great detail, so the viewers feel included in that experience. For people who love historical dramas like Outlander and cooking shows like The Bear, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty ​​​​​​is the culmination of both. There are four episodes available to stream now on Netflix with a two-episode weekly release schedule.

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