11 Times K-Pop References Made A Surprise Appearance In K-Dramas

We all know that pop culture references make their way into television shows and the same goes for K-Dramas. K-Pop pops up in almost every single K-Drama out there! Some references are subtle while others are very obvious. While there are too many to count, here are some fan-favorite K-Pop references in K-Dramas.

1. “Boy in Luv” manual in 100 Days My Prince

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A book of “Boy in Luv” you say…

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Hmm…sounds an awful lot like this BTS song!

2. Very familiar faces in Descendants of the Sun

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No hiding for this reference at all, when Red Velvet takes the stage to perform “Dumb Dumb” for the troops in Descendants of the Sun!

3. The secretary dance off in Goblin

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Wanting to know a little bit more about the kind of gift young women would like, the CEO was presented with a list including references to BTS and EXO. What makes it even better is that the secretary dances a little bit of “Boy in Luv” and “Growl”!

4. How to ride a horse in Splash Splash Love

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A runaway horse always spells disaster especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. But as Splash Splash Love taught us the answer to saving yourself might just lay in PSY‘s “Gangnam Style”.

5. Eyes on fleek in Kill Me, Heal Me

Although Oh Ri Jin might have been surprised at the makeup look, EXO-Ls loved the reference to Baekhyun‘s legendary burgundy eye look from the Seoul Music Awards!

6. “Me Gustas Tu” dance battle in Come Back Mister

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Who doesn’t love “Me Gustas Tu”? While almost every K-Pop idol has danced to this song at some point, fans were super excited to see Rain and Yoon Park dancing to it in Come Back Mister!

7. “You look like a singer” in Chief Kim

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When Junho was told to sing a song because he “looked like a singer” everyone watching Chief Kim couldn’t help but laugh! But things got even better when the 2PM idol pulled out TWICE’s “TT”!

8. We see what you did there in I Remember You

When Lee Hyun calls Cha Ji An for stalking him, she admitted to doing it in the past but now she follows EXO. It’s a pretty fantastic reference considering D.O. stars in this drama!

9. G-Dragon would be proud in The Idle Mermaid

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What are you to do when you find out your crush likes someone else? How about have a dance break…

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G-Dragon style!

10. Attack of VIXX Glorious Day

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Whenever a K-Pop idol stars in a K-Drama you know that there’s going to be a reference in there somewhere. It’s just that we weren’t expecting this…

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Or this! Hyuk, Leo, we’re sure Hongbin didn’t mean it!

11. Every glorious second of Reply 1997

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While most dramas go for subtle little references or just a quick peek into K-Pop, Reply 1997 took us back to the year 1997 and the first generation of K-Pop. With so many scenes dedicated to H.O.T and SECHSKIES, it’s hard to pick just one reference!