Buying guide
The 4 Korean Eyewear Brands K-Dramas Actually Use (2026)
Last verified: 2026-07-25
Most “Korean eyewear brands” lists are written from vibes. This one is written from screen time. Every brand below clears two bars: it is Korean — confirmed from its own company registration, not its reputation — and a specific drama placement is documented at a source you can open.
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How this list is made
Two bars, both required: Korean origin confirmed from the brand's own site, and a specific drama placement documented at a linked source. Entries sourced to the Korean optical trade press are marked verified; those resting on a single editorial mention are marked “reported”. The list is short because brands that fail either bar are left out — Stephane Christian is widely cited but its official domain no longer resolves, so it is not here. Commissions never affect inclusion or order.
Quick comparison
| Brand | Seen in | Price range | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gentle Monster | Queen of Tears | see official store | gentlemonster.com — global stores |
| CARIN | Judge Lee Han-young · Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2 | see official store | caringlasses.com — global store |
| Projekt Produkt | One the Woman | see official store | projektprodukt.co.kr |
| LASH | Taxi Driver | see official store | lasheyewear.com |
1. Gentle Monster
The Korean eyewear house that made the category international — Seongdong-gu, Seoul, with flagship stores worldwide. It is also the anchor of this list by search demand: interest in the brand dwarfs every other Korean eyewear name combined.
- Queen of Tears (2024) — Kim Ji-won's Hong Hae-in wears the Nada 01 sunglasses in the opening episodes — the entrance look for a department-store CEO. [Source: InkiStyle]reported
2. CARIN
Seoul-based eyewear label with the best-documented drama record on this list — two separate placements confirmed by the Korean optical trade press, six years apart, each naming the exact model.
- Judge Lee Han-young (2026) — Ji Sung wears the Sienna+ S in C2 silver as the title judge; the optical trade press covered the styling directly. [Source: 한국안경신문 (OpticNews)]EXACT
- Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim 2 (2020) — Lee Sung-kyung wears the JANE-C4 in episode 12 — the trade press names the model and the gold metal frame. [Source: fn아이포커스]EXACT
3. Projekt Produkt
Sinsa-dong, Gangnam. The quiet, architectural end of Korean eyewear — the frames that turn up on lawyers, executives, and other characters written to look precise.
- One the Woman (2021) — Lee Ha-nee's dual-role prosecutor wears Projekt Produkt frames across the early episodes. [Source: InkiStyle]reported
4. LASH
Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Sharp, slightly severe sunglasses — the CLOSER became a recognisable on-screen shorthand for a character who is not there to be liked.
- Taxi Driver (2021) — Lee Som wears the CLOSER C1 in black as prosecutor Kang Ha-na; the optical trade press ran the identification after viewers asked. [Source: 한국안경신문 (OpticNews)]EXACT
FAQ
Are these the exact pieces from the dramas?
This guide covers brands with documented drama placements. Where the trade press named the exact model — CARIN's Sienna+ S and JANE-C4, LASH's CLOSER C1 — that model is named here too. For scene-level identification with confidence labels and evidence, that is what the rest of Worn the Seoul does.
Which sunglasses did Kim Ji-won wear in Queen of Tears?
Episode style coverage names Gentle Monster's Nada 01 on Hong Hae-in's entrance look. Our Queen of Tears card tracks it as an editorial lead — the label reflects that a style write-up, not a frame-by-frame check, is the source.
Can I buy Korean eyewear outside Korea?
Gentle Monster and CARIN both run global stores that ship internationally. Projekt Produkt and LASH are domestic-first — usually Korean retail or a proxy service. Each entry notes availability, date-stamped.