Let me add some stuff that people have yet to mention, in case you're interested. These dramas are not necessarily buzz-worthy, but I find them very good in terms of quality.
Japan:
Shitsuren Chocolatier (2014): a guy went to France to become a chocolatier for the girl he loved, and when he returned, said girl decided to marry someone else and asked
him to make her a wedding cake--the drama is full of emotional/romantic entanglement and people acting stupid because they don't even know how they truly feel
River’s Edge Okawabata Tanteisha (2014): a detective agency that receives any request from their clients; I found it a very unique drama that shows the nature and unpredictability of people's desire
Petero no Souretsu (2014) [and it's "prequel",
Namonaki Doku (2013)]: basically, it's about a guy who ended up "playing detective" out of necessity (because he was asked to), and came to realize more about human nature than he bargained for; I know someone had mentioned these, but I'm including them because they seem to fly under the radar here
Long Goodbye (2014): a crime story set in post-war Japan (1950s, I think) adapted from
a Raymond Chandler novel; stellar acting and production value
Gomen ne Seishun! (2014): a high school teacher is secretly wracked by guilt because of a wrongdoing he did in his youth; it's written by Kudo Kankuro, so expect many quirky characters
Aoi Honoo (2014): a young man goes to an art school in Osaka and finds out that's he's not nearly as good as he thinks he is--because Anno Hideaki (of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame) keeps thwarting him in every turn
Mondai no Aru Restaurant (2015): a group of women starts a restaurant and takes on misogyny head-on
Tenno no Ryoriban (2015): the story of a man who became the first Western cuisine chef to head the Imperial Kitchen
Kokoro ga Pokitto ne (2015): after a divorce and losing his job, partly because a nervous breakdown, a man swore to keep himself to himself, until he met a kindly antiques dealer and a high-strung woman
Date (2015): a rigid overachiever and an educated idler go on a series of dates to decide whether they're compatible with each other for marriage--with hilarious results
Dakara Koya (2015): an under-appreciated housewife goes on a road trip
Kazoku no Katachi (2016): two young professionals living in the same apartment building trying to deal with their meddling parents
South Korea:
Valid Love (2014): a couple facing a crisis in their marriage
