Beating Again Netflix Why Min Ho Mom
The All-time Korean Dramas on Netflix Right Now
Here's your become-to guide for jumping into the Korean drama craze.
The world of Korean dramas is a strange and cute identify. The South Korean entertainment industry is slowly growing to worldwide authorization, as Kpop, Korean movies similar Parasite and Minari , and Korean television series have the earth by tempest.
The term Korean drama, or Kdrama, refers to virtually whatever S Korean fictional television series, no matter the subject or genre. That includes comedy, romance, sci-fi, horror, you lot name it. About of these television series are based on webcomics, a form of storytelling similar to comics that originated in Due south Korea. Yous should generally expect a love story no thing the genre (save maybe horror), and the same actors are in pretty much everything. Fair warning, almost all Korean dramas accept quite outlandish bounds, but that'due south honestly what makes them and then expert. Y'all just have to learn how to accept the foreign and unexpected and get along for the ride.
Recently, Netflix has become the go-to place to find the best Kdrama offerings for US audiences, with many shows being labeled every bit Netflix Originals. This partnership, as well as the overall shift to streaming, has too changed the business and structure of Kdramas, every bit previously, pretty much all Kdramas were effectually 16 episodes long and one season simply. Although Korea and their media is notwithstanding generally conservative, the international audience is definitely shifting perspectives to be more inclusive and representative of all types of people.
In order to help y'all jump headfirst into this new and expanding area of tv set, here are 28 of the best Korean dramas available to watch on Netflix, both original and not.
Editor's Note: This list was almost recently updated on March 2022 to include The Silent Body of water, The Heirs, and All of United states of america Are Dead.
32 The Silent Sea
Managing director: Choi Hang-yong
Writer: Park Eun-kyo
Bandage: Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon, Kim Sun-young, Kim Si-a, Lee Moo-Saeng
A sci-fi horror serial ready in space, The Silent Sea follows a crew every bit they get investigate an abandoned enquiry facility where a tragedy took place. With the mission to retrieve valuable samples that might lead to the creation of more h2o, a vitally important and expensive resource now in the future, the crew heads into unknown terror when they enter Balhae station. With Bae Doona and Gong Yoo leading this cast, you already know it's going to be good. Full of mysteries and twists, The Silent Bounding main is totally bingeable with its revelations and betrayals scattered generously throughout a dystopian story. — Therese Lacson
31 The Heirs
Directors: Kang Shin-hyo, Boo Sung-chul
Writer: Kim Eun-sook
Cast: Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Kim Woo-bin, Kim Ji-won, Kang Min-hyuk, Kang Ha-neul
While it may not be the freshest have on Chiliad-Drama, this star studded bandage created i of the most watched Korean dramas on the planet. Essentially a Cinderella story (or fifty-fifty a Gossip Girl story), Park Shin-hye plays Cha Eun-sang, a regular girl who gets mixed upwardly in the business concern of a bunch of heirs to rich and flush families. Main among them is the Kims. Equally the daughter of the alive-in housekeeper, she lives at their habitation and is enrolled into their high school. At that place she meets Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho), the scion of the family unit, and the two fall in love despite the odds. Both Lee and Park were coming off of big projects at the time The Heirs came out and this quickly became a massively popular show. A perfect time capsule of what Korean dramas were trying to accomplish back during the 2010s. — Therese Lacson
30 All of Us Are Dead
Directors: Lee JQ and Kim Nam-su
Writer: Chun Sung-il
Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung, and Jeon Bae-soo
Based on the webtoon At present at Our School by Joo Dong-geun, All of Us Are Dead is a zombie horror serial well-nigh high school students who find themselves caught in the middle of a virus outbreak. After an accident leads to a zombie virus being unleashed at a South Korean high school, the students are left to fend for themselves cut off from the outside world past the regime. With no supplies and no way to go assistance, the students must rely on each other and any resources they tin can find to survive this deadly situation. While it is primarily a horror story, the show also addresses a number of social issues. Gory, intense, and well-crafted, All of Usa Are Dead has already get 1 of Netflix's nigh popular shows since its release in January 2022. - Remus Noronha
29 Hellbound
Writer: Choi Kyu-sok
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah, Yang Ik-june
How would people react if behemothic demons started beating people to death in the streets and publicly "condemning people to hell" for all to encounter? Badly! Really badly! Have you seen the history of the human race?? That's the core premise of Hellbound, a dour, very vicious exploration of faith and contagious social hysteria that would pair like fine sacramental wine with Midnight Mass ; Netflix's other ponderous and petrifying 2021 tale of religion gone wrong. Directed by Railroad train to Busan helmer Yeon Sang-ho , Hellbound is a slower, more than solemn thing than his breakout Korean zombie picture, just it shares his knack for using genre storytelling to ask unanswerable (and unthinkable) questions about the nature of humanity without flinching. - Haleigh Foutch
28 Squid Game
Creator: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Bandage: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon
You've definitely heard nearly this one, in fact, there's a good chance it's the testify that brought you here! Netflix's 2021 original Squid Game charted an immediate and unprecedented climb to the peak of Netflix'southward most-watched lists, becoming a social media awareness and water libation talking indicate. And for good reason, it's a clever spin on familiar genre archetypes with an exceptional cast that makes for an irresistible binge-lookout man. Set beyond 9 episodes, the series follows 456 debt-ridden contenders through a series of deadly children'south games for the promise of a life-irresolute jackpot for whoever survives. Activeness-packed, horror-tinged, and threaded through with rich character drama, Squid Gameast can be a flake of a bleak bummer, but in a serial exploring the pitfalls of capitalist excess and the people it leaves behind, that'south kind of the point. And like all great genre allegories, it never forgets to lace those themes into its endlessly engaging thrills. - Haleigh Foutch
27 Crash Landing on You
Author: Park Ji-eun
Director: Lee Jung-hyo
Bandage: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun
Probably the most popular Korean drama on Netflix to appointment is a love story betwixt a North Korean soldier and an heiress from South Korea called Crash Landing on Y'all . Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is a young, beautiful, and supremely wealthy woman who decides to go paragliding one weekend. She gets caught in a tornado that brings her over Democratic people's republic of korea, where she lands. Trying to escape getting defenseless by North korea, Se-ri is protected and subconscious by Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin).
While Jeong-hyeok attempts to help Se-ri and smuggle her back to South korea, the two can't deny their growing feelings for 1 another. Every bit the ultimate Romeo and Juliet, Jeong-hyeok and Se-ri'due south chemistry is amazing, and considering the actors started officially dating subsequently shooting the drama, this isn't a surprise. Crash Landing on You is the quintessential Korean rom-com series, so information technology's definitely a bang-up series to innovate you to the genre.
26 Vincenzo
Writer: Park Jae-bum
Managing director: Kim Hee-won
Cast: Song Joong-ki, Jeon Yeo-bin, TaecYeon
In Vincenzo , Song Joong-ki plays a Korean human who was adopted by an Italian family as a kid and raised in Italy as role of a mafia family. After his adoptive father dies, the man'due south biological son attempts to impale Vincenzo, leading him to flee back to Seoul, South korea, where he has a stash of gold hidden under an onetime apartment building. Unfortunately, Vincenzo has no easy access to the gold unless he tears downwards the building, and at that place'south a community of people who live in that location.
At the same fourth dimension, a corrupt business organisation called Babel Group illegally takes over the building, leading Vincenzo to team upward with the talented, potent-willed lawyer, Hong Cha-young, played by Jeon Yeo-bin, who wants to take down the company for personal reasons. Vincenzo is part action, part drama, and part romance, and altogether a can't-miss show.
25 Record of Youth
Writer: Ha Myung-hee
Director: Ahn Gil-ho
Cast: Park So-dam, Park Bo-gum, Byeon Woo-seok, Kwon Soo-hyun
One type of series that South Korean television excels at is the coming-of-historic period drama, or any story centering around a group of young adults finding their place in the world. Record of Youth is a keen choice for new fans of Chiliad-Dramas, specially given the fact that the cast is led by none other than Park And so-dam, who many will recognize for her role as Kim Ki-jung in Parasite , the daughter of the scammer family who pretends to be an art instructor.
Record of Youth centers around three young people, 2 models and a brand-upwardly creative person, involved in the modern fashion industry in Korea. The show follows the general storyline you'll find in most romance Korean dramas, but the actors in the bandage help drag the series and create characters that you want to stick around with.
24 Itaewon Class
Writer: Jo Gwang-jin (webcomic and bear witness)
Manager: Kim Sung-yoon
Cast: Park Seo-joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-myung, Kwon Na-ra, Ahn Bo-hyun
The commencement drama on this list based on a webcomic (although don't worry, in that location will be more), Itaewon Grade is a drama based in the hipster, super-pop area of Seoul chosen Itaewon (think Soho or the East Village in Manhattan). Park Seo-joon plays Park Sae-Ro-Yi, the possessor of an upwards-and-coming restaurant in Itaewon called DanBam. When he was in high school, Sae-Ro-Yi got expelled for punching a privileged child named Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun), whose father owns a powerful visitor chosen Jangga Group. This kickstarts a serial of events that lead to Sae-Ro-Yi's father's death, followed past a 7-twelvemonth plan for revenge.
Itaewon Class is an extremely popular drama both in South korea and internationally, and it accurately depicts the diverse experiences of young adults right now. It is also the first mainstream One thousand-Drama to feature a transgender character, played by Lee Joo-young, signifying a major shift in attitudes for the historically conservative country.
23 Law School
Writer: Seo In
Director: Kim Suk-yoon
Cast: Kim Myung-min, Kim Beom, Ryu Hye-young, Lee Jung-eun
A newer Netflix series, Law School focuses on a group of students and professors at Hankuk University Law School. When a police force professor is plant dead and quondam prosecutor and professor Yang Jong-Hoon (Kim Myung-min) is arrested for the crime, the other characters work together to uncover the truth of what really happened and prove Professor Yang's innocence.
You tin certainly draw similarities between Law School and How to Get Abroad with Murder , as the Korean drama focuses on law students putting their schooling to the test to assist out their professor. At the aforementioned time, there are plenty of smaller storylines happening every bit well, similar a mysterious connection between a top-tier pupil named Han Joon-hwi (Kim Bum) and the professor who is killed. If you want a serious drama with a central mystery, Law School is a corking option.
22 It's Okay to Not Be Okay
Author: Jo Yong
Director: Park Shin-woo, Jung Dong-yoon
Cast: Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Ye-ji, Oh Jung-se
It'southward Okay to Not Be Okay is a mod romantic drama that stands out from the oversupply due to its portrayal of an developed on the autism spectrum. The series stars Kim Soo-hyun as Moon Gang-tae, an orphaned boyfriend who works as a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital. He spends most of his life taking care of his older brother, Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se), who has autism. The two brothers have lived a solitary life, constantly moving effectually, always since Sang-tae witnessed their mother'southward murder years earlier.
One 24-hour interval, Gang-tae meets a woman named Ko Moon-young (Seo Ye-ji), a children's author who has antisocial personality disorder. After realizing that the two have crossed paths earlier in the past, Moon-immature develops a small obsession with Gang-tae and follows him around. As Moon-young, Gang-tae, and Sang-tae spend more fourth dimension together, they begin to open up about their trauma and heal. The series features a full general romance story, but it shines through its portrayal of Sang-tae and his relationship with his brother. Sang-tae exhibits typical "spectric" traits, as they are called, and the prove presents a relatively accurate and compassionate portrayal of an private with autism.
21 The Uncanny Counter
Writer: Yeo Ji-na, Yoo Sun-dong, Kim Sae-bom, Jung Do-yoon
Director: Yoo Sunday-dong
Bandage: Jo Byeong-gyu, Yoo Jun-sang, Kim Se-jeong, Yeom Hye-ran
If yous want a superhero-style story, look no farther. The Uncanny Counter is the story of So Mun (Jo Byeong-gyu), a kind, intelligent boy who has a walking disability as a result of a tragic auto blow he was in as a kid, which killed both of his parents. One day, So Mun is possessed by a spirit that grants him the power to blackball demons that escape the afterlife. He joins a team called the Counters, which includes Mo-tak (Yoo Jun-sang), Ha-na (Kim Se-jeoung), and Mae-ok (Yeom Hye-ran), who fight together confronting a rising threat of evil in the expanse. Information technology gets even more complicated for And then Mun when he finds out that his parents' deaths weren't accidents afterward all, and an evil spirit was involved.
Some other series based on a webcomic, The Uncanny Counter is a stylish, action-packed thrill ride that doesn't pull any punches. With a dark, threatening villain that keeps the team on edge, the show maintains a quick footstep, while the fantastic interim by the cast adds a deeply emotional side to the story. Despite beingness advertised equally an action fantasy show, yous should withal be ready to shed some tears when you lot watch.
20 Outset-Upwardly
Writer: Park Hye-ryun
Director: Oh Choong-hwan
Cast: Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho, Kang Han-na
Starting time-Up is prepare in a fictional Korean version of Silicon Valley, where Bae Suzy's character Seo Dal-mi dreams of being the Korean Steve Jobs. Following her passion, Dal-mi gets involved with a start-upwards business concern and quickly becomes entangled with a complicated love triangle. 1 young homo named Han Ji-pyeong (Kim Seon-ho) is her first love, at present a successful venture capitalist, while Nam Practice-san (Nam Joo-hyuk) is a swain downward on his luck, who Dal-mi thinks is her first love. This gives Do-san the motivation to requite his starting time-up another effort, while also attempting to make Dal-mi's mistake a reality. Like Itaewon Form, Starting time-Upwardly presents a new manner of life for young people. While taking on the modern industry of commencement-ups, the prove also gives everyone the classic romance they know they want.
19 Memories of the Alhambra
Writer: Vocal Jae-jung
Manager: Ahn Gil-ho
Bandage: Hyun Bin, Park Shin-hye, Park Hoon, Chanyeol
A truthful constructing of genres, Memories of the Alhambra takes place mainly in Granada, Spain with a Korean cast. A science-fiction drama of sorts, the serial follows the CEO of an investment company, Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin), who travels to Spain in search of the creator of an AR game in development that feels way too real. When game and reality start to mistiness and someone is killed, Jin-woo, with the help of the developer's sister, Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye), must find the bug in the game and fix it before more people die.
Memories of the Alhambra is a jiff of fresh air for Kdramas due to its setting and innovative premise. While at times the story lacks sense, the concept and execution are spot-on, and honestly, you can't help but fall in love with Hyun Bin.
eighteen Sweet Home
Writer: Hong So-ri, Kim Hyung-min, Park So-jung
Director: Lee Eung-bok, Jang Immature-woo, Park So-hyun
Cast: Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Lee Practise-hyun
Based on the webtoon of the same name, Sugariness Habitation is an energetic, thrilling apocalyptic horror story about monsters trying to kill everyone and take over the world. No large bargain, correct? Song Kang makes a rare appearance in a horror bear witness, as the actor unremarkably sticks to romantic dramas (which yous will see afterwards on in this list). Kang plays a character named Cha Hyun-soo, a traumatized loftier schoolhouse student who moves into an flat past himself after his parents are killed in a motorcar blow. Unbeknownst to Hyun-soo and the other residents, their flat building happens to exist ground cipher for a species of monsters hoping for world domination.
Sweet Home is a groovy example of the crazy stories that come out of webcomics, which somehow work so well when adapted to the screen. The serial is night, encarmine, and unpredictable, and a definite win for Netflix.
17 Run On
Writer: Park Shi-hyun
Director: Lee Jae-hoon
Cast: Im Si-wan, Shin Se-kyung, Choi Soo-young, Kang Tae-oh
Run On is an effortless romance that focuses on the human relationship between Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung), a hardworking movie translator who takes pride in her work, and Ki Seon-gyeom (Im Si-wan), a former sprinter for the national squad who wants to become a sports agent. The drama is light-hearted, with non likewise much action, only information technology works well with the story. At that place'due south also a major plotline revolving around gender inequality in the workplace, as some other character is disregarded despite being the natural heir of her father'due south company and becoming the CEO of a sports agency all on her own.
With the main two characters, Run On also provides a close wait at some unique and interesting professions that aren't ordinarily portrayed on-screen. While information technology might not be every bit exciting and heart-pounding equally some others on this listing, Run On is a must-run across for the acting and the soft chemistry between the two lead characters.
sixteen Navillera
Writer: Lee Eun-mi
Director: Han Dong-hwa
Cast: Park In-hwan, Vocal Kang, Na Moon-hee, Hong Seung-hee
If yous want to watch something that will pull at your heartstrings, Navillera is the show. Released in 2021 and one of the newest Netflix Original Korean dramas, Navillera stars Park In-hwan equally Shim Deok-chul, a retired mailman who merely turned 70. Feeling unfulfilled, Deok-chul decides to try and fulfill his dream of becoming a ballet dancer. Only aside from his belatedly start, another obstruction he faces is his worsening Alzheimer's disease. Ane twenty-four hour period, he comes upon a beau named Lee Chae-rok (Song Kang) practicing ballet for an upcoming competition. While Chae-rok is a talented dancer who loves what he does, he is in a bad financial situation and his father is in jail. His mother, who passed away, was a ballerina, and it's 1 of the few remaining connections he has with her.
When Chae-rok and Deok-chul meet, they become friends and learn from one another, encouraging the other to proceed pursuing any makes them happy. Navillera is another example of the shifting perspectives in the Korean entertainment industry, with the series exploring tough topics of death, old historic period, Alzheimer'south, and the challenges people can confront regarding gender, course, and age when trying to accomplish their dreams.
fifteen The King: Eternal Monarch
Author: Kim Eun-sook
Director: Baek Sang-hoon, Jung Ji-hyun, Yoo Je-won
Bandage: Lee Min-ho, Kim Get-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Kim Hyung-nam
The Rex: Eternal Monarch is written past Kim Eun-sook, the writer of Guardian: The Lonely and Bang-up God , likewise known equally Goblin. This 2016 series is probably one of the most dearest Korean dramas in South korea, and the 1 many people use to innovate their friends to this globe. The newer serial, The King: Eternal Monarch, shares a star with Guardian in Kim Go-eun, who plays the character Jeong Tae-eul, a constabulary officeholder in the violent crimes squad. In this fantasy drama, there are two alternate realities — one, the Korea we know today where Tae-eul lives, and the Kingdom of Corea, where Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) rules as Emperor.
When Lee Gon discovers that he can pass over to the parallel universe, he meets Tae-eul, and y'all can probably gauge what happens side by side. While The King: Eternal Monarch isn't equally good every bit Guardian, the serial is a unique, ambitious story with fantastic acting from the principal cast, and a bang-up choice for fantasy fans.
14 Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung
Writer: Kim Ho-soo
Manager: Kang Il-soo, Han Hyun-hee
Cast: Shin Se-kyung, Cha Eun-woo, Park Ki-woong
A historical romantic comedy that still manages to explore very serious topics, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung centers around the title character Goo Hae-ryung (Shin Se-kyung), a noblewoman who becomes one of the first four women historians of the Joseon Dynasty. Nonetheless single at 26, Hae-ryung already challenges the intense gender roles of the era, and she continues to encourage the independence of ideas and choices for women everywhere. She before long meets Yi Rim, a.k.a. Prince Dowon, (Cha Eun-woo) the heir to the throne whose true passion lies in writing romance novels nether a pseudonym.
Through the romance betwixt the two main characters and their story, the testify farther explores and challenges historical topics of Catholic persecution, censorship, and sexism. Overall, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung is a hilarious and truly romantic series that manages to feel modern despite the older setting.
13 My Mister
Writer: Park Hae-young
Director: Kim Won-suk, Kim Sang-woo
Cast: Lee Lord's day-kyun, Lee Ji-eun (IU), Park Ho-san, Song Sae-byeok
A truly unique Korean drama, My Mister tells the story of a common cold adult female who has suffered many hardships in her life, who finds sympathy and comfort in the company of three brothers who are healing from their own trauma. The series is securely profound and addresses a number of serious topics. The cast is led by Lee Ji-eun, also known by her stage name IU, who plays Lee Ji-an, a woman who will practice annihilation to support her ailing grandmother. She encounters the centre brother, Park Dong-hoon (Lee Sun-kyun), when she is hired as a temp worker at his company. A coworker instructs her to detect out Dong-hoon'due south secrets, but before long plenty she'due south falling for the homo, who seems to empathize more than about her than anyone she's ever met.
Although it's definitely a slow-moving story, the phenomenal acting and remarkably written characters will drag you in and keep you lot enthralled until the last episode. My Mister is a must-lookout man, especially if you are a fan of serious dramas.
Most The Author
Beating Again Netflix Why Min Ho Mom
Source: https://collider.com/best-korean-dramas-on-netflix/