If you have a Netflix account (or are still getting away with sharing one), odds are you watched a Korean TV show in 2023. Last year was the year of abundance with Netflix's Korean scripted and unscripted slates, from acclaimed hits like The Glory, Physical: 100, Bloodhounds, and The Devil's Plan, to beloved returning shows like D.P., Sweet Home, and Single's Inferno. Per Deadline's analysis of the streaming giant's viewing data from the first half of 2023, South Korean shows accounted for a combined 3.71 billion hours watched among the top 100 titles on Netflix during that time frame. In short, Squid Game was just the start of Korean entertainment's dominance on the platform.
Netflix has already released a handful of can't-miss shows in 2024, and even more are on the way, from highly-anticipated new romantic series and Korean thrillers to continuing seasons of several hit reality competitions and action epics (including, finally, Squid Game season 2!). Read on to learn about the packed lineup for Korean TV shows on Netflix in 2024. (Once you build your watch list, check out our guide to the all-time best Korean dramas on Netflix.)
'The Bequeathed'
Train to Busan and Hellbound creator Yeon Sang-ho returns to Netflix with this thriller based on the popular webtoon of the same name. When Yoon Seo-ha (Kim Hyun-joo) inherits a family graveyard after the death of her uncle, the sudden appearance of a man (Ryu Kyung-soo) claiming to be her half-brother complicates the situation. Soon after, police officers Seong-joon (Park Hee-soon) and Sang-min (Park Byung-eun) show up to investigate a series of mysterious murders taking place nearby.
Premiere: January 19, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Captivating the King'
This historical k-drama depicts the love story between King Yi In (Hospital Playlist's Jo Jung-suk), a mistrusting and paranoid monarch of Joseon, and Kang Hee-soo (Run On's Shin Se-kyung). When the ruler was just a prince, the pair had a close friendship over their shared love of baduk (a.k.a the board game Go), but political intrigue eventually tore them apart. She swears revenge, but eventually, the estranged friends become something much more.
Premiere: January 21, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Doctor Slump'
This comforting slice-of-life rom-com stars The Heirs alums Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik as former academic rivals: top-tier plastic surgeon Yeo Jung-woo (Park Hyung-sik), who sees his perfect life goes downhill after a surgical accident; and anesthesiologist Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye), who realizes that her life has no meaning outside of her busy work schedule. The show follows the pair as they decide to leave their jobs and explore new opportunities.
Premiere: January 27, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'A Killer Paradox'
Parasite and Our Beloved Summer star Choi Woo-shik stars in this thriller drama, formerly known as Murder DIEary. Lee Tang (Choi) is an ordinary college student who works at a convenience store, when one night he gets into a fight with a customer and accidentally kills him. The student soon learns that he has an innate power to sense and punish evildoers, and becomes a vigilante that only kills bad people. As the student becomes a dark hero, he is investigated by Detective Gang Nan-gam (My Liberation Notes' Son Suk-ku) and former detective Song Chon (Mouse's Lee Hee-joon).
Premiere: February 9, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Queen of Tears'
My Love From the Star's Kim Soo-hyun and My Liberation Notes' Kim Ji-won star in this buzzy drama from Studio Dragon. Queen of Tears follows the love story of Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), the chaebol heiress known as the "queen" of Queens Group’s department stores, and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo Hyun), the Queens Group's legal director who was born in the rural village of Yongduri. As they approach their third year of marriage, the couple raised in two different worlds will face an unforeseen crisis and miraculously rekindle their love again.
Premiere: March 9, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Chicken Nugget'
My Demon’s Kim Yoo-jung, Kingdom's Ryu Seung-ryeong, and Fight For My Way's Ahn Jae-hong star in this zany adaptation of the web comic Fried Chicken by Park Ji-dok. Choi Su-man (Ryu) owns the company More Than Machines. When his daughter Min-ah (Kim) becomes intrigued with a new machine that she thinks will help with fatigue, she's accidentally turned into a chicken nugget (yes, you read that right) instead. Her father (Ryu) and a quirky intern secretly in love with Min-ah (Ahn) work together to turn her back into her human form in this comedy-mystery drama.
Premiere: March 15, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Physical: 100' season 2
Season 1 of Physical: 100, a thrilling strength and endurance competition involving epic, larger-than-life sets, was Netflix's second-ever Korean un-scripted hit after Single's Inferno. It was no surprise when the streamer announced a season 2 renewal, with creator Jan Ho-gi promising that the next installment would "surpass its predecessor in every aspect." (We couldn't turn away from the new season, from the all-star season 2 cast to that intense finale.)
Premiere: March 19, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Parasyte: The Grey'
Hitoshi Iwaaki’s sci-fi manga about an invasion of parasitic life forms that live off human hosts is getting a K-drama adaptation directed by Train to Busan helmer Yeon Sang-ho. When My Love Blooms' Jeon So-nee plays Jeong Su-in, who enters a bizarre coexistence with a parasite who infects her hand but fails to inhabit her brain. D.P.'s Koo Kyo-Hwan and Peninsula's Lee Jung-hun will also star as people who have devoted their lives to tracking down and battling the parasites.
Premiere: April 5, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Goodbye, Earth'
This long-awaited sci-fi series, starring Hellbound's Yoo Ah-in and Strangers from Hell's Ahn Eun-jin, is an adaptation of the novel The Fool at the End of the World by author Kōtarō Isaka, whose other books have been adapted into works including the 2022 action film Bullet Train. Per the description, the show is "an examination of despair and hope in individuals aware of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth, signifying the end of the world."
Premiere: April 26, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Frankly Speaking'
This rom-com melodrama starring D.P.'s Go Kyung-pyo and Start-Up's Kang Han-na takes place in the busy world of Korean broadcasting. Song Ki-baek (Go) is a famous, well-mannered announcer until he suffers an accident that takes away his ability to lie. As his new brutal honesty leads to professional turmoil, Ki-baek catches the attention of On Woo-joo (Kang), a TV writer in search of a guest for her variety show. Extraordinary Attorney Woo's Joo Jong-hyuk also stars as a trot singer on a mission to win back his ex, Woo-joo.
Premiere: May 1, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The Atypical Family'
This sci-fi rom-com focuses on the Boks, a down-on-their-luck family who have lost their superpowers. Due to "modern lifestyle diseases" such as insomnia and depression, Dong-hee (Claudia Kim) has lost her ability to fly, Gwi-ju (Jang Ki-yong) can no longer go back in time, and Man-heum (Go Doo-shim) cannot see the future. But the miserable family's fate changes when they meet Do Da-hae (The 8 Show's Chun Woo-hee), a stranger with several dark secrets.
Premiere: May 4, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Super Rich in Korea'
After the success of Netflix series like Dubai Bling and Young, Famous & African, South Korea now has its own unscripted exploration of the lives of the ultra-rich. This reality show follows the lives of multibillionaire expats who have chosen to make Korea their home, including a Singaporean chaebol billionaire, an heir to an Italian luxury brand, a Pakistani noble family member, and an Arab influencer world with 50 million followers.
Premiere: May 7, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Dare to Love Me'
Shin Yoon-bok (Kim Myung-soo) is a 21st-century Confucian scholar, who speaks, dresses, and lives as if he were living in the Joseon era. On a trip to Seoul to investigate cultural artifacts missing from his village, he runs into Kim Hong-do (Lee Yoo-young), an aspiring fashion designer who was his former art teacher. As they reunite, the frazzled modern woman and the old-fashioned gentleman begin finding comfort in each other, in this opposites-attract rom-com.
Premiere: May 13, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The 8 Show'
The description for this thriller drama (based on the webtoon Money Game by Bae Jin-soo) gives big Squid Game and Alice in Borderland vibes: "8 people in need of money are invited to appear on reality-variety show Money Game. The 8 people are to stay at the studio that consists of nothing but concrete walls. If they are able to hang in there for 100 days, they can divide the winning prize of 44.8 billion won equally. But, everything they spend for, including necessities like food, water, and electricity, costs 1,000 times more than normal prices and are deducted from the winning prize."
Premiere: May 17, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Hierarchy'
This Gossip Girl-style youth melodrama follows new student Kang Ha (Crash Course in Romance's Lee Chae-min) as he disturbs the pecking order at Joosin High School, an elite school where the children of society's top 0.01 percent reign with a rigid set of rules. The revenge thriller boasts a talented young cast, including Our Beloved Summer's Roh Jeong-eui, King the Land's Kim Jae-won, The Sound of Magic's Ji Hye-won, and My Perfect Stranger's Lee Won-jung, and reaches a shocking conclusion.
Premiere: June 7, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Miss Night and Day'
In this fantasy rom-com, Parasite star Lee Jung-eun and Apink member Jung Eun-ji both play Lee Mi-jin, a woman torn between two generations. When the series begins, part-time worker Mi-jin (Jung) has been job-hunting for seven years with no success. One day, she mysteriously gains the ability to transform into a 50-year-old woman (Lee) during daylight hours, turning back into her true 20-something self at night. Thanks to her new appearance, she's able to land a job at a prosecutor's office, but things get tricky as she gets to know her new boss Gye Ji-ung (Choi Jin-hyuk) both during the day and at night.
Premiere: June 15, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Agents of Mystery'
The Devil's Plan producer Jeong Jong-yeon brings his second variety show to Netflix, this time taping an all-star cast including aespa's Karina and former Girls' Day member Lee Hye-ri. The series follows six celebs turned special agents, who take cases that involve strange events and solve them in resourceful ways. Actors Kim Do-hoon and Lee Yong-jin, comedian Lee Eun-ji and singer John Park also star.
Premiere: June 18, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The Whirlwind'
This gripping political drama depicts a harsh feud within South Korea's executive leadership. (In South Korea, the president is the head of the country and the prime minister is his second-in-command.) Prime Minister Park Dong-ho (Kill Bok-soon's Sol Kyung-gu), seeks to change the political status quo and uproot the corrupt president, who colludes with the chaebols (powerful family-owned conglomerates). He soon finds himself in conflict with Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and Finance Jeong Soo-jin (Queenmaker's Kim Hee-ae), who opposes his efforts.
Premiere: June 28, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Sweet Home' season 3
After season 2 made its long-awaited return last year, the final installment of Netflix's monster-horror series returns to a world teetering on the edge between humanity and monsterization, as survivors make hard decisions in the struggle to survive. The show's cast, including Song Kang as Cha Hyun-su, Go Min-si as Lee Eun-yu, and Kim Sung-cheol as Jung Ui-myeong, all return to complete their characters' arcs in the third and final season.
Premiere: July 19, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The Influencer'
Netflix's new survival show is a battle for social media supremacy. In this competition, 77 Korean influencers come together in a survival competition to find out who has the most social media influence. Some of the Internet stars featured on the series include actor-turned-YouTuber Jang Keun-suk, lifestyle streamer Oking, beauty creator Risabae, and Physical: 100 alums Shin Eu-ddeum and Tarzan.
Premiere: August 6, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Romance in the House'
This genre-bending drama follows a family of three who get the shock of their lives when a figure from their past makes a surprise return. Byun Moo-jin (Ji Jin-hee) was a happily-married man, but after his various businesses all failed, his frsutrated wife Ae-yeon (Kim Jee-soo) asked for a divorce. 11 years later, Ae-yeon lives with her now-adult children Mi-rae (Son Na-eun) and Hyun-jae (Astro's Yoon Sanha) when Moo-jin reappears as the family's new wealthy landlord(!), hoping to reunite with his beloved ex-wife. However, eldest child and family breadwinner Mi-rae refuses to trust her father again. Come for the family drama, stay for the budding romance between Mi-rae and Nam Tae-pyung (Shinee's Choi Minho), a kind security guard who's secretly wealthy himself.
Premiere: August 10, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Love Next Door'
This highly-anticipated rom-com from the team behind Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha stars two of Korea's most beloved actors, D.P.'s Jung Hae-in and Alchemy of Souls' Jung So-min, as childhood friends who reunite decades later. Bae Seok-ryu (So-min) has been super successful her entire life, but everything came crashing down when she unexpectedly quit her prestigious office job to move back home. One day, the now-unemployed Seok-ryu runs into Choi Seung-hyo (Hae-in), her mom's best friend's son who is now a noteworthy architect. Tune in to the weekly series to see how embarrassing childhood memories can blossom into love.
Premiere: August 17, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The Frog'
This mystery-thriller drama from The World of the Married director Mo Wan-il (previously titled Alone in the Woods) sees Netflix regular Go Min-si (Sweet Home, Love Alarm) star alongside esteemed actor Kim Yun-seok (Escape from Mogadishu, The Thieves). Young-ha's (Kim) life begins to crumble when a mysterious woman (Go) shows up at his motel deep in the woods, leaving him to cling to his former ways of life. Other actors appearing in the drama include Yoon Kye-sang (Spiritwalker) as the hotel's previous owner, EXO's Park Chanyeol as a mysterious sniper, and Lee Jung-eun (Parasite) as a former ace detective relentlessly pursuing a case.
Premiere: August 23, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'A-List to Playlist'
Cho Jung-seok is a familiar face to drama fans, as a 20-year veteran who has starred in films and shows including Architecture 101, The Face Reader, Oh My Ghost!, and Hospital Playlist. Now, the acclaimed star is following a new dream: debuting as a singer-songwriter. This reality series follows Cho's 100-day journey to make his singing debut, with his close friends Jung Sang-hoon (Twinkling Watermelon) and Moon Sang-hoon (D.P.) by his side. Also keep an eye out for special appearances by IU, Park Hyo-shin, Gummy, Dynamicduo, and Cho's Hospital Playlist co-stars.
Premiere: August 30, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Culinary Class Wars'
Netflix Korea has expanded its unscripted slate with its first culinary competition show, judged by celebrity chefs and restauranteurs Paik Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae. Per the streamer, the series will include "hidden masters (aka 'black spoon') who will challenge the star chefs (aka 'white spoon') to become the best in Korea. Will the star chefs cement their status, or will the hidden masters outshine them?"
Premiere: September 17, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Gyeongseong Creature' season 2
Netflix's historical action epic returned for a second season following its first installment, which took inspiration from real-life historical events to tell a supernatural horror story that centers on a mysterious creature terrorizing Japanese-occupied Seoul in the spring of 1945. While season 1 took place in the past, a finale cliffhanger revealed that Gyeongseong Creature season 2 will bring the series to the 21st century.
Premiere: September 27, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'A Virtuous Business'
This friendship drama takes place in the recent past of 1992, when sex was still a taboo subject in conservative South Korea. It centers on the 'Bangpan Sisters', four women who started selling adult products door-to-door in a rural village, a place where few people even said the word "sex" in public. Through their new business, the four "somehow managed to bring a healthy dose of energy into the secretive world of couples and thrive on their own," per the show's description.
Premiere: October 12, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Hellbound' season 2
The 2021 horror-thriller drama from director Yeon Sang-ho returned this year, bringing viewers back to the crumbling society shaken by hellbound decree, incidents where people are told the exact times of their death, and smoky monsters appear to kill the targets. In addition to returning actors Kim Hyun-joo (as lawyer Min Hye-jin), Kim Shin-rok (as Park Jung-ja), and Yang Ik-june (as Jin Kyung-hoon), Kim Sung-cheol will join the cast as Jeong Jin-soo, taking over for Yoo Ah-in.
Premiere: October 25, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'Mr. Plankton'
After starring in popular 2023 dramas, Bloodhounds' Woo Do-hwan and Strong Girl Namsoon's Lee Yoo-mi will star in this rom-com drama that depicts an unlikely friendship between a man who should not have been born and the unhappiest woman in the world. Hae-jo (Woo), is a ma born out of wedlock who wanders through life without a family. One day he encounters his ex-girlfriend Jae-mi (Lee), who is an unhappy bride-to-be engaged to a respected older man (played by Sweet Home's Oh Jung-se). Netflix regular Kim Hae-sook (Gyeongseong Creature, Under the Queen's Umbrella) rounds out the cast.
Premiere: November 12, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'The Trunk'
Goblin's Gong Yoo and Why Her's Seo Hyun-jin star in this series adaptation of Kim Ryeo-ryeong's 2015 novel of the same name. The logline reads: “A clandestine marriage service is uncovered when a trunk washes up on the shore of a lake, bringing to light the strange marriage between a couple in the thick of it all.”
Premiere: November 29, 2024
Trailer: HERE
'When the Phone Rings'
This romantic thriller stars Yoo Yeon-seok and Chae Soo-bin as two civil servants in a marriage of convenience that takes a terrifying twist. Baek Sa-eon (Yoo), the youngest presidential spokesman in Korea, has been married to sign language interpreter Hong Hui-ju (Chae) for the past three years. However, the pair rarely communicate and live mostly separate lives. Their cold partnership changes forever when Hui-ju is kidnapped.
Premiere: TBA (expected November 2024)
Trailer: TBA
'Zombieverse: New Blood'
Season 1 of this unscripted series put actors, comedians, and TV personalities (including Dex from Single's Inferno) in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, testing their survival skills as they were put through different quests. Zombieverse joins the other Korean variety shows that are returning for season 2, with several new cast members including Girls Generation's Taeyeon, k-pop soloist Kwon Eunbi, and BTOB's Yook Sung-jae.
Premiere: TBA (expected November 2024)
Trailer: TBA
'Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die'
Netflix will follow up Physical: 100 with a new, brutal competition show focusing on the world of rugby. Per the streamer, "this sports survival reality show showcases the intense competition among rugby athletes who give their all for the glory of victory. Filled with the thuds of bodies colliding and shouts of determination to move one step forward, this merciless rugby war highlights the athletes’ passion and genuine emotions."
Premiere: TBA (expected December 2024)
Trailer: TBA
'Squid Game' season 2
The second season of Squid Game finally arrives this year, with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk continuing former winner Gi-hun's (Lee Jung-jae) mission to end the Game once and for all. In addition to the returns of the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun) and cop Hwang Jun-ho (Wi Ha-jun), season 2 also introduces a stacked cast of new faces, including Netflix regular Park Gyu-young (Celebrity, Sweet Home), Yim Si-wan (Run On, Unlocked), Kang Ha-neul (When the Camellia Blooms), Lee Jin-uk (Sweet Home, Doona!), Park Sung-hoon (The Glory), Yang Dong-geun (Moving), Kang Ae-shim (Queen of Divorce), and former IZ*ONE member Jo Yuri.
Premiere: December 26, 2024
Teaser: HERE
'Single's Inferno' season 4
After season 3 saw some fierce competition for love and a major twist on the Inferno setting, Single's Inferno's producers have promised that season 4 will continue to introduce surprises, including some to-be-determined format changes. "We will continue to do our best and make sure Season 4 is even more entertaining for you by paying closer attention to the fans’ feedback on Season 3, both positive and negative," says producer Kim Jae-won.
Premiere: TBA (expected January 2025)
