Korean content surged in popularity in the U.S. over recent years, from the zombie flick Train to Busan and Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning satire Parasite to the dystopian drama that took over the world in 2021, Squid Game. Luckily for anyone who saw Squid Game and wants to check out more Korean television dramas, a.k.a. K-dramas, Netflix has one of the largest streaming libraries of the best Korean dramas and films.
From action to romance to mystery, melodrama, and even more dystopia, there's a K-drama out there for everyone's TV taste. We can also expect several highly-anticipated new Korean TV shows on Netflix in 2024, but that doesn't mean you have to wait to dive into some beloved dramas. These are the best shows to check out immediately. Just prepare yourself to get very invested in a 16-episode season. (If you need more recommendations, see our guide to the best K-dramas on Hulu.)
'Alchemy of Souls' (2022–2023)
This historical fantasy is more action than comedy (though, like all the great dramas, it has a bit of both). Alchemy of Souls is set in the fictional world of mages, who live as nobles and warriors among other mortals. Elite warrior Nak-su has evaded authorities using the forbidden titular spell, which allows her to switch bodies. When she jumps into the weak body of Mu-deok (Jung So-min), she has to lay low as she rebuilds enough strength to wield her powerful sword. So she takes a position as a servant for Jang-uk (Lee Jae-wook), a noble mage who needs a teacher to help him unbind his magic.
'All of Us Are Dead' (2022– )
South Korea is known for its excellent zombie content. This thriller k-drama sees the zombies take over a high school when the science teacher accidentally unleashes a virus that quickly takes over the school and town. A group of students, including friends Lee Cheong-San (Yoon Chan-young) and Nam On-Jo (Park Ji-hu), jock Lee Su-Hyeok (Lomon), and class president Choi Nam-ra (Cho Yi-hyun), band together to fight their way out, learning along the way that humans can be more monstrous than the actual monsters.
'Because This Is My First Life' (2017)
This drama is as much an ode to friendship as a rom-com, following three unmarried women dealing with society's expectations as they head into their early 30s. Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) finds herself homeless due to financial and family problems. In search of housing, she enters a contract marriage with house-poor Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki), as both have no interest in romantic relationships. Meanwhile, Woo So-ji (Esom) deals with sexism at work and only engages in hook-ups, while Yang Ho-rang (Kim Ga-eun) has been dating her boyfriend for seven years and desperately wants to get married.
'Bloodhounds' (2023)
In late 2020, emerging boxer Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) works part-time at various jobs to help support his mom's coffee shop as local businesses recover from the pandemic lockdowns. Eventually, the shop is targeted by Smile Capital, a company run by loan sharks who convince Gun-woo's mom to sign a predatory loan. With the scam looming over their heads, Gun-woo and his new friend, fellow boxer Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), team up with a benevolent money lender to bring down Smile Capital's boss, Kim Myeong-gil (Park Sung-woong).
'Boys Over Flowers' (2009)
Before Squid Game and Crash Landing on You, this high school drama was the Hallyu phenomenon that made a generation of global fans into K-drama obsessives. A normal girl named Geum Jan-di (Ku Hye-seon) gets to study at a prestigious private high school after saving another student's life. Once there, she gets the attention of the infamous F4, a group of gorgeous rich boys who bully people for their entertainment. Though Jan-di starts as the F4's target, her feisty spirit as she stands up to the bullying eventually wins them over, especially ringleader Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho). Debate all you want about whether the drama holds up, but its place in history makes it a great choice for new K-drama fans.
'Business Proposal' (2022)
All of the best rom-com tropes come up at least once in this drama, following two couples from meet-cute to another type of proposal. Food researcher Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jong) agrees to sabotage a blind date for her wealthy best friend Jin Young-seo (Seol In-ah). As it turns out, the date is with the president of her company, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop), who has decided to marry the next woman he meets. Meanwhile, Young-seo falls for Tae-moo's childhood friend and assistant, Cha Sung-Hoon (Kim Min-kyu), with the second-lead couple also having great chemistry.
'Crash Course in Romance' (2023)
This show starring Kill Boksoon's Jeon Do-yeon and Hospital Playlist's Jung Kyung-ho belongs to a genre-mixing category specific to K-dramas, where a heartwarming romance is interspersed with a thriller subplot. Nam Haeng-soon (Jeon) is a former athlete turned grocery shop owner, and a devoted guardian to her niece, Hae-e (Roh Yoon-seo). When the high school student shares her determination to become a student of renowned tutor Choi Chi-yeol (Jung), Haeng-soon and Chi-yeol's lives become intertwined, as the pair find what's missing in their lives in each other.
'Crash Landing on You' (2019–2020)
This beloved romantic K-drama takes the "lovers from two different worlds" trope to a new level. South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) gets in a paragliding accident and lands in the Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea. She's rescued by Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a North Korean Special Forces captain, who has to take her in and help her return home. In addition to the heartwrenching romance, the show includes a multifaceted portrayal of life in North Korea and a stellar supporting cast. Plus, the two A-list leads got married and welcomed a baby boy IRL after filming the drama (!!!).
'Daily Dose of Sunshine' (2023)
This acclaimed emotional drama has its footing in real life, as it's based on a webtoon by former psychiatric nurse Lee Ra-ha. Park Bo-young stars as Jung Da-eun, an inexperienced nurse who struggles to adapt to her new position at a psychiatric ward. Though the work is hard, Da-eun takes the time to connect with patients and try to understand their point of view, as the series examines society's harsh treatment of people living with mental illness.
'Doctor Cha' (2023)
Nearly two decades ago, doctor-in-training Cha Jeong-seok (Uhm Jung-hwa) dropped out of her residency to become a housewife, after getting pregnant by her classmate Seo In-ho (Kim Byung-chul). Fast forward to the present: The couple is still married with two children, but the former has never forgotten her medical dreams. After surviving a health scare, Jeong-seok decides to restart her residency and finally become a licensed doctor—at the same hospital where her husband and son work. Little does she know, her career change puts her at risk of discovering a huge secret: In-ho's years-long affair with Choi Seung-hi (Myung Se-bin), who also works in the same hospital. Come for the mess, stay for the surprisingly heartwarming second-chance arc.
'D.P.' (2021–2023)
This lauded military drama takes place amid South Korea's 18-month mandatory military service and sheds light on cases of desertion stemming from hazing mistreatment by higher-ranking officials. New soldier Ahn Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) joins the D.P. (Deserter Pursuit) team, returning to civilian life to bring back rogue soldiers while understanding what drove the deserters to run. While the harsh depictions of bullying are difficult to watch, the series is propelled by great performances.
'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' (2022)
This heartwarming series is hard to define in one go—it's a law procedural, family drama, rom-com, workplace drama, and encyclopedia of whale facts all in one. Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin) is Korea's first lawyer on the autism spectrum. When she starts her first job at Hanbada Law Firm, she has to adapt both in the office and at court, as her social skills are very different from her colleagues, clients, and opponents. The friendships that form between Young-woo and her fellow lawyers, plus the thoughtful cases touching on several social issues, made this one of the most-watched Korean dramas on Netflix of 2022.
'The Glory' (2022–2023)
The Glory is an intense revenge drama that follows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo), a former victim of severe school bullying who was left mentally and physically scared by her wealthy group of assailants. After dropping out of high school, Dong-eun spent the next two decades planning revenge, as her bullies went through life unscathed and unrepentant, led by the now-famous weather forecaster Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon). 16 years later, Dong-eun begins dismantling the bullies' lives through her intricate schemes, making for an impossible-to-look-away series.
'Gyeongseong Creature' (2023– )
This genre-bending historical-horror-romance-thriller follows a biomedical conspiracy from Japanese-occupied Korea in the final months of World War II, all the way through to modern-day Seoul. In 1945, the evil General Kato (Choi Young-joon) runs chemical and biological warfare experiments, and his prized experiment is the titular monstrous "creature." Meanwhile, a successful business owner named Jang Tae-sang (Park Seo-jun) and a private detective named Yoon Chae-ok (Han So-hee) team up to investigate two women's disappearances, which sets them on a path straight toward Kato's monster.
'Hometown Cha Cha Cha' (2021)
This comforting romance takes place in the fictional seaside village of Gongjin. Dentist Yoon Hye-Jin (Shin Min-ah) is a city-dweller who's unable to find work at another clinic after leaving her job. One day she travels to her hometown for her mother's birthday and meets Hong Du-shik (Kim Seon-ho), who's unemployed and spends his days doing odd jobs for the community. Hye-jin, discovering that the village needs a dentist, moves to Gongjin and slowly begins connecting more with Du-shik.
'Hospital Playlist' (2020–2021)
Fans of hospital shows like Grey's Anatomy and E.R. should try out this comforting multi-season drama, which is also more about the relationships between hospital workers and the patients and families they help. The series centers on five doctors who have been friends since med school and play in a band together in their spare time. As they deal with difficult work situations and romances, the group is always there to comfort each other.
'Hotel del Luna' (2019)
This supernatural drama is beloved for lead actress IU's stunning costumes as much as the engrossing story. Jang Man-Wol (IU) is the CEO of the Hotel del Luna, a way-station for ghosts who have unfinished business on Earth before heading to the afterlife. Man-wol, who is selfish and rageful, has been running the hotel for a thousand years, bound by a past resentment from betrayal. However, things change when a new human manager, Koo Chan-Sung (Yeo Jin-goo), arrives.
'It's Okay to Not Be Okay' (2020)
A warning, this drama is heavy—tackling mental health and trauma—but extremely worth the watch. A psychiatric ward caregiver Moon Gang-tae (Queen of Tears' Kim Soo-hyun) who takes care of his older brother Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) on the autism spectrum falls for children's book author Ko Moon-young (Seo Ye-ji) who has an antisocial personality disorder. The show is like a dark fairy tale—similar to the tone of Moon-young's books—and the starring trio gives amazing performances.
'Itaewon Class' (2020)
This drama starring Gyeongseong Creature's Park Seo-joon is a David and Goliath tale spanning decades. When Park Saeroyi (Park) was a teenager, his life fell into ruin after he stood up to wealthy father-son villains, food conglomerate CEO Jang Dae-hee (Yoo Jae-myung) and Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun). Years later, he decides to open a bar to turn it into the largest food company in Korea, toppling his enemies in the process. To help, he hires a ragtag team including a friend he met in prison, a trans chef, a Black Korean man searching for his father, and the determined, slightly sociopathic Cho Yi-seo (Kim Dami).
'Kingdom' (2019–2020)
The first Netflix original K-drama to make a splash in the U.S., Kingdom takes the historical and zombie dramas, two of the most beloved among K-drama fans, and combines them in a suspenseful thriller. A mysterious virus quickly spreads through Joseon-era Korea, affecting everyone from everyday citizens to the king of Joseon himself. During the upheaval, the crown prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) teams up with a brilliant physician (played by Sense8's Bae Doona), a mysterious warrior, and his guard to fight the spread of the disease and also stop a coup seeking to overthrow his claim to the throne.
'Love Next Door' (2024)
D.P.'s Jung Hae-in and Alchemy of Souls' Jung So-min star in this healing romance drama best explained by its Korean title, which translates to 'My Mom's Friend's Son.' Bae Seok-ryu (So-min) seemingly has it all—an impressive tech job in the U.S. and a loving fiancé—until she suddenly returns to her parents' house in Seoul, unemployed and single. On the same day she arrives back, she reconnects with Choi Seung-hyo (Hae-in), her old next-door neighbor and childhood friend. As they spend more time together, long-dormant feelings begin to resurface.
'Move to Heaven' (2021)
This tearjerker will have you reaching for tissues from the first episode, but it's also a moving story of life and death. Young Geu-Ru (Tang Joon-sang), who lives with Asperger syndrome, works for his father's business, arranging the items left by the deceased. When his father dies in an accident, his ex-convict uncle Sang-Gu (Lee Je-Hoon) reappears and becomes his guardian, with the two men running the business, named Move to Heaven, together.
'Mr. Queen' (2020–2021)
Korean shows are known for their "just trust me on this" premises, but this time-jumping historical k-drama may be the wildest you'll hear. Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) is the arrogant, womanizing head chef at South Korea's presidential residence, the Blue House. After he gets in an accident and nearly drowns in his apartment's swimming pool, he wakes up in the body of the queen of Joseon, Kim So-yong (Shin Hye-sun). As the time traveler gets used to his new identity and 19th-century palace politics, they also need to contend with their now-husband King Cheoljong (Crash Landing on You's Kim Jung-hyun), who's hiding some secrets of his own.
'Mr. Sunshine' (2018)
This sweeping historical drama is set in the early 1900s between Korea's (then Joseon's) freedom from Chinese influence and its annexation by Japan. Joseon-born U.S. Marine Eugene Choi (Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun) returns to his home country after fleeing to escape slavery as a child. There he meets Ae-shin Go (Twenty Five, Twenty One's Kim Tae-ri), a noblewoman secretly part of a militia working against a plot to colonize the country. Eugene soon has to choose whether to keep his neutral position as an American diplomat or join the effort to secure the country's independence.
'My Liberation Notes' (2022)
This slice-of-life drama follows three siblings through endless small struggles that come with living, drawing viewers as we follow the trio's comforting journeys. The Yeom siblings—romantic Ki-jung (Lee El), aimless Chang-hee (Lee Min-ki), and timid Mi-jung (Kim Ji-won) —all wish to escape from their lonely and mundane lives in the fictional Sanpo Village. One day, the mysterious Mr. Gu (Son Suk-ku), moves into their neighborhood and becomes the subject of gossip, due to his alcoholism and preference for keeping to himself. Despite this, Mi-jung decides to approach him.
'My Name' (2021)
Han So-hee stars in this crime drama as Yoon Ji-Woo, whose father was murdered on her 17th birthday. Taken in by Dongcheon's kingpin Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon), Ji-woo trains to become the gangster's mole in the police force. As she investigates her father's murder, bent on revenge, she also finds herself caught between the law and the criminal underworld, not knowing which side was responsible for her dad's death.
'One Spring Night' (2019)
This realistic romance drama depicts the love story of Yu Ji-ho (Jung Hae-in), a single father who works as a pharmacist, and librarian Lee Jeong-in (Han Ji-min). The first interaction between the two is mundane—Jeong-in goes into Ji-ho's work and realizes she forgot her wallet—and the woman already has a boyfriend of four years. Still, their chance meetings build into a deep attachment, with the pair falling in love despite everyone around them telling them not to.
'Our Beloved Summer' (2021–2022)
When they were in high school slacker Choi Ung (Parasite's Choi Woo-shik) and overachiever Kook Yeon-su (Kim Da-mi) were subjects of a slice-of-life documentary that paired the two opposites together. They ended up falling into a high school romance. Years later, they reconnect as adults after parting ways on bad terms. Can they make amends, or maybe even fall in love again?
'Parasyte: The Grey' (2024–)
In this horror drama, Train to Busan helmer Yeon Sang-ho puts his own spin on the iconic Japanese manga Parasyte by Hitoshi Iwaake. Set in modern-day Korea, the thriller begins on the day that the titular parasites land in Seoul, as the alien beings take over humans' brains and mutate their bodies into tentacled monsters. When an ordinary woman named Jeong Su-in (Jeon So-nee) is only partially infected, she must learn to co-exist with her parasite, nicknamed Heidi, as the pair evade an elite military hunting unit known as The Grey.
'Prison Playbook' (2017)
In this series from the director of the Reply series and Hospital Playlist, Squid Game's Park Hae-soo plays Kim Je-hyuk, a famous baseball player set to join the MLB. However, after he beats a rapist trying to assault his sister, Je-hyuk is convicted of excessive force and sentenced to a year in prison. The dark dramedy follows Je-hyuk's time in jail and the people he meets, including a childhood friend who's now a prison guard and his biggest fan (played by Jung Kyung-ho).
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'Queen of Tears' (2024)
This romance melodrama, which became a record-breaking phenomenon in early 2024, centers on the marriage of Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won), the frosty chaebol heir to a retail conglomerate, and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun), a model employee who grew up modestly in a rural village. Three years into their marriage, the couple is on the brink of divorce when they face a surprising medical diagnosis. While they deal with a new challenge (and the re-emergence of Hae-in's ex, played by The Glory's Park Sung-hoon), the pair are brought closer together, but can they fully reconcile?
'Queenmaker' (2023)
In this political drama, Hwang Do-hee (The World of the Married's Kim Hee-ae) is a competent, cutthroat fixer who has spent the past decade covering up the crimes of the corrupt family who owns the conglomerate Eunsung Group. Oh Kyung-sook (Life’s Moon So-ri) is an unfailingly moral civil rights lawyer, whose determination has earned her the moniker of the "Rhino of Justice." When a crisis of conscience spurs Do-hee to turn its back on the Eunsung Group heir Baek Jae-min (Ryu Soo-young), she teams up with Kyung-sook to make the "Rhino" the next mayor of Seoul.
'Reply 1988' (2015–2016)
The nostalgic Reply anthology is beloved for its depictions of South Korean life during momentous years in Korean pop culture, with phenomenons like the first generation of idol groups and the Seoul Olympics serving as backdrops. Each series follows a community living during these times, with the day-to-day lives of teens, college students, and their parents taking center stage. As for which to start with, the last series released, Reply 1988, is the most celebrated in the trilogy and features great performances from stars like Park Bo-gum and Girl's Day's Hyeri.
'SKY Castle' (2018)
The best melodramas are both mesmerizing and enraging by shining a light on an important social issue. And by "the best melodrama," we mean SKY Castle. This 2018 smash-hit (as in second highest ratings in Korean cable network history smash-hit) follows a group of ultra-wealthy families obsessed with gaining admission to the most prestigious universities in South Korea for their high school-aged kids. With the uber-competitive environment leading to mental breakdowns, estrangement, and even death, this satire shines a light on whether that amount of parental pressure is beneficial at all for kids.
'Squid Game' (2021– )
The most-watched Netflix show of all time is a brutal, realistic thriller about the depths that everyday people can be pushed to when they're truly desperate. A group of people, from a deadbeat dad threatened by loan sharks to a North Korean refugee seeking a better life for her little brother, are invited to play a series of popular children's games, competing for billions of Korean won (millions in US dollars). The catch is that when they lose, they die.
'Sweet Home' (2020–2024)
This gory zombie drama follows loner Cha Hyun-soo (an unrecognizable Song Kang), who lost his family in a car crash and moves into the rundown Green Homes apartment complex when a virus quickly takes over the world, turning people into monsters. He joins the residents of Green Homes as they all try to survive and see both the best and worst of humanity.
'Twenty Five, Twenty One' (2022)
This coming-of-age rom-com stole viewers' hearts thanks to its lovable characters, coming of age during the IMF financial crisis. Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is a teenage fencer who refuses to give up after her team shuts down, instead transferring to the team of her idol-turned-rival, Go Yoo-rim (WJSN's Bona). Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) is the son of a former conglomerate family, now broke and struggling to find a job. The romance between Hee-do and Yi-jin plays out over their teenage years and is both lovely and at times heartwrenching.
'Under the Queen's Umbrella' (2022)
Set in the Joseon era, this period drama follows the drama and political scheming within the royal court of King Yi-Ho (Choi Won-young) and his 10 wives. Queen Im Hwa-ryeong (Kim Hye-soo) is the mother of the beloved Crown Prince and his four troublesome younger brothers. When her eldest son becomes ill, an opportunity opens to become a cohort, thereby second in line to the throne after the crown prince. While competing against the king's concubines and dealing with her contentious mother-in-law (Kim Hae-sook), Hwa-ryeong has to whip her other four sons into shape, so one can become a cohort and keep the line of succession within their family.
'Vincenzo' (2021)
The lead of this action melodrama, Vincenzo Cassano (Song Joong-ki), was adopted by an Italian family as a child and grew up to be a lawyer working as a mafia consigliere. Fleeing from a mob war, he returns to South Korea to recover a secret treasure, ultimately getting involved with another lawyer, Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been), and the tenants of the rundown Geumga Plaza. While the supporting characters bring a comedic touch, the ultimate conflict between VIncenzo and the corrupt Babel Group CEO Jang Jun-Woo (Ok Taec-yeon) keeps tensions high.
'A Virtuous Business' (2024)
Based on the British miniseries Brief Encounters, this friendship comedy takes place in 1992, at a time where open conversation about sex was completely taboo. Jeong-suk (Kim So-yeon) is a housewife in the rural village of Geumje, whose husband struggles to keep a job. In complete desperation, she signs up to be a door-to-door salesperson of sex toys and lingerie. Though initially shy, Jeong-suk and her new friends (played by Kim Sung-ryoung, Kim Sun-young, and Lee Se-hee) go through personal transformations as they grow their business.
