The success of K-dramas, the term for Korean dramas, is not a surprise anymore. There were strong followers even before Squid Game‘s global success. Now, it has become a world trend.
There are many reasons for the growing popularity of Korean dramas. Among them, is the rapid advances of streaming platforms, especially Netflix. Now you can watch dozens, if not hundreds, of K-dramas on Netflix at your fingertips.
This is amazing news, but at the same time, the list of Korean dramas would be overwhelming. So, this is what I have done for you.
I have gone through the entire Netflix library of Korean dramas. And, I have reviewed more than 20 resources including IMDB and Korean TV ratings.
These are the top 10 best Korean dramas on Netflix right now (2023). These 10 K-dramas are not in a particular order.
All these shows are available at present on Netflix in South Korea. So some K-dramas on the list may not be available in your region.
1. My Mister (2018)
- Cast: Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Ji-eun (IU), Lee Ji-ah
- Director: Kim Won-seok
- Writing: Park Hae-young
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 나의 아저씨 /na-ui a-jeo-ssi/
- Genre: Drama
My Mister may not be as famous as Squid Game or Crash Landing On You. But once you see this well-made Korean drama, you will understand why this one got 9.1 points on IMDB.
This Korean drama tells the stories of two miserable people, their relationships, and the people around them. Ji-an (Lee Ji-eun, IU) has all the miseries that the twenty-something woman may possibly have. No parents, sick grandmother, threatening gang member, and inherited debt.
On the other side, there is another sad middle-aged man. Dong-hun (Lee Sun-kyun) has a dysfunctional family and an unfaithful wife. To make the matter worse, his life at work is not easy, either.
The drama gets quite depressing sometimes, but it definitely is healing and hopeful. And, it makes the audience laugh from time to time in spite of the harsh lives of the characters.
My Mister won Best Drama and Screenplay at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards. Paulo Coelho, the world’s best-selling novelist (The Alchemist), praised the My Mister on Twitter saying:
“WAW! I thought I would not survive to 16 episodes, but it is a flawless description of the human condition. Congrats to the super screenplay, the fantastic director, and the best possible cast.”
One of its OST songs, Adult (어른 /eo-reun/), by Sondia, makes the drama even more melancholy.
2. Hospital Playlist (2020, 2021)
- Cast: Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Jeon Mi-do, Kim Dae-myung
- Director: Shin Won-ho
- Writing: Lee Woo-jeong
- Episodes: Season 1 – 12, Season 2 – 12
- Original Title: 슬기로운 의사생활 /seul-gi-ro-un ui-sa-saeng-hwal/
- Genre: Medical Drama, Comedy
If you need a dose of happiness, this Korean drama is for you. Hospital Playlist follows the lives of five doctors in their forties. They are friends from the same medical school and work at the same hospital.
All five have different personalities. But, they get along with each other (mostly) and they can rely on each other when life throws them curve balls.
Each episode tells the stories of the characters, their families, and patients at their hospital.
Hospital Playlist is the work of one of the most renowned pairs of TV producers and screenwriters in Korea: Shin Won-ho and Lee Woo-jeong. If you are a fan of Korean Dramas, you would have seen or heard of Reply Series. This pair is the creator of the hit series.
In the drama, the five friends play together as a band called “Mido & Parasol.” Many songs were indeed released as a part of OST of Hospital Playlist and some of them became huge hits.
3. Mr. Sunshine (2018)
- Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, Byun Yo-han
- Director: Lee Eung-bok
- Writing: Kim Eun-sook
- Episodes: 24
- Original Title: 미스터 션샤인 (Mr. Sunshine)
- Genre: Periodic Drama
This periodic Korean drama is a story about people who had to live during one of the saddest parts of Korean history: the Japanese Occupation.
The drama follows five different characters. Each of them has different backgrounds, social statuses, and even nationalities.
Mr. Sunshine got a lot of attention even before it was aired because of its writer, Kim Eun-sook. She is one of the most successful screenwriters in South Korea. Her filmography includes Lovers in Paris, Secret Garden, A Gentleman’s Dignity, The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, and recently, The Glory.
Mr. Sunshine is still one of the highest-rated series on cable television in South Korea.
4. Crash Landing On You (2019)
- Cast: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun
- Director: Kim Hee-won, Lee Jung-hyo
- Writing: Park Ji-eun
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 사랑의 불시착 /sa-rang-ui bul-si-chak/
- Genre: Romantic Comedy
This Korean drama has become a reality. After filming this TV show, Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin got married.
Crash Landing On You takes the serious matter of South Korea and North Korea into a fun, romantic, and sometimes heartbreaking story. The show tells a love story between an elite North Korean soldier and a South Korean entrepreneur, who happens to be a chaebol heiress.
The story starts when the South Korean woman accidentally lands in North Korea. Now you get why the title is Crash Landing On You, right?
This Korean drama got both domestic and global success. Crash Landing On You got appraisal from the international media like Washington Post, BBC, and Observer. This one was such a big hit, especially in Japan.
5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
- Cast: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, Kang Ki-young, Ha Yoon-kyung, Joo Jong-hyuk
- Director: Yu In-sik
- Writing: Moon Ji-won
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 이상한 변호사 우영우 /i-sang-han byeon-ho-sa u-yeong-u/
- Genre: Drama
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a kind of David in the Korean drama industry. Because it was aired on a virtually unrecognized cable channel, no one expected it would be a huge hit.
The story follows the attorney Woo Young-woo at one of the largest law firms in South Korea. Attorney Woo is extremely smart with an IQ of 164. She graduated at the top of her class from both the prestigious Seoul National University and law school. Yet, she has difficulties in social interactions because of autism.
Thanks to this Korean drama, Park Eun-bin has become an even bigger star. She started her acting career at the age of five and starred in many Korean dramas, movies, and TV shows. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is one of her best performances, if not the best.
One of the most famous lines in the drama is how Woo introduces herself. In Korean, it goes like “제 이름은 똑바로 읽어도 거꾸로 읽어도 우영우입니다. 기러기, 토마토, 스위스, 인도인, 별똥별, 우영우. …역삼역?” On Netfilx, it is translated into “My name is Woo Young-woo whether it is read straight or flipped, Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo.”
In my humble opinion, it misses a main point that the list of the words sounds the same, not the spelling, as they are flipped like her name, Woo young-woo. For example, 기러기 is a wild goose and sounds /gi-reo-gi/, which sounds the same as it is flipped.
6. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
- Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook, Yoo In-na
- Director: Lee Eung-bok
- Writing: Kim Eun-sook
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 쓸쓸하고 찬란하신 도깨비 /sseul-sseul-ha-go chal-lan-ha-sin do-kkae-bi/
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy
This drama is about a love story between a goblin and a cheerful high school student. The goblin is cursed to be immortal forever and the young girl is meant to be the goblin’s bride.
Another relationship between the Grim Reaper and the woman who was a queen of Goryeo in her previous life makes the story even more interesting.
When Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (or Goblin) was aired, it has become a cultural phenomenon rather than simply a drama. For example, the long black coats that Gong Yoo and Lee Dong-wook wear in the show became a huge trend among young men.
The number of visitors to Quebec in Canada increased due to the scenes of Goblin. The filming location in Jumunjin, Gangwon-do is now a popular destination among the drama fans.
Many songs from Goblin‘s original soundtracks became instant successes. The list of songs includes Beautiful by Crush, I Miss You by Soyou, and I Will Go to You Like the First Snow by Ailee.
Regarding the title, both Goblin and Guardian are used. It seems that Goblin is more common, but Guardian is the title on Netflix.
7. Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)
- Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk
- Director: Jeong Ji-hyeon Jeong, Kim Seung-ho
- Writing: Kwon Do-eun
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 스물다섯 스물하나 /seu-mul-da-seot seu-mul-ha-na/
- Genre: Drama, Romance
This Korean drama tells the stories of the romantic lives of five characters from 1998 to 2021. Twenty Five Twenty One is about many obstacles and happiness that young people experience.
The title means the age of the two main characters, 25 and 21. In the drama, Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) is 4 years older than Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri). Interestingly, Kim Tae-ri is actually 4 years older than Nam Joo-hyuk.
The title is from the namesake song by the Korean band Jaurim. The popular song got its second heyday thanks to the drama.
8. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
- Cast: Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se
- Director: Park Shin-woo
- Writing: Jo Yong
- Episodes: 16
- Original Title: 사이코지만 괜찮아 /sa-i-ko-ji-man gwaen-chan-ha/
- Genre: Drama, Romance
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay depicts the story of a trio: an older brother with autism, a younger brother who takes care of him, and an antisocial children’s book writer.
This is a come-back show for Kim Soo-hyun after a long hiatus due to military service. This K-drama proved his global popularity.
The drama was not a huge success in South Korea when it was aired. But, later the show got a strong follow globally, especially thanks to Netflix.
The New York Times named It’s Okay to Not Be Okay one of ‘The Best International Shows of 2020.’
9. SKY Castle (2018)
- Cast: Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Kim Seo-hyung, Jung Joon-ho, Choi Won-young
- Director: Jo Hyun-tak
- Writing: Yu Hyeon-mi
- Episodes: 20
- Original Title: SKY 캐슬 (SKY Castle)
- Genre: Drama, Mystery
SKY Castle is a rare K-drama dealing with the dark side of Korean education.
Of course, it is fiction, but some parts are not completely out of context. High pressure on high school students and a strong desire to enter medical school, for example, may tell some truth.
This Korean drama follows families in the top 1%, who pursue twisted desires for their children and education. And a drop of murder mystery is added.
The drama received positive reviews from both critics and the public. It was the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history when it was aired. It is still one of the highest-rated Korean dramas on cable.
SKY Castle left many memorable lines and a lot of Korean comedy shows parodied it, including ‘감당하실 수 있겠습니까? /gam-dang-ha-sil su it-get-seum-ni-ka/, which means ‘Can you handle it?’
10. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
- Cast: Lee Joon-gi, Lee Ji-eun (IU)
- Director: Kim Kyu-tae
- Writing: Jo Yoon-young (Original Writing: Tong Hua)
- Episodes: 20
- Original Title: 달의 연인 – 보보경심 려 /dal-ui yeon-in – bo-bo-gyeong-sim ryeo/
- Genre: Drama, Romance, Periodic Fantasy
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is a Korean drama based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin. The story follows Go Ha-jin (Lee Ji-eun, IU), who is transported from the 21st century to the Goryeo Dynasty in 941. While she is staying in the past, she gets involved in romantic relationships, political fights for the throne, and more.
At the time of airing, it was considered a failure in spite of heavy investment. However, thanks to the growth of streaming services in the 2020s, this Korean drama started getting more positive reviews. Also, more global audiences are watching the drama by word of mouth.
What are your favorite Korean Dramas? Leave a comment below and share yours with other K-drama fans!
Filming Locations of Korean Dramas and Movies in South Korea
Visiting the places where your favorite movies or TV shows were filmed brings great joy. Here is a list of filming locations for Korean dramas and movies. See the list here.
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