The success of “Parasite” has made people realize that there are other industries than Hollywood! The Korean industry has produced an array of impressive films and dramas that are finally getting the recognition that they deserve! So, we have compiled a few Korean dramas that you can watch on Netflix!
5 Most-Watched Korean Dramas on Netflix
Given below are some of the most popular and best Korean dramas for you!
1. Squid Game
- Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-ryoung.
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
If you haven’t been living under a rock, you must have heard about Squid Game and the hype it created! And it truly deserves the hype.
About Squid Game:
This Korean drama revolves around a group of financially struggling people who have been offered to participate in a series of children’s games for money- but there is a twist! If anyone fails at the game, they are killed. If you love blood and gore, Squid Game will be right up your alley. The series is also a commentary on capitalism and class disparity in South Korea.
Squid Game has been viewed 1.65 billion hours in the 1st month of its release on Netflix.
2. All Of Us Are Dead
- Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Byung-chul, Lee Kyu-hyung, Jeon Bae-soo
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
If you have watched Train to Busan, you know that the Korean industry does the zombie genre right.
About All Of Us Are Dead:
Adding to this list is All Of Us Are Dead, a South-Korean television series that revolves around a zombie outbreak in a high school. The students have to fend for themselves as they are cut off from any help by the government. This Korean drama series will surely satisfy your love for blood and gore!
All Of Us Are Dead garnered over 474.26 million watch hours in the first thirty days of its release.
3. Crash Landing on You
- Cast: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun
- IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
Crash Landing on You is a South-Korean romantic drama.
Crash Landing on You Plot:
The series revolves around a South-Korean heiress who goes paragliding in Seoul but unfortunately gets caught in a storm and unwittingly lands in the Demilitarized Zone of North Korea. An army captain, Ri Jeong-hyeok, rescues her and decides to help her, and they both start developing feelings for each other.
Crash Landing on You has exceeded 1.75 billion viewership.
4. Hometown Cha Cha Cha
- Cast: Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho and Lee Sang-yi
- IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Hometown Cha Cha Cha Plot:
This Korean drama revolves around a dentist, Yoon Hye-jin, who rightfully accuses her superior of overcharging patients for profit. However, they fire her from her job, and she travels to a small seaside town, Gongjin. There she meets Hong Du-sik, a man who dabbles in an array of different jobs.
He is also well-liked all over the town for his kind disposition towards the elderly. They both strike up a friendship, and soon, sparks fly!
5. Narco-Saints
- Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Narco-Saints Plot:
Based on true events, this Korean drama series revolves around a civilian businessman who finds himself risking his life and cooperating with the government’s secret agents to capture a Korean drug lord who has taken over Suriname.
Narco-Saints has gotten a viewership of 62.65 million hours.
5 Least-Watched Korean Dramas on Netflix
We have also compiled a few Korean dramas that are not as popular – you should not miss out on these gems just because they are not popular!
1. Prison Playbook
- Cast: Park Hae-soo, Jung Kyung-ho
- IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Prison Playbook Plot:
The story revolves around a famous baseball player who goes to prison on assault charges while saving his sister from a sexual assault. The k drama is about the year he spends in prison and the relationships he develops with other prisoners, and the events that take place there.
2. Hospital Playlist
- Cast: Jo Jung-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Kim Dae-myung, Jeon Mi-do
- IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Hospital Playlist Plot:
The central characters in this Korean drama series are five 40-something doctors who have been friends since their medical school days and work in the same hospital. The series centers around their lives, both personal and professional.
Fun fact: Hospital Playlist is the Wise Life series’ second installment, the first one being Prison Playbook.
3. Mr. Sunshine
- Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, Byun Yo-han
- IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
Mr. Sunshine Plot:
This Korean drama follows Eugene Choi, a boy born into slavery. In 1871 during Shinmiyangyo, he escaped to the USA to return to Korea as a Marine Corps Officer years later. He falls for Go Ae-shin, an aristocrat’s daughter, and starts to unravel a conspiracy plot to colonize Korea.
4. Chicago Typewriter
- Cast: Yoo Ah-In, Im Soo-Jung, Go Kyung-Pyo
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Chicago Typewriter Plot:
One of the most intriguing k dramas, Chicago Typewriter, is about three independent soldiers living in the 1930s under the Japanese Occupation of Korea. They Reincarnate as a ghostwriter, a best-selling author, and a fan. The series shows how these three come together and strive to find the truth about their past.
5. Kingdom
- Cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Doo-na, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Hye-jun
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Kingdom Plot:
This Korean drama series ticks off a couple of genres – historical drama, political drama and a zombie apocalypse. We have crown prince Lee Chang, who is investigating a political conspiracy and the king’s death. He and his followers come across a plague that rises the dead people.
Fun fact: Kingdom is set three years after the Imjin War, during the Joseon Dynasty.
If you have fallen in love with k dramas, here are some honorable mentions – It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Hotel Del Luna, Signal, Start-Up, Abyss, and The Silent Sea.
