South Korea is a major supplier of popular culture around the world, from K-pop to the best Kdramas on Netflix, Parasite to BTS.
The East Asian country understands how to appeal to a global audience. Western audiences have long been interested in Korean television, particularly K-dramas.
But it’s no longer only the Korean diaspora or romance drama viewers who are neglected.
Furthermore, international viewers of Korean dramas have grown much more “mainstream” in recent years, thanks in part to Netflix’s increased focus and investment in the region.
Some of the best Kdramas on Netflix in 2022 are;
1. It’s Okay Not to Be Okay
In this fairy tale, a sympathetic healthcare worker with a tragic past meets a children’s book author with a personality condition.
They create a slow-burning romance as they get to know one another, which helps them both emotionally heal and go forward.
Furthermore, the New York Times selected this romance drama series as one of “The Best International Shows of 2020.”
2. Crash Landing on You
A chaebol heiress landed in North Korea due to a paragliding mishap.
A North Korean special officer falls in love with her and hides and protects her. Furthermore, Crash Landing on You is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix.
It is also an original Netflix film that combines rom-com and character drama themes. Examining the cultural anguish caused by the division of North and South Korea.
Also, Crash Landing on You is a whirlwind action-romance that was one of the best Kdramas on Netflix of 2020, full stop.
3. Mine
The latest drama that everyone can’t get enough of finally finished its 16-episode run. Mine revolves around a powerful Chaebol family, specifically its two daughters-in-law.
Who are trying to carve out their identities—and reclaim what is rightfully theirs—in a patriarchal sodomite.
Additionally, Part Succession, part Downton Abbey, and part Big Little Lies (the plot is driven by a murder revealed in episode 1) expect a binge-worthy, convoluted tale with great lead actors Lee Bo-young and Kim Seo-young.
4. Squid Games
Many adults compete for a hefty prize by playing children’s games in Squid Game.
It sounds like a fun notion, but Squid Games, a Netflix smash hit, is far from kid-friendly. It is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix.
Furthermore, the only way to win the game is to endure it, and many competitors die.
The Squid Game is a fascinating social experiment in which desperation forces people to commit to a nasty game if they can handle the violence in the show.
5. Start-Up
As the title suggests, Start-Up is about a group of millennials who work in Korea’s version of Silicon Valley.
While their professional challenges are reminiscent of HBO’s Silicon Valley, the show is more rom-com than business satire, as it is a Korean drama.
6. Kingdom
The K-drama was the first Netflix original Korean series to air and received favorable reviews.
Furthermore, Kingdom defies categorization, combining political royals with otherworldly themes to create a gripping television series.
Besides, it follows Crown Prince Chang on a mission to discover and end a fast-increasing influx of zombies. The film features an A-list cast and stunning visual effects.
7. Boys Over Flowers
Jan-di, an unassuming high schooler, stands up to — and finally falls in love with — a pampered, affluent child from the school’s most dominant clique.
Furthermore, Boys Over Flowers is a K-drama classic that follows working-class student Geum Jan-di.
She receives a scholarship to the exclusive Shinhwa High School, only to meet and be unimpressed by a group of rich boys known as F4, who govern the school.
The drama follows Jan-di as she progresses from being a bully to being the infatuation of F4 commander Jun-Pyo.
It’s a traditional enemies-to-lovers plot, and while cliched. It’s still worth watching after a decade and is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix.
8. Mr. Sunshine
This historical drama is set in the late Joseon Period, Korea’s last dynasty before Japan seized the country in the early 1900s.
However, The Handmaiden actor Kim Tae-Ri plays Go Ae-shin, a noblewoman who secretly moonlights for the Righteous Army, a militia fighting for Korean independence.
Lee Byung-hun plays U.S. Marine Eugene Choi, who returns to his motherland and falls in love with Go Ae-shin (played by Lee Byung-hun).
Besides, Mr. Sunshine has all the elements that make a good K-drama: love triangles, history, and action.
Above all, it’s a cinematically stunning homage to Korea before it was permanently transformed.
9. Romance is A Bonus Book
Based on the successful American television series Younger. This Korean drama follows a young and talented top editor at a publishing house who becomes enmeshed in the lives of a former copywriter starving for work.
What happens when they understand how deeply they care for one another? That’s what it is: a fantastic romantic comedy.
10. Hospital Playlist
Hospital Playlist is one of the best Kdramas movies on Netflix. It follows the story of five doctors.
They have been friends since undergrad and share a passion for music while working at the same hospital.
Hospital Playlist, like Kingdom, is an uncommon Korean drama that spans numerous seasons.
However, the hospital drama’s second season runs on Netflix weekly.
Continuing the narrative of doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since medical school.
Furthermore, Hospital Playlist is a true ensemble drama that will appeal to Grey’s Anatomy viewers while being distinct in its focus on a long-standing friendship group.
11. Itaewon Class
First, Park Sae-ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon) is expelled for punching a school bully, the son of Jangga Group’s powerful owner.
Then he loses his father in a hit-and-run accident, which is caused by—who else? —that same wealthy bully.
Additionally, Sae-ro-Yi is sentenced to three years in prison after nearly killing his father’s killer.
Furthermore, he swears to take down the powerful food conglomerate that ruined his life after his release by founding a bar in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood and turning it into a franchise.
12. Memories of the Alhambra
This is for you, sci-fi fans! The film tells the story of Jung Se-Joo.
He is an augmented reality video game developer who creates an addictive alternate reality in which gamers can use a special high-tech lens.
To find weapons and battle in the real world. Drama ensues when Jung discovers a deadly bug in the game and tries to fix it. Yes, indeed. There is a romantic element to the story.
13. Hyena
Yoon Jae-hee is a partner at a famous law firm with an excellent track record and a tremendous ego in this courtroom drama about two lawyers representing society’s one percent.
Hyena is also one of the best Kdramas movies on Netflix. Furthermore, Jung Geum-ja is the sole proprietor of a small one-woman law firm.
They have only one thing in common: they’re both insanely ambitious, and they’re fighting to get the most high-profile and lucrative cases possible.
Besides, Hyena is an engaging watch thanks to a great cast (including Kingdom’s Ju Ji-hoon and A-list actor Kim Hye-soo).
14. The K2
In K2, get ready for serious action in this mind-bending political thriller.
A fugitive is hired as a bodyguard for the spouse of a presidential contender, leading you down a path of revenge, loose morality, and treachery.
Furthermore, Bonus points: According to Korean media, Ji Chang-fighting work scenes were shot without using a stuntperson or body double.
15. Nevertheless
Han So-hee portrays Yoo Na-bi, a university art student who lost faith in love after learning that her boyfriend cheated on her. It is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix of all time.
Furthermore, she is immediately intrigued when she meets Song’s Park Jae-eon. Despite their immediate attraction, they hesitate to embark on a relationship because of their different fears of love.
Nevertheless, based on a popular webcomic of the same name, it feels unique in its portrayal of modern dating life in Korea, highlighting some of the most realistic, often psychological, problems of dating in your twenties.
16. The Heirs
Consider Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-Hye), a Korean version of The O.C. She works part-time to support herself and lives with the wealthy Kim family, where her mother is a housekeeper.
A scholarship allows her to attend a high school for the children of Korea’s one percent. She quickly becomes embroiled in a love triangle involving Kim’s family scion, Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho), and his adversary, Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin).
17. Sweet Home
Song Kang is a K-drama fanatic, as has been extensively documented. Sweet Home is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix. The actor has starred in a lot of romantic Korean dramas, including Netflix’s
Nevertheless, and Love Alarm. On the other hand, Sweet Home is a rare horror appearance for Song, and it’s worth watching to see him in a different setting.
Of course, this post-apocalyptic horror narrative has other merits, including the distinction of becoming the first Korean series to reach the top ten on Netflix in the United States.
Additionally, Sweet Home is based on a Naver (Korean Google) webcomic of the same name.
Furthermore, it follows Cha Hyun-soo (Song), a high schooler who moves into an apartment building after his parents’ deaths, only to discover that the building is also teeming with ghosts.
18. Vagabond
Stuntman Cha Dal-gun (Lee Seung-gi) swears to find out what occurred after a plane carrying his baby nephew crashes on its way to Morocco.
Furthermore, the two begin to unearth a terrorist conspiracy that runs up to the Blue House. with the help of National Intelligence Service Agent Go Hae-Ri (Bae Suzy) (aka the presidency).
19. Cheese in the Tray
Cheese In The Trap is either a psychological drama or a romance, depending on how you view it—or both in any case. It is one of the best Kdramas on Netflix.
Furthermore, it stars Hong Seol, a hardworking but impoverished college junior, who meets Yoo Jung, a wealthy and nice senior with a dark and manipulative side.
Naturally, they fall in love, which further complicates matters.
20. Signal
Do you like crime and detective shows such as Law & Order or CSI? If so, you are the target of Signal.
The story centers around a mystery walkie-talkie that allows a 1986 detective to interact with a modern-day criminal profiler to solve cold cases. It is based in part on a real-life serial killer in Korea.
Furthermore, Things go wrong, as you could anticipate, and the detectives strive to solve these cases while playing a perilous game with fate and time.
Nevertheless, Signal won Best Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress at Korea’s 2016 Baeksang Arts Awards.
21. The “Reply” Series
The Reply series is one of the most popular cable dramas in Korean TV history. It began with Reply 1997 in 2012, followed by Reply 1994 in 2013, and Reply 1988 in 2015.
The ambitiously organized sitcom follows a group of friends and their children in present-day and flashback scenarios.
Furthermore, The Reply series is well worth watching for anyone who enjoys character drama with a nostalgic twist. It features a fun soundtrack and some incredible performances.
22. Inheritors
If you liked Gossip Girl, this is going to be your next guilty pleasure. Furthermore, the series is set in a high school full of teenagers from extremely wealthy families.
And it follows them as they navigate the responsibilities that come with eventually taking over their families’ businesses.
It also deals with cross-caste romance and a love triangle, one of our favorite plotlines in a Korean drama series. Young love, how I miss it.
What are your favorite Kdramas on Netflix? And which of the upcoming Netflix K-dramas are you most excited about? Please let us know in the comments section below.
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