7 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix

Korean dramas? Many people used to think they were just bombastic, cliched dramas—too cheesy, too dramatic, too much slow-motion romance. But these shows have proven them wrong.

7. Squid Game: Squid Game (2021 – 2025)

You'd have to be living under a rock to not know this one. When it debuted, it became one of Netflix's most-watched series ever, with over a billion hours watched in its first month alone. And that's not just hype.

Squid Game is a far cry from the cheesy romance that people associate with Korean dramas. The plot is simple: Hundreds of people drowning in debt are drawn into a mysterious competition with two possible outcomes: Get rich or die. The show is brilliantly executed.

6. Empress Ki: Empress Ki (2013 – 2014)

If you think historical dramas are boring, you're wrong. The 51-episode Empress Ki is strangely appealing.

The story follows Ki Seung-nyang, a woman from Goryeo who becomes the empress of the Yuan Dynasty in China. The show features palace fighting, political struggles, forbidden love, and battle scenes that wouldn't be out of place in Game of Thrones.

5. My Country: The New Age - My Country: The New Age (2019)

This 16-episode drama is proof that Korean dramas can tell action-packed, manly stories, not just cheesy romances. Set during the tumultuous transition from the Goryeo Dynasty to the Joseon Dynasty, the drama follows two friends - Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho - whose friendship is tested when they find themselves on opposite sides of a brutal war for their "country."

The relationship between Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho is one of the most compelling friendship-turned-rivalry we've ever seen on screen. They make difficult choices based on their circumstances, and the show doesn't judge them harshly for it.

4. Mr. Queen: The Queen (2020 – 2021)

This might be the strangest plot you've ever heard: The soul of a modern-day chef is somehow trapped in the body of a Joseon Dynasty queen. It sounds absurd, but it's also one of the smartest, funniest, and most inventive Korean dramas out there.

Mr. Queen is a comedy, a romance, and a political film, and it works in every way. You'll laugh at the absurdity of the plot, then realize that the film is making a profound point about gender roles, power, and identity. It's hilarious one moment and touching the next.

3. Under the Queen's Umbrella: Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022)

Many people watched this show when it aired in 2022, and remember counting down the days until the next Saturday and Sunday. Luckily for you, all 16 episodes are now available on Netflix, ready to binge-watch. It's even on our list of Netflix shows to watch over and over again.

The main character of the film is Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, played brilliantly by Kim Hye-soo. She is not the typical Joseon queen who only seeks power or passively waits to be sacrificed. Instead, she is a mother who is fiercely protective of her son in a palace where people are born to fight each other.

2. Move to Heaven: Move to Heaven (2021)

This drama made many people cry for 10 episodes. It tells the story of Geu-ru, a young man with Asperger's syndrome, who works as a wound cleaner with his uncle Sang-gu, a former prisoner. Together, they sort through the belongings of the deceased to understand their life stories and help their families find peace.

Each episode is like a short story about pain, love, and the traces we leave behind. It's tender and heartbreaking - just the kind of show that makes you want to call your family and tell them you love them.

If you cried your way through This Is Us, then Move to Heaven deserves a place on your ever-growing watchlist.

1. Crash Landing on You: Crash Landing on You (2019 – 2020)

Admittedly, this movie is a little cheesy. A South Korean heiress accidentally parachutes into North Korea and falls in love with a North Korean army captain. It sounds like something out of a fictional story. But somehow, Crash Landing on You turns this silly premise into something beautiful.

The love story between Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin is so natural and explosive that love at first sight is no longer a far-fetched thing. Then the bitter, realistic ending, which does not sugarcoat the characters' circumstances, brings you back to reality.

Another strength of the film is its portrayal of North Korea. Rather than relying on propaganda or caricature, it gives a deep insight into the lives of ordinary people there – villagers, soldiers and neighbours, each with their own personalities, hopes and dreams. Ri Jeong-hyeok's friends in particular bring warmth and humour, balancing out the romance.

Samuel Daniel

Update 23 August 2025