South Korean dramas or K-dramas as they are popularly known, have a distinct fanbase of their own that covers both national and global markets. Covering various genres like supernatural romance and historical drama, several K-dramas are easily available to stream on Netflix. These include cult favorites like My ID is Gangnam Beauty and Goblin as well as shows that Netflix itself produces and distributes like Kingdom.
For even those who are just starting out with K-dramas, there are enough picks on Netflix to generate interest, even though a few other memorable ones are still not available.
Netflix: Kingdom
Netflix's first South Korean production is a big-budget historical fantasy set in the Joseon period of the nation's history. The crown prince Lee Chang needs to protect his kingdom amidst rising tensions caused by an army of the undead who have risen mysteriously after a pandemic.
Blending horror and political elements, Kingdom is an interesting thriller that boasts of dramatic performances, state-of-the-art production design, and enough zombie action to make the show a must-watch. While K-dramas often get stereotyped as light-hearted romances, Kingdom ushers in a new area of South Korean storytelling.
Not On Netflix: Orange Marmalade
Based on the webtoon of the same name, Orange Marmalade is one of the most acclaimed Korean teen dramas in recent times. It's set in a fantasy world where vampires and humans live together.
While vampires have given up their habit to consume human blood, they are still treated as outcasts and are often required to hide their identity in the human world. These social norms get defied when a shy teenage vampire kisses the most popular boy in her school.
Netflix: Crash Landing On You
Crash Landing On You is a feel-good romance that crosses Korean boundaries. A paragliding accident lands an elite South Korean heiress in North Korea. There, she finds an army officer who plans to hide her from the authorities. Even as their countries are engaged in conflict with each other, their love blossoms.
While dealing with their romance, the show also gives an interesting glimpse into the lives of both lovers' families and how they react to this forbidden romance. A popular watch on Netflix, Crash Landing On You has had a huge fanbase since the start, even being South Korea's third-highest rated cable series.
Not On Netflix: The Great Show
As its title suggests, this K-drama is a great show indeed. Song Seung-hoon plays a political veteran who adopts a young girl and her siblings after their mother dies. As this family grows together, the protagonist decides to relaunch his political career, assisted with his adopted children.
The series that began airing in 2019, is an amusingly satirical look into the world of politics and single parenthood while adding some common tropes of family and teen dramas.
Netflix: Goblin
Goblin is arguably South Korea's biggest fantasy drama in terms of impact and reach. The show not only won new K-drama fans but also influenced fashion trends and several parodies from all over. At its core, the plot deals with a legendary warrior who's cursed with immortality. After living for nine centuries as an immortal, he finally finds a girl who can undo this curse.
As the two come closer, they realize they're not just strangers but star-crossed lovers with a predestined past. The show is filled with mushy moments of romance but such tones don't come as too cringe-inducing as Goblin benefits from a tight-knit storyline by noted Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook.
Not On Netflix: Emergency Couple
The titular couple in this K-drama is a divorced pair of husband and wife whose feelings rekindle with each other when they meet as medical interns at a hospital after years. Apart from functioning as a good-enough romantic comedy, Emergency Couple also functions as an engaging medical drama.
The show aired for twenty episodes with a special twenty-first episode after its run, after public demand. Later, Emergency Couple even got a special music talk show to thank its fans for their support.
Netflix: Itaewon Class
Like many other K-dramas, Itaewon Class too is based on a webtoon. The drama series focuses on an ex-con who plans to find redemption by managing his father's restaurant-bar, while his crew battles competition from a food conglomerate.
The miniseries debuted this year with a worldwide Netflix distribution and opened to rave reviews. Park Seo-joon's lead portrayal also won acclaim in this unique underdog revenge story. His character Park Sae-ro-yi is an inspiring role model that offers some optimism to viewers to fight all odds and live their dreams.
Not On Netflix: Warrior Baek Dong-soo
A classic from 2011, Warrior Baek Dong-soo again takes audiences back to the tumultuous Joseon period of Korean history. The titular Baek Dong-soon was a real-life martial artist and swordsman from the 19th century who turned into a folk hero.
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The period drama works as a coming-of-age story for the protagonist on how he becomes a legendary warrior from humble beginnings. Warrior Baek Dong-soo would make for a great recommendation for viewers of historical action K-dramas like Kingdom.
Netflix: My ID Is Gangnam Beauty
My ID Is Gangnam Beauty plays out like a rom-com with all its cute, heartwarming moments but at the same time, the show is increasingly relevant. It exposes the high beauty standards that persist in South Korean society and offers a thoughtful picture of the normalization of surgery in the country.
The lead Kang Mi-Rae is a student who is bullied for her looks. Unable to handle this bias of society, she undergoes cosmetic surgery but is again bullied for her seemingly 'artificial' looks. The K-drama's themes have universal relatability too as it deals with the pressures of being a 'pretty girl' to satisfy a judgemental society.
Not On Netflix: Queen And I
Time-traveling or interdimensional romances are pretty common in the K-drama scene, ranging from W to Chicago Typewriter (both of which are available on Netflix). Queen and I explores such themes as it focuses on the love story of a scholar from the Joseon period and a present-day actress.
Apart from its binge-worthy melodrama, the show is hailed as an important K-drama by fans as this was Yoo In-na's first major role. The actress and DJ went on to achieve further stardom with starring roles in Goblin as well as the romantic fantasy My Love From Another Star, both of which are cherished as top-rated series in South Korea.