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Netflix (3)
South Korean tradition is taking up the globe. From Parasite (2019) successful the Oscar for Finest Image to BTS topping charts world wide to the overwhelming reputation of juggernaut sequence like Squid Game, Korean content material is in all places.
Under, Leisure Weekly explores the most effective Korean exhibits on Netflix, together with large hits like Hellbound and Extraordinary Lawyer Woo. This record has one thing for everybody, whether or not you’re searching for sweeping romances (Our Beloved Summer time), teen dramas (Boys Over Flowers), or tense thrillers (Kingdom).
Listed here are the 23 finest Korean exhibits on Netflix proper now.
01 of 23
All of Us Are Lifeless (2022–current)
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Would anybody out of your highschool homeroom be a part of your zombie apocalypse workforce? The youngsters at Hyosan Excessive should battle a zombie outbreak and nonetheless navigate teenage politics within the webtoon-adapted Netflix sequence All of Us Are Lifeless.
Having to combat the undead together with your bully is tough, however these teenagers are good, placing their heads collectively to create ingenious methods to evade and destroy the dwelling corpses coming after them. This fast-paced horror sequence does not draw back from the gore, nor does it shrug off efficient storytelling in favor of low-cost thrills. The present has been renewed for a second season. —Megan Vick
The place to look at All of Us Are Lifeless: Netflix
Administrators: Kim Nam-Soo, J.Q. Lee
Solid: Park Ji-hu, Cho Yi-hyun, Yoon Chan-young, Lomon, Yoo In-soo, Lee Yoo-Mi
02 of 23
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
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Netflix
Boys Over Flowers is a throwback, but it surely’s thought of one of the crucial influential Ok-dramas of all time, making superstars out of its forged, together with Pachinko star Lee Min-ho. It’s primarily the South Korean equal of The O.C. phenomenon in america.
The sequence facilities on Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun), a spunky teen who saves a younger man from taking his personal life. When it's found that the boy in query was severely bullied by the inheritor to the Shinhwa Group fortune, Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), Jan-di is obtainable a scholarship to their highschool to ease public outrage on the firm. There, Jan-di quickly turns into entangled with Jun-pyo and his mates, launching 25 episodes of drama, romance, and intrigue. —M.V.
The place to look at Boys Over Flowers: Netflix
Director: Gi-Sang Jeon
Solid: Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon
03 of 23
Enterprise Proposal (2022)
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Netflix
Enterprise Proposal just isn’t your common rom-com sequence. Using the faux relationship gone fallacious trope, Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) steps in for her finest pal Jin Younger-seo (Seol In-ah) on a blind date, solely to search out out the suitor is the CEO of her firm, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). Tae-moo is on the hunt for a spouse so he can cease being harassed by his grandfather, however marrying a subordinate isn't going to go over effectively with the board if Ha-ri doesn't come clear.
Enterprise Proposal's webtoon origins are apparent within the comic-style animations that accent the present and imbue the story with a definite allure. —M.V.
The place to look at Enterprise Proposal: Netflix
Director: Park Seon-ho
Solid: Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Se-jeong, Kim Min-kyu, Seol In-ah
04 of 23
Crash Touchdown on You (2019–2020)
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Netflix
In case you've ever been really helpful a Ok-drama on Netflix, it was in all probability Crash Touchdown on You. The sequence stars Son Ye-jin as South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri, who will get blown to the North Korean aspect of the DMZ by a twister whereas paragliding. Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a North Korean army captain, discovers Se-ri and decides to cover her till he can determine a solution to get her again to her personal nation.
This present is the right Ok-drama starter as a result of it contains so most of the style’s signatures: fantastical story components (a twister, whereas paragliding!), sweeping romance, and foolish/candy melodrama. —M.V.
The place to look at Crash Touchdown on You: Netflix
Administrators: Kim Hee-won, Lee Jung-hyo
Solid: Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin, Web optimization Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun
05 of 23
Delightfully Deceitful (2023)
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Subsequent Scene
Is it higher to have too little empathy or an excessive amount of? That’s one of many questions that drives Delightfully Deceitful, a South Korean drama about Lee Ro-woom (Chun Woo-hee) — a gifted con artist who was wrongfully convicted of her mother and father’ homicide — and Han Moo-young (Kim Dong-wook), her lawyer.
She is pathologically unable to empathize, and he struggles with being overly delicate to the individuals round him. However with their powers mixed, this duo is harmful, they usually're focusing their vitality on in search of revenge. The story unfolds throughout 16 episodes, every about an hour lengthy, and when you’re within the temper for a enjoyable watch, Delightfully Deceitful will hold you in your toes. —Ilana Gordon
The place to look at Delightfully Deceitful: Netflix
Director: Lee Soo-hyun
Solid: Chun Woo-hee, Kim Dong-wook
06 of 23
D.P. (2021–2023)
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Netflix
D.P. (Deserter Pursuit) is a pulse-quickening motion sequence that takes a tough have a look at South Korea’s obligatory army service. Personal Ahn Joon-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Corporal Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) are tasked with discovering deserters however find yourself discovering much more in regards to the bullying and hazing that causes troopers to desert their duties.
Season 2 transitions to the angle of senior officers, turning an eye fixed in the direction of corruption, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and the way a lot duty the army bears for unsanctioned violence inside its ranks. It's a troublesome however riveting watch that asks thorny questions with difficult solutions. —M.V.
The place to look at D.P.: Netflix
Director: Han Jun-hee
Solid: Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, Son Suk-ku
07 of 23
Extraordinary Lawyer Woo (2022)
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Netflix
If the whimsy of Crash Touchdown on You catches your curiosity, it is best to check out Extraordinary Lawyer Woo. Park Eun-bin stars as Woo Younger-woo, an autistic legal professional employed by a significant legislation agency in Seoul. Younger-woo’s expertise on the spectrum provides her a novel perspective when making ready for circumstances, however her authorized profession will get difficult by rising household secrets and techniques and even an opportunity at love.
The present is in the same vein to American sequence like Monk or The Good Physician — which was itself a remake of a Ok-drama — through which a misunderstood protagonist’s particular dysfunction provides them a novel problem-solving genius. —M.V.
The place to look at Extraordinary Lawyer Woo: Netflix
Director: Yu In-sik
Solid: Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, Kang Ki-young, Jeon Bae-soo, Jin Kyung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Joo Jong-hyuk, Joo Hyun-young
08 of 23
Hellbound (2021–2024)
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Jo Received-jin/Netflix
In case you're right here for creepy content material, you want Hellbound in your record. One in all EW's finest horror sequence on Netflix, it "explores how the undesirable entry of the divine into on a regular basis life can turn into not miraculous however horrifying." That unwelcome entity is an “angel” who lets sure individuals know they’re going to hell, adopted by a trio of supernatural thugs making that destiny a actuality in a savage, bloody vogue.
The present isn’t a lot about increased energy however human nature within the face of a better energy, unpacking perception, factionalism, and ethical battle whereas grappling with existential questions (plus loads of gore, after all). —M.V.
The place to look at Hellbound: Netflix
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Solid: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Received Jin-ah, Yang Ik-june
The 25 best Korean horror movies of all time, ranked
The 16 best Korean movies on Netflix
09 of 23
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
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Netflix
In case you love the thought of an bold metropolis gal discovering small-town romance when her metropolitan life implodes, step proper up for Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. This lovely romance spent 16 weeks in Netflix's world high 10 when it debuted, following a dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) to the seaside village of Gongjin after her life within the metropolis falls aside.
There, she units up a brand new observe in the neighborhood and picks up a romance with native fisherman and handyman Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) whereas additionally embedding herself with the eccentric residents. This can be a feel-good small-town transplant rom-com for whenever you want a lighthearted pick-me-up. —M.V.
The place to look at Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Netflix
Director: Je Received Yu
Solid: Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi
10 of 23
It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
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Netflix
It's Okay to Not Be Okay earned an Worldwide Emmy nomination for Finest TV Film or Miniseries, thanks partially to its shifting portrait of healthcare staff. It facilities on Ko Moon-young (Web optimization Yea-ji), a kids’s guide author with delinquent character dysfunction, as she strikes again to her hometown to pursue a relationship with Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), an worker at a psych ward and the only real caretaker of his autistic older brother.
In easy phrases, it’s a narrative about vulnerability and therapeutic previous wounds, however what makes it stand out is the way in which it destigmatizes the fact of psychological sickness. —M.V.
The place to look at It's Okay to Not Be Okay: Netflix
Director: Park Shin-woo
Solid: Kim Soo-hyun, Web optimization Ye-ji, Oh Jung-se, Park Gyu-young
11 of 23
A Killer Paradox (2024)
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Music Kyoung Sub/Netflix
Parasite's Choi Woo-shik scores one other present on this record with A Killer Paradox. He performs Lee Tang, a comfort retailer employee who discovers he has a knack for taking out unhealthy guys after unintentionally murdering a serial killer throughout a theft gone fallacious. In the meantime, Son Suk-ku (D.P.) performs the dogged detective who’s on to Tang's murderous sport.
This "well-constructed, devious little thriller" positively provides Dexter vibes and shines due to its nice writing — and since it isn’t afraid to hang around within the ethical grey space. —M.V.
The place to look at: A Killer Paradox: Netflix
Director: Chang-hee Lee
Solid: Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku, Lee Hee-joon, Hyun Bong-sik
12 of 23
Kingdom (2019–2021)
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Juhan Noh/Netflix
Set within the seventeenth century three years after the Japanese invasion of Korea, Kingdom is an epic interval piece that’s equal components political thriller and zombie horror. Crown Prince Lee Chang and his employees uncover a mysterious plague is taking up the countryside as a conspiracy threatens his path to the throne. With the assistance of his loyal aides, the prince should discover a solution to cease the virus from spreading whereas additionally defending their seats of energy.
Issues get messy and lethal from there, as hordes of the undead descend on the land. At this level, it’s onerous to make a zombie present that feels unique, however Kingdom passes that check by throwing sword-fighting and royal intrigue into the combo (The Strolling Lifeless may by no means). —M.V.
The place to look at Kingdom: Netflix
Administrators: Kim Seong-hun, Park In-je
Solid: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sung-kyu, Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Sang-ho
13 of 23
Little Girls (2022)
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Netflix
In case you’re right here for a South Korean tackle the basic novel by Louisa Might Alcott, you might be shocked whenever you tune in. This Little Girls continues to be about sisterhood, however within the type of a darkish thriller. Issues flip lethal when the three Oh women turn into entangled in a case of a lacking 70 billion received ($72.5 million) that pits them in opposition to the wealthiest household in Korea. The sisters should band collectively to remain alive, discover out what occurred to the cash, and try to construct a greater life for themselves.
There are clear thematic similarities to the sequence' namesake novel, but it surely’s a wild reinvention of the fabric. That is the Ok-drama for individuals who thought the unique Alcott story may’ve used a bit extra homicide and company intrigue. —M.V.
The place to look at Little Girls: Netflix
Director: Kim Hee-won
Solid: Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hu
14 of 23
Mr. Sunshine (2018)
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Netflix
Mr. Sunshine follows Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun), who was born an enslaved particular person throughout the Joseon dynasty and escaped to America in 1871. He returns to Korea years later as a Marine Corps officer and falls in love with Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), a nobleman's granddaughter. Their romance is challenged by Ae-shin's grandfather and will get additional difficult when Eugene discovers Japan's plans to colonize Korea. Now, he should decide up arms to defend the nation that beforehand regarded down upon him.
Mr. Sunshine is among the most bold Ok-dramas Netflix has to supply, a sophisticated research of identification that additionally takes its army intrigue — and its romance — significantly. —M.V.
The place to look at Mr. Sunshine: Netflix
Administrators: Lee Eung-bok, Jihyeon Jeong, Jang Younger-woo
Solid: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, Byun Yo-han
15 of 23
Our Beloved Summer time (2021–2022)
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Netflix
Are you feeling a bit nostalgic in your past love? One present which may scratch that individual itch is Our Beloved Summer time, about an estranged couple pressured again into one another's lives when the documentary they made 10 years in the past in highschool out of the blue goes viral.
The wistful coming-of-age story options Parasite alum Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi because the central couple. That is the present you placed on whenever you're finding out in your diploma in yearnalism. —M.V.
The place to look at Our Beloved Summer time: Netflix
Director: Kim Yoon-jin
Solid: Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi, Kim Sung-cheol, Roh Jeong-eui
16 of 23
Our Unwritten Seoul (2025)
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Monster Union
A South Korean restricted drama sequence, Our Unwritten Seoul is the story of similar twin sisters who secretly swap locations. Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae (each performed by actress Park Bo-young) are full opposites: Yoo Mi-ji is a free-spirited former athlete whose Olympic possibilities had been dashed after she suffered an harm, and Yoo Mi-rae is a centered educational battling interpersonal points at her company job. A coming-of-age sequence about how strolling in different individuals’s footwear can educate us classes about our personal lives, Our Unwritten Seoul is a candy and empowering binge. —I.G.
The place to look at Our Unwritten Seoul: Netflix
Director: Park Shin-woo
Solid: Park Bo-young, Park Jin-young, Ryu Kyung-soo
17 of 23
Parasyte: The Gray (2024–current)
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Netflix
Issues get grotesque in Parasyte: The Gray, which adapts Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga a few parasite that infects and kills people earlier than turning their heads into grotesque amalgamations. Jeong Su-in (Jeon So-nee) develops a "distinctive relationship" with the specimen who fails to manage her.
EW’s author guarantees that this sequence "ought to actually fulfill," followers of physique horror, however there are different rewarding themes as effectively, particularly humanity's means to persevere within the face of disaster. —M.V.
The place to look at Parasyte: The Grey: Netflix
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Solid: Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun
18 of 23
Bodily: 100 (2023–current)
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Netflix
Bodily: 100 is for everybody who loves the technique and gameplay in Squid Sport however may do with much less loss of life and decrease stakes. It's a actuality present through which 100 bodybuilders and gymnasium rats compete in bodily challenges of stability, agility, endurance, technique, and willpower.
Gamers are eradicated after each problem till just one particular person stays and wins the grand prize of round $240,000. Two seasons of the extremely bingeable competitors are able to stream on Netflix, and it’s a favourite amongst Ok-pop idols, together with Jung Kook from BTS. —M.V.
The place to look at Bodily: 100: Netflix
Administrators: Leah Patterson, Jang Ho-gi
19 of 23
Squid Sport (2021–2025)
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Possibly whimsy isn't your factor and also you'd desire one thing that’s extra of a nail-biter — and one among Netflix's most-watched exhibits ever. Squid Sport stars Lee Jung-jae as a divorced dad with a playing downside who, together with a whole lot of others in equally dire monetary straits, will get invited to compete in a sequence of challenges for an opportunity at a debt-erasing fortune. The catch: The winner can also be the lone survivor. What follows is a darkly entertaining research of desperation, greed, and the human psyche, portray morality (and mortality) as a technique sport. —M.V.
The place to look at Squid Sport: Netflix
Administrators: Hwang Dong-hyuk, Kim Ji-yong
Solid: Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-ryoung
20 of 23
Candy Residence (2020–2024)
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Kim Jeong Received/Netflix
Primarily based on the Naver webtoon of the identical identify, Candy Residence is a fantasy-adventure sequence centering on Cha Hyun-su (Music Kang), an orphan who takes refuge in a dilapidated residence advanced after his whole household is killed in a automobile accident. When monsters start terrorizing town, Hyun-su and his outcast neighbors should come collectively to guard the one residence that they’ve left.
Candy Residence maintains the comedian guide really feel of its supply materials however carves out its personal live-action identification as a narrative about chosen households and overcoming loss. —M.V.
The place to look at Candy Residence: Netflix
Administrators: Lee Eung-bok, Park So-hyun, Jang Younger-woo
Solid: Music Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Park Gyu-young, Go Min-si, Kim Hee-jung
21 of 23
A Time Known as You (2023)
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Netflix
A Time Known as You marries romance and time journey when Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) unintentionally goes from 2023 to 1998 and wakes up as a unique particular person, Min-ju. Jun-hee is attempting to determine how the phenomenon occurred — and get again to her personal physique — when she meets Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop), who bears an uncanny resemblance to her deceased boyfriend.
Given all of the body-swapping and actors in twin roles, this isn’t a present you’ll be able to watch within the background, however that’s a robust level in its favor. A Time Known as You additionally concocts enjoyable twists on a handful of genres, taking part in with romance, sci-fi, and even homicide thriller. —M.V.
The place to look at A Time Known as You: Netflix
Director: Kim Jin-won
Solid: Ahn Hyo-seop, Jeon Yeo-been, Kang Hoon
22 of 23
Twenty 5 Twenty One (2022)
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Netflix
Twenty 5 Twenty One is a multi-generational story that begins in 2021 when Kim Min-chae (Choi Myung-bin) quits ballet and runs away to her grandmother's home. There, she discovers her mom Na Hee-do’s (Kim Tae-ri) diary from her teenage years as an aspiring fencer, detailing the primary love that modified her life.
Twenty 5 Twenty One has a whole lot of earmarks of a enjoyable highschool/school romance sequence, but it surely packs a heavier emotional punch than you'd count on (contemplate protecting tissues close by as Hee-do and Yi-Jin's story unfolds). Bonus: The sequence additionally options XO, Kitty star Choi Min-young. —M.V.
The place to look at Twenty 5 Twenty One: Netflix
Director: Jihyeon Jeong, Seung Ho Kim
Solid: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Ji-yeon, Choi Hyun-wook, Lee Joo-myung, Choi Min-young
23 of 23
When Life Offers You Tangerines (2025)
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Yoo Eun-mi/Netflix
In case you want your religion in love restored, look no additional than When Life Offers You Tangerines. A 16-episode Ok-drama launched in 2025, the sequence follows Gwan-sik and Ae-sun, a Korean couple whose love story begins within the Sixties. Unfolding throughout half a century, the couple’s relationship journey is instructed in 4 volumes, every of which corresponds with one of many seasons.
Park Bo-gum is superb because the dependable and charming Gwan-sik, but it surely’s Ok-pop star IU who steals the present in two roles, first as younger Ae-sun, and later as Geum-myeong, Gwan-sik and Ae-sun’s daughter. The sequence has been roundly praised for the actors’ performances, the technical manufacturing, and the bold scope of the challenge. —I.G.
The place to look at When Life Offers You Tangerines: Netflix
Director: Kim Received-seok
Solid: IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon
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