South Korean culture is taking over the globe. FromParasite (2019) winning the Oscar for Best Picture toBTS topping charts around the world to the overwhelming popularity of juggernaut series likeSquid Game, Korean content is everywhere.

Below,Entertainment Weeklyexplores the best Korean shows on Netflix, including massive hits likeHellbound andExtraordinary Attorney Woo. This list has something for everyone, whether you’re looking for sweeping romances (Our Beloved Summer), teen dramas (Boys Over Flowers), or tense thrillers (Kingdom).

Here are the 23 best Korean shows on Netflix right now.

Crash Landing on You (2019–2020)

If you've ever been recommended a K-drama on Netflix, it was probablyCrash Landing on You.The series stars Son Ye-jin as South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri, who gets blown to the North Korean side of the DMZ by a tornado while paragliding. Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a North Korean military captain, discovers Se-ri and decides to hide her until he can figure out a way to get her back to her own country.

This show is the perfect K-drama starter because it includes so many of the genre’s signatures: fantastical story elements (a tornado, while paragliding!), sweeping romance, and silly/sweet melodrama.—M.V. 

Where to watchCrash Landing on You: Netflix

Directors: Kim Hee-won, Lee Jung-hyo

Cast:Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun

Delightfully Deceitful (2023)

Is it better to have too little empathy or too much? That’s one of the questions that drivesDelightfully Deceitful, a South Korean drama about Lee Ro-woom (Chun Woo-hee) — a gifted con artist who was wrongfully convicted of her parents’ murder — and Han Moo-young (Kim Dong-wook), her lawyer.

She is pathologically unable to empathize, and he struggles with being overly sensitive to the people around him. But with their powers combined, this duo is dangerous, and they're focusing their energy on seeking revenge. The story unfolds across 16 episodes, each about an hour long, and if you’re in the mood for a fun watch,Delightfully Deceitful will keep you on your toes.—Ilana Gordon

Where to watchDelightfully Deceitful: Netflix

Director:Lee Soo-hyun

Cast:Chun Woo-hee, Kim Dong-wook

D.P. (2021–2023)

D.P.(Deserter Pursuit) is a pulse-quickening action series that takes a hard look at South Korea’s mandatory military service. Private Ahn Joon-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Corporal Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) are tasked with finding deserters but end up discovering a lot more about the bullying and hazing that causes soldiers to abandon their duties.

Season 2 transitions to the perspective of senior officers, turning an eye towards corruption, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and how much responsibility the military bears for unsanctioned violence within its ranks. It's a tough but riveting watch that asks thorny questions with complicated answers.—M.V. 

Where to watchD.P.: Netflix

Director:Han Jun-hee

Cast:Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, Son Suk-ku

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

If the whimsy ofCrash Landing on You catches your interest, you should take a look atExtraordinary Attorney Woo. Park Eun-bin stars as Woo Young-woo, an autistic attorney hired by a major law firm in Seoul. Young-woo’s experience on the spectrum gives her a unique perspective when preparing for cases, but her legal career gets complicated by emerging family secrets and even a chance at love.

The show is in a similar vein to American series likeMonkorThe Good Doctor— which was itself a remake of a K-drama — in which a misunderstood protagonist’s specific disorder gives them a unique problem-solving genius.—M.V.

Where to watchExtraordinary Attorney Woo: Netflix

Director:Yu In-sik

Cast:Park Eun-bin, Kang Tae-oh, Kang Ki-young, Jeon Bae-soo, Jin Kyung, Ha Yoon-kyung, Joo Jong-hyuk, Joo Hyun-young

Hellbound (2021–2024)

If you're here for creepy content, you needHellbound on your list. One of EW's best horror series on Netflix, it "explores how the unwanted entry of the divine into everyday life can become not miraculous but horrifying." That unwelcome entity is an “angel” who lets certain people know they’re going to hell, followed by a trio of supernatural thugs making that fate a reality in a savage, bloody fashion.

The show isn’t so much about higher power but human naturein the face of a higher power, unpacking belief, factionalism, and moral conflict while grappling with existential questions (plus plenty of gore, of course).—M.V.

Where to watchHellbound: Netflix

Director:Yeon Sang-ho

Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah, Yang Ik-june

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Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

If you love the idea of an ambitious city gal finding small-town romance when her metropolitan life implodes, step right up forHometown Cha-Cha-Cha. This adorable romance spent 16 weeks in Netflix's global top 10 when it debuted, following a dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) to the seaside village of Gongjin after her life in the city falls apart.

There, she sets up a new practice in the community and picks up a romance with local fisherman and handyman Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho) while also embedding herself with the eccentric citizens. This is a feel-good small-town transplant rom-com for when you need a lighthearted pick-me-up.—M.V. 

Where to watchHometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Netflix

Director:Je Won Yu

Cast:Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

It's Okay to Not Be Okay earned an International Emmy nomination for Best TV Movie or Miniseries, thanks in part to its moving portrait of healthcare workers. It centers on Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji), a children’s book writer with antisocial personality disorder, as she moves back to her hometown to pursue a relationship with Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), an employee at a psych ward and the sole caretaker of his autistic older brother.

In simple terms, it’s a story about vulnerability and healing old wounds, but what makes it stand out is the way it destigmatizes the reality of mental illness.—M.V. 

Where to watchIt's Okay to Not Be Okay: Netflix

Director:Park Shin-woo

Cast:Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Ye-ji, Oh Jung-se, Park Gyu-young

A Killer Paradox (2024)

Parasite's Choi Woo-shik scores another show on this list withA Killer Paradox. He plays Lee Tang, a convenience store worker who discovers he has a knack for taking out bad guys after accidentally murdering a serial killer during a robbery gone wrong. Meanwhile, Son Suk-ku (D.P.) plays the dogged detective who is on to Tang's murderous game.

This "well-constructed, devious little thriller" definitely givesDexter vibes and shines because of its great writing — and because it isn’t afraid to hang out in the moral gray area.—M.V. 

Where to watch:A Killer Paradox: Netflix

Director:Chang-hee Lee

Cast:Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku, Lee Hee-joon, Hyun Bong-sik

Kingdom (2019–2021)

Set in the 17th century three years after the Japanese invasion of Korea,Kingdom is an epic period piece that’s equal parts political thriller and zombie horror. Crown Prince Lee Chang and his staff discover a mysterious plague is taking over the countryside as a conspiracy threatens his path to the throne. With the help of his loyal aides, the prince must find a way to stop the virus from spreading while also protecting their seats of power.

Things get messy and deadly from there, as hordes of the undead descend on the land. At this point, it’s hard to make a zombie show that feels original, butKingdom passes that test by throwing sword-fighting and royal intrigue into the mix (The Walking Dead could never).—M.V.

Where to watchKingdom: Netflix

Directors:Kim Seong-hun, Park In-je

Cast:Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sung-kyu, Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Hye-jun, Kim Sang-ho

Little Women (2022)

If you’re here for a South Korean take on the classic novel byLouisa May Alcott, you may be surprised when you tune in. ThisLittle Women is still about sisterhood, but in the form of a dark thriller. Things turn deadly when the three Oh girls become entangled in a case of a missing 70 billion won ($72.5 million) that pits them against the wealthiest family in Korea. The sisters have to band together to stay alive, find out what happened to the money, and attempt to build a better life for themselves.

There are clear thematic similarities to the series' namesake novel, but it’s a wild reinvention of the material. This is the K-drama for people who thought the original Alcott story could’ve used a bit more murder and corporate intrigue.—M.V.

Where to watchLittle Women: Netflix

Director:Kim Hee-won

Cast:Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hu

Mr. Sunshine (2018)

Mr. Sunshine follows Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun), who was born an enslaved person during 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 gets further complicated when Eugene discovers Japan's plans to colonize Korea. Now, he must pick up arms to defend the country that previously looked down upon him.

Mr. Sunshine is one of the most ambitious K-dramas Netflix has to offer, a complicated study of identity that also takes its military intrigue — and its romance — seriously.—M.V.

Where to watchMr. Sunshine: Netflix

Directors: Lee Eung-bok, Jihyeon Jeong, Jang Young-woo

Cast:Lee Byung-hun, Kim Tae-ri, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Min-jung, Byun Yo-han

Our Beloved Summer (2021–2022)

Are you feeling a bit nostalgic for your first love? One show that might scratch that particular itch isOur Beloved Summer, about an estranged couple forced back into each other's lives when the documentary they made 10 years ago in high school suddenly goes viral.

The wistful coming-of-age story featuresParasite alum Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi as the central couple. This is the show you put on when you're studying for your degree in yearnalism. —M.V.

Where to watchOur Beloved Summer: Netflix

Director:Kim Yoon-jin

Cast:Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi, Kim Sung-cheol, Roh Jeong-eui

Our Unwritten Seoul (2025)

A South Korean limited drama series,Our Unwritten Seoul is the story of identical twin sisters who secretly swap places. Yoo Mi-ji and Yoo Mi-rae (both played by actress Park Bo-young) are complete opposites: Yoo Mi-ji is a free-spirited former athlete whose Olympic chances were dashed after she suffered an injury, and Yoo Mi-rae is a focused academic struggling with interpersonal issues at her corporate job. A coming-of-age series about how walking in other people’s shoes can teach us lessons about our own lives,Our Unwritten Seoulis a sweet and empowering binge.—I.G.

Where to watchOur Unwritten Seoul: Netflix

Director:Park Shin-woo

Cast:Park Bo-young, Park Jin-young, Ryu Kyung-soo

Parasyte: The Grey (2024–present)

Things get gruesome inParasyte: The Grey, which adapts Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga about a parasite that infects and kills humans before turning their heads into grotesque amalgamations. Jeong Su-in (Jeon So-nee) develops a "unique relationship" with the specimen who fails to control her.

EW’s writer promises that this series "should certainly satisfy," fans of body horror, but there are other rewarding themes as well, namely humanity's ability to persevere in the face of crisis.—M.V. 

Where to watchParasyte: The Grey: Netflix

Director:Yeon Sang-ho

Cast:Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun

Physical: 100 (2023–present)

Physical: 100 is for everyone who loves the strategy and gameplay inSquid Game but could do with less death and lower stakes. It's a reality show in which 100 bodybuilders and gym rats compete in physical challenges of balance, agility, endurance, strategy, and willpower.

Players are eliminated after every challenge until only one person remains and wins the grand prize of around $240,000. Two seasons of the highly bingeable competition are ready to stream on Netflix, and it’s a favorite among K-pop idols, including Jung Kook from BTS. —M.V.

Where to watchPhysical: 100: Netflix 

Directors:Leah Patterson, Jang Ho-gi

Squid Game (2021–2025)

Maybe whimsy isn't your thing and you'd prefer something that’s more of a nail-biter — and one of Netflix's most-watched shows ever.Squid Game starsLee Jung-jae as a divorced dad with a gambling problem who, along with hundreds of others in similarly dire financial straits, gets invited to compete in a series of challenges for a chance at a debt-erasing fortune. The catch: The winner is also the lone survivor. What follows is a darkly entertaining study of desperation, greed, and the human psyche, painting morality (and mortality) as a strategy game.—M.V.

Where to watchSquid Game: Netflix

Directors:Hwang Dong-hyuk, Kim Ji-yong

Cast:Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, Kim Joo-ryoung

Sweet Home (2020–2024)

Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name,Sweet Home is a fantasy-adventure series centering on Cha Hyun-su (Song Kang), an orphan who takes refuge in a dilapidated apartment complex after his entire family is killed in a car accident. When monsters begin terrorizing the city, Hyun-su and his outcast neighbors must come together to protect the only home that they have left.

Sweet Home maintains the comic book feel of its source material but carves out its own live-action identity as a story about chosen families and overcoming loss. —M.V.

Where to watchSweet Home: Netflix

Directors: Lee Eung-bok, Park So-hyun, Jang Young-woo

Cast:Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, Lee Si-young, Park Gyu-young, Go Min-si, Kim Hee-jung

A Time Called You (2023)

A Time Called You marries romance and time travel when Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) accidentally goes from 2023 to 1998 and wakes up as a different person, Min-ju. Jun-hee is trying to figure out how the phenomenon happened — and get back to her own body — when she meets Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop), who bears an uncanny resemblance to her deceased boyfriend.

Given all the body-swapping and actors in dual roles, this is not a show you can watch in the background, but that’s a strong point in its favor.A Time Called Youalso concocts fun twists on a handful of genres, playing with romance, sci-fi, and even murder mystery.—M.V.

Where to watchA Time Called You: Netflix

Director:Kim Jin-won

Cast:Ahn Hyo-seop, Jeon Yeo-been, Kang Hoon

Twenty Five Twenty One (2022)

Twenty Five Twenty One is a multi-generational story that starts in 2021 when Kim Min-chae (Choi Myung-bin) quits ballet and runs away to her grandmother's house. There, she discovers her mother Na Hee-do’s (Kim Tae-ri) diary from her teenage years as an aspiring fencer, detailing the first love that changed her life.

Twenty Five Twenty One has a lot of earmarks of a fun high school/college romance series, but it packs a heavier emotional punch than you'd expect (consider keeping tissues nearby as Hee-do and Yi-Jin's story unfolds). Bonus: The series also featuresXO, Kitty star Choi Min-young.—M.V.

Where to watchTwenty Five Twenty One: Netflix

Director:Jihyeon Jeong, Seung Ho Kim

Cast:Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Ji-yeon, Choi Hyun-wook, Lee Joo-myung, Choi Min-young

When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)

If you need your faith in love restored, look no further thanWhen Life Gives You Tangerines. A 16-episode K-drama released in 2025, the series follows Gwan-sik and Ae-sun, a Korean couple whose love story begins in the 1960s. Unfolding across half a century, the couple’s relationship journey is told in four volumes, each of which corresponds with one of the seasons.

Park Bo-gum is excellent as the reliable and charming Gwan-sik, but it’s K-pop star IU who steals the show in two roles, first as young Ae-sun, and later as Geum-myeong, Gwan-sik and Ae-sun’s daughter. The series has been roundly praised for the actors’ performances, the technical production, and the ambitious scope of the project.—I.G.

Where to watch WhenLife Gives You Tangerines: Netflix

Director: Kim Won-seok

Cast:IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon