30 Best Korean dramas

The story takes place at the beginning of the 19th century. Goo Hae Ryung is an intern to become a palace historian. However, it was not acceptable for women to write historical records at that time. She takes one step at a time to create her own destiny in Joseon, where Confucian ideas are deeply rooted. She wants to fulfill her duties as a historian and prove to the world that everyone is equal. Along with the fight of the female palace historians, the drama will tell about her romance with Prince Yi Rim who has a secret of his own. (Source: Koreandrama.org)

When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Go Ha Jin is transported back in time to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea during King Taejo's rule. She wakes up in the body of the 16-year-old Hae Soo and finds herself living in the house of the 8th Prince Wang Wook, who is married to Hae Soo's cousin. She soon befriends several of the princes and meets the ostracized 4th Prince, Wang So. Although knowing she should not get involved in palace intrigues over the succession to the throne, she inadvertently becomes a pawn in the struggle, as several of the Princes fall in love with her. (Source: MyDramaList)

The mythical nine-tailed fox, or gumiho, Lee Yeon had to settle in the city many centuries ago. Able to transform into human form, he eradicates supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world. His real aim is to find the reincarnation of his lost first love. The talented television producer Nam Ji Ah works on a show that features urban myths. In the past, her parents were involved in a mysterious car accident and disappeared, and she suspects that Lee Yeon might be connected with this accident. The half-brother to Lee Yeon is the captivating Lee Rang. Despite being half-human himself, he harbors a deep-seated contempt for all people. For sport, he will unleash his seductive prowess upon his human-du-jour by promising to grant them their wishes, only to trick them into paying a hefty price for their earthly desires. (Source: Lee Cox at MyDramaList )

An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who's come looking for him. Han Tae Sul, a co-founder of Quantum and Time, is a genius engineer with the highest level of coding skills and outstanding looks that outweighs his engineer fashion sense. Due to his innovative achievements, Quantum and Time is a world-class company, dubbed as "The Miracle of South Korea's Engineering Industry." In reality, Tae Sul has constantly caused his company's stocks to fluctuate after his brother's death ten years ago. One day, he witnesses something unbelievable. To reach the truth, he sets off on a dangerous journey. Kang Seo Hae is a survivor of a future dystopian world. With the survival skills that she's learned from living amongst gangsters and warlords, she travels back to save Han Tae Sul. (Source: Netflix, Newsen)

Oh Sung Moo, the father of cardiothoracic surgeon Oh Yeon Joo, mysteriously goes missing while writing the last chapter of his webtoon "W". Yeon Joo goes to his office looking, but a hand from his monitor suddenly pulls her in, and she finds herself on the rooftop of a building, next to a bloodied man. She manages to save the person, only to realize that he is Kang Cheol, the main character of her father's webtoon. Yeon Joo later discovers she can only enter and leave the webtoon depending on Kang Cheol's feelings. (Source: MyDramaList)

To protect herself and her family, Hong Ra On disguises herself as a man and counsels men on dating. Due to a love letter she wrote for a client, she meets Crown Prince Hyo Myung. Ra On is unaware that he is the Crown Prince, and Hyo Myung is unaware that Ra On is a woman. Soon after Ra On is forced to become a eunuch by loan sharks, and the Crown Prince and Ra On become interested in each other. As Ra On tries to survive the palace and the Crown Prince navigates his journey to become king, will their love prosper? (Source: MyDramaList

Set in one of the world’s most advanced tech sector, “Start Up” tells the tale of the razor-thin margins between ultimate success and abject failure. The story takes place in the fictional Sandbox Company, where the journey of four unique people is told. After a revolving door of unfulfilling retail jobs, Seo Dal Mi is unsatisfied with the current trajectory of her life. Her soul longs for a grand adventure that sees her at the top and managing her own company. Although she does not have much to offer, she has big dreams, red hot ambition, and the soul of a pioneer. A constant source of his family's pride as a child, Nam Do San as an adult is the founder of Sam San Tech, a fledgling start-up company that is looking to transition into bigger endeavors. But a vague dream and limited ambition see his company flounder. Unknown to him, the tailwinds of fate has begun to fill up SST's sails. Han Ji Pyeong, a man who does not want to owe anyone anything, owes a large debt to one special person who helped him greatly in the past. His role in the start-up world sees him as Judge, Jury, and Executioner, as his pragmatic advice sees the futures of start-ups either rise into greatness or fall into obscurity. Tired of doing all the work, but seeing the credit go to someone else, Won In Jae yearns to prove herself in a male-dominated industry, as a capable woman who can succeed without the advantages her privileged childhood has given her. (Source: Kimsamsoom at MyDramaList)

Set in a fictional country called Daeho that does not exist in history or on maps, it is about the love and growth of young mages as they overcome their twisted fates due to a forbidden magic spell known as the "alchemy of souls", which allows souls to switch bodies. It follows the story of an elite assassin named Naksu, whose soul is accidentally trapped inside the weak body of Mu Deok—Jang Uk's servant from a powerful and noble mage family in the country. The young master of the Jang Family, Jang Uk, holds a dark secret about his scandalous birth. He wants the formidable assassin to help change his destiny. (Source: Soompi; The Korea Herald)

The drama tells of an android called Nam Shin III who must pretend to be the son of a rich family when the real Nam Shin falls into a coma. Nam Shin's mother, Oh Ro Ra, is a genius at brain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) so when her son, the real Nam Shin, is taken away from her at a young age, in her grief she creates an android that looks exactly like her son and has it grow up in the place of Nam Shin. But when Nam Shin, who is a third generation heir to PK group, gets in an accident and is comatose, the android Nam Shin III must learn how to take his place. (Source: AJ at MyDramaList)

The idealistic Choi In Ha has her work cut out for her when she becomes a broadcast reporter, especially when she suffers from a condition known as “Pinocchio syndrome,” which makes her break out into hiccups whenever she tells a lie. Her rookie colleagues include Choi Dal Po, whose shabby appearance masks his true eloquence and sharp memory; Seo Bum Jo, a wealthy heir who has had everything handed to him in life; and Yoon Yoo Rae, whose fangirl knowledge comes in handy in covering the news. The 20-something newbie reporters pursue justice as they try to discover themselves in the process. (Source: SBS World YouTube)

Growing up an ordinary country blacksmith, Lee Soo had no idea he would ever rule all of Joseon; but, at the age of twenty-three, that’s exactly what happened. Now as king, Lee Soo is finding it hard to adapt to the restrictions of palace life, especially where matters of the heart are concerned. Having loved Gae Ddong for as long as he can remember, he always thought she would be the one he would someday marry; but now, as king, that dream has become nothing short of impossible. As a commoner, Lee Soo has no chance of making Gae Ddong his bride but that doesn’t stop him from trying. Hiring the best matchmaking agency in Joseon, Lee Soo asks the talented Flower Crew to transform his first love into a noblewoman. Accepting the king’s request, Ma Hoon, Do Joon and Go Young Soo take Gae Ddong into their care. There’s just one problem, transformations like this aren’t easy and there’s a lot of work to do! Risking their lives to help the king, can the Flower Crew help Gae Ddong blossom into a beautiful noble flower or will this job prove to be impossible? (Source: Viki)

After getting into a paragliding accident, South Korean heiress Yoon Se Ri crash lands in North Korea. There, she meets North Korean army officer Ri Jung Hyuk, who agrees to help her return to South Korea. Despite the tension between their countries, the two of them start falling for one another. (Source: queen of repressed rage at MyDramaList)

Heo Im, who is born in a concubine family in the Joseon era and has very outstanding medical skills, is frustrated about his career as he fails to climb to higher positions in the government because of his background. By accident, he travels through time to modern Seoul 400 years later and meets modern doctor Yeon Gyung. Thinking that Heo Im is weird, she hopes to get rid of Heo Im but instead, they travel back to Joseon together again. (Source: tvN Asia)

Although Baek Hee Sung is hiding a dark secret surrounding his true identity, he has established a happy family life and a successful career. He is a loving husband and doting father to his young daughter. But his perfect façade begins to crumble when his wife, Cha Ji Won, a homicide detective, begins investigating a string of serial murders from 15 years ago. Ji Won notices changes in Hee Sung’s behavior and begins to wonder if he could possibly be hiding something from her. (Source: MyDramaList)

Kim Sul Woo is a mysterious National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent whose identity is known only by a few superiors at the top of the agency. As a highly skilled and suave agent, he can accomplish any and every mission he is assigned. When a large conglomerate, Songsan Group, is identified as a threat to the country, Sul Woo needs to go undercover again. One day, he is ordered to infiltrate a private party held by Chairman Victor, a Russian oil tycoon, and extract the legendary wood carvings hidden in the compound. However, his best cover is to get himself attached to world star Yeo Woon Guang as his elite bodyguard, and so begins a whole new unexpected mission for Sul Woo. Woon Guang was a nameless stuntman who became a top star through unexpected good fortune after starring in a Hollywood hero series called, "Dark Death." He is in his forties and now specializes in acting as a villain. The often childlike Woon Guang is constantly involved in some scandal, and despite his occasional innocence, the world star is conceited and brash. He bullies Sul Woo, who panders to his every whim. Meanwhile, Sul Woo is preparing for his secret mission. Unfortunately, he also has to deal with Cha Do Ha, Woon Guang's manager, who used to be the head of his fan club and is enamored with the celebrity. She is wary of Sul Woo and anxious that Woon Guang may be interested in him, so she constantly gets in Sul Woo's way. While the secret mission must be completed, the seemingly perfect bodyguard and the world star's fan manager continue to collide, and their relationship may be something Sul Woo could not have expected. (Source: JTBC)

High school student Yoon Ah Yi finances herself and her younger sister by working part-time jobs. She doesn't know where her parents are. Debt collectors drove her father away from home—and then her mother fled too. But even with her poor financial circumstances, Yoon Ah Yi manages to rank near the top of her school academically. Yoon Ah Yi wants to become an adult as soon as possible to have a stable job. Her classmate Na Il Deung competes with Yoon Ah Yi for the top grade, but they begin to have feelings for each other. One day, Yoon Ah Yi meets magician Lee Eul at an abandoned amusement park. He performs magic shows for people who believe in magic. He is a mysterious person; he comforts Yoon Ah Yi, who tells him that she believes in magic. (Source: AsianWiki || Edited by MyDramaList)

In a time when dreams seem out of reach, a teen fencer pursues big ambitions and meets a hardworking young man who seeks to rebuild his life. Na Hee Do is a member of her high school fencing team. Due to the South Korean financial crisis, the high school fencing team gets disbanded. Getting through all the difficulties, she becomes a member of the national fencing team. The South Korean financial crisis also causes Baek Yi Jin’s father's business to go bankrupt. This leads to a life change for Baek Yi Jin, from living the life of a wealthy person to a poor person. While studying, he works part-time jobs like delivering newspapers. Later, he becomes a sports reporter for a broadcasting network. (Source: Netflix, AsianWiki)

It tells the story of demon hunters called Counters who come to earth under the guise of being employees at a noodle restaurant in order to capture evil spirits that have returned to earth in pursuit of eternal life. So Moon is the youngest of the Counters. After suffering from a mysterious car accident as a child, he eventually becomes a central figure among the Counters. Do Ha Na has the ability to sense the locations of evil spirits, even those that are hundreds of kilometers away. She can also read the memories of others through touch and works with So Moon to do away with evil spirits. Ga Mo Tak is a Counter with incredible strength. He’s a former police officer who lost his memory seven years ago after an accident and is unable to stand idle in the face of injustice. Ga Mo Tak is also So Moon’s mentor. Chu Mae Ok is a Counter with healing abilities. Outwardly, she’s the chef of the noodle restaurant, but among the Counters, she is the emotional pillar of the group. Choi Jang Mool is the oldest Counter. He’s in charge of all of the Counters’ expenses, and he is a living legend among the Counters in Korea. (Source: Soompi)

Kim Min Kyu is the largest shareholder of a financial company. He suffers from a "human allergy", preventing him from normal interactions with other people. He becomes interested in a robotic project named Aji-3 created by the Santa Maria robotic team. The team is headed by Hong Baek Gyun, inventor of Aji-3 and world-renowned robotics professor. He modeled Aji-3 after his ex-girlfriend, Jo Ji Ah, a struggling inventor that also works as a personal shopper to make ends meet. Just when Kim Min Kyu wants to test the robot, an accident causes the malfunction of the robot's battery. Hong Baek Gyun begs Jo Ji Ah to take the place of Aji-3 and pretend to be the robot so they can get funding from Kim Min Kyu. But, Aji-3 becomes the closest thing that the lonely Min Kyu has to real contact with another person. (Source: MyDramaList

A secret royal inspector uncovers corruption and then ensures its perpetrators face justice. He cannot reveal himself or his intentions. Ra Yi Eon wanted to open up a dumpling stall outside the capital. What he had not planned on was taking and passing the state examination! Now an official in the Office of Special Advisors, the requests to carry out covert missions are aplenty. Kim Jo Yi is a woman well ahead of her time due to her unorthodox views on divorce. In the Joseon era, she finds the notion of any woman suffering in silence during her marriage intolerable. She wholeheartedly and passionately is in support of divorce. And small wonder! She is awaiting the envisioned happiness that cutting ties with her spouse will bring. Up for an adventure, Jo Yi convinces Yi Eon to let her tag along on his first official investigation in the provinces. Together they can expose wrongdoing and wipe out corruption. Which one will recognize the guilty parties hiding in plain sight? (Source: CJ ENM)

Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Yong acted as a hooligan in the marketplace by day but at night he was a thief who robbed corrupted government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery, he left behind a painting depicting a plum tree branch to make his mark and was thus named Iljimae. His main purpose was not so much to rob but to search for the owner of a specially designed sword which he saw as a child was used to kill his father, a loyal subject of the emperor. Eun Chae is a government official's daughter who despite her upbringing has a lot of empathy toward the poor. She met Iljimae by chance and couldn't help admiring him for what he stood for even though she had never seen his face

Lee Gon is the third Korean emperor of his generation. His citizens regard him as the perfect leader. But behind this flawless appearance, hides a deep wound. When he was eight years old, his father was murdered before his eyes following a coup. Today, instead of respecting his filial duty, he prefers to escape the palace to attend university conferences. During one of his escapades, he sees himself propelled into a parallel world where he meets Jeong Tae Eul, an inspector with whom he teams up with to defeat the criminals but also close the door between their two worlds. (Source: Yumiko777.eklablog

Mok Sol Hee is a young woman with an extraordinary and supernatural ability: she is able to “hear” other people’s lies, no matter how hard they try to obfuscate the truth. But this superpower has left her jaded: She no longer has any faith in other people, and now considers them all to be morally bankrupt. But that all changes when she meets a successful music producer named Kim Do Ha. Kim Do Ha has become embroiled in a murder case, and has gone into hiding…in the residence next door to Mok Sol Hee. The producer’s closest friend Jo Deuk Chan, the head of the talent agency J Entertainment, is the only person who knows Kim Do Ha’s secret. But Mok Sol Hee is in for a shock when she realizes that her new neighbor appears to be the only person in the world her superpower does not work on. She becomes drawn to this mystery man—but will she ever learn the deepest secrets of his heart? (Source: Viki)

Bong Ye Bun works as a veterinarian in a peaceful, crime-free rural village. She also possesses a psychometry superpower. When she touches the rear end of a person or animal, she is able to see into their past. Moon Jang Yeol was a hotshot detective on the violent crimes team in Seoul, but he was demoted to the small police station in Mujin. In an effort to obtain his transfer back to Seoul, he begins working with Ye Bun on small cases in Mujin when a serial murder case arises. Meanwhile, new arrival Kim Seon Woo works part-time at a convenience store in the village. He has a naive smile and treats other people with kindness, but he is also a mysterious figure. (Source: Asian Wiki; edited by MyDramaList)

The names of just a few Hwarangs are recorded in history. Not many people these days truly know about Hwarangs. How did they start? How did beautiful looking young men become at the center of unifying old Korea's Three Kingdoms? To these countless questions, we look forward to finding the answers. Let's imagine how life must have been for young people of Silla back in the 6th century. Let us tell you a story about their friendships and love. (Source: KBS Wold

Once a member of the National Judo Team, On Ma Eum’s entire life revolved around the sport. But when a tough match leaves her with a torn ankle ligament, she’s forced to watch as all of her dreams of continuing in the sport crumble around her. With her career as a professional judoka now entirely over, Ma Eum must find a way to pick herself up and move on. Without any sort of dream to drive her, Ma Eum isn’t really sure what to do next. Taking her first non-sports-related job working in a webtoon editorial department, Ma Eum finds it difficult to adjust. Unable to relate to her co-workers, Ma Eum has trouble fitting in as her life as an athlete has left her a little rough around the edges. Beyond that, the work she’s been assigned just isn’t what she’s used to. Struggling to adapt to her new life, Ma Eum wonders if she’ll ever find a way to be happy again. Fortunately, with the passing of time and a little help from her co-workers, Koo Jun Yeong and Seok Jin Hyung, Ma Eum begins to find herself slowly settling into her new life. As the struggles in her life begin to dissipate, Ma Eum finds herself reaching for a new dream. The only question is, will she have the strength she needs to turn that dream into a reality? (Source: Viki)

Kim Yeong Ho is a personal trainer for Hollywood stars. He reluctantly comes back to Korea to face his family after a scandal with an actress. Even though he comes from a wealthy family background, he suffered a devastating injury during his childhood days. Now, he overcomes his problems with living a healthy lifestyle. Kang Joo Eun is a 33-year-old lawyer who was once the beauty of her school, nicknamed "Daegu's Venus". Over the years she has become overweight and unhealthy. She gets dumped by her boyfriend of 15 years. Kang Joo Eun meets Kim Yeong Ho, who agrees to be her personal trainer to help her get healthier. As they work on her physical transformation, they both discover they have feelings for each other. As they grow closer, they heal each other's emotional wounds and fall in love.( Source Mydramalist)

A coming-of-age story that captures the spirit, challenges and passion of youth as two students at the Korean National Police University experience life's charms and traumas whilst trying to become full-fledged cops. From bridging generation gaps with harmony to finding their own romance on campus, two very different students work to achieve their dreams and aspirations in the line of duty. (Source: Disney+)

Cha Eun Ho is a successful and handsome writer who is also the youngest chief editor at a publishing company. He has a calm demeanor and remains reasonable at work. He then becomes involved in the life of his childhood friend, Kang Dan Yi who was once a popular copywriter. She is now divorced, a single mother, unemployed and struggling in life though still attempts to find a job, but even with her once good career, she cannot. However, in a desperate attempt to find a job, she lies about her background and begins to work as a temporary worker in the same building under none other than Cha Eun Ho. As they become involved in each other’s life more than often, a love story begins to unfold. (Source: AJ at MyDramaList)

Jung Saet Byul is a 22-year-old, beautiful four-dimensional girl with amazing fighting skills, loves her friends, family, and retro fashion. Although boys are lining up to date her, she only looks at Choi Dae Hyun, a handsome convenience store owner. Three years ago, he became imprinted upon her as an 'unforgettable person' after a cigarette errand. Flash forward to the present; Jung Saet Byul applies for a part-time position at Choi Dae Hyun's convenience store. There their love story begins as they heal the wounds of the heart, gain love, and become adults dreaming of the future. (Source: SBS)