The GOLDEN AGE of Korean Dramas? Vote for the best year!
Which year over the past decade has produced the best Korean dramas overall. Remember, this is not to find the single best drama but the best year overall.
I've added the top rated/most popular Korean dramas from each year. Vote for all your favourites and we will see what year features most in the top twenty.
Let me know who you think the winner is in the comments. Feel free to add your favourite dramas from 2013-2023.
Note - I've added a couple from 2023, I will add more as they are released. The drama has to start airing in that year for it to count towards that year winning.
- Kim Shin was once an unbeatable general in Goryeo's military who died a tragic death. He now possesses immortality but is tired of living while everyone else around him dies. For 900 ...more
- 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 ...more
- 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 ...more
- Bok Joo is a weightlifter who is pursuing her dream of winning the gold medal but she then finds romance for the first time in her life. While she is a woman ...more
- Seo Jung Hoo is a special kind of night courier, known only as "Healer" by his clients. For the right price and with the help of a genius hacker, he gets his ...more
- A love story that develops between a surgeon and a special forces officer. Kang Mo Yeon is a pretty and assertive woman who works as a cardiothoracic surgeon at Haesung Hospital. She ...more
- Set in the 1990s, the drama centers around a female high school student Shi Won, who idolizes boyband H.O.T, and her 5 high school friends in Busan. As the timeline moves back ...more
- A TV series centered around the unfolding relationship between free and unpredictable yet dangerous Kim Moo Young, who is called a "monster". He is the first assistant in a Korean beer brewery ...more
- Joo Joong Won is the stingy and greedy CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate that includes a major department store and hotel. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong Shil, who started seeing ghosts ...more
- Nam Hong Ju, endowed with the ability to foresee events, resides with her widowed mother who runs a small restaurant. Despite her gift, she often finds herself powerless to change the outcomes. ...more
- Five childhood friends, who all live in the same Ssangmundong neighborhood of Seoul, lean on each other to survive their challenging teen years and set a path for their futures. Sung Deok ...more
- Kim Sa Bu was once a famous surgeon at the peak of his career at a major hospital. But he suddenly gives it all up one day to live in seclusion and ...more
- Despite being a bit of a prickly pear, Jang Jae Yeol has become famous for authoring mystery novels and for hosting a popular radio show. While sitting on a talk show panel ...more
- 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 ...more
- Do Min Joon is an alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty period. He possesses a near perfect appearance and enhanced physical abilities involving his vision, hearing ...more
- As the Joseon King succumbs to smallpox the rumors of his death begin. The Cho Clan, which is the clan of the pregnant Queen and her father, together with the the Chief ...more
- Jang Bong Hwan is a South Korean chef who has risen up the ranks to cook for the country’s top politicians in the Blue House’s presidential residences. After a serious accident, he ...more
- Jang Hye Sung, a bold, sassy, thick-faced, comical, and materialistic public defender who becomes a lawyer after overcoming poverty and painful memories from her childhood, comes to a realization about society and ...more
- Park Dong Hoon is a middle-aged engineer who is married to attorney Kang Yoon Hee. However, his life is not that happy as he has two unemployed brothers, Sang Hoon and Gi ...more
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20. Arthdal Chronicles Part 1: The Children of Prophecy
Korean Drama - 2019, 6 episodes445 points by 5 votersSet in the fictional land of Arthdal during ancient times (bronze age). Eun Seom was born with a fate to bring disaster to Arthdal, which leads him and his mother, who wants ...more - 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 ...more
- At the age of eight, Park Joo Hyeong left for Italy after being adopted. Now an adult, he is known as Vincenzo Cassano and employed by a Mafia family as a consigliere. ...more
- How can a mermaid from the Joseon era survive in modern society? Shim Chung is a mermaid who follows her one true love, a nobleman’s son named Kim Ryung from the Joseon ...more
- The series revolves around the narcissistic Lee Young Joon, the vice president of a company run by his family. He is very self-absorbed and thinks highly of himself, so much that he ...more
- Fifteen years ago, a young girl was kidnapped on the way from school, and Park Hae Yeong, who was an elementary school student at that time, witnessed the crime. A few days ...more
- Kim Je Ha is a former mercenary soldier known as “K2” who suddenly turns into a fugitive when he is wrongfully accused of killing his girlfriend while he is serving in Iraq. ...more
- Nestled deep in the heart of Seoul’s thriving downtown sits a curious hotel, the like of which no one has ever seen before. Old beyond measure, the building has stood for millennia, ...more
- This drama follows the lives of two men and a woman through two eras: one during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea and the other in the 21st century. The three main ...more
- What would you do if you found out that you were, in fact, a character in a comic? And an extra character on top of that? Change the course of the story, ...more
- Do Gi has lived more honestly than anyone else as an officer in the Special Forces. Yet, when a serial killer murders his mother, he spends his days in agony. While feeling ...more
- 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 ...more
- Although Baek Hui Seong 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 a doting ...more
- A coming of age story about young people in their twenties and the problems they face in university. Nam Soo Hyun and Yeo Joon, two boys with contrasting personalities, unexpectedly become friends ...more
- Kim Hae Il is a Catholic priest. He makes spiteful remarks, and he can be rude to others. Koo Dae Young is a detective. He talks a lot, and he is also ...more
- Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball player, is arrested after using excessive force while chasing a man trying to sexually assault his sister. Shockingly to him and the rest of the nation, ...more
- This is a drama about a girl, Go Dok Mi who is a shut-in Miss Lonelyhearts type, who spends her days spying on the man living in next building. She is caught ...more
- Can corporate politics turn a bad person into a good person? Kim Sung Ryong is a skilled accountant who works for gangsters. He makes his way into a company called TQ Group ...more
- As the leader of a crime investigation team, Han Tae Joo has propelled his career and risen through the ranks by trusting data over all else. One day, while investigating a serial ...more
- Mr. Sunshine centers on a young boy born into a house servant's family who travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea). He returns to his homeland ...more
- Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, 27-year-old Woo Young Woo graduated at the top of her class from the prestigious Seoul National University for both college and law school due to her high ...more
- A house-poor man and homeless woman become housemates in a drama that examines the institution of marriage and the problems that young people face today. Nam Se Hui is a single man ...more
- 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 ...more
- Yeon Shi Eun is a model student who ranks at the top of his high school. Physically, Yeon Shi Eun appears weak, but by using his wits and psychology, he fights against ...more
- Jang Geu Rae has played the game of Go since he was a child. When his plans of becoming a professional Go player fail, the down-and-out Geu Rae is forced to take ...more
- A “real doctor” story set in a small, humble hospital called Doldam Hospital. It is a story about people who meet Kim Sa Bu, a genius doctor, and discover “real romance.” Kim ...more
- Moon Gang Tae is a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who was blessed with everything including a great body, smarts, ability to sympathize with others, patience, ability to react quickly, ...more
- Yook Dong Shik is a 34-year-old office worker who is so weak and timid that he is used by everybody around him. After an incident, he becomes the scapegoat of his company, ...more
- 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. ...more
- About the preparation period of a major league baseball team. The drama focuses on a loser team that prepares for an extraordinary season upon the arrival of their new general manager, and ...more
- After a conflict with her boss, dentist Yoon Hye Jin escapes the city to a seaside village where she'd vacationed to before as a little girl. When she learns the village is ...more
- In 2017, Son Oh Gong and Ma Wang are in conflict with each other as they look for a true light in a dark world where evil thrives. Having made a contract ...more
- 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 ...more
- Is blood thicker than water? Kim Eun Hee, is about to find out. She is the middle child in a family that is slowly starting to drift apart. Her older sister is ...more
- A major accident takes the lives of 48 people. The lives of the survivors, those who lost loved ones and those connected to the parties blamed for the tragic event are also ...more
- Despite disbanding after Do Gi's successful revenge, the Rainbow Deluxe Taxi crew, including Seong Cheol, Go Eun, Gyeong Gu, and Jin Eon, can't resist the call to reunite with their former leader. ...more
- Do Bong Soon is a petite, unemployed woman who is honest and kind. She appears little and sweet on the outside, but she is in fact very, very strong. For generations in ...more
- This series tells the story of Kang Mi Rae, a girl once bullied for her looks. As a result, she became insecure, cautious around people and withdrawn. However, Mi Rae decides she ...more
- Han Seo Jin, Noh Seung Hye, Jin Jin Hee, and Lee Myung Joo all live with their families in SKY Castle, a luxury private neighborhood hosting wealthy doctors and professors. All of ...more
- Noh Ji Wook is a brainiac prosecutor and Eun Bong Hee is a rookie justice department intern, who always seems to find herself in the most unfortunate and embarrassing situations. Bong Hee ...more
- Cha Dal Gun becomes an awakened tiger in the face of his nephew’s death in a mysterious plane crash. As an orphan himself, he had raised his nephew singlehandedly in place of ...more
- A suspenseful story that asks the key question, “What if we could identify psychopaths in advance?” A crazed serial killer’s ruthless murders have left the entire nation gripped with fear, and chaos ...more
- After a failed business venture, the debt-ridden chauffeur Seong Gi Hun lives his life gambling away the money he mooches off his elderly mother while failing to provide for her and his ...more
- Eun Ha Won is in her third year of high school and dreams of becoming a teacher. Unattached from her father, stepmother, and stepsister and poorly treated by them, Ha Won still ...more
- As a young girl, Hye Jin was impossibly cute and lived a comfortable life with her wealthy parents. Since entering her teens, both her looks and fortunes have drastically changed. She currently ...more
- A dedicated professional, Seong Deok Mi lives for her work as an art gallery curator. Devoting herself to her work, she is exceptional in every way, save one. Beneath that cool, professional ...more
- A traumatic childhood experience leaves Cha Do Hyeon, suffering from memory loss and dissociation. The latter has resulted in the creation of seven distinct personalities. Wanting to regain control over his life, ...more
- Kim Tan is the heir to Empire Group who has been sent to study abroad in the U.S. In reality it's a form of exile, as his elder half-brother back home schemes ...more
- 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 ...more
- Years after filming a viral documentary in high school, two bickering ex-lovers get pulled back in front of the camera — and into each other's lives. Choi Woong seems naive and a ...more
- 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 ...more
- Lee Hwa Shin is a handsome anchor with notable journalistic talent, a well-to-do family and commendable education. He is also as fierce a competitor as one will find in the world of ...more
- 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 ...more
- 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 ...more
- The stories of people going through their days are seemingly ordinary but actually special at the hospital, a place known as the microcosm of life, where someone is being born and someone's ...more
- Two women, both named O Hae Yeong, find themselves constantly mixed up in each other’s lives because of their shared name. From confusion over boys and grades in high school to ending ...more
- Everyday is extraordinary for five doctors and their patients inside a hospital, where birth, death and everything in between coexist. (Source: Netflix)
- Set during the Donghak Peasant Revolution (1894-1895), two half-brothers find themselves on opposing sides of the conflict. Baek Yi Kang is the first son of a prominent family whose wealthy father is ...more
- 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 ...more
- The romantic comedy series “Shopping King Louie” revolves around a handsome shopaholic named Louis, who is the successor of a vast business empire but becomes homeless after suffering from amnesia. Meanwhile, Go ...more
- The residents of Hera Palace, a luxury penthouse apartment with 100 floors, have many secrets and hidden ambitions. Sim Su Ryeon, who was born into wealth, is the queen of the penthouse ...more
- Jung Da Jung and Hong Dae Young have been married for almost two decades, raising their twins together. Despite appearances, their life is far from ideal, filled with Dae Young's incessant nonsense. ...more
- 38-year-old married couple, Choi Ban Do and Ma Jin Joo, were in love when they got married but now, hate each other and regret marrying at such a young age. Choi Ban ...more
- Lee Ji Hoon and Choi Woo Seung are two childhood friends who also happen to be preparatory students for the civil service exam, although Ji Hoon has a secret dream to be ...more
- "Doctor John" is a medical drama centered on pain management specialists. It offers a unique perspective, treating the doctors' quest for the source of their patients' enigmatic pain as an exhilarating pursuit, ...more
- 3 Gongdan is a village where missing deceased people, including Kang Eun Sil and Oh Il Yong, stay. Meanwhile, Kim Wook, Jang Pan Seok, Lee Jong A, and Detective Shin Joon Ho ...more
- Realizing one of her students is being abused, school teacher and bird researcher Soo Jin impulsively kidnaps the girl and acts as a substitute mother in an attempt to take care of ...more
- A village holds the spirits of missing, deceased people. A search to find the missing bodies and discover the truth behind their disappearance occurs. Kim Wook is a smooth talker and a ...more
- Growing up in a wealthy family, Lee Jae In had the best of everything. As an adult he was smart, good looking, had a well-paying job, in short, it seemed like he ...more
- Choi Han Gyul is the grandson of chairwoman Bang of Dong-in Foods, a company that has a thriving coffee business. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. ...more
- Park Saeroyi's life has been turned upside down after he gets expelled from school for punching a bully and his father is killed in an accident. Following his father's steps, he opens ...more
- Can you still go after your dreams without the right background? Ko Dong Man has always dreamed of becoming famous as a taekwondo athlete but now works as a contract employee in ...more
- "True Beauty" is a romantic comedy about a high school girl, Lim Ju Gyeong, who rises to pretty girl fame after she masters the art of make-up from YouTube. She turns into ...more
- A fictional, historical drama about the ambition, rise and fall of real and fictional characters based around Yi Bang Won. Yi Bang Won was the third king of the Joseon Dynasty in ...more
- To combat rising violent crimes, the Police Chief asks Detective Oh Goo Tak to form a team consisting of criminals. Detective Oh Goo Tak is currently suspended from the police force for ...more
- 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 ...more
- Having returned to college after a year long break due to her family's poor background, Hong Seol, a hardworking over-achiever, inadvertently gets on the wrong side of her senior, Yoo Jung, who's ...more
- Cha Young Min is a genius doctor, with excelling skills at surgery, but he is arrogant and selfish. One day, he gets involved in an accident and due to this, his spirit ...more
- Yeo Mi Ran works as a novice lawyer at Gilmu Law Firm, a company that primarily serves the entertainment industry. She has no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship and detests losing ...more