Top 10 Best Korean Drama Series on Netflix Right Now

Korean Dramas. Photo: KnowInsiders

The K-drama world has had a record-breaking start to 2022, from a first-ever Golden Globe win (in addition to first-ever nominations), to historic Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations for Squid Game—the runaway hit Netflix show.

Since Korean entertainment became a worldwide phenomenon, there have been more and more dramas and movies to check out, actors to fall in love with, and articles urging you to watch the latest Korean hit.

List of Top 10 Best Korean Drama Series on Netflix Right Now?

1. All of Us are Dead

2. Business Proposal

3. Vincenzo

4. Twenty-Five Twenty-One

5. Ghost Doctor

6. Hellbound

7. Thirty-Nine

8. Mr. Sunshine

9. Rookie Cops

10. Squid Game

What Are the Best Korean Drama Series on Netflix Right Now?

1. All of Us are Dead

Photo: O Vício

Overall number in top 10s: #1

Total Hours Viewed in 2022: 536,390,000

South Korea has excelled at the zombie horror titles over the past decade, which has seen some incredible releases such as Train to Busan, Rampant, Kingdom, and Alive. Thanks to the aforementioned titles it was a no-brainer that All of Us Are Dead would be wildly popular with Netflix subscribers.

While the series didn’t generate the same amount of views as Squid Game, over 500 million hours viewed is nothing to scoff at.

2. Business Proposal

Photo: OtakuKart

Based off the popular webcomic The Office Blind Date, this workplace drama stars The Uncanny Counter's Kim Se-jeong and Lover of the Red Sky's Ahn Hyo Seop. After agreeing to go on a blind date pretending to be her wealthy friend, Shin Ha-ri (Kim) discovers that the date is with the CEO of her company, Kang Tae-mu (Ahn). The following day, Kang proposes.

3. Vincenzo

Photo: Musings of Lovely

In Vincenzo, Song Joong-ki plays a Korean man who was adopted by an Italian family as a child and raised in Italy as part of a mafia family. After his adoptive father dies, the man’s biological son attempts to kill Vincenzo, leading him to flee back to Seoul, South Korea, where he has a stash of gold hidden under an old apartment building. Unfortunately, Vincenzo has no easy access to the gold unless he tears down the building, and there’s a community of people who live there.

At the same time, a corrupt business called Babel Group illegally takes over the building, leading Vincenzo to team up with the talented, strong-willed lawyer, Hong Cha-young, played by Jeon Yeo-bin, who wants to take down the company for personal reasons. Vincenzo is part action, part drama, and part romance, and altogether a can’t-miss show.

4. Twenty-Five Twenty-One

Photo: Netflix

Missing the good ol’ 90s depicted in the Reply series? You can get a taste of the 90s charm through Twenty-Five Twenty-One! Set in 1998, this best 2022 Korean drama tells the bittersweet story of Na Hee Do and Baek Yi Jin, who find themselves in new directions after their lives were turned upside down by the South Korean financial crisis.

Na Hee Do (Kim Tae Ri) is a member of her high school fencing team. Due to the financial crisis, her team gets disbanded and she has to brave through numerous obstacles to achieve her fencing dreams. Meanwhile, Baek Yi Jin (Nam Joo Hyuk) is a wealthy boy whose family falls apart when his father’s business goes bankrupt during the same financial crisis. Learning to adapt to his new situation, Yi Jin takes up several odd jobs and grows up to become a sports reporter. This coming of age drama is sure to get you motivated and inspired to do better in life, even when the tides are against you!

5. Ghost Doctor

Photo: Yahoo奇摩

Remember the horrifying ending scene in Shutter, where the ghost sits on the shoulder of the protagonist? Here in Ghost Doctor, Cha Young Min (Rain) takes the same position on top of Ko Seung Tak (Ki Bum) – except with a cheeky smile!

Ghost Doctor is a medical comedy-drama about Cha Young Min, a genius and arrogant doctor who is involved in an accident that leaves his spirit in limbo. Suspended between life and death, Young Min’s spirit is strangely attracted to Seung Tak’s body. Seung Tak is the richest resident doctor who has no motivation to be a good doctor. However, he becomes a great surgeon when Young Min’s spirit possesses his body. The unlikely pair establishes a good partnership as they try to unveil the mystery behind their situation. This is one of the best K-dramas of 2022 if you’re looking for a fun and lighthearted story with eye candies like Rain and Kim Bum (from Boys Over Flowers)!

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6. Hellbound

Photo: Netflix

This drama is not for the weak-hearted. After the Squid Game craze, Hellbound is another Korean drama that has fans obsessed. The world is thrown into chaos when an angel of death appears to inform people that they will be dragged to hell at a predetermined time.

When the moment finally arrives, three demons from hell appear to take away the individual’s soul.

Amidst the chaos, a religious cult called The New Truth is formed. The voluntary religious organisation calls it divine retribution, using it to spread their agenda of raising a pure society.

However, a small group of people begins to fight back against the cult.

7. Thirty-Nine

Photo: CoolMate

Age is just a number, and Thirty-Nine shows that there is much more to explore in life even if you’re on the brink of turning 40. The drama revolves around a trio of best friends, Cha Mi Jo (Son Ye Jin), Jung Chan Young (Jeon Mi Do) and Jang Joo Hee (Kim Ji Hyun). Despite coming from different backgrounds and sporting different personalities and styles, the ladies experience an unbreakable bond with each other as they brave through the ups and downs of life.

Get ready to laugh, cry and curse together with the three best friends as Thirty-Nine takes you on a roller coaster ride. From terminal illness to budding romance, this 2022 Netflix K-drama recommendation feels like a warm hug on a cold rainy day.

8. Mr. Sunshine

Photo: Saostar.vn

This historical drama is set during the late Joseon Period, Korea's last dynasty before Japan annexed the country in the early 1900s. Lee Byung-hun plays U.S. Marine Eugene Choi, who returns to his motherland and falls in love with Go Ae-shin (played by The Handmaiden actress Kim Tae-ri), a noblewoman who secretly moonlights for the Righteous Army, a militia fighting for Korean independence. Mr. Sunshine has all the requisite ingredients for a great K-drama: love triangles, history, and action. Above all, it's a cinematographically beautiful ode to Korea, before it was changed forever.

9. Rookie Cops

Photo: BlogAnChoi

While Netflix has solidified its standing to be one of the best platforms to watch 2022 Korean dramas, Disney+ is also proving to be a great streaming platform for new K-dramas. Take Rookie Cops for example. This coming of age story will make you feel young again with its free-spirited characters that are fuelled by a strong passion for justice!

Rookie Cops follow the story of Wi Seung Hyun (Kang Daniel), who is a freshman at a police university. He’s smart and full of justice and is the top-ranking student in his class. Meanwhile, his fellow freshman, troublemaker Go Eun Sang (Chae Soo Bin), enrolled in the police academy for an entirely different reason. She is here to chase after her crush! Rookie Cops delves into many aspects of police training, such as the orientation program and gruelling daily practices. Curious about what goes behind the South Korean police force? This is the best 2022 Korean drama for you!

10. Squid Game

Photo: Investo

You’ve definitely heard about this one, in fact, there’s a good chance it’s the show that brought you here! Netflix’s 2021 original Squid Game charted an immediate and unprecedented climb to the top of Netflix’s most-watched lists, becoming a social media sensation and water cooler talking point. And for good reason, it’s a clever spin on familiar genre archetypes with an exceptional cast that makes for an irresistible binge-watch. Set across nine episodes, the series follows 456 debt-ridden contenders through a series of deadly children’s games for the promise of a life-changing jackpot for whoever survives.

Action-packed, horror-tinged, and threaded through with rich character drama, Squid Game can be a bit of a bleak bummer, but in a series exploring the pitfalls of capitalist excess and the people it leaves behind, that’s kind of the point. And like all great genre allegories, it never forgets to lace those themes into its endlessly engaging thrills. - Haleigh Foutch

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