Best KDrama of All Time

There’s nothing at all like the blank feeling you get when your favorite TV show comes to an end. Among the good, bad, and terrible, a few of the best KDramas have stood the test of time and maybe considered among the best of all time. A great story will always touch you, no matter how old or new it is.

You’re losing out on a lot of things if you don’t watch Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas. First, there’s the cultural influence to consider in the big picture: KDramas and KMovies have become a worldwide sensation. Then there’s the more compelling reason to watch K-dramas: they’re entertaining. They’re addicting and fantastic, and you’ll be glad you added them to your pop-culture diet.

Here’s a list of the top Korean dramas of all time, guaranteed to make you swoon and tug at your heartstrings. Let the binge-watch begin!

01. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016)

Story: A spunky female weightlifter and free-spirited male swimmer meet on campus, only to find out their pasts may be intertwined.

02. Vincenzo (2021)

Story: Vincenzo Cassano is an Italian lawyer and Mafia consigliere who moves back to Korea due to a conflict within his organization. He ends up crossing paths with a sharp-tongued lawyer named Cha-young, and the two join forces in using villainous methods to take down villains who cannot be punished by the law.

03. Goblin (2016)

Story: In his quest for a bride to break his immortal curse, a 939-year-old guardian of souls meets a grim reaper and a sprightly student with a tragic past.

04. True Beauty (2020)

Story: Lim Ju-kyung is a high school student. Since she was little, she has had a complex about her appearance. To hide her bare face, Ju-kyung always wears make-up. Her excellent make-up skills make her pretty and she hides her bare face in front of others. She gets involved with 2 men; Lee Su-ho and Han Seo-jun.

05. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Story: Desperate to escape from his emotional baggage and the heavy responsibility he’s had all his life, a psychiatric ward worker begins to heal with help from the unexpected—a woman who writes fairy tales but doesn’t believe in them.

06. Sweet Home (2020)

Story: As humans turn into savage monsters and wreak terror, one troubled teen and his apartment neighbors fight to survive — and to hold on to their humanity.

07. My Holo Love (2020)

Story: Go Nan Do, the owner, and creator of an IT research company must hide his existence from the world after his involvement as a hacker in a major case ten years ago. Presumed dead, the only people who knew of his existence are his step-sister and his companies CEO. Han So Yeon, an assistant manager at a glasses company, keeps her distance from people, due to her inability to recognize people’s faces.

08. All of Us Are Dead (2022)

Story: A high school becomes ground zero for a zombie virus outbreak. Trapped students must fight their way out — or turn into one of the rabid infected.

09. W: Two Worlds Apart (2016)

Story: W, a webtoon, is written and drawn by Yeon-joo’s father and follows rich boy vigilante Chul as he attempts to find the culprit who murdered his family one fateful night. Despite the webtoon’s popularity, Yeon-joo’s father, Seong-moo, plans to abruptly end it by having Chul killed off.

10. Descendants of the Sun (2016)

Story: A drama about the love of people who get closer as they learn to be considerate of each other in desperate times and sacrifices made by people who throw themselves into natural disasters.

11. Love Alarm (2019)

Story: Love Alarm is an app that tells you if someone within a 10-meter radius has a crush on you. It quickly becomes a social phenomenon. While everyone talks about it and uses it to test their love and popularity, Jojo is one of the few people who have yet to download the app. However, she soon faces a love triangle situation between Sun-oh whom she starts to have feelings for, and Hye-young, who has had a huge crush on her.

12. The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Story: When a gateway opens to a parallel universe in modern-day Korea, a king must step into another world in search of answers to a long-unanswered mystery.

13. I Am Not a Robot (2017)

Story: Kim Min Gyu has wealth and success, but lives an isolated life due to his allergy of people. He then meets and falls in love with a girl who is pretending to be a robot for her ex-boyfriend, a genius robots professor.

14. My Love From Another Star (2013)

Story: Do Min Joon is an otherworldly beauty, literally. After crash landing on Earth 400 years ago, Min Joon has diligently observed humans for centuries, ultimately coming to cynical conclusions. On top of being a super babe, Min Joon’s got enhanced vision, hearing and agility — all the more reason to believe he’s superior to everyone on Earth. That is, until he pursues the beautiful actress Cheon Song Yi for a romance out of this world.

15. My Name (2021)

Story: Following her father’s murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss — and enters the police force under his direction.

16. Kingdom (2019)

Story: In this zombie thriller set in Korea’s medieval Joseon dynasty which has been defeated by corruption and famine, a mysterious rumor of the king’s death spreads, as does a strange plague that renders the infected immune to death and hungry for flesh. The crown prince, fallen victim to a conspiracy, sets out on a journey to unveil the evil scheme and save his people.

17. My First First Love (2019)

Story: Due to various personal reasons, a group of Yun Tae-o’s friends move into his house, where they experience love, friendship, and everything in between.

18. Pinocchio (2014)

Story: Amidst a sea of young news reporters competing for the next scoop, Choi In Ha finds herself in a tricky position, as she cannot tell a lie without a dead giveaway: breaking into a violent hiccup. Meanwhile, first-year reporter Choi Dal Po proves his remarkable memory and communication skills by downplaying his good looks with a dumpy veneer of bad hair and clothing. But in a world where hard facts rule, how far can you get by lying?

19. She Was Pretty (2015)

Story: Ji Sung Joon has a crush on the most beautiful girl in town, Kim Hye Jin – the only problem is, he’s unattractive and lacks self-esteem. As fate would have it, years later Sung Joon grows up to be not only successful, but extremely attractive. However, when he runs into his first love Hye Jin, she has become unattractive and poor. Can their love transcend the vanity they both associated with each other?

20. Boys Over Flowers (2009)

Story: A working class girl winds up at an exclusive prep school. Unassuming high school girl Jan Di stands up to — and eventually falls for — a spoiled rich kid who belongs to the school’s most powerful clique.

Other Mentions

• You’re Beautiful (2009)
• My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)
• Mischievous Kiss (2010)
• Secret Garden (2010)
• Princess Hours (2006)
• Full House (2004)
• Perfect Match (2017)
• Mary Stayed Out All Night (2010)
• Coffee Prince (2007)
• My Princess (2011)
• My Fair Lady (2016)
• My Girl (2005)
• Brilliant Legacy (2009)
• Cinderlla’s Sister (2010)
• Baker King (2010)
• My Lovely Kim Sam Soon (2005)
• Stairway to Heaven (2003)
• City Hunter (2011)
• Oh! My Lady (2010)
• God Of Study (2010)
• Spring Waltz (2006)
• Lovers in Paris (2004)
• Dae Jang Geum (2003)
• Save The Last Dance for Me (2004)
• Jumong (2006)
• Green Rose (2005)
• Flames of Desires (2010)
• Princess Lulu (2005)
• Her Private Life (2019)
• Itaewon Class (2020)
• What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018)
• A Korean Odyssey (2017)
• Strong Girl Bong Soon (2017)
• Fight For My Way (2017)
• My Secret Romance (2017)
• Guardian (2016)
• Cheese in the Trap (2016)
• Bring it on, a Ghost (2016)
• Cinderella and the Four Knights (2016)
• The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
• Doctor Strange (2014)
• Healer (2014)
• I Can Hear Your Voice (2013)
• My Love from the Star (2013)
• The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)
• Secret Garden (2010)