Movie Top 50 K-dramas that deserve a global re-run,
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Writer AndyKim1
Hit 120 Hits
Date 25-09-18 23:11
Content
Top 50 K-dramas that deserve a global re-run, with a short, spoiler-safe plot summary plus why it travels well for each.
Crash Landing on You (2019) — Romance/Drama
Plot: A South Korean chaebol heiress paraglides into North Korea and is hidden by a principled officer; their secret escapes turn into a cross-border love story.
Why it travels: Star-crossed romance, warm ensemble comedy, humanized North/South everyday life.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) (2016) — Fantasy/Romance
Plot: An immortal goblin seeks a prophesied bride to end his curse; a grim reaper roommate and a plucky teen collide with fate.
Why: Big myth + modern humor + swoony OST.
Reply 1988 (2015) — Slice-of-Life/Comedy
Plot: Five families in one 1988 Seoul alley share meals, first crushes, and life’s curveballs.
Why: Universal nostalgia and ensemble warmth.
Signal (2016) — Crime/Thriller
Plot: A profiler in 2015 talks via a mysterious walkie-talkie to a detective in 1989 to solve cold cases and alter outcomes.
Why: Tight time-loop plotting grounded in real cases.
My Mister (2018) — Human Drama
Plot: A weary office worker and a debt-crushed young woman form an unlikely, healing bond.
Why: Radical empathy, quiet power.
Kingdom S1–2 (2019–) — Historical Horror
Plot: A crown prince investigates a plague turning Joseon into the undead while court politics rot the country.
Why: Prestige zombie thriller with political bite.
Mr. Sunshine (2018) — Historical/Romance
Plot: A Korean boy who escaped to America returns as a U.S. Marine in 1900s Joseon and falls for an aristocrat independence fighter.
Why: Epic scale, forbidden love under occupation.
SKY Castle (2018) — Satire/Drama
Plot: Ultra-elite parents weaponize tutoring for college glory until a scandal explodes their bubble.
Why: Sharp, addictive social satire.
Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014) — Workplace
Plot: A bad-resume intern learns corporate life from decent mentors and brutal deadlines.
Why: Office realism that feels global.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) — Legal/Human
Plot: A rookie attorney on the autism spectrum cracks cases with a photographic memory and fresh ethics.
Why: Warm, witty disability representation.
Hospital Playlist S1–2 (2020–21) — Medical/Ensemble
Plot: Five med-school friends now doctors juggle surgeries, friendships, and a garage band.
Why: Comfort-watch with surgical stakes.
Vincenzo (2021) — Dark Comedy/Crime
Plot: A Korean-Italian consigliere returns for hidden gold and dismantles a corrupt conglomerate with quirky tenants.
Why: Anti-hero catharsis, tonal fireworks.
Descendants of the Sun (2016) — Romance/Action
Plot: A soldier and a trauma surgeon navigate disaster zones and duty vs love.
Why: Glossy blockbuster chemistry.
Stranger (Secret Forest) S1–2 (2017–20) — Crime/Legal
Plot: An emotion-muted prosecutor and an upright detective dig into institutional corruption.
Why: Surgical writing, moral clarity.
Queen of Tears (2024) — Romance/Melodrama
Plot: A chaebol power couple on the rocks fight for their marriage amid corporate storms.
Why: Mega-chemistry; small-town vs chaebol contrast.
Itaewon Class (2020) — Youth/Business
Plot: An ex-con opens a bar to topple a food empire that ruined his family.
Why: Underdog grit + found family.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022) — Youth/Romance
Plot: A teen fencer and a fallen-rich boy chase dreams through late-’90s upheaval.
Why: Joyful first love with bittersweet adulthood.
The Glory (2022–23) — Revenge/Thriller
Plot: A bullying survivor patiently engineers justice against her abusers.
Why: Cathartic, meticulously plotted payback.
Move to Heaven (2021) — Human/Anthology
Plot: Trauma cleaners piece together the lives of the deceased and help families heal.
Why: Gentle tears, episodic humanity.
D.P. S1–2 (2021–23) — Military/Drama
Plot: A deserter-pursuit unit confronts abuse and moral gray zones in the barracks.
Why: Tough, necessary, empathetic.
Flower of Evil (2020) — Thriller/Romance
Plot: A detective’s perfect husband hides a bloody past; love and truth collide.
Why: Tense identity puzzle with heart.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) — Healing/Romance
Plot: A psychiatric ward aide and a prickly children’s author mend each other’s scars.
Why: Storybook visuals, mental-health themes.
Prison Playbook (2017) — Black Comedy
Plot: A baseball star lands in prison; inmates and guards form a messy, humane community.
Why: Laughs with surprising tenderness.
Beyond Evil (2021) — Crime/Character Study
Plot: Two cops chase an old murder and each other’s secrets in a small town.
Why: Acting tour-de-force, layered mystery.
Business Proposal (2022) — Rom-Com
Plot: A food researcher fakes a blind date for her friend—only to meet her CEO.
Why: Trope-perfect pacing, big laughs.
Hotel Del Luna (2019) — Fantasy/Romance
Plot: A cursed hotelier hosts ghosts needing closure; a new manager unlocks her past.
Why: Visual feast, episodic goodbyes.
Healer (2014) — Action/Romance
Plot: A night courier with spy skills, a reporter, and a hidden scandal entwine.
Why: Old-school thrills, killer chemistry.
Start-Up (2020) — Youth/Business
Plot: Dreamers build a startup while untangling a pen-pal past and rivalries.
Why: Mentor warmth, ambition vs love.
Mr. Queen (2020) — Historical/Comedy
Plot: A modern chef’s soul wakes up in a Joseon queen’s body, breaking court etiquette.
Why: Physical comedy + palace intrigue.
Our Blues (2022) — Omnibus/Human
Plot: Interwoven stories on Jeju Island explore love, regret, and second chances.
Why: Mature, compassionate mosaic.
My Love from the Star (2013) — Rom-Com/Fantasy
Plot: An alien neighbor protects and falls for a top actress as his time runs out.
Why: Hallyu classic with meta humor.
Happiness (2021) — Thriller
Plot: A new disease traps apartment residents in a lockdown survival test.
Why: Smart, humane pandemic allegory.
My Liberation Notes (2022) — Human/Romance
Plot: Three siblings and a mysterious outsider seek a way out of numb daily life.
Why: Quiet, resonant adult realism.
Chicago Typewriter (2017) — Romance/Fantasy
Plot: A blocked novelist, a vet, and a fangirl share a 1930s past-life resistance story.
Why: Past/present braid with healing.
Navillera (2021) — Human/Sports
Plot: A 70-year-old pursues a lifelong dream of ballet with a young dancer’s help.
Why: Intergenerational balm.
Because This Is My First Life (2017) — Rom-Com
Plot: A pragmatic lease marriage turns into a real partnership.
Why: Adult conversations about love, money, space.
Reply 1997 (2012) — Youth/Comedy
Plot: Busan friends grow up amid first-gen idol fandom wars.
Why: Fandom history + sincere first love.
Reply 1994 (2013) — Youth/Ensemble
Plot: Boarders in ’90s Seoul form a family; sports, love, and city life mix.
Why: Slow-burn payoffs, big heart.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016) — Campus/Rom-Com
Plot: A weightlifter and a swimmer navigate dreams, body image, and goofy first love.
Why: Body-positive delight.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018) — Rom-Com
Plot: A narcissistic CEO scrambles when his hyper-competent secretary quits.
Why: Crackling banter, growth arc.
True Beauty (2020) — Youth/Rom-Com
Plot: A makeup-savvy teen hides insecurities and finds real confidence through friendship and love.
Why: Glossy fun with kind core.
Good Doctor (2013) — Medical/Human
Plot: An autistic savant doctor learns teamwork and bedside manner.
Why: Heartwarming blueprint remade worldwide.
Dr. Romantic (2016/2020/2023) — Medical
Plot: A genius surgeon runs a rough-edged trauma hospital that saves people and ideals.
Why: High-octane cases, mentor myth.
Six Flying Dragons (2015) — Historical/Epic
Plot: Warriors and thinkers birth a new dynasty, choosing power or principle.
Why: Intrigue masterclass, meaty dialogue.
Love in the Moonlight (2016) — Historical/Romance
Plot: A cross-dressing eunuch and a crown prince fall in love amid palace politics.
Why: Youthful charm, music and moonlit vibes.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) — Historical/Melo
Plot: A modern woman time-slips to Goryeo, entangling with rival princes.
Why: Polarizing but unforgettable angst saga.
Empress Ki (2013–14) — Historical/Melodrama
Plot: A Goryeo woman rises through the Yuan court to power and peril.
Why: Palace chess, addictive momentum.
Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum) (2003) — Historical
Plot: An orphan becomes a royal kitchen prodigy and later a physician, healing with knowledge.
Why: Foundational Hallyu classic.
Dear My Friends (2016) — Human/Ensemble
Plot: Seniors reclaim love, friendship, and agency with unflinching honesty.
Why: Rare, life-affirming perspective.
Through the Darkness (2022) — Crime/Profiler
Plot: Korea’s first profilers study killers to prevent the next crime.
Why: Sober, cerebral true-crime angle.
How to use this list
New to K-drama? Try 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 11 first.
Love thrillers? Go 4, 14, 18, 24, 50.
Prefer romance/comfort? 1, 2, 11, 25, 36, 39, 45.
Want a prestige historical? 6, 7, 44, 47, 48.
Crash Landing on You (2019) — Romance/Drama
Plot: A South Korean chaebol heiress paraglides into North Korea and is hidden by a principled officer; their secret escapes turn into a cross-border love story.
Why it travels: Star-crossed romance, warm ensemble comedy, humanized North/South everyday life.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin) (2016) — Fantasy/Romance
Plot: An immortal goblin seeks a prophesied bride to end his curse; a grim reaper roommate and a plucky teen collide with fate.
Why: Big myth + modern humor + swoony OST.
Reply 1988 (2015) — Slice-of-Life/Comedy
Plot: Five families in one 1988 Seoul alley share meals, first crushes, and life’s curveballs.
Why: Universal nostalgia and ensemble warmth.
Signal (2016) — Crime/Thriller
Plot: A profiler in 2015 talks via a mysterious walkie-talkie to a detective in 1989 to solve cold cases and alter outcomes.
Why: Tight time-loop plotting grounded in real cases.
My Mister (2018) — Human Drama
Plot: A weary office worker and a debt-crushed young woman form an unlikely, healing bond.
Why: Radical empathy, quiet power.
Kingdom S1–2 (2019–) — Historical Horror
Plot: A crown prince investigates a plague turning Joseon into the undead while court politics rot the country.
Why: Prestige zombie thriller with political bite.
Mr. Sunshine (2018) — Historical/Romance
Plot: A Korean boy who escaped to America returns as a U.S. Marine in 1900s Joseon and falls for an aristocrat independence fighter.
Why: Epic scale, forbidden love under occupation.
SKY Castle (2018) — Satire/Drama
Plot: Ultra-elite parents weaponize tutoring for college glory until a scandal explodes their bubble.
Why: Sharp, addictive social satire.
Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014) — Workplace
Plot: A bad-resume intern learns corporate life from decent mentors and brutal deadlines.
Why: Office realism that feels global.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) — Legal/Human
Plot: A rookie attorney on the autism spectrum cracks cases with a photographic memory and fresh ethics.
Why: Warm, witty disability representation.
Hospital Playlist S1–2 (2020–21) — Medical/Ensemble
Plot: Five med-school friends now doctors juggle surgeries, friendships, and a garage band.
Why: Comfort-watch with surgical stakes.
Vincenzo (2021) — Dark Comedy/Crime
Plot: A Korean-Italian consigliere returns for hidden gold and dismantles a corrupt conglomerate with quirky tenants.
Why: Anti-hero catharsis, tonal fireworks.
Descendants of the Sun (2016) — Romance/Action
Plot: A soldier and a trauma surgeon navigate disaster zones and duty vs love.
Why: Glossy blockbuster chemistry.
Stranger (Secret Forest) S1–2 (2017–20) — Crime/Legal
Plot: An emotion-muted prosecutor and an upright detective dig into institutional corruption.
Why: Surgical writing, moral clarity.
Queen of Tears (2024) — Romance/Melodrama
Plot: A chaebol power couple on the rocks fight for their marriage amid corporate storms.
Why: Mega-chemistry; small-town vs chaebol contrast.
Itaewon Class (2020) — Youth/Business
Plot: An ex-con opens a bar to topple a food empire that ruined his family.
Why: Underdog grit + found family.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022) — Youth/Romance
Plot: A teen fencer and a fallen-rich boy chase dreams through late-’90s upheaval.
Why: Joyful first love with bittersweet adulthood.
The Glory (2022–23) — Revenge/Thriller
Plot: A bullying survivor patiently engineers justice against her abusers.
Why: Cathartic, meticulously plotted payback.
Move to Heaven (2021) — Human/Anthology
Plot: Trauma cleaners piece together the lives of the deceased and help families heal.
Why: Gentle tears, episodic humanity.
D.P. S1–2 (2021–23) — Military/Drama
Plot: A deserter-pursuit unit confronts abuse and moral gray zones in the barracks.
Why: Tough, necessary, empathetic.
Flower of Evil (2020) — Thriller/Romance
Plot: A detective’s perfect husband hides a bloody past; love and truth collide.
Why: Tense identity puzzle with heart.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) — Healing/Romance
Plot: A psychiatric ward aide and a prickly children’s author mend each other’s scars.
Why: Storybook visuals, mental-health themes.
Prison Playbook (2017) — Black Comedy
Plot: A baseball star lands in prison; inmates and guards form a messy, humane community.
Why: Laughs with surprising tenderness.
Beyond Evil (2021) — Crime/Character Study
Plot: Two cops chase an old murder and each other’s secrets in a small town.
Why: Acting tour-de-force, layered mystery.
Business Proposal (2022) — Rom-Com
Plot: A food researcher fakes a blind date for her friend—only to meet her CEO.
Why: Trope-perfect pacing, big laughs.
Hotel Del Luna (2019) — Fantasy/Romance
Plot: A cursed hotelier hosts ghosts needing closure; a new manager unlocks her past.
Why: Visual feast, episodic goodbyes.
Healer (2014) — Action/Romance
Plot: A night courier with spy skills, a reporter, and a hidden scandal entwine.
Why: Old-school thrills, killer chemistry.
Start-Up (2020) — Youth/Business
Plot: Dreamers build a startup while untangling a pen-pal past and rivalries.
Why: Mentor warmth, ambition vs love.
Mr. Queen (2020) — Historical/Comedy
Plot: A modern chef’s soul wakes up in a Joseon queen’s body, breaking court etiquette.
Why: Physical comedy + palace intrigue.
Our Blues (2022) — Omnibus/Human
Plot: Interwoven stories on Jeju Island explore love, regret, and second chances.
Why: Mature, compassionate mosaic.
My Love from the Star (2013) — Rom-Com/Fantasy
Plot: An alien neighbor protects and falls for a top actress as his time runs out.
Why: Hallyu classic with meta humor.
Happiness (2021) — Thriller
Plot: A new disease traps apartment residents in a lockdown survival test.
Why: Smart, humane pandemic allegory.
My Liberation Notes (2022) — Human/Romance
Plot: Three siblings and a mysterious outsider seek a way out of numb daily life.
Why: Quiet, resonant adult realism.
Chicago Typewriter (2017) — Romance/Fantasy
Plot: A blocked novelist, a vet, and a fangirl share a 1930s past-life resistance story.
Why: Past/present braid with healing.
Navillera (2021) — Human/Sports
Plot: A 70-year-old pursues a lifelong dream of ballet with a young dancer’s help.
Why: Intergenerational balm.
Because This Is My First Life (2017) — Rom-Com
Plot: A pragmatic lease marriage turns into a real partnership.
Why: Adult conversations about love, money, space.
Reply 1997 (2012) — Youth/Comedy
Plot: Busan friends grow up amid first-gen idol fandom wars.
Why: Fandom history + sincere first love.
Reply 1994 (2013) — Youth/Ensemble
Plot: Boarders in ’90s Seoul form a family; sports, love, and city life mix.
Why: Slow-burn payoffs, big heart.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016) — Campus/Rom-Com
Plot: A weightlifter and a swimmer navigate dreams, body image, and goofy first love.
Why: Body-positive delight.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018) — Rom-Com
Plot: A narcissistic CEO scrambles when his hyper-competent secretary quits.
Why: Crackling banter, growth arc.
True Beauty (2020) — Youth/Rom-Com
Plot: A makeup-savvy teen hides insecurities and finds real confidence through friendship and love.
Why: Glossy fun with kind core.
Good Doctor (2013) — Medical/Human
Plot: An autistic savant doctor learns teamwork and bedside manner.
Why: Heartwarming blueprint remade worldwide.
Dr. Romantic (2016/2020/2023) — Medical
Plot: A genius surgeon runs a rough-edged trauma hospital that saves people and ideals.
Why: High-octane cases, mentor myth.
Six Flying Dragons (2015) — Historical/Epic
Plot: Warriors and thinkers birth a new dynasty, choosing power or principle.
Why: Intrigue masterclass, meaty dialogue.
Love in the Moonlight (2016) — Historical/Romance
Plot: A cross-dressing eunuch and a crown prince fall in love amid palace politics.
Why: Youthful charm, music and moonlit vibes.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) — Historical/Melo
Plot: A modern woman time-slips to Goryeo, entangling with rival princes.
Why: Polarizing but unforgettable angst saga.
Empress Ki (2013–14) — Historical/Melodrama
Plot: A Goryeo woman rises through the Yuan court to power and peril.
Why: Palace chess, addictive momentum.
Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum) (2003) — Historical
Plot: An orphan becomes a royal kitchen prodigy and later a physician, healing with knowledge.
Why: Foundational Hallyu classic.
Dear My Friends (2016) — Human/Ensemble
Plot: Seniors reclaim love, friendship, and agency with unflinching honesty.
Why: Rare, life-affirming perspective.
Through the Darkness (2022) — Crime/Profiler
Plot: Korea’s first profilers study killers to prevent the next crime.
Why: Sober, cerebral true-crime angle.
How to use this list
New to K-drama? Try 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 11 first.
Love thrillers? Go 4, 14, 18, 24, 50.
Prefer romance/comfort? 1, 2, 11, 25, 36, 39, 45.
Want a prestige historical? 6, 7, 44, 47, 48.