The best Korean dramas on Netflix underscore just how widespread South Korean pop culture has become. Alongside the global explosion of K-Pop, K-drama series and movies are becoming more and more entrenched in Western culture as well. Just as K-Pop listeners don't necessarily need to understand the Korean language to enjoy the country's music, subtitles have made it possible for audiences to binge as many Korean shows or movies as they want.

Many viewers in the West are likely already familiar with some of the best Korean movies on Netflix, like Train to Busan and Okja. However, not all Netflix subscribers may be aware that there are dozens of K-dramas already on the streaming service, just waiting to be discovered. Despite the name, not every K-drama is a dramatic show, though most of them do have some kind of romantic or suspenseful elements that draws audiences in and leaves them on the edge of their seats. These are 25 of the best Korean dramas on Netflix right now.

For more streaming recommendations, be sure to check out the best TV shows on Netflix.

25 Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

A Legal Procedural K-Drama

Woo Young-woo is an autistic lawyer who graduated at the top of her class at Seoul National University. The titular Extraordinary Attorney Woo stands out from her neurotypical peers because of her often blunt and awkward social graces. However, her photographic memory and sheer intelligence give Woo an edge in every legal case she tackles throughout the single-season show's 16 episodes.

Apart from being a notable advancement in the mainstream representation of those on the autism spectrum, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is one of the best Korean dramas on Netflix for being a balanced legal procedural unafraid to tackle ethical dilemmas. It's a definite must-see for viewers looking for K-dramas with badass female leads.

24 Kingdom (2019)

A Historical Zombie K-Drama

Kingdom ranks highly among the best Korean dramas on Netflix for combining two of the most oversaturated genres in South Korea - zombies and the Joseon era - yet arriving at something truly fresh and memorable. Though it seems strange to mix 16th-century Korean history with supernatural zombies, Kingdom showed how the two genres could perfectly play off each other in 2 seasons and 12 episodes.

While the medieval setting lays the foundation for the zombies to be based on Asian mythology, the zombie plague in turn highlights the overt class war and political maneuvering typical of Joseon era shows. Kingdom also has some of the best costumes and sets in K-drama history.

23 Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)

A Romantic K-Drama

As a coming-of-age romance, Twenty-Five Twenty-One is - at first glance - just a traditional K-drama that focuses on yet another unlikely love story. However, it actually cleverly reveals the complex lives of five individuals from 1998 to 2021, and Twenty-Five Twenty-One's 16 80-minute episodes rightfully deserve a place alongside the best Korean dramas on Netflix.

Told across two generations, Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a fun, touching "riches-to-rags" tale that breaks away from K-drama conventions without alienating the most long-time K-drama audiences. Twenty-Five Twenty-One is also one of the highest-rated shows in the history of South Korean cable television.

22 Queenmaker (2023)

A Political K-Drama

Surprisingly, not based on any specific true story, Queenmaker nonetheless authentically captures the cutthroat world of mayoral politics in Seoul, South Korea. Inspired by the very real politics, glamor, and sometimes violence that marks the election season in Seoul, Queenmaker follows public image expert Hwang Do-hee as she campaigns for human rights lawyer Oh Kyung-sook - the "Rhino of Justice" - to become the next mayor.

For 11 episodes, Do-hee, Kyung-sook, and their team not only face Korea's greatest politicians but also put their lives in danger, in the hope of a better future for Seoul and themselves. Queenmaker is one of the best Korean dramas on Netflix for viewers looking for a near-perfectly crafted modern political epic.

21 Hellbound (2021-)

A Supernatural Thriller K-Drama

There are many supernatural K-dramas on Netflix, but none of them are quite like Hellbound. The premise is that "angels" appear to certain people to decree the specific time and day they will die, at which point several hulking anthropomorphic "demons" manifest to exact the decree, burning the person alive and presumably sending them to Hell.

Yet, all hope is not lost, as there are still those who continue to seek the truth

Inspired by Korea's real, massive megachurches, cult leaders use this unexplained phenomenon to dramatically raise their numbers and authority over the public. Extremists commit misguided violent acts driven by the prophecies. Yet, all hope is not lost, as there are still those who continue to seek the truth about Hellbound's demons and decrees.

20 Mr. Queen (2020-2021)

A Time Travel K-Drama

Time travel is another common trope in K-drama, and Mr. Queen is one of the best Korean dramas on Netflix for the way it puts a decidedly fresh spin on an overused plot device. In Mr. Queen, Jang Bong-hwan is one of the head chefs at the famed Blue House. After getting in trouble at work and finding himself in a near-death experience, Bong-hwan is suddenly transported to the Joseon era.

Bong-hwan must find a way to return to his body in the present - while falling in love with the king.

The big twist is that Bong-hwan not only travels through time, but also ends up in the body of Chorin, the Queen of Joseon. Bong-hwan must find a way to return to his body in the present - while falling in love with the king.

19 Vincenzo (2021)

A Crime Thriller K-Drama

Vincenzo Cassano, also known as Park Joo-hyung, was just 8 years old when he was adopted by the head of the Cassano crime family, Don Fabio. Vincenzo rose to the ranks and became Don Fabio's consiglieri and right-hand man, but when Don Fabio dies, Fabio's biological son attempts to kill Vincenzo.

He then flees to Seoul to unearth the 1.5 tons of gold he has stashed under a building, which he finds illegally overtaken by the Babel Group. Using the skills he learned as a career criminal and legal advisor to his Italian crime family, Vincenzo works to take down the Babel Group and reclaim what's rightfully his.

18 Narco-Saints (2022)

A Crime Thriller K-Drama

In the nation of Suriname - the original name of Narcos-Saints - civilian entrepreneur Kang In-gu is recruited by the authorities in an operation to capture Jeon Yo-Hwan, the Korean drug lord who controls the entire South American country. Quickly, In-gu learns to become an undercover agent for the National Intelligence Service of Korea, getting closer and closer to Yo-Hwan throughout Narcos-Saints' 6 episodes.

Narco-Saints is currently known as The Accidental Marco in US.

Among the best Korean dramas on Netflix for those who loved Narcos and Narcos: Mexico, Narcos-Saints is also based on a true story. In real life, the said drug lord's name is Cho Bong-haeng, who controlled Suriname from the late '90s to the early 2000s. Meanwhile, the civilian who caught Cho Bong-haeng remains anonymous for his safety.

17 Mystic Pop-Up Bar (2020)

A Supernatural K-Drama

To atone for a heinous crime she committed 500 years ago, the hot-tempered Weol-ju was cursed to settle the grudges of 100,000 souls, causing her to become the proprietor of the Mystic Pop-Up Bar.

ing Weol-ju in running this magical pojangmacha is the Crown Prince Yi-hon, a former Afterlife Police Agency officer who was in love with Weol-ju, and was allowed to work as the bar's manager to be at her side. The third staff member of the Mystic Pop-Up Bar is Han Kang-bae, a young man who can make anyone he touches confess the truth. Undoubtedly one of the best Korean dramas on Netflix, Mystic Pop-Up Bar is a fun supernatural series steeped in Korean mythology.

16 My Name (2021)

A Crime Thriller K-Drama

After witnessing the death of her gangster father as a child, Yoon Ji-woo turns herself into a killing machine to seek revenge in My Name. While on an undercover mission for her father's gang, Ji-woo becomes a police officer under the pseudonym Oh Hye-jin, where she uncovers unsettling truths about why her father was killed.

Playing out over 8 episodes, Ji-woo's revenge plot, her tragic romance, the gritty South Korean underworld and the extremely bloody fight scenes

Apart from being one of the best Korean dramas on Netflix, My Name is also among the most compelling crime noir series in streaming history. Playing out over 8 episodes, Ji-woo's revenge plot, her tragic romance, the gritty South Korean underworld, and the extremely bloody My Name have all the elements of a classic noir story.