Summary

• The best medical K-dramas feature a unique mix of thrilling life-or-death situations and captivating romantic storylines.
• The unique spin on medical dramas explored in K-dramas includes themes of psychiatry, time travel, and revenge in unforgettable ways.
• From intense thrillers to sweet romances, medical K-dramas offer a wide range of genres that keep viewers entertained and engaged.

Medical procedurals are always an exciting option to binge-watch, and the best medical K-dramas put a unique South Korean spin that sets them apart from their US counterparts. K-dramas come in all genres that have fans enthralled from comedy, romance, and even medical dramas. Medical K-dramas still cover a broad range of genres, such as those in the world of psychiatry or veterinary or historical and supernatural, within their given storylines. These K-dramas have some romance, riveting thrills, the supernatural, and even laugh-out-loud comedy.

There are plenty of gasping and holding-your-breath thrills in the best medical K-dramas, as they often entail life-or-death situations both in the ER and the rest of the hospital. Whether a surgeon or psychiatrist, medical K-dramas can explore a variety of different procedural avenues. Romantic storylines in K-dramas are always a bonus feature, but not necessarily a requirement to make the list of best medical K-dramas. These medical K-dramas are considered some of the best to have premiered in South Korea and are beloved by international fans as well.

25 The Great Doctor (2012)

A Plastic Surgeon Time Travels To Save A Life

The Great Doctor is also known as Faith depending on the translation of the title. The series doubles as a historical and time travel series as it sends modern-day plastic surgeon Eun Soo (Kim Hee-sun) to the Goryeo period in Korea. She’s taken by a member of the royal guard, Choi Young (Lee Min-ho) so that she can save the queen’s life.

The series is not exactly what the audience might think of as a modern medical drama, since it’s not set in a hospital or following the relationships among multiple doctors. Instead, it brings modern medical knowledge to the past with less technology and follows the relationship between the doctor and the guard. There’s also the knowledge that Eun Soo could change the past or her own future.

The series was nominated for several SBS Drama Awards and Baeksang Arts Awards following its release. Lee Min-ho was especially recognized, winning multiple awards for his role.

24 Emergency Couple (2014)

A Comedy About Love And Medicine

Oh Chang-min (Choi Jun-hyuk) and Oh Jin-hee (Song Ji-hyo) were married and divorced five years before the events of Emergency Couple take place. The two had a nasty breakup due to Chang’s min’s family interfering and Jin-hee developing an inferiority complex that means they cannot stand being around one another. They have to learn how to all over again, however, when they both become interns in the same emergency room.

This series takes a few romantic comedy tropes, like rivals-to-lovers and second-chance-romance, and places them in a high-stakes medical setting. Despite the series being a comedy, there are serious medical calamities that occur, leaving viewers laughing and worried for patients at the same time. Of course, the love story at the center of everything is the big draw for the show.

Though the series didn’t win big at any Korean award shows, it did steadily build an audience while airing, doubling the number of people watching live from the series premiere to the finale (via Nielsen Korea).

23 Daily Dose Of Sunshine (2023)

A Medical Drama With A Focus On Psychiatry

In the modern era of television, most medical shows focus on the dynamics in a large hospital or emergency room thanks to the success of shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy in the US and around the world. Daily Dose Of Sunshine, however, sees Jung Da-eun (Park Bo-young) change her focus from general medicine to psychiatry, making for a very different setting. She makes it her mission to bring the titular daily dose of sunshine to all of her patients and coworkers in the psychiatry unit.

The series focuses on mental and emotional health instead of solely on physical health, making for a refreshing change in a medical drama. The series was so well regarded that it made Time’s list of best K-dramas in 2023. It was also nominated for several Bakesang Arts Awards, ultimately winning Best Drama and Best Actress for Park Bo-young at the Blue Dragon Series Awards.

22 Doctor Slump (2024)

A Romantic Medical Drama

There are a surprising number of medical K-dramas that offer their protagonists a second chance at love. In Doctor Slump, those characters are Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) and Jeon-woo (Park Hyung-sik). Ha-neul is a hardworking woman who hates her time being wasted, but finds herself working in a medical institution where she’s repeatedly taken advantage of by her coworkers. Jeon-woo was always at the top of his class and is now a renowned plastic surgeon. They were rivals in school, but when their paths cross as adults, there’s a definite spark.

These two doctors work in very different fields and have very different approaches to their work, but they become very compelling with their perfect chemistry. They also become very compelling when they both hit the titular slumps in their careers and end up living together, moving the story from a fun rivalry to a more heartwarming love story.

21 Doctor Cha (2023-)

A Housewife Returns To The Professional World As A Medical Resident

A housewife (Uhm Jung-hwa) reenters the workforce after 20 years in this unique take on a medical K-drama. Though she’s been a housewife for years, Cha Jeong-suk has a medical degree and decides it’s time to put it to use. She has a big adjustment as she becomes a first-year medical resident.

The show is just as much a family dramedy as it is a medical series.

Complicating matters is the fact that Dr. Cha’s husband is a perfectionist and a surgeon who has been cheating on his wife and their son is also a surgical resident. The show is just as much a family dramedy as it is a medical series, making it a very different addition to the wealth of doctor K-dramas that exist. The show became one of the most popular Korean series in cable history in its native country while its popularity grew when it was made available to international audiences through Netflix.

20 A Poem A Day (2018)

A Love Triangle Forms Among Medical Students

Many medical dramas, like ER Grey's Anatomy, deal with the larger ensemble as it follows the lives and hard work of a variety of doctors, nurses, and other staff in the hospital. A Poem a Day focuses on those who doctors inside the hospital, such as nurses, radiologists, and physical therapists. The show follows three main characters, Ye Jae-Wook (Lee Joon-hyuk ), a physical therapy professor. Woo Bo-Young (Lee Yu-Bi), a physical therapist who dreams of becoming a poet, and Shin Min-Ho (Jang Dong-Yoon), a physical therapist who wasn’t able to enter medical school.

While it didn't win any accolades, A Poem a Day is a must-watch K-drama due to its relatable characters, emotionally charged episodes, and intriguing love triangle plot. It is also nice to see a medical drama highlight the staff who are so vital to ensuring things run smoothly yet don't often get the spotlight in shows like this.

19 Cross (2018)

A Brilliant Young Doctor Is On A Mission Of Revenge

Cross is one of the most intriguing medical K-dramas as it introduces an exciting thriller element into the story. The show focuses on the career of a doctor named Kang In-Kyu (Go Kyung Pyo), a brilliant first-year resident doctor who has excelled in his young career so far. However, his dedication is revealed to have a secret motivation as Kang wants to use his position as a doctor to fulfill his plan to avenge his murdered father.

Combining a medical drama and a revenge story makes for a unique and compelling twist on the genre. The K-drama shows In-Kyu’s ethical and moral struggle between his sworn oath and satisfying his hunger for revenge. Kang makes for a great TV antihero as the audience can sympathize with his pain and his mission while also becoming frustrated with him being willing to throw away his bright future for his dark intentions.

18 D-Day (2015)

Doctors Contend With The Aftermath Of A Sinkhole Appearing

D-Day is an intense medical K-Drama with a twist as it was also tagged with a natural disaster storyline. Surgeon Lee Hae-Sung and orthopedic resident, Jung Ddol-Mi are faced with a monumental challenge. Both doctors are stuck in Seoul after a sinkhole appears in the city following an earthquake. The sinkhole causes the city to be blocked off as there's no electricity, water, or the ability to call for help. As doctors, Hae-Sung and Ddol-Mi work together to treat patients and those wounded.

There is a certain over-the-top aspect to the show that feels similar to a lot of natural disaster movies as the show attempts to be a notable entry into that genre. However, the best aspects of the show are dealing with the medical emergencies that arise in such a situation. Seeing doctors as the heroes of a disaster is a refreshing take on this kind of story.

17 Live Up To Your Name (2017)

A Medical Practioner Time Travels 400 Years To Modern-Day South Korea

What is great about the medical K-drama genre is that they are not afraid to mix in some other genre elements, such as Live Up To Your Name combining a medical drama and a time travel adventure. Dr. Heo Im (Kim Nam-Gil) is an acupuncture specialist from the Joseon Era of Korea who caters to the poor. When he fails to treat the king, he is pursued for treason only to find himself transported to modern-day Seoul where he meets cardiothoracic surgeon Choi Yeon-kyung (Kim Ah-joong).

The wild premise sets up a very interesting approach to a medical show as it is a fish-out-of-water story of Heo attempting to understand modern medicine and getting taught by Choi. The two approach medicine from very different perspectives, which creates an unlikely partnership for them in an odd couple who can teach each other a lot.

16 Ghost Doctor (2022-)

The Spirit Of A Skilled Surgeon Works Alongside A Clumsy Young Doctor

Fans of the Canadian medical drama Saving Hope may find a lot to like in the similar medical K-drama Ghost Doctor with its fantasy twist. Dr. Cha Young-min (Rain) is a highly skilled surgeon who finds himself in a coma. His spirit is able to leave his body and forces with another less experienced surgeon, Go Seung-tak (Kim Burn). While the latter has extensive medical knowledge he has a great fear of blood and clumsy practical skills.

What’s interesting about the series, however, is that it isn’t a case of just one doctor possessing another. There are multiple ghosts in the story that reveal just how the doctors at this particular hospital are able to do such good work, making this ghost story also a pretty uplifting one. Kim Burn also won the 2022 Korea Drama Award for Top Actor for his role in the series.