Best 25 Korean Dramas That You Shouldn’t Be Missed!

Korean dramas have already become even more popular these days as many audiences not only Asia continent people but also others like Europe and North America are caught now the “Hallyu”. It refers to Korean wave and the wide popularity of Korean TV, film and music that is spreading around the world.

Many international K-drama fans are so addicted that they can cause obsessions and they just can’t wait for the next episode to come. Furthermore, more reasons supported Korean drama fever are the eye candy because of his/her attractiveness, the never-ending cultural learning through these dramas, the characteristic plots, the fashion in dramas, the mouthwatering food and the soundtrack that lingers long after the drama has ended.

If you want to learn Korean in an easy and happy way, or you are a big K-Drama fans, or you love watching romantic dramas or you just have a long vacation and have nothing to do, you are tired of lots of works surrounded by and wanna get rid of it, you have a plenty time while waiting for your kids to come back from school, you had a break up problem or whatever reason that you would interested in being a Korean series addiction. Then, do not hesitate to look at the top 25 most popular Korean series that you shouldn’t be missed!

25. Healer

The romantic series begins with Kim Moon-Ho is a popular reporter at major broadcasting company. One day, he learns the truth of a case that took place in the past. He intentionally approaches people who are related to the case and helps them. While doing so, he agonizes over the truth and beliefs.

Meanwhile, with the help of Kim Moon-Ho, internet reporter Chae Young-Shin and Seo Jung-Hoo, known as “Healer,” grow into real reporters. Choi Jung-hoo, the trusty hacker but also best at fighting, later he takes an order from his client to protect a girl named Young-shin from the people who want her dead and later he finally falls for her.

Main cast :

• Ji Chang-wook as Seo Jung-hoo/Park Bong-soo/Healer
• Park Si-jin as young Jung-hoo
• Choi Jung-hoo as child Jung-hoo
• Park Min-young as Chae Young-shin/Oh Ji-an
• Kim So-yeon as young Young-shin
• Ku Geon-min as child Ji-an
• Yoo Ji-tae as Kim Moon-ho
• Kim Seung-chan as young Moon-ho

24. Oh My Ghost

This drama tells about Na Bong-sun(Park Bo-young), a low self-esteem person, works as an assistant chef, she had an extraordinary ability to see ghosts since she were young. One day, she becomes possessed by lustful virgin ghost Shin Soon-Ae. Bong-sun has a secret crush for her star chef Kang Sun-Woo (Cho Jung-Seok), he hasn’t dated anyone since he had a broken heart by his college friend Lee So-hyung, later he falls for a new version of Bong-sun (possed by a ghost) who is  a confident and lively woman.

Main cast :

• Park Bo-young as Na Bong-sun
• Jo Jung-suk as Kang Sun-woo
• Lim Ju-hwan as Choi Sung-jae
• Kim Seul-gie as Shin Soon-ae
• Park Jung-ah as Lee So-hyung
• Shin Hye-sun as Kang Eun-hee

23. Oh My Venus

One of romantic-comedy series telling about two girl friends accidentally met in a work place and they made a big mission; Diet challenge. The main actress, Kang Joo-eun was once a popular high school teen with the flawless beautiful face and a perfect body. At the moment, a 33-year-old lawyer who gains a lot of weight that everyone call her a fat girl. She met Kim Young-ho, a.k.a. John Kim who later becomes her personal trainer, as they are closer and they heal each other’s emotional wounds and fall in love.

Main cast :

• So Ji-sub as Kim Young-ho/John Kim
• Shin Min-a as Kang Joo-eun
• Jung Gyu-woon as Im Woo-shik
• Yoo In-young as Oh Soo-jin
• Sung Hoon as Jang Joon-sung

22. Nine times travels

This science fiction and melodrama series is a story about a man who owns a TV commercial station Park Sun-woo, he falls for a young reporter, Joo Min-young. This storyline happen when Park Sun-Woo finds nine magical incense sticks that allow him to travel 20 years back in time where a tragedy happened to his family, so he gets the chance to travel back in time to avenge them. He attempts to keep his family safe in order to change the world he lives in today.

Main cast :

• Lee Jin-wook as Park Sun-woo
• Jo Yoon-hee as Joo Min-young
• Jeon No-min as Park Jung-woo
• Jung Dong-hwan as Choi Jin-chul
• Lee Eung-kyung as Kim Yoo-jin

21. 49 Days

This melodrama series is about Ji-Hyun (Nam Gyu Ri), a bright girl who is going to be a bride but her perfect life was suddenly ruined when she turned to sleeping beauty because of a car accident. She made a deal with a god of death; if she find the tear from three people who truly loves her in 49 days except a member of her family. In order to achieve that mission, she had to possess Lee-Kyung (Lee Yo-Won) ,she works the night shift at a convenience store, while sleeping in the afternoons.

Main cast :

• Lee Yo-won as Song Yi-kyung/Shin Ji-min/Shin Ji-hyun (possessed)
• Nam Gyu-ri as Shin Ji-hyun
• Kim Yoo-bin as young Shin Ji-hyun
• Jo Hyun-jae as Han Kang
• Bae Soo-bin as Kang Min-ho

20. Fated to love you

This story tells about the consequence of an unexpected night in Macao when a handsome chaebol heir Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk), and an ordinary girl with a low average profile, education background or a talent, Kim Min Young (Jang Na Ra), they both met each others on a drunken one night stand which led to an unintentionally pregnancy. After the result turns out like that, they both were forced to marry each others.

Main cast :

• Jang Hyuk as Lee Gun
• Jang Na-ra as Kim Mi-young/Ellie Kim
• Choi Jin-hyuk as Daniel Pitt
• Wang Ji-won as Kang Se-ra

19. The Princess Man

Another most romantic Korean period drama, The Princess Man which every one said that if you fall in love with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, you are going to love this romance series even more. The Princess Man is a tragic between the daughter of Prince Suyang and son of Kim Jong Seo. The son of Kim Jongseo, Seungyoo, is a handsome and wise man who carries a noble quality. Princess Seryeong, a daughter of King Sejo, aka prince Sooyang, is a cheerful, lively lady with a strong curiosity and bold personality. They fall in love immediately but later they find out that their parents are sworn enemies. Would this love of two people conquer this difficulties?

Main cast :

• Moon Chae-won as Lee Se-ryung
• Park Si-hoo as Kim Seung-yoo
• Kim Yeong-cheol as Grand Prince Suyang
• Hong Soo-hyun as Princess Kyunghye
• Song Jong-ho as Shin Myeon
• Lee Min-woo as Jung Jong
• Lee Soon-jae as Kim Jong-seo

18. The Heirs

The friendship and love in a high school life story involving the rich heirs led by Kim Tan, the handsome, rich high school student and a girl named Cha Eun-Sang, a young girl with her poor life, she lives with her mute housekeeper that brings her to work a part-time job to help out. These two met in Cha Eun-Sang’s difficult situation, later on he and her gradually fall for each other but they  just can not be apart from each other.

Main cast :

• Lee Min-ho as Kim Tan
• Jung Chan-woo as young Kim Tan
• Park Shin-hye as Cha Eun-sang
• Kim Woo-bin as Choi Young-do

17. Heartstrings

Heartstrings happened at an art university involving story about music and culture. The main character, Kyu-Won (Park Shin-Hye) is a bright student majoring in Traditional Korean Music band, a highly skilled gayageum player. She is in the Korean traditional music department. Trying to live up to her grandfather’s expectations, Kyu Won immerses herself in training and knows nothing besides traditional music. One day, Kyu Won’s friends drag her to a concert to watch Lee Shin’s band, and she is instantly captivated by the man she sees on stage, Lee Shin (Jung Yong-Hwa), a cold young man who is highly skilled at guitar and a lead singer of “The Stupid” band. Many misunderstandings happened many times because of their difference of a family background but from time to time, they started to fall for each others.

Main cast :

• Park Shin-hye as Lee Gyu-won
• Jung Yong-hwa as Lee Shin
• Song Chang-eui as Kim Suk-hyun
• So Yi-hyun as Jung Yoon-soo

16. Boys over Flowers

This high-school students series is another plot that based on Japanese manga called “Hana Yori Dango (花より男子)“ and it is a fifth time remaking it. After the successful Taiwanese series remaking “F4 Meteor Garden” part 1,2 followed by the Japanese series (Hana Yori Dango)” part 1-2. It tells a story about Geum Jan Di as humble upbringing girl whose poor family who owns a dry cleaning store who is accepted into Shin Hwa on a swimming scholarship, and the F4 group, the most famous good looking boy group in prestigious Shin Hwa High School in Seoul. The main cast, Geum Jan Di was an enemy of F4 leader, Gu Jun Pyo and he would never stop bullying her, later when two falls for each other, the couple are thrown into a dilemma as Jun Pyo’s mother sets out to break them up and find a more suitable match for her son.

Main cast :

• Lee Min-ho as Gu Jun-pyo
• Jung Chan-woo as young Gu Jun-pyo
• Kang Han-byeol as child Gu Jun-pyo
• Ku Hye-sun as Geum Jan-di
• Kim Hyun-joong as Yoon Ji-hoo
• Nam Da-reum as child Yoon Ji-hoo
• Kim Bum as So Yi-jung
• Moonbin as young So Yi-Jung
• Kim Joon as Song Woo-bin

15. The Greatest Love

This story begins with Goo Ae Jung, the ex member of girl band The National Treasure Girls who was once very famous but nowadays she suffers from the broke up of the band and her fame is nearly gone. Dokko Jin, a top movie star at the height of his career. The two meet and become involved in each other’s careers because of a new reality show called Couple Making. The complicated relashionship of Goo Ae Jung starts when she gets entangled in a love square with her ex-bandmate Kang Se Ri, Dokko Jin, and adorable Eastern medicine doctor Yoon Pil Joo.

Main cast :

• Gong Hyo Jin as Goo Ae Jung
• Cha Seung Won as Dokko Jin
• Yoo In Na as Kang Se Ri
• Yoon Kye Sang as Yoon Pil Joo

14. The moon that embrace the sun

The historical drama tells a secret love between King Lee Hwon (Kim Soo-Hyun) and a female shaman named Wol (Han Ga-In).Wol was born as Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a noble family who won the love of the then crown prince, Hwon. Her rivals, jealous of her family’s position in court, schemed against her and wrestled away her rightful place as crown princess and nearly takes her life. Years later, an Hwon meets Wol, now a female shaman who has no recollection of her past. When Lee Hwon tries to escape the palace walls for a little adventure, he encounters Heo Yeon Woo, the intelligent daughter of a nobleman. It’s love at first sight for him, but Lee Hwon is also set to marry another nobleman’s daughter, Bo Kyung. Little does Hwon realize, but Yang Myung is also falling for Yeon Woo.

Main cast :

• Kim Soo-hyun as Crown Prince/King Lee Hwon
• Han Ga-in as Heo Yeon-woo/ shaman Wol
• Jung Il-woo as Prince Yang-myung
• Kim Min-seo as Yoon Bo-kyung

13. Playful Kiss

Playful Kiss or Mischievous Kiss is a warm, bubbly drama about falling in love and growing up along the way series based on Japanese manga Itazura Na Kiss written by Tada Kaoru. Covering a plot of Baek Seung-Jo (Kim Hyun-Joong), an arrogant with man with a genius IQ of 200 who met Oh Ha-Ni (Jung So-Min), a young high school student with poor grade who has one goal in mind: to capture the heart of school genius, Baek Seung Jo but she’s got a big powerful heart. When Oh Ha-Ni’s house is destroyed by an earthquake, she and her father move in with an old family friend who is Seung Jo’s father. Now, Ha Ni and Seung Jo must live with the awkwardness of being together under the same roof and they gradually fall for each other.

Main cast :

• Kim Hyun-joong as Baek Seung-jo
• Jung So-min as Oh Ha-ni
• Lee Tae-sung as Bong Joon-gu
• Lee Si-young as Yoon Hae-ra

12. City Hunter

City Hunter is a drama, thriller and romance series. It tells story about Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) works at the Blue House for the National Communication Network Team. He graduated from M.I.T. in the U.S. and possesses elite skills as an I.T. engineer. At the Blue House, Yoon-Sung meets Kim Na-Na (Park Min-Young), who works as a bodyguard there. These two people fall for each other even Lee Yoon-Sung  was warned not to fall in love with anybody because his ultimate goal is to make a revenge in the incredulous way.

Main cast :

• Lee Min-ho as Lee Yoon-sung/Poochai
• Park Min-young as Kim Na-na
• Lee Joon-hyuk as Kim Young-joo
• Kim Sang-joong as Lee Jin-pyo
• Kim Sang-ho as Bae Man-duk/Bae Shik-joong

11. Princess hours

Chae-gyeong is an ordinary art high school student. One day, she hears totally unexpected news that, based on her grandfathers will, she must marry the unemotional Crown Prince Lee Shin who attends the same high school. Firstly, she rejected the proposal, but at the end she had to say yes due to her family’s poverty. After that time you will find the complicated love between Yul, came to her life and Hyo-rin, the ex-girlfriend of Lee Shin who just couldn’t get over him.

Main cast :

• Yoon Eun-hye as Shin Chae-kyeong
• Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Lee Shin
• Kim Jeong-hoon as Prince Lee Yul
• Song Ji-hyo as Min Hyo-rin
• Shim Hye-jin as Lady Hwa-young

10. It’s okay, that’s love

It’s a proof of whether true love happens at a psychiatric department could conquer anything.

The story centers about Jang Jae Yeol (Jo In Sung) divides his time between being a mystery writer and a DJ, but his every waking moment is consumed by his obsessive compulsive disorder. In search of treatment, he’s placed in the care of Ji Hye Soo (Gong Hyo Jin), who specializes in psychiatry because of her inability to perform surgeries. Through intimate sessions, they come to realize just how much healing they both need and that their relationship is more than doctor and ordinary patient.

Main cast :

• Jo In-sung as Jang Jae-yeol
• Gong Hyo-jin as Ji Hae-soo
• Sung Dong-il as Jo Dong-min
• Lee Kwang-soo as Park Soo-kwang
• Do Kyung-soo as Han Kang-woo

9. Reply 1997

This Korean series tells story in a sitcom type, featuring about Korean entertainment industries in ‘90s. Focusing on the lives of six friends in Busan, as the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997. Sung shi-won, the main cast, at the moment he’s 33 years old, working as a TV writers. When she went to an old friends reunion, that took her back to the unforgettable good old days. When she was a student in 1997, she was crazy about her idol band : H.O.T. and this is the beginning of the memorable old days stories.

Main cast :

• Jung Eun-ji as Sung Shi-won
• Seo In-guk as Yoon Yoon-je
• Hoya as Kang Joon-hee
• Shin So-yul as Mo Yoo-jung
• Eun Ji-won as Do Hak-chan
• Lee Si-eon as Bang Sung-je
• Sung Dong-il as Sung Dong-il

8. Secret garden

Another romance story of Kim Joo Won, an arrogant CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im, a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy among all top actresses. At one night twist of intrigue takes place in the plot when both Ra-Im and Joo-Won wake up in the morning to find that their souls have switched to the other’s body!

Main cast :

• Ha Ji-won as Gil Ra-im
• Hyun Bin as Kim Joo-won
• Yoon Sang-hyun as Choi Woo-young (Oska)
• Kim Sa-rang as Yoon Seul

7. I hear your voice

It’s a fantasy and romantic comedy combination. The story about Jang Hye Sung, a bold, sassy, thick-faced, comical, and materialistic public defender who becomes a lawyer after overcoming poverty and painful memories from her childhood comes to realizations about society after meeting Park Soo Ha, a 19-year-old boy who was her first love and he has a special talent: reading other people’s mind, he also used his extraordinary skill to help the justice.

Main cast :

• Lee Bo-young as Lawyer Jang Hye-sung / Kim So-hyun as 15-year-old Hye-sung
• Lee Jong-suk as Park Soo-ha/ Goo Seung-hyun as 9-year-old Soo-ha
• Yoon Sang-hyun as Cha Gwan-woo
• Lee Da-hee as Seo Do-yeon/ Jung Min-ah as 15-year-old Do-yeon

6. Coffee Prince

Coffee Prince features the hard life of Go Eun Chan as she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. Meanwhile, Choi Han Kyul the handsome son of a wealthy hotelier family who is set in his bachelor ways and constantly deflects his family’s attempts to make him commit due to his duty as the heir of a big food company, his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. After Eun Chan bumped into Han Kyul and was mistaken for a boy, Han Kyul decided to hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Trouble starts when Choi Han Kyul begins to get to know the hardworking and lovable Eun Chan, and begins to develop real feelings for him and the highlight of the series is would this kind of a homosexuality happens?

Main cast :

• Yoon Eun-hye as Go Eun-chan
• Gong Yoo as Choi Han-kyul
• Lee Sun-kyun as Choi Han-sung
• Chae Jung-an as Han Yoo-joo
• Lee Eon as Hwang Min-yeop

5. Dream high

Dream high is the story of 6 six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. This movie starting  Go Hye Mi, at the beginning she seems had everything she’s pretty, talented, rich, but she didn’t had one thing, attitude then she became struggling to survive alone with her sister Go Hye Sung, then she decide to give up on her dream in classical music and enter Kirin Art High School.

Main cast :

• Bae Suzy as Go Hye-mi
• Kim Soo-hyun as Song Sam-dong
• Ok Taec-yeon as Jin-guk/Hyun Shi-hyuk
• Ham Eun-jung as Yoon Baek-hee
• Jang Woo-young as Jason
• IU as Kim Pil-sook

4. Full house

The early 2000s’ most popular K-dramas. This story is about the famous actor Lee Young Jae and an ordinary woman, Han Ji Eun,  an aspiring scriptwriter, lives in a house called “Full House” built by her late father. Lee Young Jae wanted to make his crush, Kang Hye-won jealous, he grabbed Han Ji Eun to kiss in front of everybody and made a public of their upcoming marriage. Unintentionally, she agreed to hold a marriage upon only on paper in an attempt to earn back her house. It also explores the true meaning of family by looking at the brighter side of life. When they are together, they learn to live a married life and gradually fall for each other. This drama features diverse characters: considerate, caring, frank, patient, sticking to the life’s basic values. But no matter how different the personalities, everyone finds happiness in the end.

Main cast :

• Song Hye-kyo as Han Ji-eun
• Rain as Lee Young-jae
• Han Eun-jung as Kang Hye-won
• Kim Sung-soo as Yoo Min-hyuk

3. Master’s sun

The drama is a type of a combination of two popular genres, romantic comedy and horror story about Gong-shil was once bright and sunny but after a mysterious accident, she suddenly gains the ability to see ghosts. They continually haunt her, some wanting her to fulfill their last wishes, others merely scaring her. She also has suffers from insomnia, a sensitive assistant, due to her ability can see ghosts after an accident but when she touched Joong-Won, a self-centered, haughty, ambitious, and money-driven businessman who owns an extravagant shopping mall named Kingdom Group , the ghosts suddenly disappeared. That’s the beginning of their romance when Joong Won learns to trust Gong Shil and falls in love with her.

Main cast :

• So Ji-sub as Joo Jоong-won
• Kim Myung-soo as young Joo Joong-won
• Gong Hyo-jin as Tae Gong-shil
• Seo In-guk as Kang Woo
• Kim Yoo-ri as Tae Yi-ryung

2. My love from another star

It’s the story telling about Do-min-joon, an alien who landed on Earth over 400 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty period. Do Min-Joon possesses a perfect appearance and enhanced physical abilities involving his vision, hearing and speed. He meets a famous actress, Cheon Song-yi who is his next-door neighbor and he literally finds himself that he fell in love with a clumsy Hallyu actress in the Joseon era. The highlight of this series is : Could an alien fall in love with an ordinary human could be happy?

Main cast :

• Kim Soo-hyun as Do Min-joon
• Jun Ji-hyun as Cheon Song-yi
• Park Hae-jin as Lee Hee-kyung
• Yoo In-na as Yoo Se-mi

1. Descendants of the sun

This story tells of doctors stationed in the fictional war zone of Urk (Uruk), and follows the love story that develops between a surgeon (Kang Mo-yeon) and a special forces officer (Yoo Shi-jin), both elite in their respective fields. They fell in love and begun dating each others but the date didn’t work due to their jobs. The story will track both their personal and professional struggles while exploring issues about the value of life.

Main cast :

• Song Joong Ki as Captain Yoo Shi Jin of the Alpha Team (aka Big Boss)
• Song Hye Kyo as Professor Kang Mo Yun (aka Beauty)
• Jin Goo as Chief Master Sergeant Seo Dae Young (aka Wolf)
• Kim Ji Won as Lieutenant Yoon Myung Joo (Orthopedic Surgeon)
• Kang Shin Il as Lieutenant General Yoon (Myung Joo’s father) (aka Yellow Tiger)