The 5 best Korean dramas to watch on Netflix this winter

Although K-dramas have been popular in many parts of the world since the 2000s, their global popularity has exploded in recent years, largely thanks to the rise of Netflix. The streamer recently revealed over 80% of its global subscribers watch Korean content — a figure that should come as no surprise, considering Korean shows regularly land in Netflix’s global top 10 list of the most watched non-English shows, sometimes taking up at least half of the spots on the list. Whether you’re a longtime K-drama fan or relatively new to Korean TV, below are five great K-dramas you’ll want to kick off the new year with. With thrillers featuring terrifying zombies, ghastly grim reapers, armed guards in pink jumpsuits, as well as some low-key workplace dramas, our roundup gives a glimpse into the sheer breadth of K-dramas available for audiences to enjoy today. And despite their differences in subject matter, all five of these shows feel quite relevant and timely — each for their own reasons. So make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, snuggle in under a warm blanket, and press play — though if you’re squeamish, you might want to watch a few of these with the lights on. Happiness [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqhUlldiLEo] Genre: Zombie thriller for folks who are usually scared of zombie thrillers Episodes: 12 K-drama A-listers Han Hyo-joo (Moving, Blood Free) and Park Hyung-sik (Doctor Slump, Soundtrack #1) star in this one-of-a-kind thriller helmed by Ahn Gil-ho, who directed other hit K-dramas like Stranger, Memories of the Alhambra, Record of Youth, and The Glory. Sae-bom (Han), a smart and fearless member of an elite police squad, has her heart set on moving into a newly constructed luxury high-rise, but there’s a catch: Preference for new tenants is given to married couples. To secure an apartment unit, she convinces her longtime friend and police detective Yi-hyun (Park) to agree to a marriage of convenience. Shortly after they move in, however, a mysterious illness begins spreading among the building’s residents, transforming the infected into zombies and spurring the military to quarantine the apartment complex. Shut off from the outside world, residents begin turning on each other as they fight to survive the outbreak. Happiness isn’t your typical zombie thriller. For starters, it’s slower-paced and arguably less frightening than most other zombie fare, if only because most of the scenes don’t involve zombies (the zombies themselves still look terrifying, though). Those infected with the disease aren’t even referred to as zombies, and their bouts of madness and flesh-eating rampages seem to be temporary, in most cases. Instead, the series feels much more like an exploration of human nature in times of crisis — something that resonated with audiences when the show premiered in 2021 during a pandemic. Hellbound season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8phUY114Kk] Genre: Dark supernatural fantasy thriller with eerie real-world parallels Episodes: 6 In November 2021, Hellbound’s first season debuted as the most watched show on Netflix globally that week. Though the show’s second season — which dropped last October — didn’t garner as much attention, many viewers praised it for being even more thrilling than the first. Directed and co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, JUNG_E, Parasyte: The Grey, and the highly anticipated upcoming Netflix film Revelations), Hellbound imagines a dystopian world in which people are condemned to hell by being issued “decrees” by “angels” who predict the date and time of their death. At the prophesied time, three hulking monsters appear out of thin air to maul and mangle the hapless victim before torching them to a crisp. In season 2, the unexpected resurrections of two individuals who journeyed to hell and back — Park Jungja (played by Kim Shin-rok of Sweet Home and Moving) and religious cult leader Jung Jinsu (Kim Sung-cheol of Our Beloved Summer) — raise all sorts of questions about these supernatural events, and lead to a power struggle among various ideological groups intent on pushing their own agendas. Based on the eponymous webtoon that director Yeon co-created, Hellbound is, on the surface, a very grisly fantasy thriller. But Yeon says the series is also a symbolic representation of the “misfortunes we face in our lives” and the hell that many of us create for ourselves. And with the rise of religious and political extremism around the world, the social commentary found in Hellbound feels particularly relevant for these times. Squid Game season 2 [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQBmZBJCYcY] Genre: If children’s games could kill… Episodes: 7 On Dec. 26, 2024, Netflix finally dropped its most anticipated series of 2024 — the second season of Squid Game, the streamer’s most watched show ever. Writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has frequently talked about the pressure he felt while creating the show’s second season, but it looks like he really outdid himself. (But let’s face it, did we really think that Netflix would be going all out promoting season 2 if it wasn’t actually good?) Three years after being the sole winner and survivor of the deadly games, Player 456, Seong Gi-hun (portrayed by the incomparable Lee Jung-jae), reenters the high-stakes competition, this time with the goal of ending it once and for all. But will the other contestants — who are desperately strapped for cash as he once was — agree to cooperate with him, or will greed get the better of them? And will Gi-hun finally face off with the Front Man? The star-studded cast includes some of the most recognizable faces from Korean film and TV (and even K-pop!), with returning actors Lee, Wi Ha-jun, Lee Byung-hun, and Gong Yoo being joined by new castmates like Yim Si-wan, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Jo Yuri, and former BIGBANG member T.O.P. Featuring a host of new children’s games, surprise reveals, gripping performances, and, of course, the trademark costumes and candy-colored set designs, the latest season packs in just as much intense and gory action as the first. The blockbuster series will continue with season 3, set to be released sometime later this year. Misaeng: Incomplete Life [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/misaeng.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Genre: Inspiring workplace drama Episodes: 20 This is an older K-drama that came out in 2014, but we’re including it here because it’s such a classic and features several stars from season 2 of Squid Game, including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, and Jeon Seok-ho. Jang Geu-rae (Yim) is a prodigy at the game of Go (called baduk in Korean), but his family circumstances prevent him from pursuing it professionally. Forced to face the real world, Geu-rae starts working at a trading company as an intern, but is immediately disparaged by his co-workers due to his lack of academic credentials and work experience. With nothing to rely on except for the skills and strategies he learned from baduk, can Geu-rae successfully navigate the workplace and eventually win over his colleagues? Based on the eponymous webtoon by Yoon Tae-ho and directed by Kim Won-seok (Arthdal Chronicles, My Mister, Signal, Sungkyunkwan Scandal), Misaeng (a baduk term that refers to a stone that is neither dead nor alive) offers many lessons about work and everyday life and subsequently inspired both Chinese and Japanese remakes. Thanks to the show’s enormous success (it won a number of domestic TV awards in 2015 and 2016) and cultural impact in South Korea, many K-dramas began to be adapted from webtoons — a trend that continues to this day. When the Stars Gossip [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkYT-T500AE] Genre: Boy meets girl in space Episodes: 16 Here’s another workplace K-drama — but this one takes place in outer space! Billed as South Korea’s first office drama set in space, this highly anticipated sci-fi rom-com stars heavy-hitters Lee Min-ho (Pachinko, The King: Eternal Monarch) and Gong Hyo-jin (When the Camellia Blooms, The Producers) and is directed by Park Shin-woo (The Killing Vote, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay) and written by Seo Sook-hyang (Pasta, Romance Town). Gong Ryong (Lee), an OB-GYN and future son-in-law of the chair of Korea’s largest conglomerate, pays a hefty sum of money to travel to a space station as a space tourist. There, he meets Eve Kim (Gong), a highly capable Korean American space scientist who likes to do everything by the book. She also happens to be the space station’s commander, and hates tourists like Gong Ryong who buy their way into space travel without having to undergo proper astronaut training. Will the pair be able to tolerate each other as they’re forced to spend time together in close quarters, hundreds of miles above the Earth? When the Stars Gossip premieres on Jan. 4.