The Best Korean Dramas on Netflix Right Now

The Silent Sea (2021-present)

Director: Choi Hang-yong

Cast: Bae Doona, Gong Yoo, Lee Joon, Kim Sun-young, Kim Si-a, Lee Moo-Saeng

A sci-fi horror series set in space, The Silent Sea follows a crew as they go investigate an abandoned research facility where a tragedy took place. With the mission to retrieve valuable samples that might lead to the creation of more water, a vitally important and expensive resource now in the future, the crew heads into unknown terror when they enter Balhae station. With Bae Doona and Gong Yoo leading this cast, you already know it’s going to be good. Full of mysteries and twists, The Silent Sea is totally bingeable with its revelations and betrayals scattered generously throughout a dystopian story. — Therese Lacson.

Nevertheless (2021)

Directed by: Kim Ga-ram

Cast: Han So-hee, Song Kang, Cheska Aguiluz, Yang Hye-Ji

Starring the beloved Song Kang, Nevertheless was an instant hit with audiences worldwide. Fresh off a rough breakup, art student Yu Na-Bi (Han So-hee), has turned into a cynic who no longer believes in love. But when she meets the intoxicating Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), she’s unable to resist his magnetic pull and flirtatious charm. An emotionally unavailable commitment-phobe in his own right, Jae-eon isn’t interested in a relationship. He’s there for a good time, not a long time. The pair embark on a tentative friends-with-benefits relationship. Both help each other heal from their pasts and fall for each other the more they get to know each other.

A Time Called You (2023-present)

Created By: Kim Jin-won, Choi Hyo-bi

Cast: Ahn Hyo-Seop, Jeon Yeo-been, Kang Hoon

Based on the Taiwanese television series Someday or One Day, A Time Called You follows the grieving Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been), who is transported back to 1998 into the body of a different person, eventually meeting a man who uncannily resembles her deceased boyfriend. Dropping the typical rom-com style of K-dramas in this genre, A Time Called You finds its rhythm with moments of true suspense and tension, perfectly realized by Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-Seop’s lead performances. Beautifully shot on location in Jeonju-si and Incheon, writer Choi Hyo-bi plays with the concept of time travel without letting its intricacies overwhelm the heartwarming romance at the core of this story. Intriguingly complex, the narrative moves between time and space in a way that helps to blossom the relationship of the central couple — and of the audience with the story. – Jake Hodges.

King the Land (2023-present)

Created By: Cheon Sung-il

Cast: Lee Jun-ho, Im Yoon-ah, Go Won-hee

Gently toeing the line between both comedy and drama, King the Land sees Lee Jun-ho’s hotel CEO, Goo Won, disheartened by his involvement in an inheritance war, only for his life to find new meaning through his timely meeting with the ever-positive hotelier Cheon Sa-rang (Im Yoon-ah). The endearing chemistry of the lead couple fuels the comforting narrative fire from creator Cheon Sung-il, who takes a well-worn rom-com genre and finds its best assets, utilizing them throughout the series. King the Land’s gentle, flowing narrative is accompanied by a wonderful soundtrack, showcasing artists such as Punch, Minseo, and Gaho, that seamlessly partners the growth of the show’s central romance. Positively uncomplicated, King the Land is a hit for a reason, with Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ha’s sparkling chemistry a particular highlight.

Mask Girl (2023-present)

Creator: Mae-mi, Hee-se

Cast: Hyun-Jung Go, Im Jin-Ah, Ahn Jae-hong, Yeom Hye-ran

Mask Girl adapts the popular Naver webtoon created by Mae-mi and Hee-se about a bored young woman who is tired of her mundane office life and dons a mask to become an internet streaming personality. Unfortunately, she attracts the wrong attention, sending her life down a deep rabbit hole filled with murder, mysteries, and multiple personas. The limited series is not just visually stunning — it makes the ambitious choice to have the lead be played by three distinct actresses throughout the run to embody the different personas of Kim Mo-mi: Lee Han-byeol, Nana, and Go Hyun-jung.