The best Korean TV shows you can stream right now
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Korean culture has captivated the world, in part thanks to the huge popularity of TV shows and films like Squid Game and Parasite.
Netflix has doubled down on delivering great Korean shows, both originals and acquisitions, and its latest is Chicken Nugget. The comedy series follows a dad whose daughter turns into a chicken nugget, and his quest to turn her back into a human — yes, really.
Read more: The movies that won the most Oscars
Whether you’ve dived right into the series and are looking for your next K-drama fix or if you’re keen to try something different instead, here are some of the best shows available to stream right now.
The best Korean period drama to watch
Pachinko
Apple TV+ has brought Min Jin Lee's sprawling tale of love and family across multiple generations in Pachinko, which features incredible performances from its lead cast Anna Sawai, Youn Yuh-jung, and Lee Minho — but especially Minha Kim.
Kim delivers an emotional and heartbreaking performance as Sunja, whose story serves as the main narrative thread across the decades. It follows Sunja's tale from South Korea to Japan to America, and will enchant and move viewers beyond belief.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
The best Korean action series watch
Bloodhounds
There are many crime thrillers out there, but Bloodhounds is one of the greats. The Netflix K-drama centres on two boxers as they help take down a ruthless money lender who is terrorising the financially vulnerable for his own gain.
Starring Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi, the series has some incredible fight scenes thanks to the boxing prowess of its leads. The challenges they face in tearing down their oppressor is also one that will keep viewers hooked from start to finish — if you'll pardon the pun.
Where to watch: Netflix
The best Korean comedy to watch
Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo
Chicken Nugget aside, there are a plethora of wonderful Korean comedies out there to enjoy and one of the best in recent years is Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo. The show follows a group of college athletes as they fight to make their sporting dreams come true, and some also find love in the process.
The show is led by Lee Sung-kyung who plays the eponymous Bok-joo, and she delivers a performance full of charm and wit. She is joined by Nam Joo-hyuk, who plays Bok-joo's unexpected love interest Jung Joon-Hyung.
Where to watch: Netflix
The best Korean rom-com to watch
Love to Hate You
Actor Teo Yoo has made viewers swoon with his performance in Celine Song's Oscar-nominated Past Lives, and he has a great filmography behind him including romantic comedy Love to Hate You.
The series shines a light on the Korean entertainment industry as Teo Yoo plays actor Nam Kang-ho who butts heads with free-spirited lawyer Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin). The pair end up at odds when Mi-ran comes to believe he is up to no good and decides to get close to him in order to get evidence of his misdeeds, only for the two to fall in love instead.
Where to watch: Netflix
The best Korean supernatural series to watch
Hotel del Luna
Romantic dramas come in all shapes and sizes in the Korean TV industry, and Hotel del Luna is the perfect example of a supernatural series that blends genres well.
The series follows Gu Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) who is hired by Jang Man-wol (IU) to help her run her supernatural hotel, where the souls of the dead live before moving on to the other side. It is full of chills and thrills thanks to the ghostly inhabitants that Chan-sung must face, but it also follows the blossoming romance between him and the hotel owner.
Where to watch: Netflix
The best Korean show to watch for a quick binge
Bargain
This intense thriller is perfect for those looking for a quick and easy watch that will be done in no time, the series is just six episodes long with episodes around 30 minutes each. The series depicts the nightmare that descends on a black market auction in a remote hotel when an earthquake leaves the auctioneers, the buyers, and the victims trapped.
Bargain is relentless both in terms of pace and its thrilling narrative, and each episode follows on moments after the last episode ends making it difficult not to click through to the next one and be completely engrossed by it. You will never guess where the story takes its characters and makes for a great fast watch.
Where to watch: Paramount+
The best Korean thriller to watch
The Glory
Revenge is best served cold, as they say, and The Glory explores that in great detail. This gripping thriller follows Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) as she gets vengeance on those who bullied her when she was in school. Now an adult, she'll stop at nothing to make her tormentors' lives a living hell.
The series has already gained huge critical acclaim and a second season for good reason — it is shocking and gripping, and features a stellar performance by Song.
Where to watch: Netflix
The best Korean fantasy series to watch
Tale of the Nine Tailed
Lee Dong-wok became an international sensation with his role as the Grim Reaper in K-drama Goblin, and he followed this up with another hit: Tale of the Nine Tailed.
A sweeping fantasy series which now has two seasons, Lee stars as a 1000-year-old Gumiho, or mythical fox, who sets out to find the reincarnation of his true love. Full of magic and romance, there's a reason this series proved so popular when it was originally released.
Where to watch: Prime Video
The best Korean horror to watch
Kingdom
Ever since Train to Busan, Korean cinema has proven it is the best when it comes to zombie horrors, and a great K-drama to prove just that is Kingdom.
The series seamlessly blends period drama with zombie horror as it is set in the Joseon period and follows Ju Ji-hoon's Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon, and his investigation into a mysterious illness spreading across the land. The zombies are terrifying, the sets and costume design are delightful, and the fight choreography is awe-inspiring — what more could you want?
Where to watch: Netflix
Chicken Nugget is out now on Netflix.
Watch the trailer for Chicken Nugget:
