Korean dramas have soared in popularity in the past decade, romantic k-dramas especially. Netflix was one of the first streaming services to bring K-dramas to the global stage, introducing audiences to sweet, swoon-worthy romances that prioritize the female gaze. With a large selection to choose from, finding the best romantic K-drama on Netflix can be a daunting challenge.
Never fear because we at Collider have the perfect K-drama starter pack to help you parse through Netflix’s library and find the perfect romantic K-drama for you.
Whether you are in the mood for something that’s both twisted and heart-warming such as the globally beloved It’s Okay Not To Be Okay, or the hilarious adventures of an heiress whose parachute accidentally lands in North Korea in the romantic comedy Crash Landing On You, there’s a little bit of everything for everyone.
Twenty Five Twenty One
Writer: Kwon Do-eun
Cast: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Bona, Choi Hyun-wook, Lee Joo-myung
Chronicling the romantic ups and downs of five characters from 1998 to 2021, Twenty Five Twenty One is one of the most popular K-dramas on screen, with fans including K-pop stars like BTS‘ Jungkook and BLACKPINK‘s Lisa. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the show follows Kim Min-chae (Choi Myung-bin), the daughter of a retired professional fencer, Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri), as she reads her mom’s old diary and learns more about her past. In 1998, Hee-do was a member of her high school fencing team, but after the fallout of the 1997 IMF financial crisis, the team loses its funding. In order to pursue her fencing dream, Hee-do must transfer schools and navigate tough competition. Along the way, Hee-do meets the handsome, hard-working news vendor Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk), who tries to get his life back together after the financial crisis left his family bankrupt.
Heartfelt, nostalgic, and well-acted, it’s no surprise that this series has so many devoted fans begging for Season 2. If you’re looking for a romantic drama that feels like chicken noodle soup for the soul, look no further than Twenty Five Twenty One.
It’s Okay Not To Be Okay
Writer: Jo Yong
Cast: Kim Soo-hyun, Seo Yea-ji, Oh Jung-se, Park Gyu-young
This Tim Burton-esque twisted fairytale is one of the best romantic K-dramas on Netflix. Although some of its themes may be hard to watch, the unfolding mysteries and blossoming relationships will have you invested from the jump.
The story follows an antisocial children’s book author, Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Yea-ji), and a hospice caretaker, Moon Gang-Tae (Kim Soo-hyun), crossing paths when her book reading goes awry at the mental hospital he works at, their lives change forever (and for the better). Gang-tae saves her life when an unstable patient tries to kill her and prevents her from attacking the patient. Mun-yeong, intrigued by Gang-tae’s empathy for even the most undeserving and his ability to see through her standoffish behavior for what it really is, hires Gang-tae to be her “safety pin” in order to protect her from her worst impulses.
Gang-tae moves into Mun-yeong’s gothic mansion along with his autistic brother, Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) who’s a big fan of Mun-yeong’s books and harbors big dreams of becoming an illustrator. With the help of Mun-yeong, Sang-tae is able to flourish creatively. Gang-tae, on the other hand, learns how to let others take care of him, relinquish control over his emotions, and most of all, allow himself to fall in love.
Crash Landing On You
Writer: Park Ji-eun
Cast: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun
While a mysterious tornado blows heiress Yoon Se-ri’s (Son Ye-jin) paragliding off course, she accidentally crashes into a tree on the North Korean side of the DMZ. Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a captain of the Korean People’s Army and a member of the North Korean elite, finds her while on patrol and saves her life. While developing a plan to help Se-ri get back home to South Korea, Jeong-hyeok hides her from his fellow North Koreans like Cho Cheol-gang (Oh Man-seok), a corrupt officer from the State Security Department intent on exposing Jeong-hyeok. Meanwhile, in Seoul, Se-Ri’s family hasn’t announced her disappearance, and her envious brothers conspire to steal her spot as next in the line of succession to lead their father’s company.
Meanwhile, Se-Ri and Jeong-hyeok’s feelings for each other grow as they spend time together. However, with all the external forces threatening to tear them apart, will these two star-crossed lovers go the distance? Watch this hilarious romantic comedy if you’re in the mood for something silly and sweet.
Love Alarm
Writers: Seo Bo-Ra, Lee Ah-yeon (Season 1) Cha Yeon-soo, Kim Seo-hee, Kwon Ji-young (Season 2)
Cast: Kim So-hyun, Jung Ga-ram, Song Kang
If you’re looking for something bananas, this drama is for you. Based on the popular webtoon by the same name, Love Alarm follows the life of a high school girl, Kim Jo-jo (Kim So-hyun), who has to navigate the social status quo amidst not only an influx of teenage hormones but also the popularity of a mobile app that can notify users whether someone in their vicinity has romantic feelings for them. The app can reveal how many people are into you but doesn’t reveal their identities. This leads to plenty of confusion and chaos for Jo-jo, who has caught the eye of one of the most eligible boys at school, Lee Hye-young (Jung Ga-ram), the best friend of the wealthy Hwang Son-Oh (Song Kang). Son-Oh knows that Hye-young likes Jo-jo, but in an experiment to see if his feelings are true, he kisses her in front of him to gauge his reaction. Jo-jo’s love alarm goes off, and the messiest love triangles in K-drama history go off with a bang!
Love Alarm was one of the first Korean series to be picked up by Netflix. After the first season dropped on Netflix on August 22, 2019, it was ranked as one of Netflix’s top releases and renewed for a second season a few months later. Season 2 was released on March 12, 2021, and Love Alarm went on to become one most-watched K-dramas on Netflix that year.
Crash Course In Romance
Writer: Yang Hee-seung
Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Kyung-ho
One of the highest-rated dramas in Korean television history, Crash Course in Romance follows banchan shop owner Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon) as she tries to help her daughter Hae-yi (Roh Yoon-seo) navigate Korea’s notoriously difficult college entrance exams. She enlists the help of a regular customer, Choi Chi-yeol (Jung Kyung-ho), to secretly tutor her daughter. He’s a popular math teacher at the local private school, Pride Academy, but there’s more to Chi-yeol than what meets the eye. Chi-yeol struggles with an eating disorder, but with the help of Haeng-seon’s delicious food, he can take better care of himself and focus on his work. In exchange for his tutoring lessons, Haeng-seon provides Chi-yeol three meals a day, and a tenuous bond emerges from there.
Cinderella and The Four Knights
Writers: Min Ji-eunWon, Young-sil
Cast: Park So-dam, Jung Il-woo, Ahn Jae-hyun, Lee Jung-shin, Choi Min, Son Na-eun
After high school senior Eun Ha-won (Park So-Dam) loses her mother in a car accident and her father’s new wife steals the money her parents had saved for her tuition, Ha-won has to take on part-time jobs in order to pay for her mother’s memorial and her incoming college tuition. One day, Ha-won has a chance encounter with a rich corporate chairman, who offers her a job looking after his three grandsons at his grand mansion, the one caveat being that she has to move in. The Kang cousins are every bit as intriguing and enthralling as she might have imagined. There’s arrogant playboy Hyung-min (Ahn Jae-hyun), charismatic singer-songwriter Seo-woo (Lee Jung-shin), and last but not least, the rebellious Ji-woon (Jung Il-woo) with whom Ha-won shares a secret past.
Based on the web novel of the same name, Cinderella and The Four Knights has had quite the following over the years and remains one of the most highly watched Netflix K-dramas.
Boys Over Flowers
Writer: Yoon Ji-ryun
Cast: Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon, Kim So-eun
It doesn’t get more iconic than this one! Often regarded as one of the pioneers of the Korean wave, Boys Over Flowers is a must-watch for anyone interested in the O.G. drama that started it all.
Based on the Japanese manga series of the same name, the show follows Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun) after she stands up against F4, a group of privileged heirs when they attempt to bully a boy to his death. She receives a scholarship to the prestigious school they attend, Shinwa High School, when she is lauded as a hero in the local newspapers. As soon as she steps on campus, Jan-di finds that her classmates are totally obsessed with the F4 boys, consisting of the hot-tempered Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), musician Yoon Ji-hu (Kim Hyun-joong), and womanizer So Yi-jung (Kim Bum). The more she resists the pull of F4, the faster Jan-di finds herself tangled in a complicated love quadrangle with the boys.
Romance Is A Bonus Book
Writer: Jung Hyun-jung
Cast: Lee Na-young, Lee Jong-suk, Jung Yoo-jin, Wi Ha-joon
In this sweet K-drama, former childhood friends Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk) and Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young) reconnect and learn to lean on each other years after Dan-i’s marriage to an unkind man strained their friendship. Years later, after her husband cheated on her, a newly divorced Dan-i has to hustle to make ends meet to provide for her daughter. Meanwhile, Eun-ho is enjoying a successful career as the editor-in-chief of a publishing company, the company where Dan-i ends up getting a temp position. Although he’s initially unsure whether she’d fit into the company culture, Dan-i’s creativity pleasantly surprises him and his fellow senior executives. As the two continue to work beside each other, Eun-ho’s long-dormant feelings bubble up to the surface and Dan-i begins to feel a spark with him that she didn’t before.
This romance is sure to satisfy anyone in dire need of a delectable slow burn. With Eun-ho and Dan-i’s history, their eventual union is nothing short of fireworks.
Nevertheless
Writer: Jung Won
Cast: Han So-hee, Song Kang, Chae Jong-hyeop, Lee Yul-eum, Yang Hye-ji
The second series on this list 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.
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