The streaming giant Netflix is heavily investing in the K-drama industry, producing and distributing some of the most popular East Asian dramas worldwide. While a lot of anticipated Korean dramas are coming to Netflix in 2024.
Here we will take a look at the 10 best Korean dramas that have been added to Netflix this year so far.
1. Gang Song Creatures Part Two
- Release Date: January 5, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 111.5 million view hours (12.5 million views in the first 3 weeks)
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
- Main Characters: Jang Taang (a wealthy informant) and Yun Chai O (a highly skilled investigator)
Added to Netflix on January 5th, Gang Song Creatures Part Two is a supernatural drama. This action horror thriller television series, created by Gan Yunyang and Jong Dong Yun for Netflix, is set in 1945 during the Japanese Occupation of Korea. Jang Taang, a wealthy informant in the heart of Gong Song, and Yun Chai O, a highly skilled investigator, come together to face a literal creature created from the cumulative greed of humanity.
The Netflix series has gathered around 111.5 million view hours, equating to nearly 12.5 million Netflix views in the initial 3 weeks of streaming. Gang Song Creatures will also return for a second season with Park C June and Han SOI returning, though they will play new characters in a modern-day setting.
2. Frankly Speaking
- Release Date: February 10, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 1.2 million views in the debut week
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
Frankly Speaking is a dependable K-drama and a rare example of K-drama humor transcending translation. It’s familiar enough to feel comfortable and breezy, striking the right balance between hilarity and sincere romance. Go Kungo and Kong Han Na star in this new romantic comedy.
The former plays Song Kake, a TV station announcer who develops a disorder causing him to speak without thinking, while the latter plays a variety show writer, On Wuu, who invites him on her show. The Netflix series is enjoying unprecedented success, surpassing 1.2 million views on Netflix’s Global Top 10 within its debut week and racking up an impressive 2.5 million viewing hours in the non-English TV category.
3. Goodbye Earth
- Release Date: March 15, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: N/A
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
Goodbye Earth takes a familiar countdown clock approach as these types of disaster films and series often do, with predictable anarchy taking hold on society as the days and weeks tick off. Based on the Japanese fantasy novel, the 12-part science fiction series tells the story of people living in Korea who are told that an asteroid is slated to strike the country in 200 days.
This first phase of the series sets up the plight of a teacher trying to get her former students to safety, the struggling citizens of Wongin City, soldiers attempting to keep some semblance of order, and wealthy Koreans scrambling to leave the country by any means possible. Despite some haphazard editing due to actor UA In’s sequences being erased due to drug charges, Goodbye Earth might be a fine choice for those looking for a grim and depressing sci-fi slog.
4. Captivating the King
- Release Date: January 21, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: N/A
- Nationwide Rating: 6.7%
This historical K-drama gripped audiences with its tale of war, revenge, and love set in the Joseon era. Captivating the King unfolds against the backdrop of the Joseon era, weaving a captivating narrative around Prince Jinhan, portrayed by Joe Junsuk, and the enigmatic bodic player Kangu, played by Shin SE Kyong.
The strategic game of bodok transforms into a political maneuver as Prince Jinhan employs it to secure the release of hostages. Simultaneously, Hesu, disguised as a man, weaves her way into the prince’s life driven by a larger agenda of revenge.
The K-drama aired on January 21st on TVN in South Korea and is available to stream on Netflix internationally. Upon its release, the romantic series scored an impressive average nationwide rating of 6.7%.
5. Dr. Slump
- Release Date: February 28, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 10.2 million hours watched by 2.9 million viewers in the second week
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
Dr. Slump is an idyllic romantic comedy that celebrates the K-drama return of superstar Park Shinh High post her 2-year motherhood hiatus. Actor Park Hyungsik, Shinh High’s decade-old co-star from the very popular 2013 series The Heirs, gets paired alongside her in Dr. Slump, a series which faithfully follows all the fascinating tropes associated with such timeline-based love-hate sagas.
Shinh High is blemishless in her portrayal of Nam Han, a gullible bookworm scholar whose only known creative world for long revolves around her addictive study patterns and dissertations. Jungsik adeptly fluctuates between learning and yearning in his lover boy character of Yo Jong Wu.
Dr. Slump ranked ninth in Netflix’s non-English category after 2 days of its release and rose to the top during its second week, accumulating 10.2 million hours watched by 2.9 million viewers.
6. A Killer Paradox
- Release Date: March 5, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 11 million views in the first 4 weeks
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
Another successful webtoon adaptation from Netflix, A Killer Paradox soared past 11 million views in the first 4 weeks. The drama follows a college student, Lee Tang, whose life gets turned upside down after a chance encounter during his part-time job at a convenience store. A confrontation with a rude customer leads to an accidental killing.
Consumed by guilt, Lee Tang prepares to confess but a shocking discovery changes everything—the man he killed turns out to be a wanted serial killer. Soon, Lee Tang realizes he has the supernatural ability to identify the evil within a person and becomes a dark hero intent on punishing those for the evils of their pasts.
A Killer Paradox has received largely favorable reviews from critics, with praise for its editing, direction, and dark sense of humor.
7. The Eight Show
- Release Date: April 10, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 9.3 million views in the first 3 weeks
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
The Eight Show should be enough for Squid Game fans to whet their appetite. While the new Netflix K-drama has some direct visual echoes of the cultural phenomenon, such as the eerie style stairs or the numbered uniforms, the series is actually adapted from an existing webtoon story called Money Game.
In the series, eight people are invited to appear on a reality variety TV show called Money Game. If the eight people can stand to live in an eight-story concrete fortress for 100 days, they get to split the winnings equally, which starts at around $33.6 million.
However, everything they spend on, including food, water, and electricity, costs 1,000 times more than normal prices and is deducted from the winning prize. The series has been on Netflix’s top 10 in the non-English category for three consecutive weeks since its release, accumulating 9.3 million views.
8. Parasite: The Gray
- Release Date: May 20, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 31.5 million hours watched in the first 3 days, 40.9 million hours watched in the second week
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
A parasitic species invades Earth in this gnarly Korean horror series based on the manga series Parasite by Hoshi Iwaki. The creatures infect and kill humans, then transform their heads into grotesque shapes. The story revolves around Jun Suin, played by John Son, who is infected with a parasite on her hand and starts a strange cohabitation as it fails to fully control her brain.
So Gangu chases a parasitic water to find his missing sister, and Cho Jun Kyung is the team leader of the parasitic life team The Gray and lives only to exterminate the parasitic water after losing her husband to it. For fans of body horror.
Parasite: The Gray should certainly satisfy, but the series also draws on compelling themes of humanity’s response to threats in our environment. The series topped Netflix’s non-English category 3 days after its release with 31.5 million hours watched, which increased to 40.9 million hours watched during the second week.
9. Queen of Tears
- Release Date: March 9, 2024
- Netflix Viewing: 373 million hours watched in total
- Nationwide Rating: N/A
Queen of Tears successfully delivers its title as we all were in tears while watching each episode. From the very first episode, viewers were swept away on a roller coaster of emotions, experiencing heartbreak, joy, and everything in between. At the center of this captivating drama are the stellar performances of Kim Suun and Kim G1.
Kim Su Hun’s portrayal is nothing short of remarkable, showcasing his versatility as an actor and earning him his title as one of Korea’s highest-paid actors. He effortlessly embodies his character, evoking laughter, tears, and genuine empathy from viewers. Similarly, Kim G1 shines in her role, demonstrating her versatility as an actor and bringing a beautiful authenticity to her character.
Since its release on March 9th, the accumulated viewing time for the show on Netflix has reached 373 million hours in total, bringing it close to surpassing the milestone of 400 million hours. The final episode of the drama became the most-watched episode ever aired by TVN, surpassing Crash Landing on You.
Which of these K-dramas have you watched or are excited to watch?