From Crash Course in Romance to Bloodhounds, here are the best Korean titles that make it to the list of the ten most-watched K-dramas on Netflix of all time.
According to an October 2023 update by Forbes, Netflix had nearly 247.2 million global paid subscribers by the end of September 2023. And owing to the worldwide reach of some of the most-watched K-drama shows like The Glory and Queen of Tears, Netflix has only seen an influx of subscribers of late.
Leading the list of the most-watched K-dramas on Netflix with more than 1.65 billion hours of viewership in the first 28 days of release is the 2021 hit Squid Game season 1. The K-series also won six Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for Hwang Dong-hyuk and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Lee Jung-jae.
Another title making it to the most-watched K-drama shows on the Netflix list is Ahn Gil-ho’s 2022 psychological thriller The Glory. Replete with mind games and spectacular performances by protagonists Son Hye-kyo and Lim Ji-yeon, the show was consistent in maintaining its position on the top 10 all-time Non-English TV series list on Netflix, with over 436.90 million hours watched in the first 28 days of release.
Meanwhile, the 2024 Netflix romance K-drama Queen of Tears, which is a fantastic nod to cult tvN hits like Goblin, garnered around 373.2 million streaming hours during its broadcast period from 9 March to 28 April 2024. One of the highest-rated K-dramas of 2024, Queen Of Tears has been consistent in dominating the Netflix Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows category. Starring K-drama sweethearts Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, it focuses on a couple’s tumultuous relationship after marriage.
10 most-watched K-drama shows on Netflix that will keep you glued to the screen
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Bloodhounds (2023)
Hours viewed: 146,700,000
Directed by: Jason Kim
Cast: Woo Do-Hwan, Park Sung-Woong, Heo Jun-Ho, Lee Sang-Yi
Episodes: 8
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 14 minutes
Synopsis: Boxers Gun-Woo (Woo) and Woo-Jin (Lee) team up with moneylender Choi (Heo) to bring down an evil loan shark Myung-Gil (Park). However, the pursuit of Myung-Gil leads the boxers to the corrupt world of private loans and the duo ends up getting caught in a web of lies.
About the show: Formerly titled Hunting Dogs, this noir action K-drama is based on the webtoon of the same name by Jeong Chan.
Hours viewed: 148,600,000
Directed by: Sim Na-yeon
Cast: Lee Do-hyun, Ra Mi-ran, Ahn Eun-jin, Yoo In-soo, Seo Yi-sook
Episodes: 14
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 12 minutes
Synopsis: Single mother Jin Young-soon (Ra) struggles hard to give her son Choi Kang-ho (Lee) a good life. Later, Kang-ho becomes a renowned prosecutor and cuts ties with his mother. However, a fatal accident forces Kang-ho to go back to Young-soon’s care. Will this reunion help heal their strained relationship?
Mr. Queen (2020)
Hours viewed: 151,500,000
Directed by: Yoon Sung-shik
Cast: Choi Jin-hyuk, Shin Hye-sun, Seol In-ah
Episodes: 20
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 10 minutes
Synopsis: Modern-day chef Jang Bong-Hwan (Choi) works at the president’s Blue House. When mysterious circumstances transport him to the Joseon period, his spirit gets trapped in the body of Queen Kim So-yong (Shin). To get back home, Jang must first deal with the politics involving the royals.
About the show: This historical Korean drama is an adaptation of the 2015 Chinese web series Go Princess Go.
Alchemy of Souls (2022)
Hours viewed: 155,300,000
Directed by: Park Joon-hwa
Cast: Lee Jae-wook, Jung So-min, Minhyun, Yu Jun-sang
Episodes: 20
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 10 minutes
Synopsis: The young master of the Jang family, Jang Uk (Lee), holds a dark secret about his birth. While he seeks a formidable assassin in Daeho to help him in a mysterious task, he learns about sorceress-assassin Naksu (Go). However, with Naksu’s soul trapped inside the weak body of Mu Deok (Jung), Jang’s servant, things seem to go awry.
About the show: One of the best Lee Jae-wook shows, Alchemy of Souls enjoyed a 9.2 per cent nationwide finale viewership rating, according to Nielsen Korea.
Doctor Cha (2023)
Hours viewed: 194,700,000
Directed by: Kim Dae-jin and Kim Jung-wook
Cast: Uhm Jung-hwa, Myung Se-bin, Kim Byung-chul, Song Ji-ho, Min Woo-hyuk
Episodes: 16
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 5 minutes
Synopsis: After 20 years of being a homemaker, Cha Jung-sook (Uhm) decides to return to medical school. Meanwhile, her husband, who is also a doctor, conceals his dual life from Jung-sook. Will she grow apart from her husband while on a journey to fulfil her dreams?
Hours viewed: 234,000,000
Directed by: Yoo Jae-won
Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Jung Kyung-ho, Lee Bong-ryun
Episodes: 16
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 10 minutes
Synopsis: Retired athlete Nam Haeng-sun (Jeon) decides to navigate into the private education sector to help her daughter. There she comes across popular private instructor Choi Chi-yeol (Jung), aka the 1 Billion Won Man, and is instantly enamoured. As the duo start spending time together, they discover their shared love for teaching and end up falling for one another.
Queen of Tears (2024)
Hours viewed: 617,800,000
Directed by: Kim Hee-won and Jang Young-woo
Cast: Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon
Episodes: 16
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 28 minutes
Synopsis: Married couple Hong Hae-in (Ji-won), the heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo (Soo-hyun), its legal director, are on the verge of divorce. However, when a crisis at work challenges their family, the duo is forced to face the situation together. Will this opportunity bring Hyun-woo and Hae-in closer?
About the show: Kim Soo-hyun also lent his voice to the K-drama OST “Way Home” from Queen of Tears.
Read More: Are Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won astrologically compatible? Find out here
The Glory (2022)
Hours viewed: 622,800,000
Directed by: Ahn Gil-ho
Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon
Episodes: 16
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 11 minutes
Synopsis: Years after being abused physically and mentally in high school, Moon Dong-eun (Song) hatches a deadly plan to avenge her bullies. Her ultimate target is the bully group’s leader, Park Yeon-jin (Lim). Helping Dong-eun in her plan is her friend and right-hand Joo Yeo-jeong (Lee).
About the show: This revenge K-drama won the Best Drama Award at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards in 2023, defeating other contenders like Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Our Blues.
Hours viewed: 679,300,000
Directed by: Lee JQ, Chun Sung-il and Kim Nam-su
Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon
Episodes: 12
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 11 minutes
Synopsis: The lives of the students of Hyosan High School are turned upside down when a fellow mate returns from the science lab with a strange infection. Soon, the teenagers find themselves trapped in a deadly zombie outbreak.
About the show: Based on the 2009 webtoon Now At Our School by Joo Dong-geun, this horror K-drama was watched for more than 474.26 million hours in the first 30 days of its release.
Squid Game season 1 (2021)
Hours Viewed: 2,205,200,000
Directed by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Gong Yoo, Jung Ho-yeon, Wi Ha-joon, Oh Yeong-su
Episodes: 10
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hour 8 minutes
Synopsis: Debt-ridden people are recruited into a series of games held in a mysterious place in Korea. Eventually, a total of 456 players risk their lives to play multiple levels of children’s games that end with a fatal twist. Whoever makes it alive wins a reward of around USD 38 million (approx. HKD 296 million).
About the show: Squid Game season 2 is all set to premiere on Netflix in the second half of 2024.
Read more: All the details of Squid Game season 2 on Netflix
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy Netflix)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Some of the most-watched Korean dramas on Netflix are 'Squid Game' season 1, 'The Glory', 'Crash Course in Romance' and 'Queen of Tears'.
Some of the most trending K-dramas of 2024 are 'Lovely Runner', 'Queen of Tears' 'The Atypical Family' and 'Hierarchy'.
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Written by
Sushmita Mahanta
Digital Writer (Growth) - Entertainment
Sushmita is a writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative stories. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, Sushmita mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, you can find Sushmita dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
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