The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2025

In 2025, Korean television continued to grow in popularity around the world, attracting more and more viewers. While Korean dramas have been exported for years, the rise of streaming services like Netflix has dramatically increased their reach. This has made Korean shows easier to find, but it’s also led to less control over the creative process within Korea, influencing the types of stories being told.

Netflix’s investment of $2.5 billion in Korean shows and movies over the past four years has proven successful. Korean content now accounts for 8-9% of all viewing time on Netflix, making it the second most popular type of content after American shows and films. Disney is also increasing its focus on Korean entertainment, aiming to build globally successful franchises from Asian Pacific content. In addition, major Korean media company CJ ENM recently partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to co-produce Korean dramas for multiple years.

While Korean TV is gaining popularity worldwide, the industry is facing challenges. Increased investment from American streaming services is making it harder for local companies to compete, leading to higher production costs and fewer dramas being made. We’re seeing changes in how shows are made too – episodes are often shorter, and series are more likely to have multiple seasons. There’s also a concern that K-dramas might start to focus more on appealing to international audiences, potentially at the expense of uniquely Korean stories and themes. In response, Korean filmmakers and producers are working together to protect their creative work and maintain control over their content.

Korean television continues to be a global leader in quality programming. This year was especially strong for realistic dramas, suspenseful thrillers, and medical stories. The hugely popular series Squid Game concluded with its final season. Many shows, like The Price of Confession, Nine Puzzles, and Dear X, examined the complexities of trust – how it’s formed, challenged, and broken. Romance was a key theme in series such as Love Scout, Head Over Heels, and My Dearest Nemesis. Several dramas, including Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, Dear Hongrang, and The Haunted Palace, transported viewers to different eras of Korean history, both factual and fictional. Finally, conflict and resolution often came through intense action in series like The Manipulated, Weak Hero Class 2, Mercy For None, and Trigger.

To be considered for this list, K-dramas needed to have finished airing in 2025. Several popular shows were still on the air as of this writing, including the hit romantic comedy Dynamite Kiss, Park Seo-joon’s romance Surely Tomorrow (available on Prime Video), and Season 3 of the crime drama Taxi Driver (on Viki). Hyun Bin is returning to television with the historical thriller Made in Korea, which premieres on Disney+ on December 24th. These ongoing and upcoming shows suggest next year’s list will be excellent. Here are the 10 best K-dramas of 2025, based on these criteria…

10. Trigger (Netflix)

Everyone interprets media through their own experiences, finding unique meaning that others might not. For example, watching the Netflix K-drama Trigger – which explores a world where guns become common in Korea – likely feels very different depending on where you live. Someone in a country with little gun violence might see it as a hypothetical scenario rather than a realistic portrayal of life. The show, starring Kim Nam-gil as a police officer, essentially asks viewers to consider what would happen if gun violence became normalized in society.

For American viewers, this series hits particularly hard. Just as the Korean drama All of Us Are Dead brought school shootings to mind, Trigger taps into the constant fear that, in a country with so many guns, any place can become a scene of violence. Essentially, writer-director Kwon Oh-seung (Midnight) has created a 10-episode argument for stricter gun control, highlighting why Korea’s existing restrictions are important. The show is a compelling crime thriller that doesn’t shy away from its challenging message, maintaining its focus until the very end.

9. Spirit Fingers (Viki)

The teen drama Spirit Fingers, which arrived in late 2025, is a charming and heartwarming series. It centers on Song Woo-yeon, played by Park Ji-hu (known from Little Women and All of Us Are Dead), a shy teenager living in a family of high-achievers. Woo-yeon discovers a vibrant sketch club called Spirit Fingers, where creativity is valued more than technical skill, and decides to join. As she spends time with the club members and develops feelings for the confident Nam Gi-jeong (Cho Jun-young), Woo-yeon gradually gains self-confidence and learns to accept herself.

Korean dramas often get their stories from webtoons, but sometimes the unique artistic style of the original doesn’t translate well to the screen. Luckily, the K-drama adaptation of Spirit Fingers stays true to the look and feel of the original webtoon, capturing its vibrant and energetic visuals. Importantly, the drama also keeps the webtoon’s positive message: it’s okay to believe in yourself, even if you don’t think you’re special.

8. The Tale of Lady Ok (Kocowa)

Lim Ji-yeon, known from The Glory, plays the lead in this historical drama set in Korea’s Joseon period. She portrays a woman named Lady Ok, who is secretly Goo-deok, a former slave. Through a twist of fate, she takes on the identity of a noblewoman, Ok Tae-yeong, and becomes a successful lawyer helping the vulnerable. However, her hidden past as a slave constantly risks exposing her carefully constructed life.

Blending romance, historical drama, and a thrilling story of survival, The Tale of Lady Ok keeps you hooked throughout its 16 episodes. Unlike many Korean historical dramas, it focuses on the life of a commoner rather than royalty, allowing for a deeper exploration of issues like social class, gender roles, and the misuse of power. The series is a compelling story of one woman’s journey from poverty to success, complete with a heartwarming romance, but at its core, it’s about her strength and determination.

As Goo-deok explains to Cheon Seung-hwi (also known for his roles in Trauma Code, Head Over Heels, and Mercy for None), people enjoy stories about those who overcome hardship and find happiness. We connect with these narratives by imagining a brighter future for ourselves, even if it seems out of reach. This is a key reason why K-dramas have become so popular globally.

7. Study Group (Viki)

While Weak Hero Class 2 is a particularly intense coming-of-age action series, Study Group offers a much lighter and more enjoyable experience. This comedy centers on Yoon Ga-min (Hwang Min-hyun from Alchemy of Souls), a high school student who’s surprisingly good at fighting but really wants to focus on his studies. He starts a study group hoping to get into college, but there’s a catch: he goes to Yusung Technical High School, which is known more for its ties to criminal activity than academic achievement.

Amidst a wave of gritty and intense dramas, Study Group stands out by not taking itself too seriously, playfully turning common genre expectations on their head. This K-drama mixes exciting action—similar to Kingsman—with a knowing soundtrack and a heartwarming story about a group who become like family. It’s a surprisingly moving show that stays engaging throughout all ten episodes.

6. Resident Playbook (Netflix)

Although Trauma Code was the more attention-grabbing hospital drama of 2025, Resident Playbook was the more emotionally resonant one. Delayed for several years due to a real medical crisis in Korea, this spin-off of Hospital Playlist centers on four new doctors navigating the challenges of their first year as residents in a busy and understaffed obstetrics and gynecology department.

Go Youn-jung delivers a compelling performance as Oh Yi-young in Alchemy of Soul, a doctor who’s lost her passion for medicine after a tough start to her residency. She’s basically just working to pay off debt and planning her escape, but gets tangled up with a wonderfully quirky team. We’ve got Pyo Nam-kyung, played by Shin Shi-ah, who’s a ball of nervous energy; Kang Yoo-seok as Um Jae-il, an ex-idol trying to make a new life as a doctor; and newcomer Han Ye-ji as the brilliantly awkward Kim Sa-bi. The show really shines as we watch these four navigate the chaos of residency, and more importantly, figure out who they are along the way. It’s a fun, relatable look at the challenges and triumphs of being a young doctor.

Okay, so I just finished watching Resident Playlist, and while the basic premise is your typical medical drama, it’s surprisingly good! What really sets it apart is how they weave in Korea’s issues with declining birthrates and expand the show’s universe beyond what you’d expect. And as a Hospital Playlist fan, I loved all the cameos! But honestly, the coolest thing was when Kang Yoo-seok, playing Jae-il, actually showed up on M Countdown as part of his fictional K-pop group, HI-BOYZ, with TXT’s Yeon-jun and Soo-bin! It was such a clever and fun move – seriously inspired!

5. Our Unwritten Seoul (Netflix)

When Mi-ji is struggling with depression and finds it hard to get out of bed, her grandmother reminds her that simply trying to cope takes strength. This idea – that mental health challenges aren’t a personal failing – is central to the story of Our Unwritten Seoul. The series follows twin sisters, Mi-ji and Mi-ri, both played by Park Bo-young (known from Melo Movie), as they rediscover hope while facing difficult times.

Like many stories, “Our Unwritten Seoul” begins with a pivotal event: Mi-ji, a woman in her thirties who feels stuck in life, discovers her successful twin sister, Mi-ri, is deeply unhappy and considering self-harm. Determined to help, Mi-ji suggests they temporarily switch places. This allows both sisters the opportunity to experience life free from the pressures and expectations that have defined them since childhood. The series also stars Park Jin-young as Lee Ho-su, a lawyer who has carried a torch for Mi-ji since high school, delivering a standout performance.

The novel Our Unwritten Seoul explores challenging topics like living with disabilities, dealing with harassment at work, and overcoming grief, but it does so through the deeply relatable connections between its characters. By setting the story in both the city of Seoul and a quiet rural town, and populating it with a diverse cast, the book makes these difficult themes feel universal and emotionally resonant.

4. Tempest (Hulu)

Korean dramas have become incredibly popular worldwide, and romance is often a key part of their success. This year, the political thriller Tempest stood out for its strong on-screen chemistry, featuring a sophisticated love story between Jun Ji-hyun (known for Il Mare and My Love From the Star) and Gang Dong-won (Broker, Uprising). Jun Ji-hyun plays Seo Mun-ju, a former diplomat whose husband is killed while campaigning for president. When Mun-ju starts investigating the murder, putting herself at risk, a secretive bodyguard named San-ho (Gang Dong-won) appears to protect her.

Though Tempest occasionally gets tangled in complicated political plots, the show truly shines when those twists successfully draw you, and the main characters Mun-ju and San-ho, further into a large, international conspiracy. It’s unusual for a K-drama to tackle current global political issues, and Tempest offers a more critical and realistic portrayal of the U.S. government than most Korean dramas. The series also features well-known American actors alongside popular K-drama stars, notably John Cho as Deputy Secretary of State Anderson Miller.

I’ve been watching a lot of K-dramas this year, and so many of them stumbled with their endings. While Tempest didn’t quite nail the political storyline at the end, what I really loved is that it always kept the central love story strong. Honestly, that made it one of the most fun and well-made shows I’ve seen all year.

3. Squid Game Season 3 (Netflix)

As a big fan, I have to say the ending of Squid Game, or at least Gi-hun’s story arc, didn’t quite hit me with the same emotional impact I expected. It felt a little split, like they were trying to fit two seasons’ worth of story into one finale. But overall, Season 3 still delivered on what creator Hwang Dong-hyuk set out to do: show just how desperate life can be when you’re stuck in a system that feels rigged against you.

Gi-hun, the main character in Season 3, isn’t quite the ordinary person we met in 2021, but his struggles are still more relatable to most viewers than those of the wealthy “V.I.P.” characters, who represent the world’s richest people. While some K-dramas offer a welcome escape from the harsh realities of life, Squid Game directly confronted the darker side of capitalism. The fact that it offered any glimmer of hope felt like a fortunate surprise, rather than a promise of things to come.

2. Way Back Love (Viki)

Kim Min-ha quickly became a rising star in Korean dramas this year, earning recognition with roles in both Way Back Love and Typhoon Family. In Way Back Love, she plays Jeong Hee-wan, a 24-year-old art student still grieving the unexpected death of her first love, Kim Ram-woo (played by Gong Myung of Love Untangled), which happened four years ago. When Ram-woo mysteriously appears as the Grim Reaper and tells Hee-wan she has only a week to live, she hesitantly agrees to spend those final days doing activities he’s secretly planned to help her rediscover her joy in life.

As someone who loves movies and TV, I was really intrigued by Way Back Love. It’s based on a webtoon, and honestly, the story felt like it could easily go wrong – either not dealing with the main character’s sadness seriously enough, or getting lost in that sadness. But the directors, Kim Hye-young (who also did It’s Okay!) and Choi Ha-na, handled it beautifully. The six episodes weave back and forth between Hee-wan and Ram-woo’s sweet high school memories and the present day, where Hee-wan is struggling with intense grief and panic attacks after losing Ram-woo. It’s a really emotionally powerful story, and they strike a perfect balance between lightheartedness and heartbreak.

Kim Min-ha’s performance is the heart of this series, convincingly portraying Hee-wan as both a playful teenager and a deeply troubled young woman. The show excels at showing how Hee-wan gradually changes, moving from a place of hopelessness to a belief that she can heal. It’s a beautiful example of K-drama at its most emotionally satisfying and restorative.

1. When Life Gives You Tangerines (Netflix)

I was really struck by what director Kim Won-suk said at the press conference for When Life Gives You Tangerines. He explained that the show was meant to honor our parents and also to inspire a new generation as they face their own challenges. He hoped it would help bridge the gaps between generations and just people in general, which felt like a huge goal! Considering how ambitious that sounded, even with such a fantastic cast – IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, and Yeom Hye-ran – and a massive budget, I was honestly surprised that When Life Gives You Tangerines actually delivered on that promise. It really did manage to do all those things!

As a total movie and TV buff, I’ve been completely captivated by this multi-generational story. It really spans decades, starting in the 1960s and bringing us right up to the present day. At its heart, it follows Ae-sun – played brilliantly by two actresses, IU and Moon So-ri, showing her life at different ages – as she grows up poor on Jeju Island and tries to build a better life for herself and her family. But it’s so much more than just her story. We also meet her mother, a strong and resilient diver who sacrifices everything for her kids, and Gwan-sik, her childhood friend and eventual husband, who’s a quiet, dependable type and fiercely devoted to his family. What really struck me, though, is how the series paints a beautiful picture of everyday life, filled with a whole cast of relatable, diverse characters who, despite their own struggles, genuinely care about each other.

K-dramas have been pushing creative boundaries lately, with shows exploring genres like superheroes (as seen in Moving) and time-bending romance (Lovely Runner), resulting in some truly excellent stories. But this year, the standout K-drama – and one of the best TV shows overall – achieved something special by telling a captivating and realistic story grounded in everyday life. It’s easy to create something amazing with fantasy, but it’s truly remarkable to make the ordinary feel extraordinary while still capturing its full depth and nuance.

***

Other noteworthy titles include: Weak Hero Class 2, Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, Mercy For None, Love Scout, Dear Hongrang, You and Everything Else, Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, The Price of Confession, Nine Puzzles, Melo Movie, Our Movie, As You Stood By, The Manipulated, The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, The Defects, When the Phone Rings, and Dear X.

2025-12-18 20:08