Our Top 50 Romantic K-Dramas of All Time
These Korean dramas are fascinating tales of love. They are quite potent in the sense that they work wonders for relieving anxiety, mending wounded emotions, and providing happiness
What precisely do romantic K-dramas do? They urge us to believe in their characters and their captivating and masterfully presented love stories, relieving us of the strains of daily life no matter the type of romance they portray—optimistic, intense, expected, or shocking. The 50 K-dramas listed here, some of my all-time favorites, are excellent instances of such accounts. Keep reading.
Autumn in My Heart (2000)
As he slips out the name cards that were attached to them, a toddler inadvertently exchanges his baby sister with another baby. Years later, the family of the now-adult toddler learns the truth.
Full House (2004)
To regain control of her childhood home, an impulsive woman accepts a phony marriage with a self-indulgent actor. The everyday grind is exacerbated further by intersecting love triangles and hilarious escapades.
Princess Hours (2006)
An inconspicuous but energetic high school art student is shocked to learn one day that she must marry the haughty Crown Prince, who attends the same school, in line with her grandfather’s wishes. What follows is a forced union that eventually develops into a tale of passionate love.
Tree of Heaven (2006)
An upbeat young Korean-Japanese girl lives in her mother’s hot spring inn. She makes every attempt to get along with her odd, reclusive future stepbrother after her mother decides to wed a Korean man. She encounters resistance to her attempts initially but ends up winning him over. With time, the two grow more intimate.
Coffee Prince (2007)
A young food industry magnet and a tomboyish girl who dresses as a guy (for a job) embark on an unforeseen love affair. It breaks him when the truth is revealed. They soon reconcile, though, as love triumphs. For a sitcom that debuted in 2007, breaking gender stereotypes was unheard of, so the show was unquestionably far ahead of its time.
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
The series follows a working-class girl who, despite being impoverished, enrolls in an elite high school, and gets entangled with the lives of four affluent boys who form the school’s most influential clique.
You’re Beautiful (2009)
An innocent girl aspiring to be a nun is convinced by her twin brother’s management to disguise herself as her twin to help him preserve his place in the band A.N.JELL and search for their mother. The deceit gets extended owing to circumstances and troubles escalate when the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, develops feelings for her.
Playful Kiss (2010)
A teenager who struggles academically discovers a hopeless love for the popular boy at school. When she writes him a love note that he promptly rejects, the awkwardness grows. She keeps attempting to persuade him, but ultimately grows suspicious of his unyielding, icy demeanor and accepts a marriage proposal. As a result, he becomes anxious about losing her and decides to marry her.
Secret Garden (2010)
A snooty CEO of a high-end department store encounters a dedicated stuntwoman and begins to pursue her. Contrary to what he had expected, she pushes him away repeatedly, creating a tense mood. The scenario spirals out of control when the two switch bodies one fateful night, triggering conflicted feelings and a story twist akin to Freaky Friday.
My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010)
A wannabe actor unwittingly frees the fabled nine-tailed fox, Gumiho, from her age-old captivity. She rescues him and requests to be with him as he flees in terror, sustaining severe injuries. They grow to know each other better over time, and he is captivated by her, causing an emergence of feelings.
Dream High (2011)
Six Kirin High School students who aspire to be K-pop stars get personal development while learning how to improve their musicianship. They work together to help one another succeed while also beginning to sense a connection.
Reply 1997 (2012)
A female student in 1997 idolizes the lifestyles of her five high school pals and the boyband H.O.T. At their 33-year high school reunion, they reminisce about the memories of their youth. This drama addresses the extreme fandom that arose during the 1990s, a time when K-pop was booming and idol groups held the spotlight.
The Heirs (2013)
A Korean conglomerate heir is banished to America by his half-brother, who aims to take over the family firm. During his stay in that country, the heir meets a girl and, despite being betrothed, falls in love with her. When he returns to Korea, she falls in love with him, forcing him to choose between his obligation to pursue the family business and his love.
That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)
In this romantic melodrama, a man lives a life of high-stakes gambling despite being an orphan. On the other side, there’s this lonely, visually handicapped heiress with only an estranged younger brother. For the chance to inherit her money upon her death, the guy poses as her brother, but he ends up falling in love with her.
Healer (2014)
An illegal “night courier” with the codename “Healer” and expert fighting skills, a reporter from a subpar tabloid news website, and an esteemed journalist are brought together by a decades-old episode. And while attempting to discover the truth about what happened and a string of recent deaths, they progress into unbiased reporters battling media moguls.
My Love from the Star (2014)
Given its significant influences, it is one of the few K-dramas that is therapeutic, stirring, and even thought-provoking. The plot hinges on an extraterrestrial (a human lookalike with superpowers) who has been abandoned on Earth and is shocked to see a stunning Hallyu star residing next door. He gets caught up in her turbulent life and constantly saves her, with only three months left until his long-anticipated return to his own planet. A remarkable, dramatic roller-coaster experience unfolds as realities emerge and love blossoms between the two.
It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder affects a famous author who is also a radio DJ and an ambitious psychiatrist who views love and relationships negatively. Their strong egos and refusal to compromise cause them to clash the moment they meet. But as they dispute more, their animosity transforms into love.
Kill Me, Heal Me (2015)
Although child abuse and dissociative identity disorder are major plot points in the show, its core is a love story between the wealthy family’s split-personality son and his covert doctor.
Oh, My Venus (2015)
A lawyer who has been dumped by a long-term partner because she has gained weight makes the decision to get in shape and improve her physical condition after meeting an eminent personal trainer who is consumed with living a healthy way of life. As they concentrate on her physical metamorphosis, they both understand that their feelings for each other are deepening.
Uncontrollably Fond (2016)
Due to a failed love, two classmates who split apart during their adolescence eventually reunite in their adult lives. The man is currently a top movie star, while the woman is a documentary producer. When she is assigned to film his documentary, the two reunite, and feelings start to resurface.
Bring It On, Ghost (2016)
A tenacious high school student at a cursed high school who became a roving spirit due to an accident is confronted by an exorcist who is expelling ghosts to raise money for a surgery that will strip away his powers. She believes he knows why she is a ghost and convinces him to let her move in so they may team up to fight ghosts and be free of her endless wandering.
The K2 (2016)
Intricately intertwined into the narrative are elements of political intrigue, parental abuse, melancholy, dread, vengeance, love, and beyond. We witness a highly skilled former mercenary soldier who flees after being falsely accused of murder and is later employed as a bodyguard by the influential and powerful father of a troubled girl when he notices his abilities.
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2016)
A compelling narrative amid a crucial time in Korean history that features the overly ambitious reigning queen of Silla who schemes to create Hwarang, an elite warrior army, to overthrow the wealthy aristocrats, maintain her position of authority, and defend her son. The young men are unaware that two of them—the king and a commoner—are being enchanted by the same woman.
The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
With an emphasis on myth, unrequited love, and reincarnation, the plot is skillfully linked together with flashback scenes of a mermaid, a con artist, and their Joseon-era avatars. The mermaid falls in love as a young child with the town chief during the Joseon era. Due to his prearranged marriage and her inability to transform her tail into legs, she erases his memory. The trail of events that will ultimately tie the two together begins when they cross paths again in modern-day Seoul.
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
The series is an endearing story of romance, comedy, and adventure set in a less-than-typical Korean wartime scenario. The conflict-torn region of Uruk, where a special forces officer and team are charged with freeing hostages and preventing terrorist activity, serves as the narrative’s focal point. These men work together to overcome obstacles with the help of a tenacious doctor and her colleagues.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
A woman from the twenty-first century is transferred to the Goryeo Dynasty following a total solar eclipse. She awakens in the year 941, under King Taejo’s rule, in the body of a young girl. She first feels a connection to the kind eighth prince, but she winds up falling for the diabolical fourth prince. Inadvertently caught up in the passion, resentment, plotting, and alliances amongst the princes as they vie for the throne, the girl finds herself in the middle of it all.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
An illustrious Goryeo Dynasty military general is assassinated after being accused of betraying his country. Ages after his death, God condemns him to endure an everlasting life of misery while seeing the deaths of everyone he loves (as retaliation for the soldiers he murdered to save his nation). He changes into an immortal goblin and employs his abilities to assist others. The only way to end his immortality is to find a wife who can help remove an invisible sword from his chest. While on his mission, he meets with a grim reaper and a vibrant student with an unfortunate past.
Shopping King Louie (2016)
A charming country yokel encounters a man with no memory. In reality, he is the heir to a conglomerate. Unaware of his background, the girl is initially shocked by his extravagant spending. She learns later that everyone has different basic needs depending on personal values, which affect how individuals live their lives and, as a result, how they make purchases. Both grow into an emotional companionship that culminates in love over time.
Love in the Moonlight (2016)
The series follows a Crown Prince as he matures from a little boy to a cherished monarch and chronicles his strange friendship with a eunuch, a girl who is only pretending to be a man.
W (2016)
A second-year resident cardiothoracic surgeon (the daughter of the famous webtoon W‘s creator and illustrator) and a super-rich co-CEO of an e-commerce company (the owner of a broadcasting channel and a former Olympic gold medalist in shooting) fall in love when she visits her father’s studio and inexplicably enters W‘s parallel reality.
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (2017)
A young woman born with unparalleled strength attempts to suppress it, but when the time comes, she won’t think twice before using it for good. When the CEO of a gaming firm employs her to be his bodyguard, she falls for him.
Fight for My Way (2017)
Outcasts with big dreams who are battling to survive and succeed are at the center of this drama. An ex-taekwondo player (who was once well-known but was forced to stop due to his past) is now a nameless mixed martial artist, as is a spunky girl who works at a department store but aspires to be an announcer. While they fight for success, their long-standing friendship turns into a heated romance.
I’m Not a Robot (2017)
Due to his terrible sensitivity to human physical contact, a wealthy and accomplished guy leads a solitary life. Every time he has any kind of skin contact, he instantly breaks out in fast-spreading deadly rashes. But when he meets a budding businesswoman who poses as a robot for an objective, his life is forever altered.
My ID Is Gangnam Beauty (2018)
The show addresses a college student who had plastic surgery to protect herself from bullies. Unfortunately, her decision backfires since she receives flak for her plastic beauty. The show’s title refers to the word “Gangnammin” (Gangnam beauty), a derisive phrase used in South Korea to refer to someone who is considered beautiful because they have undergone extensive cosmetic surgery.
Something in the Rain (2018)
They reunite and form an intimacy after a single working woman’s closest friend’s younger brother returns from working abroad. The drama delves into how they meet, deal with their age disparities, and eventually muster the courage to declare their love to the world.
100 Days My Prince (2018)
Upon losing his memory, a crown prince wanders for 100 days under a new name and personality adopting a commoner’s life. During this period, he experiences unforgettable love as the husband to Joseon’s oldest bachelorette.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)
The vice-chairman of a major corporation gets a blow when his highly-capable secretary announces her resignation. The boss then decides to do whatever he can to make sure she stays back. In the process, they fall in love while healing each other of their past traumatic experiences.
Are You Human? (2018)
A third-generation successor is rendered unconscious by a violent accident. His mother, an expert in brain research and artificial intelligence, oversees the creation of an android to protect him and preserve his position as the heir, and an ex-MMA fighter steps in to guard him. She first acts in her own best interests, but as time goes on, she comes to feel something for the android.
Crash Landing on You (2019)
After a paragliding accident causes a chaebol heiress from South Korea to crash land in North Korea, the two develop a romantic relationship as the local special officer protects and shelters her. Their story expertly alludes to the need for love and harmony between the two countries.
Hospital Playlist (2020)
Because they can read each other’s minds and serve as each other’s confidants, friends make the best lovers. This idea is made explicit in the drama Hospital Playlist, where five doctors who have known each other for a very long time remain close and share a passion for music while working at the same hospital.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
The caretaker of a mental hospital’s psych ward—who shares a home with his autistic older brother—meets a socially inept author of children’s books who takes a romantic interest in him and tries to pursue him. The three protagonists eventually settle their internal conflicts as the narrative goes along, relieving one another of the burdens of their tragic pasts.
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
The story’s primary characters are an emperor who strives to close the portals to a parallel world that evil has opened and a policewoman who works to defend him and those she cares about.
True Beauty (2020)
After being teased and bullied vehemently for her appearance, a high schooler transforms herself into a goddess by mastering the art of makeup via online tutorial videos, thereby rising to stardom overnight. The challenge is that she must conceal her real face, which keeps posing hazards in her daily life.
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
When her life takes a turn for the worse, a skilled dentist from Seoul moves to the picturesque beach town of Gongjin. She makes the impromptu decision to start a dental practice and meets a neighborhood handyman who is always willing to help.
Our Beloved Summer (2021)
The characters at the heart of this romantic comedy are ex-lovers who broke up with the intention of never seeing each other again. They are forced to appear in front of the camera once more thanks to the viral success of the documentary they shot in high school ten years ago.
Doom at Your Service (2021)
A woman who lost her parents at a young age is given less than 100 days to live after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. A messenger between gods and humans, born between darkness and light, who exists to destroy, appears as she prays for the end of the world. He gets to pick which birthday wish of a human being he will grant. He decides to grant the woman’s request since he is tired of his predicament and signs a 100-day contract with her, jeopardizing everything.
The Red Sleeve (2021)
The Red Sleeve chronicles a romance involving the King of Joseon, who desires to be a good ruler but is emotionally scarred by the death of his father, and a courtesan who opts to lead her own life rather than turning into one of the numerous courtesans.
Snowdrop (2021)
Amid a tumultuous political climate in Seoul, a freshman from Hosu Women’s University fights valiantly to conceal a wounded guy—a North Korean agent with a mission assigned in South Korea—from his attackers and tend to his injuries. She is unaware of the man’s truth, which may put her family’s security in danger. However, the two fall in love and must work together to make things right.
Business Proposal (2022)
Depicts a nascent romance between the CEO of a conglomerate and his employee, who meet on a blind date but wind-up dating for real.
Love to Hate You (2023)
Love to Hate You portrays an aggressive lawyer who despises losing to guys. She strives for justice in a misogynistic culture by employing the techniques she learned in martial arts to exact retribution. We also see a famous actor who has a negative opinion of women. Until they are forced to date one another, at least. The story, which initially seems to be a typical “haters-to-lovers” tale, develops into an excellent masterpiece of contemplation combined with passionate love.
