The 40 Best Romantic K-Dramas
If you're a fan of romantic TV shows but have never immersed yourself in a good K-drama, then you're missing out on some of the best love stories available to stream. There are great Korean dramas within every romance genre, from classic rom-coms to epic sagas to chill everyday love stories. Odds are, even engrossing action or thriller K-dramas will have at least one romantic subplot that will leave you swooning. (Squid Game was outside the norm in that category.)
For those who have several spare hours to sink into the sweetest slow-burns and the sexiest chemistry, here are the best romance K-dramas available on Netflix, Viki, and more streamers. (If you have a little less time, we've also listed the best Korean romance movies.)
Romantic Korean Melodramas
'Crash Landing on You'
Original run: December 2019–February 2020
Starring: Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin, Seo Ji-hye, and Kim Jung-hyun
The love story: A freak paragliding accident brings together a North Korean soldier and a South Korean heiress, in this ultimate tale of star-crossed lovers. (Also, the leads are now married in real life.)
'It's Okay to Not Be Okay'
Original run: June–August 2020
Starring: Seo Yea-ji, Kim Soo-hyun, Oh Jung-se, and Park Gyu-young
The love story: A caretaker (Kim) who looks after his autistic older brother (Oh) crosses paths with a children's book writer (Seo) whom he knew as a child. When the trio move back to their hometown, they all slowly heal from past traumas as the leads fall in love in this dark fairytale.
'Descendants of the Sun'
Original run: February–April 2016
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Kim Ji-won, and Jin Goo
The love story: Taking place amidst a war, this drama follows the romance between Korean Special Forces Captain Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki) and surgeon Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-ko).
'It's Okay, That's Love'
Original run: July–September 2014
Starring: Gong Hyo-jin, Jo In-sung, Sung Dong-il, Lee Kwang-soo, and Do Kyung-soo (EXO's D.O.)
The love story: Bestselling author Jang Jae-yeol (Jo) lives with obsessive-compulsive disorder and trauma from his father's death. Ji Hae-soo (Gong) is a driven psychiatrist with a negative attitude about love. The pair are combative when they first meet, but they slowly begin to understand each other and attempt to heal each other's wounds.
Another Miss Oh
Original run: May-June 2016
Starring: Seo Hyun-jin, Eric Mun, Jeon Hye-bin, and Lee Jae-yoon
The love story: This rom-com follows two women with the same name: (pretty) Oh Hae-young (Jeon), a team manager at a catering company, and (just) Oh Hae-young (Seo), an assistant manager at the same business. The women have known each other since childhood, as (just) Hae-young has constantly been overshadowed by the prettier, more popular one of the pair. Enter Park Do-kyung (Mun), a perfectionist sound director for a film company. When he suddenly develops the ability to see the future, he becomes entangled in both of the Oh Hae-youngs' lives, and must decide which one he wants to be with.
Romantic Korean Action or Thriller Dramas
'Happiness'
Original run: November–December 2021
Starring: Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik, and Jo Woo-jin
The love story: Two longtime friends and law-enforcement workers get fake-married to win an apartment in a housing lottery. While moving in, they soon discover that an airborne disease has begun turning their neighbors into zombies.
'Flower of Evil'
Original run: July–September 2020
Starring: Moon Chae-won, Lee Joon-gi, Jang Hee-jin, and Seo Hyun-woo
The love story: A detective (Moon) who seems to have a perfect, devoted husband (Lee) discovers that he's actually living through an assumed identity and hiding a dark past.
'When the Camellia Blooms'
Original run: September–November 2019
Starring: Gong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Ji-seok, and Kim Kang-hoon
The love story: Single mother and bar owner Dong-baek (Gong) forms a friendship with police officer Yong-sik (Kang) who falls in love with her at first sight. Their romance is interspersed with a thrilling storyline, as Yong-sik investigates a serial killer who's targeting Dong-baek.
'Come and Hug Me'
Original run: May–July 2018
Starring: Jin Ki-Joo, Jang Ki-yong, and Heo Joon-ho
The love story: Childhood first loves Na-moo and Nak-won are separated by tragedy when Na-moo's serial killer father kills Nak-won's entire family. Years later, they cross paths again as a detective and actress, with Na-moo vowing to protect his long-lost love.
'Strong Woman Do Bong-soon'
Original run: February–April 2017
Starring: Park Bo-young, Park Hyung-sik, and Kim Ji-soo
The love story: Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) looks like your average petite twenty-something in modern-day Seoul, but she has a big secret: the women of her family have been cursed with superhuman strength that must only be used for the greater good. When tech CEO Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) witnesses Bong-soon using her strength, he employs her as a bodyguard, amid a series of kidnappings in her neighborhood. Come for the action, stay for the love triangle between Min-hyuk, Bong-soon, and her longtime crush Guk-du (Kim).
Romantic Fantasy K-Dramas
'Goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God)'
Original run: December 2016–January 2017
Starring: Kim Go-eun, Gong Yoo, Yoo In-na, and Lee Dong-wook
The love story: An immortal goblin (Gong) whose lived for 940 years finds his wife in a bubbly 19-year-old student (Kim). Though she's the only person who can help him die, her love slowly gives him a reason to live again. Meanwhile, a Grim Reaper (Lee) finds love with a mortal restaurant owner (Yoo).
'My Love from the Star'
Original run: December 2013–February 2014
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Yoo In-na, and Park Hae-jin
The love story: An alien (Kim) who was stranded on Earth during the Joseon Dynasty falls for his new next-door neighbor, a famous Hallyu actress (Jun), months before his long-awaited return to his own planet.
'Legend of the Blue Sea'
Original run: November 2016–January 2017
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho
The love story: This history-spanning romance follows the love between a mermaid and a con artist in the present-day, as well as the mermaid's ancestor and the son of a nobleman in the Joseon era.
'While You Were Sleeping'
Original run: September–November 2017
Starring: Bae Suzy, Lee Jong-suk, and Jung Hae-in
The love story: A reporter (Bae) who dreams of the future meets a prosecutor Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk), who has the ability to change the outcome of the visions. The pair team up with policeman Han Woo-tak (Jung Hae-in) to prevent the tragedies (and love ensues).
'Destined With You'
Original run: August–October 2023
Starring: Jo Bo-ah, Rowoon, Ha Jun, and Yura
The love story: A lawyer (Rowoon) bound by a centuries-old curse becomes entangled with a civil servant (Jo) who is his only hope for freedom, setting off an unexpected romance.
'See You In My 19th Life'
Original run: June–July 2023
Starring: Shin Hye-sun and Ahn Bo-hyun
The love story: A woman (Shin) who remembers all of her past lives finds her 18th life tragically cut short. She dedicates her 19th life to reuniting with her now-grown childhood love (Ahn).
Romantic Historical K-Dramas
'The Red Sleeve'
Original run: November 2021–January 2022
Starring: Lee Se-young, Lee Jun-ho, and Kang Hoon
The love story: Based on a novel about real historical figures, this drama depicts the love story between the Crown Prince of Joseon and a strong-willed court lady.
'Youth of May'
Original run: May–June 2021
Starring: Lee Do-hyun, Go Min-si, Lee Sang-yi, and Keum Sae-rok
The love story: A medical student and a nurse fall in love amidst the Gwangju Uprising of May 1980.
'Love in the Moonlight'
Original run: May–June 2021
Starring: Lee Do-hyun, Go Min-si, Lee Sang-yi, and Keum Sae-rok
The love story: This coming-of-age romance follows the surprising relationship between a mischievous crown prince and a woman who disguises herself as a male relationship counselor.
'The King's Affection'
Original run: October–December 2021
Starring: Park Eun-bin, Rowoon, Nam Yoon-su, Choi Byung-chan, Bae Yoon-kyung, and Jung Chae-yeon
The love story: This romance takes place during the Joseon era, when twins were considered a bad omen. When the Crown Princess gives birth to an identical girl and boy, the boy Lee-hwi becomes heir to the throne, while the girl Dam-yi is raised in secret and later returns to the palace as a maid. Years later, Prince Lee-hwi dies in an accident, and their mother convinces Dam-yi to take his place. Now living as the Prince, Dam-yi starts falling for her royal tutor and former first love, Jung Ji Woon (Rowoon).
'Twenty-Five Twenty-One'
Original run: February-April 2022
Starring: Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Ji-yeon (a.k.a. WJSN's Bona), and Choi Hyun-wook
The love story: This nostalgic rom-com takes place amid the South Korean financial crisis of 1997. Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is an aspiring fencer whose dreams of competing on the national team are challenged when her high school team is disbanded due to lack of funds. Baek Yi-jin (Nam) is an ex-chaebol heir who has to fend for himself for the first time when his father's business goes bankrupt. The two young people become friends and eventually fall in love, as they inspire each other to pursue their dreams.
Romantic Workplace K-Dramas
'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?'
Original run: June–July 2018
Starring: Park Min-young, Park Seo-joon, and Lee Tae-hwan
The love story: Kim Mi-so is the perfect secretary for arrogant vice chairman Lee Young-joon. When she turns in her resignation, he does everything he can to keep her from quitting, but there may just be deeper feelings behind his reluctance to let her go.
'Coffee Prince'
Original run: July–August 2007
Starring: Yoon Eun-hye, Gong Yoo, Chae Jung-an, and Lee Sun-kyun
The love story: A coffee conglomerate heir meets a tomboy who's the breadwinner for her family. Not realizing she's a woman, he hires her to pretend to be his gay lover to get out of blind dates. She later continues to hide her identity to get a job at his café, Coffee Prince.
'Business Proposal'
Original run: February–April 2022
Starring: Kim Se-jeong, Ahn Hyo-seop, Seol In-ah, and Kim Min-kyu
The love story: Company worker Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) agrees to sabotage a blind date for her rich best friend, but hijinks ensue when the date turns out to be Kang Tae-mu (Ahn Hyo-seop) the owner of her company. As Ha-ri dodges Tae-mu's proposal for a marriage of convenience, her BFF Young-seo (Seol In-ah) falls for Tae-mu's secretary Sung-hoon (Kim Min-kyu).
'Her Private Life'
Original run: April–May 2019
Starring: Park Min-young, Kim Jae-wook, Ahn Bo-hyun, and Park Jin-joo
The love story: Sung Deok-mi (Park Min-young) works as an art gallery curator and hides her private life as an idol fangirl. When her new boss Ryan Gold (Kim Jae-wook) finds out her secret, he slowly becomes a fanboy of hers.
'Touch Your Heart'
Original run: February–March 2019
Starring: Yoo In-na, Lee Dong-wook, Son Seong-yoon, and Lee Sang-woo
The love story: Disgraced actress Oh Yeon-seo (Yoo In-na) gets a chance to make her comeback in an upcoming legal drama. To get the part, she has to work as an assistant for workaholic lawyer Kwon Jung-rok (Lee Dong-wook). Eventually sparks fly between these total opposites (Yoo and Lee also played star-crossed lovers in Goblin).
'My Secret Romance'
Original run: April–May 2017
Starring: Song Ji-eun, Sung Hoon, Kim Jae-young, and Jung Da-sol
The love story: This drama follows the winding love story of wealthy playboy Cha Jin-wook (Sung) and inexperienced romantic Lee Yoo-mi (Song). Sparks fly between the couple upon their coincidental meet-cute and one-night stand, but Yoo-mi disappears the next morning, leaving Jin-wook confused. Three years later, the pair meet again when Yoo-mi gets a job as a nutritionist at Jin-wook's company. He's been thinking about her all this time. Cue the rom-com hijinks.
'King the Land'
Original run: June–August 2017
Starring: Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah
The love story: Cheon Sa-rang (Im) is the star concierge of the King Hotel, who always has a smile on her face. Goo Won (Lee), the heir of the King Hotel Group, who recently returned to Korea amidst a tense inheritance fight, cannot stand Sa-rang's "fake" smile. When Goo Won becomes the King Hotel's general manager, the duo immediately butt heads, until animosity turns to understanding turns to love.
Romantic Youth K-Dramas
'Boys Over Flowers'
Original run: January–March 2009
Starring: Ku Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, Kim So-eun, Kim Joon
The love story: This famous youth drama follows Geum Jan-di, a poor girl who attends a school for the wealthy and finds herself in the crosshairs of its most powerful clique, the F4.
'The Heirs'
Original run: October–December 2013
Starring: Park Shin-hye, Lee Min-ho, and Kim Woo-bin
The love story: Another classic rich guy, poor girl drama, The Heirs follows the romance between conglomerate heir Kim Tan (Lee) and part-time worker Eun-sang (Park).
'True Beauty'
Original run: December 2020–February 2021
Starring: Moon Ga-young, Cha Eun-woo, Hwang In-yeop, and Park Yoo-na
The love story: 18-year-old Ju-kyung (Moon) has been bullied and discriminated against for being ugly her whole life. After learning makeup techniques, she finds popularity at her new school and gets caught between two guys: hidden softie Seo-jun (Hwang) and ice-cold Su-ho (Cha).
'Love Alarm'
Original run: August 2019–March 2021
Starring: Kim So-hyun, Jung Ga-ram, and Song Kang
The love story: In an alternate reality where an app alerts people when someone within 10 meters has romantic feelings for them, high-schooler Jo-jo (Kim) gets caught between a popular guy (Song) and his kind-hearted best friend (Jung).
'Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo'
Original run: November 2016–January 2017
Starring: Lee Sung-kyung, Nam Joo-hyuk, Lee Jae-yoon, and Kyung Soo-jin
The love story: A weightlifter (Lee Sung-kyung) chasing her Olympic dreams gets a crush on swimmer Joon-hyung's (Nam) older brother (Lee Jae-yoon). Though he's amused and goes along with her crush at first, Joon-hyung begins to like Kim Bok-joo as more than a friend.
'Our Beloved Summer'
Original run: December 2021–January 2022
Starring: Kim Da-mi, Choi Woo-shik, Kim Sung-cheol, and Roh Jeong-eui
The love story: In high school, brainiac Yeon-soo and slacker Ung fell for each other while starring in a documentary together. Now, ten years later, they're exes who haven't seen each other in years. What happens when they're brought together for a new "where are they now" doc?
Romantic Slice-of-Life Korean Dramas
'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha'
Original run: August–October 2021
Starring: Shin Min-ah, Kim Seon-ho, and Lee Sang-yi
The love story: This small-town romance shows the bickering-turned-love between a city dentist (Shin) who moves to a seaside village, and a jack-of-all-trades (Kim) who does odd jobs for village elders.
'Yumi's Cells'
Original run: September 2021–July 2022
Starring: Kim Go-eun, Ahn Bo-hyun, Jinyoung (GOT7), Park Ji-hyun, and Lee Yu-bi
The love story: An office worker and aspiring writer (Kim) falls for a game developer, with her journey told through the animated cells powering her body.
'Full House'
Original run: February–September 2004
Starring: Song Hye-kyo, Rain, Han Eun-jung, and Kim Sung-soo
The love story: Aspiring scriptwriter Ji-eun gets tricked and has her house sold from under her while she's away on vacation. Upon returning, she discovers that a famous actor she met on her trip, Young-jae, is the one who bought her house. Though they don't get along, they agree to live together and eventually enter a contract marriage.
'Fight For My Way'
Original run: May–July 2017
Starring: Kim Ji-won, Park Seo-joon, Song Ha-yoon, and Ahn Jae-hong
The love story: An aspiring announcer (Kim) and a rising MMA fighter (Park), who have been friends since school and lived as next-door neighbors throughout their twenties, slowly realize their mutual attraction. Meanwhile, their best friends who have been dating for six years find their relationship tested.
'One Spring Night'
Original run: May–July 2017
Starring: Han Ji-min, Jung Hae-in, and Kim Jun-han
The love story: A librarian (Han) whose been dating a banker (Kim) for four years and a pharmacist and single dad (Jung) begin to see dating and relationships in a new light after meeting each other.
'Run On'
Original run: December 2020–Feb 2021
Starring: Yim Si-wan, Shin Sae-kyeong, Kang Tae-oh, Choi Soo-young
The love story: A former sprinter (Yim) who believes that the world is naturally friendly befriends a film subtitle translator (Shin) who thinks the world is especially harsh. Meanwhile, a fierce sports agency CEO (Choi) finds her heart softened by a kind college student and painter (Kang).
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