The Best Korean Dramas

1. Boys Before Flower (2009)

Geum Jan Di is an ordinary girl whose family owns a dry cleaning store. While delivering dry cleaning to a student at the prestigious Shin Hwa High School, she saves his life by stopping his attempt at jumping off the roof and is given a full swimming scholarship. She attends Shin Hwa High and soon is terrorised by the leader of F4 (the four richest and most popular boys at the school) Gu Jun Pyo. Although Jun Pyo persists on bullying her, he begins to find himself attracted to Jan Di. However, Jan Di has a crush on Yoon Ji Hoo, Jun Pyo's best friend. When she realises that Ji Hoo is merely a close friend and that she really loves Jun Pyo the couple are thrown into a dilemma as Jun Pyo's mother sets out to break them up and find a more suitable match for her son.

2. Rooftop Prince

Tae-mu (Lee Tae-sung), after killing his lost cousin in the United States, returns to Korea, claiming that his cousin, Tae-yong (Park Yoochun), could not be found in New York City. Meanwhile, Tae-mu has been having a secret affair with Se-na (Jeong Yu-mi), his secretary, who, in turn, runs into her long-lost stepsister Park-ha (Han Ji-min). Park-ha has been missing for a prolonged period of time and it is revealed that she was in the US after Se Na abandoned her on the streets at age 9. Two years after Tae-yong's disappearance, four men dressed in Joseon era garments, fall onto Park-ha's rooftop house. Hungry, homeless and having nowhere to go, the four men decide to stick with Park-ha. Their leader claims that he is the Crown Prince of Joseon (Park Yoochun), along with his entourage Scholar Song Man-bo (Lee Min-ho), Personal Bodyguard U Yong-sool (Jung Suk-won), and Palace Eunuch Do Chi-san (Choi Woo-shik). One day, Crown Prince Lee Gak sees Se-na who is the spitting image of his beloved wife, who was found drowned in the 18th century. He is convinced the two are reincarnations of each other. Meanwhile, company president Yeo (Ban Hyo-jung) mistakes Lee Gak for her grandson, Yong Tae Yong, because of their exact same appearance, and believes that her long lost grandson had finally returned. Lee Gak realizes that he has time traveled 300 years to 2012, Seoul, to search for the truth behind the mysterious death of the late Crown Princess. In order to approach Se-na, who is also President Yeo's personal assistant, Lee Gak pretends that he is Tae-yong. Tae-mu, believing that he already killed his cousin in New York, lives in constant fear of his devious act being discovered by the family and Tae-yong aka Lee Gak who claims not to have remembered the event. Tae-mu has always been jealous of Tae-yong's favored position in the family. On the other hand, Park-ha is shocked by the news that her new friend who calls himself the Crown Prince is, in fact, the grandson of CEO. But before long, her feelings for Lee Gak blossom and she is hurt when she finds out that Lee Gak is courting Se-na, who still holds very tender memories of his dead wife. Lee Gak also believes that marrying Se-Na in Seoul year 2012 would bring him closer to solving the mystery of the Crown Princess' murder in the Joseon era.

3. Playful Kiss

A clumsy high school girl named Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) who was in the bottom of her class has had a crush on a popular and genius male student, Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun-joong) ever since she laid eyes on him on the first day of high school. Ha Ni decided to confess through a letter, but is rejected rudely by Seung Jo, who tells her that he hates stupid girls and returns the letter having corrected all of her mistakes. Fate intervenes when an earthquake ruins Ha Ni's family's newly built home. While the house got rebuilt, Ha Ni and her father stayed at the home of her dad's childhood friend, who happens to be Seung Jo's father. Ha Ni's feelings for Seung Jo rekindled, and she was more than determined to impress him. Seung Jo was ignorant to her feelings and found her an absolute nuisance. However, having a matchmaker mom, Hwang Geum Hee (Jung Hye Young) helps Ha Ni a lot. The drama continues with portraying Seung Jo and Ha Ni moving into university. There, Seung Jo meets Yoon Hae Ra (Lee Si Young), the female Baek Seung Jo. While, Bong Joon Gu (Lee Tae Sung), Ha Ni's classmate from her school, still has, despite many incidents that have continuously broke his heart, feelings for Ha Ni. However, Ha Ni still liked Seung Jo, despite the fact that he was always with Yoon He Ra and that he said that he lives for teasing her. Oh Ha Ni's feelings continued to grow just as the friendship between Baek Seung Jo and Yoon Hae Ra did too. Baek Seung Jo's father soon being hospitalized, he took over his father's gaming company temporarily. He was soon introduced to the investor's grand-daughter who is none other than Yoon Ha Ra, at a marriage meeting between Hae Ra and Seung Jo. With everything going on, it seemed impossible for Seung Jo to like Ha Ni. Bong Joon Gu also doesn't give up on trying to win Ha Ni's heart and one day, he took his crush one step further by proposing to Oh Ha Ni. After this, Ha Ni walks back to her fathers, Oh Ki Dong's (Kang Nam Gil), Noodle shop in the rain to find Baek Seung Jo standing with an umbrella, waiting for her. As the night continued, Seung Jo claimed to be curious about her answer for Joon Gu, knowing that he had proposed, but Ha Ni refused to tell him. This leads to an argument between the two, causing Oh Ha Ni to have an outburst which is interrupted by a kiss from no other than her love, Baek Seung Jo. The drama concludes with the new couple walking back home and announcing that a marriage be formed. During their honeymoon, they encounter another couple who the female of the couple is flirting with Seung Jo in front of Ha Ni. She then fakes an internal injury since Seung Jo told her that he is majoring in Medical area, then when her husband tries to inspect her, Ha Ni gets jealous and Seung Jo and Ha Ni have an argument which leaves Ha Ni to leave. Then when Ha Ni leaves the room, the female then tries to get in bed with Seung Jo but the male comes back and tells them that Ha Ni left the hotel. Then Seung Jo realizes that the female was faking and goes to find Ha Ni. Soon everybody meets a foreigner named Chris. Apparently she is British and Korean. So she is able to speak Korean very well, and people are amazed.She has a crush on Boon Gu who says he only has room for Ha Ni in his heart and again confesses in front of everyone. Ha Ni tries to switch her major to nursing, which she cannot get into. On her date with Seung Jo on Christmas Eve, she witnessed an accident involving CPR which she learned. She must reach a decision to risk her being arrested because of CPR not being done correctly or at least trying. She tries and then the person begins to move. She then accompanies her to the hospital which made her late for her date with Seung Jo. However, Seung Jo had waited for her. Meanwhile, Min Ah becomes a famous cartoon artist and Joo Ri is friends with a person back from the military who came everyday for a trim. The finale ends with Ha Ni and Seung Jo making out in the company car.

4. Sunkyungkwan Scandal

Set during an era when society does not allow females to be educated nor employed, Kim Yoon-hee (Park Min-young) disguises herself as her brother, Kim Yoon-shik, in order to make ends meet for her family. She goes through a series of odd jobs, mainly at a local bookstore, before she gets offered a chance to increase her earnings by becoming a substitute test-taker (an illegal act) for the upcoming entrance examination in the prestigious Sungkyunkwan. She gets caught by the upright Lee Sun-joon (Park Yoochun), who later acknowledges Yoon-hee's talents, and even encourages her to enroll in the university. There, she must bear with the endless mischief of upperclassman Gu Yong-ha (Song Joong-ki), put up with the constant mood swings of roommate Moon Jae-shin (Yoo Ah-in), avoid getting in trouble with the strict, student body president Ha In-soo (Jun Tae-soo), keep her secret from being discovered, all the while trying to hold her growing feelings for Lee Sun-joon at bay.

5. Nice Guy

Smart and promising medical student Kang Ma-ru (Song Joong-ki) has been in love all his life with his slightly older next-door neighbor Han Jae-hee (Park Si-yeon), a television reporter. He is an adoring boyfriend and she always considered Ma-ru her home. But when her situation takes a turn for the worse and Jae-hee becomes desperate to escape poverty, she meets a man who changes everything—a rich CEO who introduces her to a life of comfort. So she turns her back on Ma-ru, choosing money over love. The brutal betrayal leaves Ma-ru fractured—not just angry, but a completely changed man. A few years later, Ma-ru is now 30 years old and works as a bartender and gigolo, no longer a "nice guy."He then meets Seo Eun-gi (Moon Chae-won), a young chaebol heiress who's being groomed to take over her father's conglomerate. Eun-gi is a cold and calculating, business-savvy, and raised by her father to never show emotion to anyone. But Ma-ru intrigues her, and she becomes curious until she can’t stop thinking about him. Ma-ru decides to take advantage of her as a pawn in his plans for revenge and Eun-gi falls in love with him, not knowing that he’s using her to get back at his ex Jae-hee, who happens to be Eun-gi's young, gold-digging stepmother.  Just when Ma-ru is beginning to genuinely care for Eun-gi, she finds out the truth and they break up. But a car accident causes Eun-gi to lose her memory, and she enters Ma-ru's life again.

6. Arang and The Magistrate

A nobleman named Kim Eun-oh (Lee Joon-gi) comes to town searching for his mother after hearing a rumor that she is staying at the village of Miryang. He has the special ability to see spirits, but pretends he doesn't because he gets annoyed when spirits come up to him asking for a favor. Arang (Shin Min-ah) has lost all her memories when she became a ghost and is unable to rest in peace until she finds out how she ended up dead. However, after appearing to three magistrates, none of them survive the fright of seeing her. When she finds out that Eun-oh is able to see her, she begs for his help. At first, Eun-oh rejects her request. However he changes his mind after seeing that Arang is somehow in possession of the hairpin that he gave his mother at their last meeting. He believes that if he helps her, Arang will regain her memories and give him information about his mother. He exasperatedly (then affectionately) nicknames her “Amnesia” and as the town's newly installed magistrate, he teams up with her to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, which may involve the mysterious nobleman Joo-wal and have supernatural ramifications.

7. Full House

Han Ji-eun, an aspiring script writer, lives in a house called "Full House" built by her late father. One day, her two best friends trick her into believing she has won a free vacation. While she is away, they sell her house. On the plane, she meets a famous actor named Lee Young-jae. Through comedic events, they get acquainted during her vacation and when she returns, she discovers her house has been sold to him. Though they don't get along with each other as she is messy and he has a bad temper and likes cleanliness, they agreed to live with each other. At first, Ji-eun works as his maid in order to buy her house back, but because of Young-jae's wish to make the love of his life and Kang Hye-won jealous, they get married. They set up a contract for the marriage to last six months. During that time, complications arise and Ji-Eun and Young-Jae become attracted to each other.
8. City Hunter
In 1983, the South Korean president and his delegates are visiting Burma when a bomb planted by North Korean agents explodes, killing some high-ranking officials. This historical event is called the Rangoon bombing (also known as the Rangoon incident). To strike back, five South Korean officials plan a covert operation, codenamed "Operation Cleansweep," to enter North Korea and kill several top members of the North's high command. Lee Jin-pyo and Park Moo-yul, two Presidential Security Service bodyguards and best friends who were present at the bombing, organize a 21-man team for the mission. However, as the team wreaks havoc in Pyongyang, the five officials abort the plan to avoid an international crisis if the mission is discovered. Their major concern is that the United States will withdraw its nuclear protection if the mission is made public, in light of Seoul's official declaration that it will not retaliate. The operation is successful, but as the troops swim out from Nampo to an ROK Navy submarine assigned for their extraction, snipers aboard the submarine open fire on them. An already injured Park sacrifices his life to save Lee. Lee swims back to shore and returns to South Korea, where he finds out that the assault team's service and personal records have been erased. Vowing to avenge his fallen comrades, Jin-pyo kidnaps Moo-yul's infant son. He flees to the Golden Triangle to raise the child as his own and trains the boy intensively in combat. Following an attack on a village they are living in, Jin-pyo confesses his long-term plan for revenge to the child, Lee Yoon-sung. Seven years later, after successfully finishing his college years and attaining a doctorate in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yoon-sung returns to South Korea to fulfill his adoptive father's plan for revenge. He enters the Blue House as an IT expert under the National Communication Network Team. He is warned by Jin-pyo not to trust anyone and never fall in love, as doing so will put the people around him in danger. While working at the Blue House, the plot takes off after Lee meets bodyguard Kim Na-na. Eventually Na-na helps him to take revenge, as they discover that they have the same goal in mind. Problems occur as Jin-pyo's revenge plot unfolds, especially when Lee defies his surrogate father at several occasions as they try to identify and kill the officials, known as the "Council of Five."

9. My Girlfriend is Gumiho

Cha Dae-woong (Lee Seung Gi) accidentally releases a troublesome gumiho, a legendary fox with nine tails, sealed inside a painting by Grandma Samshin (三神). Fleeing the scene, Dae-woong suffers a life-threatening fall and is only saved by the gumiho giving him her "fox bead" (여우 구슬). When Dae-woong awakes and meets a mysterious pretty girl, he initially treats her as eccentric or mentally ill, before fully understanding she is a gumiho in disguise—at which point he tries to research gumihos, but fails to find correct information in the library or on the internet. He agrees to stay with her and he tries to keep her happy, while hiding her true identity as a gumiho from all others by introducing her as his friend, Mi Ho. Slowly, however, he becomes less scared of her and more protective of her—finally admitting to himself and to her that he loves her. As the story unfolds, Mi Ho (Shin Min Ah) pursues her goal of becoming human, with the half-human, half-supernatural Park Dong Joo, who has a career as a veterinarian and has been living as a half-human for hundreds of years, informing her that to do so, she must drink his blood and allow a human to keep her fox bead inside their body for a full 100 days - faithfully entering into a Love Contract, and keeping the bead from being harmed by remaining chaste. However, Dong Joo does not mention that at the end of the 100 days the human will die. Mi Ho and Dae Woong fall in love without fully knowing the consequences of fulfilling her goal: namely, that Woong will die if she becomes fully human.

10. Protect The Boss

Cha Ji-heon (Ji Sung) is an incredibly immature young man who is useless at his job as a director at DN Group, where the chairman is his father (Park Yeong-gyu). Ji-heon has a longstanding rivalry in work and love with cousin Cha Mu-won (Kim Jaejoong), as Mu-won is a mature, hardworking, and seemingly perfect executive, and the two both have a romantic history with Seo Na-yoon (Wang Ji-hye). Spunky and tough Noh Eun-seol (Choi Kang-hee) is struggling to find full-time work because of her juvenile delinquent record and poor academic background. After giving Mu-won a piece of her mind during a job interview at DN Group, she is surprised to find herself hired as a secretary to Ji-heon. Determined not to be fired from her first professional job, Eun-seol works diligently at putting up with Ji-heon's childishness and keeping him in check. As their working relationship progresses, they earn each others' trust and friendship, and Eun-seol helps Ji-heon deal with his phobias and prove himself capable of becoming DN Group's successor. Things get more complicated when Ji-heon and Mu-won both fall for Eun-seol, who doesn't want to get mixed up with either of them... or does she?

11. I Miss You

15 year old Lee Soo-yeon (Kim So-hyun) is a victim of bullying at school, targeted because her father was a murderer. Through a series of fated events, she meets Han Jung-woo (Yeo Jin-goo), the son of a chaebol and gangster. Jung-woo protects Soo-yeon from the bullies, they becomes friends and soon fall in love. One day, Jung-woo was kidnapped and Soo-yeon, who witness the abduction, attempts to help only to be taken by the kidnappers as well. Kang Hyung-joon's mother, the mistress of Jung-woo's grandfather, and Jung-woo's father have been fighting over big sum of money. She finally succeeds in moving the money to a Swiss bank with the help of her nurse Jun Hye-mi. Wanting to leave Korea safely with Hyung-joon as soon as possible, Hye-mi orders Jung-woo to be kidnapped until they can flee. However, due to an unexpected accident during the time when Jung-woo and Soo-yeon are both kidnapped, they became separated. Jung-woo is rescued from the kidnappers by his father but unable to return to help Soo-yeon, who is presumed to be dead. Jung-woo's father wanting to hush up the incident bribes the kidnappers and the police to fake Soo-yeon's death. However, Hyung-joon has saved Soo-yeon's life and prevents her from leaving with her stepfather, a Detective, by killing him and Soo-yeon flees the country with Hyung-joon and Hye-mi. Fourteen years later, Jung-woo (now Park Yoo-chun) is now a homicide detective and has set his mind on finding Soo-yeon, believing that she is not dead. Soo-yeon (now Yoon Eun-hye) is now known as Zoe Lou, a rookie fashion designer who appears to have a bright personality, but still carries the emotional scars of her past inside her. Fate leads to the meeting of the two, but Zoe is unforgiving towards Jung-woo for abandoning her during the kidnapping. Meanwhile, Kang Hyung-joon (Yoo Seung-ho), rich with the money his mother took from Han family, returns to Korea for revenge. He appears warm and nice, but turns out to be a psychopathic murderer and uses the alias Harry Borrison to get his revenge on Jung-woo's father for murdering his mother.

12. Paradise Ranch

Dong Joo and Da Ji were once desperately in love and married at 19 after struggling to convince their parents. But they divorced after six months. Six years later, they meet coincidentally at a horse auction in Australia and discover that their feelings for each other are still very much alive. Park Jin Young has been friends with Dong Joo for many years and she receives a love confession from Dong Joo. Seo Yoon Ho is a man who Da Ji likes and she tries her best to impress him.

13. The Moon That Embraces The Sun

Thirteen-year-old Heo Yeon-woo, the daughter of a high-ranking official, accompanies her mother to the royal palace to attend her brother, Heo Yeom's civil service examination congratulatory ceremony. By chance, she meets Crown Prince Lee Hwon in the midst of escaping to see his older half brother, Prince Yang-myung. They fall in love and Heo is chosen as the Crown Princess of Joseon. However the Dowager Queen secretly orders her death; in order to install Yoon Bo-gyeong, the daughter of a family clan, as Crown Princess in order to gain more power for herself. She orders head shaman Nok-yeong of Star Mansion to cast a spell on Yeon-woo to stricken her with an unknown sickness. Where upon she is returned home for the last remaining days of her life. Nok-young unbeknown to the Dowager Queen has promised her friend Ari, whom Yeon-woo's mother had saved before she was born, to protect her. So Nok-young secretly visits Yeon-woo's father and tells him how to break the spells. Upon being resurrected from her grave, Yeon-woo lives her life as a shaman but loses her memories. All believe her to be dead, including the Crown Prince Lee Hwon, who loves her and whom she was to marry. Eight years later, Yeon-woo returns as a shaman named Wol. She has not been forgotten by those she left behind, and her fate is still intertwined with Hwon, who is now the king. She must contend with the current Queen of Joseon, the Queen's Father, and the Queen Dowager in order to reclaim her rightful place as Queen of Joseon.

14. Coffee Prince

Choi Han-gyul (Gong Yoo) is a third generation son of a food chaebol. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han-gyul is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo-joo (Chae Jung-an), and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy. She takes up every job possible: Taekwondo teacher, waitress, food delivery, and has the responsibility of taking care of her childish, spendthrift mother and trouble-making younger sister. When Han-gyul and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. Meanwhile, Han-gyul's cousin, Choi Han-seong (Lee Sun-gyun), is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend, Han Yoo-joo, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years, but their relationship ended when Yoo-joo left Han-seong for another man. Two years after they separate, their paths cross again when she returns to Seoul. Han-seong is initially angry at her, but he succumbs to his lingering feelings and they start to date again. After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han-gyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed "Coffee Prince," to prove that he's capable, both to his grandmother and to Yoo-joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun-chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince. Eun-chan also become friends with Han-seong, and she is initially attracted to him because of his kindness. Han-seong also enjoys spending time with her, and an impulsive kiss that he gives her causes him and Yoo-joo to break up for a short time.Soon, feelings start to develop between Eun-chan and Han-gyul. Because he's unaware that she is a woman, he starts to question his sexuality and is thrown into turmoil. When he discovers her secret, he feels hurt and betrayed. However, he eventually forgives her and they begin to date. They face strong opposition from his family due to her family’s lower status, but when Han-gyul's grandmother meets Eun-chan, she is impressed by her independence and ambition. She helps pay for Eun-chan to study in Italy to become a barista. After two years of a long-distance relationship, a more stylish Eun-chan returns to Korea and Han-gyul.

15. Lie To Me

Gong Ah-jung (Yoon Eun-hye) is a fifth-level government employee of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At the beginning of the series, Ah-jung lies to an antagonistic friend about being married as a form of revenge. The lie quickly snowballs (due to several misunderstandings) until Ah-jung realizes that everyone is gossiping about her supposed, secret marriage to Hyun Ki-joon (Kang Ji-hwan), the very wealthy president of World Hotel. As the rumour spreads, a miserable Ki-joon is forced to combat the rumors to his friends as he decides a plan of action in getting Ah-jung to correct her lie. Ki-joon and Ah-jung decide to take action to squash the rumors, with Ah-jung agreeing to call together her friends so she can confess her discretion. When this doesn't go as planned, Ki-joon decides to take legal action against Ah-jung. However, after a series of events that bond the pair together, they both agree that pretending to be married for a short while would be mutually beneficial though Ki-joon promises that Ah-jung's lie is not forgiven and that he will eventually go ahead and follow through with his lawsuit. Things become even more complicated when Ki-joon's ex-fiance, and a close friend of his brother Oh Yoon-joo, returns from France. After a friend of Ah-jung sees Ki-joon and Yoon-joo together and raises suspicious of infidelity to Ah-jung (and leaves Ah-jung embarrassed), Ah-jung forces Ki-joon to promise that he will not be caught with any women for the duration of their sham marriage.
Ki-joon and Ah-jung grow closer and more fond of one another over the duration of their marriage and Ki-joon finds himself questioning his commitment to his former fiance Yoon-joo. Eventually, however, Ki-joon makes the decision to be with Ah-jung despite the heartache he is sure to cause his ex lover.