10 K-Dramas That Are Considered Masterpieces

The K-drama has exploded in popularity lately and opened the doors for more international content to see mainstream success, with some offerings from South Korea now being recognized as masterpieces around the globe. Streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Viki continue to release some of the best K-dramas of all time, ensuring there is no shortage of bingeworthy K-dramas for fans to watch. As a rule, K-dramas can be any genre, ranging from romantic comedies to dark thrillers, offering variety to old fans and new audiences.

Even within that creative freedom, however, some K-drama series stand a cut above the rest for the care and craftsmanship put into the project. The most impressively well-planned and impeccably executed K-dramas are considered masterpieces that withstand the passing of time. These K-dramas have well-crafted characterizations, impactful storytelling, a well-paced plot, and thought-provoking conflicts. As such, compelling K-dramas can leave a mark on audiences for years.

10 My Love From The Star (2013-2014)

Alien Stranded On Earth Falls In Love

My Love from the Star is a charming romantic comedy K-drama that tells the tale of an alien who landed on Earth in 1609 and was subsequently stranded on the strange new planet. The alien Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) can blend in with humans due to his human-like appearance. Meanwhile, the arrogant and conceited actor Cheon Song-yi becomes Min-joon’s neighbor and drags the alien into unpredictable situations, and the bond between the two grows. In a typical romantic comedy style, Min-joon and Song-yi are star-crossed lovers with a deadline for their romance, as Min-joon is planning to return to his home planet.

My Love from the Star is a beautiful and emotional romantic comedy K-drama filled with drama and suspense. The characters, Song-yi in particular, have hidden depths to them that are exposed throughout the series, making the lovable characters feel realistic. The introduction of intriguing mystery plot lines ensures that My Love from the Star is a thrilling romance-filled adventure.

9 Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2021)

The Heartwarming Romance Between A Fencer And Sports Reporter

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a beautiful and heartwarming romantic K-drama that aired on tvN and quickly became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history. Twenty-Five Twenty-One tells the story of a young couple as they struggle to manage their romance and career.

Flashbacks to 1998 tell the story of two young people whose lives are changed by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is a fencer whose dreams are impeded by the financial crisis while Baek Yi-jin’s (Nam Joo-hyuk) family loses all of their riches. Sparks fly when Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin meet, but the couple drifts apart over the years and eventually break up in bitter fashion.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One
perfectly encapsulates the beauty and nostalgia of young love and first loves.

Twenty-Five Twenty-One cements itself as a masterpiece K-drama series due to the show’s focus on the characterization of the two leads and supporting characters. Twenty-Five Twenty-One’s ending is a bittersweet farewell to the relationship between Na Hee-Do and Baek Yi-jin. The heartwarming romance may be a sad and realistic end, but Twenty-Five Twenty-One perfectly encapsulates the beauty and nostalgia of young love and first loves. Twenty-Five Twenty-One captures what it feels like to be young and enamored, and the stunning setting and cinematography add to the beauty of the romance.

8 Guardian: The Lonely And Great God (2016-2017)

A Goblin Cursed With Immortality Tries To Move Onto The Afterlife

The romantic fantasy drama Korean dramaGuardian: The Lonely and Great God, also known as Goblin, is a uniquely dramatic love story. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God follows Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) who is betrayed by his king, murdered, and then cursed to become an immortal goblin. After living for more than 900 years, Goblin craves eternal rest, and his immortality can only be ended once the Goblin’s bride pulls the sword out of his chest.

High school student Ji Eun-Tak (Kim Go-eun) is Goblin’s bride and has the ability to see ghosts and summon the Goblin. Eun-Tak and Goblin’s bond develops as they spend time together. While Eun-Tak originally did not know it was her responsibility to remove the sword from Goblin’s chest and end his immortal life, she eventually learns the truth about their fate and struggles with completing her duty to kill Goblin after they fall in love.

The must-watch supernatural K-drama Goblin/Guardian: The Lonely and Great is filled with love, loyalty, and sacrifice. The strong characterizations, intriguing character dynamics, and conflict-heavy plot make Guardian: The Lonely and Great a K-drama masterpiece.

7 Hotel Del Luna (2019)

Supernatural Hotel That Onlu Serves Ghosts

Hotel del Luna is a fantasy romance K-drama set in a supernatural hotel that only serves ghosts, with humans only being able to see the hotel in certain conditions. The owner of the titular hotel, Jang Man-wol (Lee Ji-eun) was condemned to the fate and the hotel was bound to her soul to atone for her sins. When Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) is forced to become the new general manager at Hotel del Luna due to his father making a deal with Man-wol, he introduces a stark change in the management of the hotel.

Man-wol and Chan-sung’s opposing personalities cause drama between the duo, and the incredible chemistry between them made the romance enthralling to witness. While the initial episodes of Hotel del Luna suffered from pacing issues as the show introduced the supernatural elements and lore, the show’s comedy, relationship dynamics, and well-written script is enough to keep audiences invested until the pacing becomes better.

The supernatural and fantasy K-drama Hotel del Luna’s expert usage of background music to build tension and made the paranormal elements feel haunting, instilling a sense of thrill and fear. Hotel del Luna’s original plot, intriguing and mysterious characters made it a masterpiece.

6 Vincenzo (2021)

A Mafia Lawyer Takes Down A Large Corrupt Corporation

The dark crime drama Vincenzo stars Song Joong-ki as the titular character, a Korean-Italian mafia lawyer who flees to South Korea after his adoptive brother attempts to murder him. Vincenzo sets off on a journey to retrieve the gold he had stashed and take down a corrupt pharmaceutical corporation, Babel Group.

The K’drama’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Vincenzo and the attorney Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-been) is a highlight of Vincenzo, and adds scenes of comedy and levity in the dark thriller K-drama. The main characters were well-developed and displayed tremendous character growth over the course of the show, while the supporting characters were distinct and interesting personalities that meshed well with the main cast. In addition, the villains in Vincenzo were terrifying yet had moments of likability.

Vincenzo managed the expertly balance the comedy with the dark violent drama. These elements made Vincenzo a robust masterpiece filled drama, comedy, and thrills.

5 Crash Landing On You (2019-2020)

South Korean Businesswoman Crash Lands In North Korea

The K-drama Crash Landing on You follows the passionate and secret love story between a South Korean businesswoman and North Korean officer. The South Korean chaebol heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is blown off course while paragliding and crash lands in North Korea. Se-ri is found by a North Korean officer Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) who falls in love with her and attempts to smuggle her back to South Korea. Despite the historical divide between North Korea and South Korea, the two manage to fall in love in the tension-filled setting.

The magical chemistry between Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok is the heart of the romantic comedy Crash Landing on You. The setting of a South Korean woman being hidden by a North Korean man is perfect for causing tension and conflict for the main characters and makes the K-drama Crash Landing on You a thrilling adventure. At the time of airing, Crash Landing on You became the highest-rated tvN series and received critical acclaim for its characterizations and intriguing plot.

4 Descendants of the Sun (2016)

A Special Forces Officer And Surgeon Find Love During War

Set against the backdrop of a war-torn country, Descendants of the Sun follows the love story between a Special Forces officer and a surgeon as they’re surrounded by danger. The action-packed K-drama Descendants of the Sun focuses on a captain in the South Korean Army’s special forces, Yoo Si-jin (Song Joong-ki), and the surgeon Dr. Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) as they undertake deadly humanitarian missions.

The philosophical differences between the couple as a soldier and surgeon cause tension between the two, but Si-jin and Mo-yeon’s chemistry and love for each other persists. The fun and entertaining central storyline in Descendants of the Sun is impeccably blended with action, drama, and thrills. The masterpiece K-drama Descendants of the Sun keeps audiences on their toes with tension-filled action scenes, heartbreak, romance, and shocking plot twists. With a mix of light-hearted humor and tense action, Descendants of the Sun is an emotional roller coaster.

3 Flower of Evil (2020)

A Detective Realizes Her Perfect Husband Has Dark Secret

The dark thriller K-drama Flower of Evil follows a seemingly perfect family whose life is torn apart after a detective realizes that her husband may be hiding a dark truth. Detective Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won) begins investigating old unsolved murder cases and realizes that her husband Baek Hee-sung’s (Lee Joon-gi) mysterious past might be a murderous one. Moon Chae-won and Lee Joon-gi’s impressive acting highlights the characters’ emotions as they navigate the potentially deadly situation.

Flower of Evil is filled with mystery, intrigue, drama, betrayal, and complex plots. The bone-chilling thriller masterfully builds tension and weaves the intricate plot together in a cohesive and entertaining manner. Flower of Evil is one of the best detective K-dramas filled with intrigue, plot twists, and incredible characters. By using subtle clues throughout the series and shocking plot twists, Flower of Evil ensures that the mystery remains an engaging, fast-paced thriller throughout the 16 episodes.

2 Queen of Tears (2024)

A Married Couple Work To Rekindle Their Love

Queen of Tears follows the magical love story of a married couple who learn to rekindle their love and support each other. While most romantic K-dramas start with a young couple meeting for the first time and falling in love, Queen of Tears starts with a married couple and explores the complexities of relationships, marriage, and love. The heart-wrenching K-drama Queen of Tears had intense emotional scenes that could make audiences cry and added depth and dimension to the characters.

Queen of Tears focuses on the relationship between chaebol heiress Hong Hae-in (Kim Ji-won) and Baek Hyun-woo (Kim Soo-hyun) the son of farmers who became a lawyer. Queen of Tears features an ensemble cast that delivers incredible performances and perfectly portrays the complex emotions. The Queen of Tears cast’s acting ability elevated the emotionally heartwarming romance show and solidified the K-drama’s status as a masterpiece.

1 It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)

A Selfless Caretaker And Selfish Writer Learn To Heal Together

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is a heartening and hopeful romantic comedy that beautifully explores the themes of relationships, healing, and mental health. The K-drama follows the diametrically opposed Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) and Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji) as they help each other grow and heal. Gang-tae’s devotion to his autistic older brother Moon Sang-tae is heartwarming to witness. The brothers’ bond with Moon-young and the trio’s uplifting scenes are the highlight of the show.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay stands out from other K-drama with its usage of visual storytelling and animated scenes to display the inner thoughts and emotions of characters. The use of animation is reminiscent of the Community episode “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” when Abed (Danny Pudi) begins imagining the world in stop-motion animation to cope with change and feeling abandoned at Christmas. Similarly, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay skillfully uses animation to highlight a character’s deepest thoughts and emotions that they cannot verbalize.

The beautiful relationships between the trio of Gang-tae, Sang-tae, and Moon-young and the creative visual storytelling cements It’s Okay to Not Be Okay as the ultimate masterpiece K-drama series. Audiences are still searching for the perfect replacement for It’s Okay to Not Be Okay that hits the same notes.