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Some Korean dramas are considered good, and others are quite bad, but only a few can be considered perfect from start to finish. Korean dramas are made to make people cry, feel the romance, and everything in between. They capture every fan's heart, becoming a famous phenomenon among international viewers, thanks to the Hallyu Wave. But what is the Hallyu Wave? Short explanation: when Korean dramas or anything South Korea-related becomes famous outside Korean soil, including Business Proposal or Squid Game, for example.
However, a select few K-dramas are so compelling, addictive, and engaging that they can't help but seem perfect from beginning to end. From period pieces to straight-up romantic stories to even an adaptation from another well-known story, these K-dramas are the very definition of perfection, and this list will discuss them at length.
20 'Thirty Nine' (2022)
Three friends nearing the end of their 30s are the protagonists of this heartwarming drama. The story takes them through the highs and lows of life, including romance, work, and youthfulness, as each struggles with personal issues while still coming to her friends for comfort. Thirty Nine may not be too interesting to younger audiences, but women in their 30s and 40s could very easily relate to this 12-episode series. Son Ye-jin, Kim Ji-hyeon, and Jeon Mi-do lead as three friends whose lives are shown separately, and together. The show is a remake of the Chinese drama Nothing But Thirty.
Thirty Nine follows dermatologist Mi-jo (Son), drama coach Chan-young (Jeon), and cosmetics seller Joo-hee (Kim). The women all balance life's biggest challenges together, and separately, each struggling with unfulfilling love affairs and dead-end jobs. Their lives take a turn when Mi-jo finds her biological mother, and Chan-young finds out news about her health. The story will make you happy because of the friendship between the three women, which you might find relatable or inspiring. Thirty Nine is a great drama to watch with friends, and a perfect show from start to finish.
Image via Netflix Extraordinary Attorney Woo is one of the most recent K-dramas with an interesting premise, following a woman with autism, Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), as she rises through the ranks as an attorney in a prominent law firm. This is one of the first K-dramas that covers a topic of this kind, including a neurodivergent character in the narrative. People with autism and those with autistic people in their families have said the show gets unrealistic here and there, but that it's generally a nice depiction of autistic people and that Park Eun-bin portrays attorney Woo well.
Rookie attorney Woo Young-woo prides herself on her name being a palindrome. She knows all the fun and not-so-fun facts about whales, and has a photographic memory and extraordinary intelligence. Her social skills and emotional intelligence are lacking here and there, but attorney Woo learns how to work with others through her job at the Hanbada law firm, one of Seoul's biggest. She has lovable co-workers and a quirky best friend, and the show is brilliant at making Woo both a strong protagonist and someone with whom we can empathize. It's perfect.
18 'Moving' (2023–)
Image via Disney+What makes Kang Full's Moving so exceptional from start to finish is its emotional core. Despite an action-heavy, superhero premise, the heart of the story is protection—parents trying to shield their children from the same pain they endured. The superpowers in this show come with a personal cost rather than glamour and fame, and the fights are often motivated by love rather than competition or hatred. Moving balances hope and realism, as much as superpowered humans can be realistic; it suggests that survival itself can be an act of resistance for most of us. This show is amazing because it treats superpowers as metaphors for inherited trauma and strength, making it an exciting and very human show.
Moving blends superhero mythology with family drama and is told in a non-linear way, divided into three parts. The first part follows three teenagers who possess extraordinary abilities, figuring out their powers; part two shows the people they inherited the powers from—their parents, who have traumatic pasts as former government agents. The third part combines the children's lives and newfound powers and the parents’ violent, secretive histories, unraveling in an epic final battle. It's a star-studded series, with Ryu Seung-ryeong, Jo In-sung, and Han Hyo-joo in the lead roles; they're joined by other well-known Korean stars, and in Season 2, we might see a lot more of them.
17 'Business Proposal' (2022)
Image via Kakao EntertainmentA workplace romance K-drama that begins in the simplest of ways before the main pair falls in love and has difficulties. Viewers have seen this before various times, but what makes Business Proposal different from many others of the same genre is the phenomenal acting of Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Sejeong.
In Business Proposal, Shin Ha-ri (Sejeong) goes on a blind date instead of her friend, who doesn't want to go, and discovers that her friend's suitor is actually her boss, Kang Tae-Moo (Hyo-seop). Without knowing she wasn't the blind date he was supposed to meet, Tae-Moo proposes to Ha-ri to avoid his father setting him up on various blind dates so he can actually focus on his work. Eventually, they become lovers after having a fake engagement agreement. As stated beforehand, the main leads' acting is fantastic. They ensure that every scene is well-made and make viewers fall in love with them right from the first episode.
16 'Secret Garden' (2010)
Image via SBS TVAnother different-world kind of love story, just like MANY other 2000s Korean dramas out there. Secret Garden tells the story of Gil Ra-Im (Ha Ji-Won), a poor stuntperson who casually meets a very rich young man, Kim Joo-Won (Hyun Bin). Joo-Won falls in love with her at first sight and tries to be with her, but she refuses him. Many adventures happen between the two, and they end up becoming lovers by the end of the series.
What makes this drama different from other different-world kinds of love stories is the fact that there is a body switch between the two leads, just like in the 2000s American movies like Freaky Friday, which makes the pair understand how their worlds are truly different from one another and fall for each other more. Furthermore, Secret Garden has very clever dialogue and comedic one-liners between the characters, which will make the viewer laugh for hours. It's truly a series worth watching.
15 'Queen of Tears' (2024)
Image via NetflixA married couple faces many types of crises, and it makes viewers emotional in the midst of them. This is what Queen of Tears was able to convey in viewers' lives. This drama makes viewers feel like they are on a rollercoaster and won't get away from it till the very last emotional episode. It tells the story of a married couple, Hong Hae-In (Kim Ji-Won) and Baek Hyun-Woo (Kim Soo-hyun), as they navigate through a marital crisis and fall back in love again.
A reason why this drama is very good is mostly because of the leads' chemistry on-screen, which makes the plot instantly addictive and engaging. Another great point about Queen of Tears is definitely the complex storyline, as viewers can see their love blossom once again in each episode despite the many emotional difficulties in between. Queen of Tears is definitely an interesting watch for all those who are into melodramatic stories with a healthy dose of humor.
14 'Hospital Playlist' (2020–2021)
Image via NetflixHospital Playlist is perfect from start to finish because it understands how to achieve a great balance. Humor, grief, romance, and routine coexist naturally, just like they do in real life. No character is reduced to a trope; everyone grows over time and is given a dedicated character arc with moments of hope, fulfilment, sadness, and realization. The recurring band scenes remind us that the show is about living life through shared moments and with a chosen family. Hospital Playlist is part medical drama, part comedy, and a rare comfort show that never becomes shallow or repetitive.
Hospital Playlist follows five doctors who have been best friends since medical school and now work at the same hospital. Each episode weaves together their professional lives, filled with ethical dilemmas, life-and-death decisions, and quiet victories; in other moments, the show depicts their personal struggles, friendships, and evolving romances over time, giving each character a satisfying arc. Hospital Playlist does something unique, which is using the patients’ stories (respectfully) to mirror the doctors’ own emotional states. It's fun and beautifully written, and a perfect show in every way.
13 'Vincenzo' (2021)
Image via NetflixThe stylish crime drama Vincenzo with 2010s heartthrob and action star Song Joong-ki won over fans who took the opportunity to watch its 21-episode run on Netflix. A lot of them started claiming that Vincenzo was one of the best thriller K-dramas ever, and that each episode gets better than the last. Song is joined by K-pop idol and 2PM member Taecyeon, who has proved himself a formidable actor and delivers one of the best villains in K-dramas in Vincenzo. The show blends mystery, thriller, action, and dark comedy, and follows a set of unique, badass characters who are ultimately likable (even the bad ones, sure).
Vincenzo is about the titular character, Vincenzo, played by Song. As an orphan boy, he was adopted by an Italian family and then raised by the local mafia boss, Don Fabio. Growing up as a mafia enforcer, Vincenzo must return to Seoul and retrieve a buried stash of money, but finds himself working with some peculiar and fun characters, like lawyer Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin) and her assistant, Jun-woo (Taecyeon). If you like some action and a good laugh here and there, this show will deliver 21 perfect episodes to binge-watch in a week, or, if you're really dedicated, a weekend.
12 'W: Two Worlds' (2016)
Image via MBC TVAnother highly dramatic series, but this time, it leans towards the sadder part of relationships. With a genius blend of the fantasy and mystery genres, W: Two Worlds tells the story of a surgical resident woman named Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-Joo) who gets pulled into her favorite webtoon's story, W, written by her father. As she tries to resolve the murder mystery of the webtoon to get back to her normal world, she ends up meeting one of the webtoon's lead characters, Kang Cheol (Lee Jong-Suk).
W: Two Worlds is one of the saddest yet most enlightening Korean dramas out there. The chemistry between the main leads is electrifying, and the soundtrack is simply fantastic and instantly memorable. The storyline has a few holes in between, but it's still a great drama because of the emotional goodbye of the two characters. W: Two Worlds is worth watching and will make the viewer fall in love with their story.
11 'My Mister' (2018)
Image via Studio DragonWhat makes My Mister flawless from beginning to end is how well it balances emotions that feel conflicting. There are no easy payoffs in the story; the narrative rather depicts healing as a slow, uneven, and deeply individual thing, which is why My Mister resonated so much with viewers when it first came out. The writing is superb, and the lead performances by IU and Lee Sun-kyun are captivating, both when they're together and apart. My Mister argues that being seen and respected can be enough to survive, and it's a devastating, but grounded and hopeful story that is a masterclass in adult storytelling.
My Mister tells the story of Park Dong-hoon (Lee), a middle-aged engineer worn down by responsibility toward his work and family, and Lee Ji-an (IU), a young woman burdened by poverty, debt, and emotional isolation. Their lives intersect when they meet at their shared workplace, forming an unexpected bond built on mutual understanding and recognition; they are two people who see each other’s pain without judgment. My Mister explores loneliness, moral compromise, and dignity in a harsh world, and while it can be a tough watch, it rewards viewers greatly from beginning to end.
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