The Korean content continues to emerge powerfully across the globe, post-pandemic. Since the explosive popularity of Crash Landing On You (2019), Squid Game (2021), Vincenzo (2021), Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021), Business Proposal (2022), Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022), and others, more dramas or series has attracted more international viewers especially on the streaming giant, Netflix.
In 2023, most watched Korean dramas range from thriller to slice-of-life content that deliver a strong message on social issues, while some lean towards fun romance to de-stress after a long day.
So far, here are the Korean drama hits based on number of weeks in non-English TV rankings on Netflix worldwide in 2023:
13 Weeks | The Glory
The Glory (2022-23) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for thirteen non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 91 countries. It was most watched in Hongkong for 22 weeks, followed by Vietnam for 21 weeks and Indonesia for 20 weeks.
The revenge-thriller series is about a woman whose childhood is marked by school violence and pain so she puts a carefully planned revenge scheme in motion by taking up a job as a teacher at the school of her bully’s child, starring Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-hyun, Lim Ji-yeon, and more.
Screenwriter: Kim Eun-sook | Director: Ahn Gil-ho | Network: Netflix
11 Weeks | King The Land
JTBC’s King The Land (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for eleven non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 55 countries. It was most popular in Nicaragua for 15 weeks, followed by Indonesia for 14 weeks.
The rom-com drama follows two complete opposites, an elegant chaebol heir who cannot stand fake smiles and a bright hotel employee whose job is to smile for customer service, starring idol-actors Lee Junho and Lim Yoona.
Screenwriter: Choi Rom | Director: Im Hyun-wook | Original network: JTBC
11 Weeks | Crash Course In Romance
tvN’s Crash Course In Romance (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for eleven consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 34 countries. It was most popular in South Korea and Taiwan for 12 weeks, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hongkong for 11 weeks.
The rom-com drama is about a woman with a heart of gold who navigates the cutthroat world of private education when her daughter tries to join a celebrity math instructor’s class, starring Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho.
Screenwriter: Yang Hee-seung | Director: Yoo Je-won | Original network: tvN
8 Weeks | Destined With You
JTBC’s Destined With You (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for eight consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 44 countries. It was most popular in Indonesia for 10 weeks, followed by India, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Taiwan for 9 weeks.
The fantasy drama depicts the irresistible romance between a civil servant who obtains a forbidden book that was thoroughly sealed 300 years ago and a popular lawyer who becomes a victim of the forbidden book, getting swept up in a series of unexpected events due to the curse. It stars Rowoon and Jo Boah.
Screenwriter: Noh Ji-sul | Director: Nam Ki-hoon | Original network: JTBC
7 Weeks | Strong Girl Nam Soon
JTBC’s supernatural-action-crime drama, Strong Girl Nam Soon (2023) continues to soar on Netflix’s global charts for seven consecutive weeks now and has so far reached Top 10 in 45 countries.
The ongoing show is a sequel to the series, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017) that tells the story of Gang Nam-soon, a girl with superhuman strength who went missing in Mongolia and travels to South Korea as a grown up lady to find her family. She meets her mother and grandmother and later the three women get entangled with a drug case in Gangnam that is being investigated by a detective who falls in love with her. It stars Lee Yoo-mi, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Hae-sook, Ong Seong-wu, and Byeon Woo-seok.
Screenwriter: Baek Mi-kyung | Director: Kim Jeong-sik | Original network: JTBC
7 Weeks | The Good Bad Mother
JTBC’s The Good Bad Mother (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for seven consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 34 countries. It was most popular in Indonesia for 11 weeks, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam for 10 weeks.
The slice-of-life drama centers on the healing relationship between a mother and her son who is a prosecutor but one day suffers from amnesia due to an accident, behaving like a young child again, starring Ra Miran, Lee Do-hyun, Ahn Eun-jin, and Yoo In-soo.
Screenwriter: Bae Se Young | Director: Shim Na Yeon | Original network: JTBC
7 Weeks | Doctor Cha
JTBC’s Doctor Cha (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for seven consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 39 countries. It was most popular in Indonesia for 11 weeks, followed by Malaysia for 10 weeks.
The medical-comedy drama is about a doctor who gives up her medical career to focus on her family as a full time housewife, only to find herself getting back on medical school as a resident student after 20 years, starring Uhm Jung-hwa, Kim Byung-chul, Myung Se-bin, and Min Woo-hyuk.
Screenwriter: Jung Yeo-rang | Director: Kim Dae-jin | Original network: JTBC
5 Weeks | See You In My 19th Life
tvN’s See You In My 19th Life (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for five consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 35 countries. It was most popular in South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia for 7 weeks, followed by Hongkong, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand for 6 weeks.
The fantasy-romance drama is based on a popular webtoon about a woman who reincarnates every time she dies and vividly remembers all her past lives. During her 18th life, she meets a young boy she learns to love but her life was cut short after a tragic accident. So, she sets out to reconnect with him in her 19th life but soon realizes it’s never easy than expected, starring Shin Hae-sun and Ahn Bo-hyun.
Screenwriter: Choi Young Lim | Director: Lee Na Jung | Original network: tvN
5 Weeks | Bloodhounds
Bloodhounds (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for five consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 83 countries. It was most watched in South Korea for 7 weeks, followed by Morocco for 6 weeks.
The action-noir series is based on a webtoon that follows two young boxers who try to get out of debt by working for a legendary figure in the money loan business and their strong determination to take down the big villain, starring Woo Do-hwan, Lee Sang-yi, Kim Sae-ron, Park Sung-woong, Heo Joon-ho, and Jung Da-eun.
Screenwriter-Director: Kim Joo-hwan | Network: Netflix
4 Weeks | A Time Called You
A Time Called You (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 38 countries. It was most watched in South Korea and Indonesia for 5 weeks, followed by Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Philippines for 4 weeks.
The time-travel, romance series is about a woman who can’t seem to forget her boyfriend who died a year ago, so she travels back in time to 1998 and meets a male student who resembles her deceased boyfriend, starring Ahn Hyo-seop, Jeon Yeo-been, and Kang Hoon. It is based on Taiwan’s television series, Someday Or One Day (2019-2020) by Huang Tien-jen.
Screenwriter: Choi Hyo-bi | Director: Kim Jin-won | Network: Netflix
4 Weeks | Behind Your Touch
JTBC’s Behind Your Touch (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 27 countries. It was most popular in South Korea for 9 weeks, followed by Vietnam, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia for 8 weeks.
The fantasy-mystery drama is about a veterinarian and a police detective who keep bumping into each other at a farming village. The vet is given psychometric powers one day and begins to help the detective solve crime cases, growing closer together, starring Han Ji-min, Lee Min-ki, and Suho.
Screenwriters: Lee Nam-gyoo, Oh Bo-hyeon, Kim Da-hee | Directors: Kim Seok-yoon, Choi Bo-yoon | Original network: JTBC
4 Weeks | Mask Girl
Mask Girl (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 72 countries. It was most watched in South Korea for 8 weeks, followed by Vietnam for 7 weeks.
The thriller series is based on a webtoon that follows the double life of a woman who works as an office girl by day and an internet broadcasting jockey by night. She covers her face with a mask due to her physical insecurities, getting swept up in an incident that will cause turbulence in her life. It stars Lee Han-byeol, Nana, Go Hyun-jung, Ahn Jae-hong, and Yeom Hye-ran.
Screenwriter: Kim Yong-hoon | Director: Kim Yong-hoon | Network: Netflix
4 Weeks | Celebrity
Celebrity (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 52 countries. It was most watched in Indonesia for 8 weeks, followed by South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Morocco, Malaysia, Hongkong, and Bangladesh for 5 weeks.
The thriller series explores the world of popularity and “influencer culture” phenomenon among celebrities and the dark side that surrounds fame including money, power, desires, as well as fears and pains. It stars Park Gyu-young, Kang Min-hyuk, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Dong-gun, and Jun Hyo-seong.
Screenwriter: Kim Yi-young | Director: Kim Cheol-kyu | Network: Netflix
4 Weeks | Queenmaker
Queenmaker (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 45 countries. It was most watched in South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Hongkong for 6 weeks, followed by Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand for 5 weeks.
The political series revolves around two powerful women who have different strong opinions but fight together to achieve the same end goal starring, Kim Hee-ae and Moon So-ri.
Screenwriter: Moon Ji-young | Director: Oh Jin-seok | Network: Netflix
4 Weeks | The Uncanny Counter 2
tvN’s The Uncanny Counter 2 (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for four non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 21 countries. It was most popular in Vietnam for 9 weeks, followed by Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hongkong for 8 weeks.
The fantasy, action-thriller drama is about a group of demon hunters called “Counters”. In second season, they have acquired new powers, becoming stronger and fighting against more powerful new demons. It is based on the webtoon, “Amazing Rumor” by Jang Yi.
Screenwriters: Yeo Ji-na, Yoo Seon-dong, Kim Sae-bom | Directors: Yoo Seon-dong, Park Bong-seop | Original network: tvN
3 Weeks | Doona!
Doona! (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 43 countries. It was most watched in South Korea, Singapore, Philippines, Peru, Indonesia, Hongkong, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan for 4 weeks.
The romance series is based on a webtoon about a male college student who moves into a new apartment and a beautiful lady living downstairs who was a K-pop sensation, retiring from her career to pursue studies. It stars Bae Suzy and Yang Se-jong.
Webtoon writer: Min Songah | Director: Lee Jeong-hyo | Network: Netflix
3 Weeks | Love To Hate You
Love To Hate You (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 51 countries. It was most watched in South Korea for 5 weeks, followed by Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia for 4 weeks.
The rom-com series depicts what happens when a headstrong lawyer who hates losing to men and a famous actor who distrusts women, start to date. You’ll be drawn to the onscreen charms and chemistry of Kim Ok-vin, Teo Yoo, Kim Ji-hoon, and Go Won-hee.
Screenwriter: Choi Soo-young | Director: Kim Jung-kwon | Network: Netflix
3 Weeks | Black Knight
Black Knight (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 77 countries. It was most watched in South Korea and Turkey for 4 weeks.
The sci-fi, dystopian series is based on a webtoon that is set in 2071 when the Korean peninsula is seriously devastated by air pollution, a dystopian future where living without a respirator is impossible and the role of delivery men becomes crucial in the survival of inhabitants. A refugee who dreams of becoming a delivery driver meets a legendary delivery man with extraordinary battle skills and fights to join their ranks for access to food and survival. It stars Kim Woo-bin, Esom, and Kang Yoo-seok.
Webtoon writer: Lee Yoon-gyu | Screenwriter: Cho Ui-seok | Director: Cho Ui-seok | Network: Netflix
3 Weeks | Divorce Attorney Shin
JTBC’s Divorce Attorney Shin (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 10 countries. It was most popular in South Korea and Japan for 7 weeks, followed by Hongkong, Singapore, and Taiwan for 6 weeks.
The legal drama is based on a webtoon that tells the turbulent story of a man named Shin Sung Han who is a classical pianist and was once a music professor in Germany but returns to Korea after hearing a shocking news, and decides to become a lawyer that deals with divorce cases.
Webtoon writer: Kang Tae-Kyung | Screenwriter: Yoo Young Ah | Directors: Lee Jae Hoon, Lim Joon Hyuk | Original network: JTBC
3 Weeks | Song Of The Bandits
Song Of The Bandits (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 26 countries. It was most watched in South Korea for 5 weeks, followed by Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia for 2 weeks.
The historical-action series is about Koreans who have been deprived of their own place to live in the 1920s during the Japanese colonial period. While others are expelled to Japan, those who are headed to a lawless region called Gando, gather and unite as one to protect Joseon, including a former Japanese soldier who becomes a bandit protecting Koreans against the Japanese military. It stars Kim Nam-gil, Seohyun, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Hyun-wook, and Lee Ho-jun.
Screenwriter: Han Jeong-hoon | Director: Hwang Jun-hyeok | Network: Netflix
3 Weeks | D.P. 2
D.P. 2 (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for three consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 9 countries. It was most watched in South Korea for 5 weeks, followed by Vietnam and Indonesia for 4 weeks.
The military series is based on a webtoon that depicts the mission to catch the enlistees who desert the army camp. In the second season, the soldiers are faced with a new tragedy and a complicated investigation as they continue to track down alleged deflectors. It stars Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Son Sukku, Kim Sung-kyun, Ji Jin-hee, and Kim Ji-hyun.
Webtoon writer: Kim Bo-tong | Screenwriters: Kim Bo-tong, Han Jun-hee | Director: Han Jun-hee | Network: Netflix
2 Weeks | Castaway Diva
tvN’s rom-com drama, Castaway Diva (2023) continues to soar on Netflix’s global charts for two consecutive weeks now and has so far reached Top 10 in 28 countries.
The ongoing show is about a girl who dreams of becoming a singer but gets drifted out onto a deserted island and rescued after 15 years. Amid difficult situations, she never loses hope and remains positive about her life and dreams, starring Park Eun-bin, Chae Jong-hyeop, Kim Hyo-jin, Cha Hak-yeon, and Kim Ju-hoon.
Screenwriter: Park Hye Ryun | Director: Oh Choong Hwan | Original network: tvN
2 Weeks | Agency
JTBC’s Agency (2023) stayed on Netflix’s global charts for two consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 11 countries. It was most popular in Vietnam for 5 weeks, followed by South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia for 4 weeks.
The office drama follows the story of a woman from a poor family without the best academic background who becomes the first female executive at a major advertising agency resulted from her hardwork and passion for success. It stars Lee Bo-young, Jo Sung-ha, Son Na-eun, Han Jun-woo, and Jeon Hye-jin.
Screenwriter: Song Soo-Han | Director: Lee Chang-min | Original network: JTBC
1 Week | Daily Dose Of Sunshine
Daily Dose of Sunshine (2022-23) is the newest entry onto Netflix’s global charts and has reached Top 10 in 28 countries, so far.
The series is based on the webtoon, “Morning Comes To The Mental Ward” that explores mental health and healing with patients and staff at a psychiatric ward through the life of a young nurse who is determined to provide a ray of light for those under her care. It stars Park Bo-young, Yeon Woo-jin, Jang Dong-yoon, and Lee Jung-eun.
Webtoon writer: Iraha | Screenwriters: Kim Da-hee, Lee Nam-gyoo, Oh Bo-hyeon | Director: Lee Jae-gyoo | Network: Netflix
Source: Netflix Top 10 | Images: Netflix
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