Updated: June 5, 2024
In this article, we have listed fourteen of the most watched Korean dramas on Netflix, which is the biggest and most popular streaming platform that has contributed largely to the popularity of Korean content worldwide.
The following Korean drama hits are based on number of weeks in non-English TV rankings on Netflix with data collected from June 28, 2021 to present:
22 Weeks | Squid Game (2021)
Squid Game (2021) took the world by storm for its attention-grabbing brutal adaptation of Korean traditional games, creative and high-quality production value, as well as the engaging storyline that takes you on a journey to the often neglected facet of society, gambling and poverty—a realistic narrative that conveys the extreme competition of life, starring Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Byung-hun, and Gong Yoo. The show appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 22 non-consecutive weeks including a re-entry in 2023. It reached Top 10 in 94 countries and mostly watched in India for 30 weeks.
Writer-director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Network: Netflix
21 Weeks | Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
ENA’s Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) captivated viewers worldwide for the extraordinary story of an extraordinary girl named Woo Young-woo who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but graduated with top honors as a law student and landed a job at a big law firm, starring Park Eun-bin. The legal drama reached Top 10 in 57 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 21 non-consecutive weeks, becoming the no.1 most watched Korean title on Netflix in 2022. It was the most popular in Japan for 25 weeks, followed by Thailand for 24 weeks.
Writer: Moon Ji-won | Director: Yoo In-shik | Original network: ENA
21 Weeks | Alchemy Of Souls 1 (2022)
tvN’s Alchemy Of Souls (2022-23) is a two-part fantasy series about young mages in the fictional country of Daeho that encounters and deals with “alchemy of souls”, a forbidden magic spell that switches bodies, starring Lee Jae-wook, Jung Somin, Go Youn-jung, Hwang Minhyun, Yoo In-soo, Shin Seung-ho, and Arin. Part 1 reached Top 10 in 44 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 21 non-consecutive weeks. It was the most popular in Thailand for 42 weeks, followed by Nigeria for 37 weeks.
Writers: Hong Jung-eun, Hong Mi-ran | Director: Park Joon-hwa | Original network: tvN
16 Weeks | Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
tvN’s Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) won the hearts of many viewers overseas for its warm storytelling about romance and a simple yet genuine, healing-driven community set in the seaside village of Gongjin, starring Shin Mina, Kim Seonho, and Lee Sang-yi. The rom-com drama reached Top 10 in 40 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 16 consecutive weeks, becoming the second most popular Korean title on Netflix in 2021, next to Squid Game. It was the most popular in Thailand for 31 weeks, followed by Indonesia for 20 weeks.
Writer: Shin Ha-eun | Director: Yoo Je-won | Original network: tvN
13 Weeks | The Glory (2022-23)
The Glory (2022-23) stayed in the global rankings on Netflix for 13 non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 91 countries. It was mostly 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
13 Weeks | Queen Of Tears (2024)
tvN’s Queen Of Tears (2024) tells the miraculous and humorous love story of a married couple who overcomes trials and stays together against all odds, starring A-listers Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won. The show is now officially the highest drama rating of tvN cable network, garnering a nationwide viewership score of 24.850% during its final episode. It continues to stay in the global rankings on Netflix for 13 consecutive weeks now, reaching Top 10 in 46 countries. It is most popular in Bangladesh, Hongkong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Screenwriter: Park Ji Eun | Directors: Jang Young Woo, Kim Hee Won | Original network: tvN
13 Weeks | Business Proposal (2022)
Business Proposal (2022) is a twelve-part series that follows an employee and a CEO whose lives get entangled after a blind date, starring Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Se-jeong, Kim Min-kyu, and Seon In-ah. The rom-com drama reached Top 10 in 58 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 13 weeks. It was most popular in Bangladesh for 29 weeks, followed by India for 19 weeks.
Writers: Han Sul-hee, Hong Bo-Hee | Director: Park Sun-Ho | Original network: SBS
11 Weeks | All Of Us Are Dead (2022)
All Of Us Are Dead (2022) is a webtoon-based series about high school students who are trapped inside the school building, which has become ground zero for a zombie outbreak, starring Yoon Chan-young, Park Ji-hoo, Cho Yi-hyun, Park Solomon, and Yoo In-soo. The teenage zombie show reached Top 10 in 94 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 11 weeks. It was most popular in India for 28 weeks, followed by Pakistan for 24 weeks.
Writer: Chun Sung-il | Directors: Lee Jae-kyoo and Kim Nam-Su | Network: Netflix
11 Weeks | King The Land (2023)
JTBC’s King The Land (2023) appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 11 non-consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 55 countries. It was most popular in Nicaragua for 16 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 | My Demon (2023)
My Demon (2023-24) tells the story of a chaebol heiress who is everyone’s enemy and a demon who is superior to humans in every way, starring Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung. One day, the pitiless demon loses his powers and to recover it, he needs to work with the icy heiress who holds the key to his powers and his heart. The fantasy-romance drama reached Top 10 in 66 countries and stayed in the global rankings for 11 weeks. It was mostly watched in Vietnam for 13 weeks, followed by Thailand, Philippines, Nigeria, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hongkong for 12 weeks.
Screenwriter: Choi Ah-il | Director: Kim Jang-han | Original network: SBS
11 Weeks | Crash Course In Romance (2023)
tvN’s Crash Course In Romance (2023) appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 11 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
11 Weeks | Little Women (2022)
tvN’s Little Women (2022) appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 11 consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 39 countries. It was most popular in Indonesia for 14 weeks, followed by Malaysia for 12 weeks. The mystery drama tells the story of three sisters from a poor family whose lives turn around after encountering mysteries surrrounding Korea’s powerful and rich people, starring Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hoo, and Wi Ha-jun.
Writer: Chung Seo-Kyung | Director: Kim Hee-won | Original network: tvN
10 Weeks | Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)
tvN’s Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022) appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 10 consecutive weeks and reached Top 10 in 33 countries. It was most popular in Taiwan for 17 weeks, followed by South Korea and Indonesia for 15 weeks. The coming-of-age drama unveils the youth’s highs and lows of dreaming, achieving, and meeting people set in the late 1990s, starring Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk, Bona, Lee Joo-myung, and Choi Hyun-wook.
Writer: Kwon Do-eun | Director: Jung Ji-hyun | Original network: tvN
10 Weeks | The King’s Affection (2021)
The King’s Affection (2021) appeared in the global rankings on Netflix for 10 weeks and reached Top 10 in 34 countries. It was most popular in Japan for 17 weeks, followed by Thailand for 15 weeks. The historical-romance drama tells the story of a young woman who becomes the King of Joseon and her struggles against kingdom politics, starring Park Eun-bin and Rowoon.
Writer: Han Hee-jung | Director: Song Hyun-wook | Original network: KBS2
Source: Netflix Top 10
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