Korean culture, whether that’s music, comics, or television, has steadily been making its way into the mainstream for probably the last two decades, though the Korean Wave has especially swept over the West in the last decade. Korean dramas such as Parasite and Squid Game have especially pushed the K-drama genre into the spotlight with their unprecedented success.
That said, besides horrors and action thrillers, one genre of K-dramas that has also been incredibly successful is romance. And, much like with other genres, Netflix has been at the forefront in terms of delivering some of the best romances Korean television has to offer. From now classics such as Crash Landing on You to the latest sensations like When Life Gives You Tangerines, Netflix has a wide variety of romance K-dramas to choose from, with a little something for everyone.
8
Doom at Your Service
While Seo In-guk has been making waves lately in Netflix’s Boyfriend on Demand, one of his most memorable credits to date remains Doom at Your Service, a 2021 fantasy romance with a story seemingly picked straight out of a webtoon. With a romance skin to My Demon yet long predating it, and a story as grand as Goblin, it’s a mystery why Doom at Your Service has flown under the radar, as it’s quite the gem.
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The series follows a young woman diagnosed with glioblastoma, and with little time left to live, she all but accepts her fate, damning the whole world as she wishes on a shooting star. Unbeknownst to her, this wish is heard by a mysterious being, a messenger to the gods and the personification of doom itself. Seemingly on a whim, he decides to grant her wish, permanently entangling their fates for the future to come.
7
Welcome to Samdal-ri
Welcome to Samdal-ri is yet another cozy, feel-good K-drama that’s a must-watch for any romance fan. Even though the series is often dubbed a successor to Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Welcome to Samdal-ri is arguably quite different in terms of its tone and its overarching theme. Yes, on the surface, both series take place in a seaside town and similarly feature an interesting ensemble cast.
However, Welcome to Samdal-ri is more so about rediscovering love after drifting apart, as its romance revolves around two ex-lovers brought back together when one of them, a successful photographer, is forced to retreat to her hometown after a scandal. This brings her face-to-face with her tragic first love, and the show then gradually unpacks what drove a wedge between them. At the same time, the series also explores loss, grief, grudges, friendship, and family, with just the right amount of drama surrounding the scandal to keep fans hooked.
6
Doctor Slump
Not to be confused with the iconic 80s manga by Akira Toriyama, Doctor Slump is a medical romance thriller that completely took fans by surprise in 2024. Starring Park Shin-hye and Park Hyung-sik, the series follows two high school rivals, bordering on enemies, who become reacquainted at the lowest point in their adulthood careers.
Once at odds, the two medical professionals become each other’s pillars as they navigate their respective struggles. In Nam Ha-neul’s case, this is burnout and depression, while in Yeo Jeong-woo’s case, he contends with losing everything in the face of a wrongful malpractice cum murder trial.
Beyond a thrilling murder mystery, the series does a commendable job of realistically portraying mental health issues such as depression. That said, what really sells the series is its two brilliant leads, with Park Hyung-sik’s comedic, over-the-top portrayal of Jeong-woo being especially enjoyable to watch while also being charming and multi-faceted.
5
Business Proposal
Business Proposal is, without a doubt, one of Netflix’s most successful romance K-dramas in recent history, so much so that it has cemented itself as a modern classic as well as a go-to starter K-drama for those new to the genre. Although Business Proposal is chock-full of classic tropes such as its chaebol and commoner pairing and contractual marriage, this is offset by just how fun the series is, thanks greatly to its charming main leads played by Ahn Hyo-seop and Kim Sejeong.
Business Proposal is also based on a webtoon of the same name, though the K-drama remains the superior adaptation of the story.
At the same time, one of Business Proposal’s unique strengths is its secondary pairing, whose romance is often even dubbed better than the main one. Despite being predictable at times, Business Proposal also oddly manages to avoid being corny. On the flip side, the series has become quite the pop-culture icon, with multiple dialogues and scenes growing into extremely quotable memes. On the whole, the series is compact, addictive, and the definition of a guilty pleasure.
4
King the Land
When it comes to romance tropes, you can never go wrong with a good old enemies-to-lovers romance, and Netflix’s King the Land is one of the best out there. Following a concierge and the chaebol general manager of the hotel the protagonist works at, King the Land seems like it could be taken straight from a cheesy webtoon at first. But against all odds, the series works, and it’s also incredibly charming.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons why the series works so well is the electric, playful chemistry between its main leads, played by Lim Yoona and Lee Jun-ho. Despite being the bigshot son of a major conglomerate family, Jun-ho’s character, Gu-won is also humble and down to earth, and, of course, a little hopeless in matters of love, making King the Land much more digestible than your typical chaebol romance.
3
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
For the most part, romance K-dramas have made a name for themselves for being incredibly cozy and heartwarming, and no other series better embodies this than Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. The series was immensely popular at the time of its release, managing to stay in Netflix’s top 10 for a whole two months after its final episode dropped, and even after all these years, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha still holds up as being just as good.
The show has aged exceptionally well and is infinitely re-watchable, and part of what makes it so good isn’t just the beautiful romance or the chemistry between its main leads, but how well-rounded the show is as a whole. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha isn’t just about Hye-jin and Captain Hong reluctantly falling in love, but also about the vibrant community of the seaside town of Gongjin that forms the backdrop of the series. The show stresses the importance of community, and does so with a town full of quirky yet endearing characters with heartfelt stories and arcs of their own.
2
When Life Gives You Tangerines
Released back in March 2025, When Life Gives You Tangerines is one of Netflix’s most recent mega-hits, and even a year later, no new K-drama has come even close to topping the show. Starring IU, Park Bo-gum, and Kim Seon-ho, When Life Gives You Tangerines has an incredibly stacked cast and a profound, evocative story of overcoming hardship, familial love, and essentially finding the silver lining even on the cloudiest of days.
The story is also told through the protagonist’s daughter in the future, tinging the whole series with a sense of nostalgia. And despite its darker tones and the hardships its characters go through, When Life Gives You Tangerines still manages to maintain a cozy, hopeful undertone throughout, though the show will certainly bring viewers to tears more than once.
1
Crash Landing on You
While chick flicks and light romances are fun, some romance K-dramas are simply masterpieces, and Crash Landing on You is just that. With multiple awards and nominations to its name, Crash Landing on You is beautifully written through and through, exploring the forbidden romance between a North Korean soldier and a South Korean woman, who, unfortunately, finds herself across the border after a paragliding accident.
Even though its plot may take off on a rather ridiculous note, the series never makes light of Yoon Se-ri’s predicament, with even the romance taking root in a slow, incredibly realistic, and satisfying manner. That said, at the same time, the series never gets too dense, and the cherry on top is, of course, the excellent chemistry between its main leads, who even ended up getting married in real life only a few years later.
Crash Landing On You
- Release Date
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2019 – 2020-00-00
- Network
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tvN
- Directors
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Kim Hee-won
- Writers
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Park Ji-eun
