Best Korean Series On Netflix Nobody Expected To Be This Good

Best Korean Series on Netflix: The Top 10 You Must Watch Now

The best Korean series on Netflix are Squid Game (330 million viewers, 2.8 billion hours viewed since 2021), The Glory (622.8 million hours viewed, ranked #3 globally in H1 2023), Crash Landing on You (IMDb 8.7/59K ratings), All of Us Are Dead (659.51 million hours), Extraordinary Attorney Woo (77.43 million hours in one week), Kingdom (98% Rotten Tomatoes), Itaewon Class, Business Proposal, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and Reply 1988.

Top 5 Korean Series Ranked by Viewership & Critical Acclaim

Netflix invested $2.5 billion in Korean content over four years, making it the go-to source for K-dramas with productions like All of Us Are Dead, Glitch, and Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Korean content now accounts for 8-9% of global Netflix viewing hours since 2023, ranking second only to American content (50-60%).

best korean series on netflix nobody expected to be this good

1. Squid Game: The Global Phenomenon

Squid Game is Netflix's most-watched title of all time, with 600 million views across three seasons and 60.1 million views in its Season 3 debut (368.4 million hours in 3 days). The dystopian thriller features contestants with financial hardship playing Korean children's games with life-or-death stakes, delivering biting social commentary on capitalism. Season 3 (final) debuted July 2025, ranking #1 in 93 countries.

2. The Glory: Revenge Psychological Thriller

The Glory ranked as the third-most watched title globally in H1 2023 with 622.8 million hours viewed, topping Netflix's non-English TV chart for two consecutive weeks in March 2023 (123.59 million hours). Starring Song Hye-kyo, this 2022 Netflix original follows elementary school teacher Dong-eun enacting revenge against her childhood bullies, featuring excellent cinematography and gripping plot.

3. Crash Landing on You: The Romance Classic

Starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, Crash Landing on You (2019-2020) tells the absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who paraglides into North Korea and a special officer protecting her. With an IMDb rating of 8.7/59K, it remains one of the most recommended K-dramas worldwide and helped drive Korean content to 8-9% of Netflix viewing.

4. All of Us Are Dead: Zombie Horror Hit

All of Us Are Dead reached #1 in 25+ countries by January 31, 2022, and logged 659.51 million total hours viewed. Adapted from webtoon Now At School by Dong-geun, this high school zombie apocalypse drama made the Top 10 in 91 countries with a debut record of 63.2 million hours.

5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Legal Drama Breakout

Starring Park Eun-bin as autistic attorney Woo Young-woo, this 2022 series topped Netflix's non-English TV chart for 4 consecutive weeks with 77.43 million viewing hours (August 15-21, 2022). Her sharp memory and high intelligence make her a hit at a Seoul law firm, earning 288.62 million total hours and #8 on Netflix's Most Popular list.

6. Kingdom: historical Zombie Masterpiece

Kingdom (2019-2020) was Netflix's first original K-drama, set in 17th-century Joseon with Crown Prince Lee Chang fighting a zombie plague and political usurpers. Starring Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, and Kim Sang-ho, it holds a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and 92% audience score, blending political drama with intense horror.

7-10. Other Must-Watch Korean Series

• Itaewon Class: Set in Seoul's-multicultural LGBT neighborhood, follows Sae-ro-yi opening a bar-restaurant after avenging his father's death
• Business Proposal: Rom-com where a blind date turns out to be your boss; became second Korean series to rank #1 on Netflix viewership chart
• Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: Romantic comedy between perfectionist dentist and local handyman in seaside village Gongjin
• Reply 1988: Nostalgic slice-of-life following five childhood friends and families in 1980s Seoul; 9.0/10 IMDb cult classic

Why Korean Series Dominate Netflix Globally

Netflix plans to spend $2.5 billion on Korean content over the next four years, building production facilities in South Korea and releasing steady streams like Glitch and Vincenzo. Since 2023, Korean productions consistently rank second to American content at 8-9% of total viewing hours, outperforming UK (7-8%) and Japanese (4-5%) content. In H2 2024, Korean titles were streamed for 7.7 billion hours (about 8% of overall viewing).

1. Squid Game - Survival thriller breaking all streaming records
2. The Glory - Revenge thriller with 622.8M hours viewed
3. Crash Landing on You - Romance classic with 8.7 IMDb rating
4. All of Us Are Dead - Zombie horror with 659.51M hours
5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Legal drama topping charts 4 weeks
6. Kingdom - Historical zombie with 98% RT score
7. Itaewon Class - Multicultural drama about entrepreneurship
8. Business Proposal - Rom-com workplace comedy
9. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha - Seaside village rom-com
10. Reply 1988 - 1980s family slice-of-life masterpiece

Everything you need to know about Best Korean Series On Netflix Nobody Expected To Be This Good

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