For many, romance is one of the defining dramas of Korean television. However, romantic K-dramas aren't a monolith. You can find stories set in fantasy or historical worlds, or simply in an office. We've picked 15 dramas spanning more than a decade of Korean television, so everyone should find something.
Key Takeaways
- Romantic K-dramas range from light workplace comedies and slow-burn love stories to fantasy, historical drama and emotional melodrama.
- Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears are strong choices for sweeping romance, while Business Proposal and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha suit viewers looking for something lighter.
- Fantasy fans can try Lovely Runner, Goblin or Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, while The Red Sleeve offers romance within a historical royal court.
- The list spans dramas released from 2013 to 2026, combining influential favourites with newer hits such as When Life Gives You Tangerines and Can This Love Be Translated?
15 of the Best Romantic K-Dramas to Watch
Ultimately, the best romantic Korean dramas actually need more than romance. Character development isn't just for the romantically involved characters, either. You'll find plots covering careers, family pressures, friendships and sometimes much stranger complications, from time travel to supernatural powers. Korean love stories can be pretty varied.
Crash Landing on You (사랑의 불시착) — 2019
Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin and Seo Ji-hye
16, approximately 70–110 minutes each
South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri accidentally lands in North Korea, where army officer Ri Jeong-hyeok secretly helps her find a way home. Their dangerous situation gradually draws them closer.
Fans of sweeping forbidden romance and emotional melodramas
Why it’s worth watching: Big emotions, humour and strong chemistry make this an accessible gateway into romantic K-dramas.⁷
Queen of Tears (눈물의 여왕) — 2024
Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won and Park Sung-hoon
16, approximately 75–90 minutes each
Department-store heiress Hong Hae-in and her husband Baek Hyun-woo appear successful from the outside, but their marriage is close to collapse. A sudden crisis forces them to reconsider what remains between them.
Viewers who enjoy second-chance romance, marriage stories and big emotions
Why it’s worth watching: Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won anchor a marriage-in-crisis story that became tvN’s highest-rated drama.⁶ Netflix’s guide also centres the series on a married couple rediscovering love while facing a major crisis.⁸
For something light, try Business Proposal or Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. If you prefer sweeping melodrama, Crash Landing on You and Queen of Tears deliver much bigger emotional stakes. Fantasy fans may prefer Lovely Runner or Goblin.
Lovely Runner (선재 업고 튀어) — 2024
Kim Hye-yoon, Byeon Woo-seok and Song Geon-hee
16, approximately 70 minutes each
After K-pop star Ryu Sun-jae's death, devoted fan Im Sol suddenly wakes up years earlier, during their school days. She becomes determined to change the future and save him.
Fans of time-slip romance, yearning and fate
Why it’s worth watching: Its time-slip structure, emotional pay-off and lead performances helped earn it first place on TIME's best K-dramas of 2024 list.²
When Life Gives You Tangerines (폭싹 속았수다) — 2025
IU, Park Bo-gum and Moon So-ri
16, approximately 50–85 minutes each
Beginning on Jeju Island, the drama follows spirited Ae-sun and devoted Gwan-sik through love, work, family and changing circumstances. Their relationship develops across decades rather than a single stage of life.
Viewers who prefer mature, emotional relationships and family sagas
Why it’s worth watching: Its intimate, multi-generational storytelling helped it win Best Drama at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards.⁹
Not every romantic K-drama focuses only on falling in love. When Life Gives You Tangerines follows its central relationship across decades, using romance to explore family, sacrifice and changing life circumstances as much as courtship itself.
Can This Love Be Translated? (이 사랑 통역 되나요?) — 2026
Kim Seon-ho, Go Youn-jung and Sota Fukushi
12, approximately 60–75 minutes each
Interpreter Joo Ho-jin is hired to work with global celebrity Cha Mu-hee, bringing together two people who communicate very differently. Their work across several countries gradually becomes more personal.³
Viewers looking for a contemporary romance built around communication and cultural differences
Why it’s worth watching: The language-and-communication premise gives the romance a fresh hook, while the series topped Netflix's non-English TV chart in January 2026.⁴
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (갯마을 차차차) — 2021
Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho and Lee Sang-yi
16, approximately 60 minutes each
Dentist Yoon Hye-jin leaves Seoul to open a clinic in the seaside village of Gongjin. There she repeatedly clashes with the endlessly capable Hong Du-sik, who seems involved in almost every aspect of village life.
Fans of cosy small-town romance and opposites-attract stories
Why it’s worth watching: Warm community stories and an easy-going opposites-attract romance make it one of the cosiest choices on the list.
Business Proposal (사내맞선) — 2022
Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Se-jeong and Kim Min-kyu
12, approximately 60 minutes each
Shin Ha-ri impersonates her wealthy friend on a blind date, hoping to scare the man away. The plan backfires when her date turns out to be Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of the company where she works.⁵
Anyone looking for a fast-paced, light workplace rom-com
Why it’s worth watching: Fast pacing, fake dating and workplace misunderstandings make this an especially easy rom-com to binge.
Our Beloved Summer (그 해 우리는) — 2021
Choi Woo-shik, Kim Da-mi and Kim Sung-cheol
16, approximately 60–70 minutes each
Former couple Choi Ung and Kook Yeon-su have avoided each other since an unhappy breakup. Years later, renewed interest in a documentary they filmed at school forces them back into each other's lives.
Fans of exes-to-lovers stories and quieter, character-driven romance
Why it’s worth watching: Its quieter pacing gives the characters room to confront old resentment and consider whether love can work differently the second time around.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One (스물다섯 스물하나) — 2022
Kim Tae-ri, Nam Joo-hyuk and Kim Ji-yeon
16, approximately 70–90 minutes each
During the late-1990s Asian financial crisis, teenage fencer Na Hee-do meets Baek Yi-jin, whose family has lost its wealth. Their friendship grows as both try to rebuild uncertain futures.
Viewers who enjoy first love, coming-of-age stories and bittersweet nostalgia
Why it’s worth watching: Romance sits alongside ambition, friendship and growing up in a series named Best Drama Series at the 2022 Asian Academy Creative Awards.¹
Some of the best romantic K-dramas mix their love stories with coming-of-age themes, family drama or more serious questions about adulthood. Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a strong example, with its central relationship developing alongside changing ambitions, friendships and the pressures facing its young characters.
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (김비서가 왜 그럴까) — 2018
Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young
16, approximately 60–75 minutes each
Executive Lee Young-joon is shocked when his highly capable secretary, Kim Mi-so, announces she intends to resign after nine years. His efforts to keep her around force both to reassess their relationship.
Fans of classic office romance and confident rom-com chemistry
Why it’s worth watching: Strong comic timing and confident lead chemistry make this one of the clearest examples of the classic office rom-com formula.
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (힘쎈여자 도봉순) — 2017
Park Bo-young, Park Hyung-sik and Ji Soo
16, approximately 60–70 minutes each
Do Bong-soon was born with extraordinary strength inherited through the women in her family. After gaming-company CEO Ahn Min-hyuk discovers her abilities, he hires her as his personal bodyguard.
Viewers who want cute romance mixed with fantasy, comedy and action
Why it’s worth watching: The playful central romance sits inside an unusual mix of superhero comedy, workplace drama and darker crime-thriller elements.
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon mixes its playful romance with a much darker crime storyline. If you prefer suspense, investigations, and higher stakes, it's a good K-drama with thriller elements. Of course, K-dramas span various genres and subgenres. You're spoilt for choice.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (쓸쓸하고 찬란하신 – 도깨비) — 2016
Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun and Lee Dong-wook
16, approximately 60–90 minutes each
Kim Shin is an immortal goblin who can only be released from his supernatural existence by his destined bride. Centuries later, he meets Ji Eun-tak, a young woman who claims to be exactly that person.
Fans of supernatural romance, mythology and sweeping melodrama
Why it’s worth watching: Usually known as Goblin, it combines romance with mythology, reincarnation, humour and striking fantasy imagery.
Fantasy romance K-dramas place a love story inside a supernatural or impossible premise. Goblin uses immortality and reincarnation, Lovely Runner uses time travel, and Strong Woman Do Bong-soon gives its heroine superhuman strength, allowing familiar romantic themes to play out under very different rules.
Descendants of the Sun (태양의 후예) — 2016
Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo and Kim Ji-won
16, approximately 60 minutes each
Special-forces officer Yoo Si-jin meets surgeon Kang Mo-yeon, but their demanding careers and attitudes towards danger complicate their attraction. They later reunite while working in the fictional country of Uruk.
Viewers who like sweeping romance mixed with action and high-stakes drama
Why it’s worth watching: Military action, medical drama and a strong supporting romance give the love story unusually high stakes.
My Love from the Star (별에서 온 그대) — 2013
Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun and Park Hae-jin
21, approximately 60 minutes each
Alien Do Min-joon has lived quietly on Earth for centuries and is preparing to return home. His carefully controlled life is disrupted when unpredictable actress Cheon Song-yi moves in next door.
Fans of classic fantasy rom-coms and influential Hallyu dramas
Why it’s worth watching: Jun Ji-hyun's comic energy and the unusual alien-romance premise make it a memorable example of 2010s fantasy K-drama.
The Red Sleeve (옷소매 붉은 끝동) — 2021
Lee Jun-ho, Lee Se-young and Kang Hoon
17, approximately 70 minutes each
Court lady Seong Deok-im attracts the attention of Yi San, the future King Jeongjo, inside a palace governed by rank and duty. Their feelings develop as Deok-im tries to preserve her own independence.
Viewers who want historical romance, court politics and emotional depth
Why it’s worth watching: Political pressure, personal autonomy and strong performances give this historical romance considerably more weight than a simple courtship story.
Contemporary Seoul is not the only setting for a memorable Korean romance. Shows set in the past, such as The Red Sleeve, place relationships within royal courts and rigid social hierarchies, where love can clash directly with duty, status and personal freedom.
Which type of K-Drama romance do you prefer?
References
- “2022 Grand Final Winners.” Asian Academy Creative Awards. https://www.asianacademycreativeawards.com/2022-grand-final-winners/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Burt, Kayti. “The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024.” TIME, 18 Dec. 2024. https://time.com/7201080/best-k-dramas-2024/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Choe, Claire. “Can This Love Be Translated? K-Drama Decodes the Language of Love.” Netflix Tudum, 22 Jan. 2026. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/can-this-love-be-translated-release-date-news. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Dillon, Ananda, and Ashley Lee. “The Rip Is Right on the Money at No. 1 in This Week’s Top 10.” Netflix Tudum, 27 Jan. 2026. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/top-10-january-19-2026. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Kim, Regina. “9 Romantic K-dramas That Navigate Dating as an Adult.” Netflix Tudum, 20 June 2023. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/best-adult-romantic-k-dramas-netflix-twenty-five-twenty-one. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- MacDonald, Joan. “‘Queen Of Tears’ And ‘A Bloody Lucky Day’ Win Asian Content Awards.” Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024. https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2024/12/06/queen-of-tears-and-a-bloody-lucky-day-win-asian-content-awards/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- “Crash Landing on You.” Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81159258. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Ostby, Ingrid. “What to Know About the K-drama Queen of Tears.” Netflix Tudum, 25 Mar. 2024. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queen-of-tears-release-date-news. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
- Ostby, Ingrid. “When Life Gives You Tangerines: What to Know About the K-Drama.” Netflix Tudum, 5 May 2025. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-life-gives-you-tangerines-release-date-news. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
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