Seeking your next scare? Try streaming these Korean thrillers on Netflix
Korean dramas, or K-dramas, are taking the world by storm and for good reason. With many of them being only a season long and readily available on Netflix, many K-dramas are easily bingeable and hone in on everything that's great about the drama genre — without being excessively drawn out.
While K-romances may be among the most popular in Korean television, K-thrillers are highly underrated and worth giving a watch. Each one is, on average, approximately 10-15 episodes, ensuring that each episode packs a punch and keeps you hooked from start to finish.
So if you’re tired of sickeningly cute pick up lines and waiting for the end of the season where the two love interests (might) just touch hands, stream these fast-paced thrillers instead:
This dark thriller follows 18-year-old Oh Jisoo (played by Dong-Hee Kim), a brilliant high school student who's determined to save up money to pay for his college tuition after being abandoned by both his mother and his gambler father.
In school, Jisoo is a shy, awkward model pupil with a seemingly bright future. But after school, our nerdy protagonist leads a life of secrets and serious crime as the boss of an underground prostitution ring.
The delicate balance of his two lives seems to be controlled until his conniving and equally brilliant classmate Bae Gyuri (played by Park Ju-Hyun) discovers his business. Determined to make a profit and become his partner, Gyuri threatens to expose Jisoo’s crimes, leaving him no choice but to allow her into his dark, criminal world.
The show’s grayscale morality and lack of a definitive “villain” make for a thought-provoking production that is rarely seen in K-dramas.
Additionally, seeing a well-developed female Asian antagonist like Gyuri is not only refreshing to see in the media but also serves as a great catalyst to the chaos and speed of the storyline — she is not only Jisoo’s mirror but also his undoing. And together, they are the perfect storm for a super addictive, edge-of-your-seat show that will leave you wanting more at the end of each episode.
After both his parents die in a car accident, a defeated, unemployed and financially unstable Cha Hyun-Su (played by Song Kang) finds that he has no will left to live. Living (but just barely) in a dismal apartment complex, Hyun-Su spends his days eating ramen and playing video games, awaiting his suicide date.
But his plans are quickly derailed when his neighbor shows up at his door, screaming for help as she morphs into a zombiesque monster.
Soon, Hyun-Su realizes that outside of his room, the world around him has been plagued by a highly contagious illness that makes the infected turn into monsters that represent their insecurities or what they wanted most in life (for example, a woman who wanted a child turns into a monstrous embryo when she morphs).
Now Hyun-Su, along with the rest of the tenants in the building, must fight for their lives against the plague and among themselves.
The acting in this drama is incredible as K-Netflix star Kang takes on the role of the incredibly layered and deeply tortured Hyun-Su. His co-stars include other renowned Korean actors, such as Lee Do-Hyun and Go Min-Si, who also deliver phenomenal performances.
Fair warning: This gory, zombie thriller is not for the faint at heart, so watch at your own discretion.
If you’re a fan of murder mysteries, this is the K-drama for you. The show begins with Yoon Jong-woo (played by Si-wan Yim) an aspiring crime author who is moving to Seoul, South Korea to begin a new job at his friend’s firm.
In a pinch for cash, Jong-woo opts to live in the cheapest hostel he can find, a building called Eden Residence. Immediately sensing that something is off but unable to move out, Jong-woo lives in constant anxiety and begins to spiral mentally as he is isolated from his friends and family in a new city. Meanwhile, resident Seo Moon Jo and the town’s local dentist take a keen interest in Jong-woo, which quickly turns into obsession.
From the creepy neighbors to the even creepier halls of the hostel, Jong Woo has landed himself in a killer (literally and metaphorically) situation with no going back.
Though the series is short and the settings are minimal, I think its simplicity is what makes the show so haunting — you never know what to expect, even from Jong-woo, and the plot twist at the end is both brilliant and haunting.
"Vagabond"
This action drama follows stuntman Cha Dal Geon (played by Lee Seung-gi) who is struggling to raise his nephew Cha Hoon. After Hoon dies in a mysterious plane accident, Dal Geon is determined to trace the cause of the crash, leading to a deep investigation in the government, political contention and the horrifying power of wealth.
On his investigation, Dal Geon meets National Intelligence Service agent Go Hae Ri (played by Bae Suzy) who joins him, along with the rest of her team, in finding out who coordinated the crash and why.
This drama is more of what you’d expect from a Tom Cruise film, but nonetheless, the plot is incredibly engaging and the side characters provide just the right amount of humor.
Dal Geon’s vigilante drive and near-suicidal levels of courage make him someone you want to root for, and the depth of the conspiracy unfolds more and more each episode. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, “Vagabond” has another trick up its sleeve.
These thriller K-dramas will provide you with all the excitement and heart-racing anticipation of a thriller while also giving you the depth and emotion of a drama, making them a perfect place to begin if you’re just starting to explore the genre. So grab a snack, turn on Netflix and enjoy the ride because trust me: you’ll be in for one.
