Top 27 Thriller Korean Dramas in Netflix that will haunt you!
In this article, We’re gonna share the best thriller korean dramas in netflix that absolutely gonna haunt you to your dreams.
Best Korean Thriller Series On Netflix and Others
Korean dramas are always expected to be romantic, loving, with ups and downs in relationship, there are also many other thriller Korean dramas with enthralling story lines that will have you hooked to the screen.
If you’re up for some thrilled korean dramas, murderer cases, zombies and twist story criminal plots, here are 26 top thriller Korean dramas you need to have on your must watch list.
Thriller K Dramas On Netflix and Others
Most of us might already watching endless hours of romantic K-dramas, so 2022 is the best time to switch up. Let’s watch something a bit serious, deep and thrilling. Other than great at romance genre, South Korea also good at thriller series that will have you on the edge of your seat proven from the last year worldwide hit Squid Game.
Thriller Kdrama on Netflix
Here’s a list of K-drama thrillers that will surely cause curiosity, intrigue and will cause your heart beating with anticipation and thrills.
1. Squid Game (2021)
Squid game is a story about Gi-Hoon (Lee Jung-Jae) miserable life story. After gets fired from his job and lost his money from gambling, Gi-Hoon got an opportunity from an executive (Gong-yoo) to join a secret survival game, with a 45.6 billion won prize for the winner. No doubt, He decides to take part in the game.
Meanwhile, Sang-Woo (Park Hae-Soo), who is like a brother to Gi-Hoon also just facing a crisis due to mismanage the company funds, so he end up decided to take part in the secret survival game with him.
Sang-Woo grew up in the same neighborhood with Gi-Hoon, however, despite his poor family background, Sang-Woo graduated from a prestigious Seoul National university and found a good job. This drama aired on September 17, 2021. and has been the hottest thriller drama ever since.
Main cast:
- Lee Jung-jae as Ki-hun
- Park Hae-soo as Sang-woo
- Heo Sung-tae as Duk-su
- Wi Ha-joon as Joon-ho
Genre: Thriller, mystery, action
2. Extracurricular (2020)
Extracurricular revolves around making the wrong decision that leads to another great consequences. Not everyone is who they say they are. A model high school student leads by good example for his peers. He has good grades, well-mannered and liked by teachers. But in reality, he lives a double life of crime. When a classmate takes an interest in his secret, to end her blackmail he does what he has to even if it’s deadly.
Main cast:
- Kim Dong-hee as Oh Ji-soo
- Jung Da-bin as Seo Min-hee
- Park Ju-hyun as Bae Gyu-ri
- Nam Yoon-soo as Kwak Ki-tae
- Choi Min-soo as Lee Whang-chul
- Park Hyuk-kwon as Cho Jin-woo
- Kim Yeo-jin as Lee Hae-gyoung
3. Vagabond (2019)
Vagabond does have a bit of a romantic story line mix with intense thriller action. This is a story of loss and conspiracy. Cha Dal-Geon (Lee Seung-Gi) once dreamed of being a successful actor while taking care of his nephew. His life changes when the plane his nephew was on suddenly crashes.
The story is about a national Intelligence service agent stationed at the Korean embassy in Morocco that dig deeper into the uncover corruption cast at a scale that’s far beyond their imagination.
Main cast:
- Lee Seung-gi as Cha Dal-geon
- Bae Suzy as Go Hae-ri
- Shin Sung-rok as Gi Tae-ung
4. Kingdom (2019)
Kingdom has similar concept with Train to busan, if you ever watched or are lovers of Train to Busan, then you will love this one too. This movie story sets in Joseon period, as the crown prince, Lee Chang, go on his journey to uncover the truth behind a mysterious disease plaguing the king. Together with his guard Moo-young, they head off to a faraway province, Dongnae, in search of a physician.
To their horror, they arrive at the clinic only to find it in ruins with dead bodies piling up under the building. They meet Seo Bi, the only survivor from the clinic, who tells them that the people are not dead and will begin their killing rampage once the sun sets. With the zombie disease spreading fast across the Southern provinces, they’ll have to find a remedy, fast.
Main cast:
- Ju Ji-hoon as Lee Chang
- Bae Doo-na as Seo Bi
- Ryu Seung-ryong as Jo Hak-joo
- Kim Sung-kyu as Young-shin
- Kim Hye-jun as Queen Consort Cho
- Kim Sang-ho as Moo-young
5. Tunnel (2017)
Tunnel is a mysterious crime story that really put you on anticipation each time you watch the scene. The story is about detective Park Gwang-ho enters a pitch-black tunnel while giving chase to a serial killer, he gets knocked out by an unknown figure. Waking up to find himself teleported into the future, he now has to work with detective Kim Sun-jae and criminal psychologist Shin Jae-yi to catch the killer on the loose.
Main cast:
- Choi Jin-hyuk as Park Gwang-ho
- Yoon Hyun-min as Kim Sun-jae
- Lee Yoo-young as Shin Jae-yi
6. Watcher (2019)
Watcher is a crime series that have a story line based on a crime that was committed 15 years prior. Kim Yeong-goon’s (Seo Kang-joon) mother was heinously murdered and the police suspect his father of the crime.
Fifteen years later, Yeong-goon is now an officer and along with the original detective and lawyer of the case, they re-meet. They band together to uncover what really happened all those years ago.
Main cast:
- Han Suk-kyu as Do Chi-kwang
- Seo Kang-joon as Kim Yeong-goon
- Kim Hyun-joo as Han Tae-joo
7. Save Me (2017)
Save Me is the drama about Taec-yeon as Han Sang-hwan, a lawyer and three other friends run into their ex-classmate, Sang-mi, who’s stuck in a religious cult mired in secrecy and violence. With her father brainwashed and mother emotionally unstable due to her brother’s death, Sang-mi is trapped with no way out and asks them for help. From here, they take it on themselves to help Sang-mi by revealing what goes on in the cult behind closed doors.
Main cast:
- Ok Taec-yeon as Han Sang-hwan
- Seo Ye-ji as Im Sang-mi
- Woo Do-hwan as Suk Dong-chul
- Jo Sung-ha as Baek Jung-ki
8. Nobody Knows (2020)
Nobody Knows is a thriller korean drama that is full of sadness, guilt and redemption.. Cha Young-jin (Kim Seo-hyung) has lived for 19 years in a deep hole of guilt and regret. She feels responsible for the murder of her best friends by Stigmata, the infamous serial killer.
Vowing to get justice for her friend and knowing the killer will come after her, she joined the police force and became a diligent detective. After years of waiting, the killer is back and Young-jin must stop him before its too late and goes after someone she cares about.
Main cast:
- Kim Seo-hyung as Cha Young-jin
- Kim Sae-ron as young Cha Young-jin
- Ryu Deok-hwan as Lee Sun-woo
- Park Hoon as Baek Sang-ho
- Ahn Ji-ho as Go Eun-ho
9. Bad Guys (2014)
Bad guys korean dramas is a story about Detective Oh Gu-tak, that was tasked to form a special team made up of “bad guys”, to combat the rising number of crimes in the district. His team is made up of ex-criminals: Park Woong-cheol, a gangster, Lee Jung-moon, a serial killer, and Jung Tae-soo, a contract hitman. The last member joining detective Gu-tak and his team of criminals is Yoo Mi-young, a young female inspector known for her zealousness.
Main cast:
- Kim Sang-joong as Oh Gu-tak
- Ma Dong-seok as Park Woong-cheol
- Park Hae-jin as Lee Jung-moon
- Jo Dong-hyuk as Jung Tae-soo
- Kang Ye-won as Yoo Mi-young
10. Tell Me What You Saw (2020)
Tell Me What You Saw is a thriller and suspense series. Oh Hyun-jae (Jang Hyuk) was once highly regarded as a criminal profiler known for solving uncrackable cold cases. His world shattered when his fiancee is killed in an explosion set by a serial killer.
Unable to deal with the grief, he shuts off from others. One day a new killer emerges with the same plots. While another detective is on the case, he meets Cha Soo-young (Choi Soo-young), a detective with a photographic memory. She teams up with Hyun-jae to seek retribution for his fiancee and stop the killer.
Main cast:
- Jang Hyuk as Oh Hyun-jae
- Choi Soo-young as Cha Soo-young
11. Defendant (2017)
Defendant is a legal drama that have a thrilling journey to prove a man’s innocence. Defendant follows the story of Park Jung-woo (Ji Sung) a leading prosecutor and head of the violent crimes investigative division. He has a reputation for never losing a case. One day he wakes up finding himself in prison convicted on death row. The problem is he has no idea how he got there due to suffering from amnesia. It’s a race against time to prove Jung-woo’s innocence and uncover the truth.
Main cast:
- Lee Joon-gi as Wang So
- Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Go Ha-jin/Hae Soo
- Kang Ha-neul as Wang Wook
12. My Name (2021)
My Name is korean dramas following a life story of Ji Woo, played by Han So Hee, who witness his father’s murdered in front of her eyes when she was a child. This become the driving force of her life to grow strong and seek revenge to her father’s killer.
She withdraws from school and joins a gang led by her father’s best friend, Choi Mu-jin. He is also the leader of the biggest and most lucrative drug ring in Korea. Mu-jin helps Ji-woo to go undercover as a police officer in the Drug Investigation Unit in order to find her father’s killer. There, Ji-woo begin to uncover the complicated truth behind her father’s death.
Main cast:
- Han So-hee as Yoon Ji-woo / Oh Hye-jin
- Park Hee-soon as Choi Mu-jin
- Ahn Bo-hyun as Jeon Pil-do
13. Hellbound (2021)
Hellbound kdrama is an end time theme genre thriller korean dramas. This drama takes place in our times, end time world where suddenly a hell creatures break out to the modern korea to abuse some people and take them to hell after received a death decree sent by a spirit.
An Occult religious group known as the “New Truth Society” begins to gain widespread support as people believe that the leader, Jung Jin-su, prophesied about it in the past. Together with a cult extremist ‘Arrowhead’, they condem people according to their teachings.
Main Cast:
- Yoo Ah-in as Jung Jin-su
- Kim Hyun-joo as Min Hye-jin
- Park Jung-min as Bae Young-jae
14. Flower of Evil (2020)
Flower of Evil follows the ideal married couple Hee-sung and Ji-won with their daughter. While Baek Hee Sung seems like a faithful father and husband who had it all, he actually hides a cruel past and lives under another person’s identity. Their happy marriage shatters into pieces when his wife find out about his past.
Main Cast:
- Lee Joon-gi as Baek Hee-sung
- Moon Chae-won as Cha Ji-won
- Jang Hee-jin as Do Hae-soo
15. Awaken (2020)
This kdrama tells a story of a small village that was thrown into chaos due to perplexing phenomenon that was buried without any explanation. Fast forward 36 years later, the same village now plagued with a new series of mysterious events. Do Jung-woo, also known as one of the most competent leaders at the National Police Agency, begins to investigate the strange occurrences.
Main Cast:
- Nam Goong-min as Do Jung-woo
- Kim Seol-hyun as Gong Hye-won
- Lee Chung-ah as Jamie Layton
16. Sweet Home (2020)
If looking for an apocalyptic horror/thriller that has some unique monsters and storyline, then Netflix’s Sweet Home is a must-watch. The K-drama starts as the tenants of the building find themselves unable to leave. Outside, humans have turned into grotesque monsters that need protein to survive.
Its title character is Cha Hyun-So (Song Kang), a suicidal teen who’s new to the building. Unlike the others, he shows all signs of turning into a monster but doesn’t. He has their abilities but retains his human form. Fans will see his gut-wrenching battle to keep his sanity as he helps the building tenants survive.
Main Cast:
- Song Kang as Cha Hyun-soo
- Lee Jin-wook as Pyeon Sang-wook
- Lee Si-young as Seo Yi-kyung
17. Strangers From Hell (2019)
This kdrama tells a stor yof Yoon Jong-Woo (Im Si-Wan), a man in his 20’s that lived in a small town for all of his life, but he gets a job at a small office in Seoul.
Yoon Jong-Woo moves out to Seoul and stays at a cheap apartment which shares its kitchen and bathroom with other residents. He doesn’t like staying at the apartment and he doesn’t like the other residents who seem weird and suspicious.
Main Cast:
- Lee Dong-wook as Seo Moon-jo
- Im Si-wan as Yoon Jong-woo
18. Rugal (2020)
Detective Kang Ki-beom was working on a case involving a criminal organisation, Argos, when he returns home to find his wife murdered by their men. While still in disbelief, they take the chance to knock him out and remove both of his eyeballs.
When he wakes up at the hospital, not only has he lost his eyesight, but he is also framed for his wife’s murder. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) offers him a chance at revenge by being part of Rugal, a special team to hunt down the organisation. After regaining his sight thanks to artificial eyeball implants, Ki-beom and his team set out to bring Argos down.
Main cast:
- Choi Jin-hyuk as Kang Ki-beom
- Park Sung-woong as Hwang Deuk-gu
- Cho Dong-hyuk as Han Tae-woong
19. He is Psychometric (2019)
This korean dramas is revolves around someone named Lee Ahn, who gains the unique ability to read a person or an object’s past through skin contact, aka psychometry. Using his psychometry ability, Lee Ahn wants to take out evil people in the world and help solve several cases with his skills.
Yoon Jae-In is a girl with a scar in her mind. She tries to hide that. Lee Ahn and Yoon Jae-In happen to meet and they struggle to solve cases.
Main cast:
- Park Jin-young as Lee Ahn
- Shin Ye-eun as Yoon Jae-in
- Kim Kwon as Kang Sung-mo
- Kim Da-som as Eun Ji-soo
20. The Call (2020)
The call is a story of two people that was living in different time, one in thep resent and one is living in the past. One phone call connected the two and their live never be the same.
Kim Seo-Yeon (Park Shin-Hye) answers a call from the cordless phone from a woman named Oh Young-Sook (Jeon Jong-Seo) who’s being abused by her adoptive mother. But things get complicated as they try to change each other’s fates that turn into dire and dangerous consequences.
Main Cast:
- Nam Goong-min as Do Jung-woo
- Kim Seol-hyun as Gong Hye-won
- Lee Chung-ah as Jamie Layton
21. Voice (2017)
Moo Jin-Hyuk (Jang Hyuk) was a popular detective who solved major cases, but after his wife was murdered by a serial killer his life spiraled down. He is filled with guilt that he was not able to protect his wife and he secretly looks for her killer.
Meanwhile, Kang Kwon-Joo (Lee Ha-Na) graduated at police academy with top marks. She began to work at an emergency 112 call center. Working there, a brutal murder case takes place and her father/police sergeant went to the crime scene. Her father is killed there and Kwon-Joo hears what happened over the phone. Afterwards, she goes to the U.S. to study and comes back to Korea as a professional voice profiler.
Detective Jin-Hyuk and Kang Kwon-Joo solve cases together. Chasing a serial killer responsible for the deaths of their family member.
Main cast:
- Jang Hyuk as Moo Jin-hyuk
- Lee Ha-na as Kang Kwon-joo
22. Time To Hunt (2020)
This kdrama takes place in a fictional future of South Korea after financial collapse. Groups of friends led by Jun Seok, rob an illegal gambling house, but then the people who ran the house hire a hitman to kill them one by one. They run against time to evade the hitman and survive.
Main cast:
- Lee Jehoon as Jun Seok
- Woo-sik Choi as Ki Hoon
- Jae-hong Ahn as Jang Ho
- Jeong Min Park as Sang Soo
23. The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2018)
This movies is a twist between crime and unforeseen ability, starts with the explosion of a secret laboratory that leads everyone to suspects the tenants have died. Little they know that a little girl who was a test subject escaped and gets adopted by a loving family.
Years later, the girl suffers from severe migraines and needs money to help her family. She enters a singing contest where she makes a microphone levitate. This alerts the people who kept her captive years prior.
Main cast:
- Kim Da-mi as Ja-yoon
- Jo Min-su as Dr. Baek
- Choi Woo-shik as Nobleman
- Park Hee-soon as Mr. Choi
24. Svaha: The Sixth Finger (2019)
This movie is a supernatural detective-thriller featuring an eccentric pastor who is hired to investigate a mysterious cult called “Deer Mountain.” When he crosses paths with a detective looking into the murder of a young girl, they team up, and go down a path filled with ghosts and demons.
Main cast:
- Lee Jung-jae as Pastor Park
- Park Jung-min as Na-han
- Lee Jae-in as Geum-hwa
- Jung Jin-young as Chief Hwang
25. 26 Years (2012)
26 years ago, state troops were ordered to open fire on civilians in the city of Gwangju who were demonstrating as apart of a democratic movement. Thousands of civilians were killed.
Now, a shooter from the national team, a gang member, a policeman, CEO from a large company and director of a private security outfit get involved in a plan to convict the person responsible for the massacre that occurred during the Gwangju Democratization Movement.
Main cast:
- Jin Goo as Gwak Jin Bae
- Han Hye Jin as Sim Mi Jin
Bonus: NonThriller Kdrama On Others
26. Gap-dong (2014)
In this murder mystery movies, a series of murders known as the “Gap-dong serial murder case” takes place in 1996. Things get complicated when a likely suspect, Ha Moo-yeom’s father, commits suicide to clear his name.
Moo-yeom determined to prove his father’s innocence and becomes a detective years later to works relentlessly on the case. When all hope seems to be lost with the statute of limitations expiring, incidents resembling that of the Gap-dong murder case start to happen. Together with officer Yang Cheol-gon, Moo-yeom joins the investigation to nab the killer.
Main cast:
- Yoon Sang-hyun as Ha Moo-yeom
- Sung Dong-il as Yang Cheol-gon
- Kim Min-jung as Maria Oh
27. Happiness (2021)
This kdrama is a story inspired from the real world where we’re set in an insolation due to covid19 pandemic. This drama tells a story where society is once again plagued by an infectious disease. But this time, it’s a disease that turns people into zombie-like creatures.
To avoid the risk of being infected, people are confined to their apartments and forced to do something we are more than familiar with – social distancing. Puzzled by the sudden outbreak, counter-terrorism expert Yoon Sae-bom and detective Jung Yi-hyun work together to look into the causes of the infectious disease.
Main Cast:
- Yoo Ah-in as Jung Jin-su
- Kim Hyun-joo as Min Hye-jin
- Park Jung-min as Bae Young-jae
Best Thriller Kdrama on Netflix
Which one you love the most from all these thriller movie? Why you love it? let us know in the comment sections below!
