The 15 Best K-Dramas on Hulu

From gripping thriller series to swoon-worthy romance hits.

still from what's wrong with secretary kim best k-dramas on hulu
(Image credit: tvN/Studio Dragon)

Fans new to the world of K-dramas and Korean reality shows often turn to Netflix or Viki to find their next obsession. However, longtime fans familiar with both apps's offerings—or anyone wanting to try out another streamer—will be happy to know that great K-dramas are hiding in plain sight on other platforms. Following the success of Korean TV shows on Netflix, like Squid Game and The Glory, other U.S. streamers are building catalogs of Asian content, with some even producing their own original international shows.

Hulu is quickly becoming a destination for Korean dramas, including classic Hallyu favorites and new original shows produced by Disney+ Korea. To help you sift through what to watch next, we rounded up the best K-dramas currently streaming on Hulu, ranging from intense thrillers to epic historical sagas and hilarious rom-coms. (As for other streamers, we've also got you covered for the all-time best K-dramas on Netflix, best K-dramas on Viki, best Korean dramas on Prime Video, and best K-dramas on Tubi.)

'A Shop for Killers' (2024– )

a woman with blood on her face stares in the distance as a man in a suit points a gun in a still from a shop for killers

(Image credit: Hulu)

This action-packed thriller centers on the mysterious relationship between college student Ji-an (Kim Hye-jun) and Jeong Jin-man (Lee Dong-wook), her reclusive uncle who raised her. When Ji-an returns home after learning of Jin-man's death, the teen is ambushed by a team of skilled assassins determined to get into the secluded compound where she was raised. As Ji-an uncovers Jin-man's many secrets, including the assassins's connection to his mysterious job, she must utilize the survival skills her uncle taught her to survive.

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'Big Mouth' (2022)

a group of men in uniforms in a dark lit room in a still from the k-drama Big Mouth

(Image credit: Courtesy)

For his post-enlistment comeback, Korean star Lee Jong-suk led this crime thriller as Park Chang-ho, a cocky, incompetent lawyer who's known as "Big Mouth," because he talks a big game but can't back it up. After losing a huge case, he's hired for a corrupt one that gets him in trouble with powerful kingpin Gong Ji-hoon (Yang Kyung-won). He's then framed as the notorious and genius con artist "Big Mouse" and sent to prison. The rest of the series follows Chang-ho and his wife, Go Mi-ho (Girls Generation's Im Yoon-a), as they seek to prove his innocence, and the anti-hero aims to bring down the corrupt systems inside and outside the prison.

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'Buried Hearts' (2025)

Park Hyung-sik as seo dong-ju wearing a suit against a blue backdrop in 'Buried Hearts.'

(Image credit: Disney+)

Doctor Slump's Park Hyung-sik leads this soapy melodrama as Seo Dong-ju, a powerful executive at the Daesan Group conglomerate. Dong-ju's on top of the world, with a loving girlfriend, Yeo Eun-nam (Hong Hwa-yeon), and the trust of chairman Cha Kang-cheon (Woo Hyun). However, after a crushing betrayal orchestrated by Kang-cheon's friend Yeom Jang-seon (Huh Joon-ho), Dong-ju swears revenge on the political power-broker, in an epic tale of greed and ambition.

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'Hyper Knife' (2025)

Park Eun-bin as a doctor in bloody scrubs in 'Hyper Knife.'

(Image credit: Disney+)

Park Eun-bin stars in this dark crime thriller as someone who's the absolute opposite of her most well-known character, Extraordinary Attorney Woo. Jung Se-ok (Park) was an accomplished neurosurgeon until she lost her license; now she illegally treats criminals to keep her skills sharp. Her former mentor, Dr. Choi Deok-hee (Sul Kyung-gu), was involved with her fall from grace. When he reconnects with her and reignites their feud, it's unclear how far either of them will go, and what ethical lines they'll cross, to come out on top.

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'Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born' (2024)

Kim Tae-ri as Jeong Nyeon in the k-drama 'Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born.'

(Image credit: Courtesy of tvN)

This acclaimed historical K-drama, starring Kim Tae-ri and directed by The Red Sleeve's Jung Ji-in, is set in the aftermath of the Korean War in 1950s Seoul. It follows the titular Yoon Jeong-nyeon, who grew up in the port city of Mokpo with nothing but a talented singing voice. When she discovers and immerses herself in the world of "gukgeuk," a traditional form of Korean opera performed by women, she catches the eye of Mun Ok-gyeong (Jung Eun-chae), a famed actress in the Maeran theater troupe. Together, they travel to Seoul, beginning Jeong-nyeon's rise to stardom.

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'The Judge from Hell' (2024)

Park Shin-hye as a judge in black robes in a court room in the k-drama 'The Judge From Hell'

(Image credit: Hulu)

Hallyu star Park Shin-hye is the ultimate anti-heroine in this supernatural melodrama about a literal demon judge. Justitia is originally a judge in the underworld who ensures that unrepentant killers are banished to Gehenna, or Murderer’s Hell. After she wrongfully sentences mortal judge Kang Bit-na to eternal punishment, Justitia is sent to Earth with an impossible task: Kill 10 murderers who feel no remorse within a year—while possessing the body of Kang Bit-na. Her goal is made more difficult by Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young), a steadfast detective who both suspects and falls for her.

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'Legend of the Blue Sea' (2016)

a man in a green shirt and a woman in a white shirt overlooking a ledge in a still from Legend of the Blue Sea

(Image credit: Courtesy)

This fantasy romance K-drama follows two incarnations of a love story between a mermaid and her human paramour. In the Joseon-era storyline, mermaid Se-hwa (Jun Ji-hyun) saves the son of a nobleman, Kim Dam-ryeong (Lee Min-ho), from drowning. Their love eventually meets a tragic fate, unfolding as a parallel storyline to their modern reincarnations, con-man Heo Joon-jae (Lee) and mermaid Shim Cheong (Jun), who follows Heo to Seoul despite him not knowing that she's a merperson. Will Shim Cheong and Joon-jae meet the same fate as their ancestors?

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'Light Shop' (2024)

Ju Ji-hoon in a jacket and sunglasses at night outside of a lamp store in the k-drama 'Light Shop'

(Image credit: Hulu)

Writer Kang Full followed up his record-breaking hit Moving with this horror drama centered on a mysterious light shop run by an enigmatic owner named Won-young (Trauma Code's Ju Ji-hoon). Some of the shop's patrons are living, some are dead. As the series goes on, six strangers struggling to process trauma are drawn toward the shop, as the show weaves several eerie subplots into one central mystery. Some of the show's stacked cast includes Melo Movie's Park Bo-young, Twinkling Watermelon's Shin Eun-soo, Pachinko's Kim Min-ah, My Sweet Mobster's Um Tae-goo, and Parasite's Lee Jung-eun.

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'Moving' (2023– )

a man in a green jacket crying as he exits an elevator in the k-drama Moving

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Moving, which has broken records as the most expensive Korean drama series to date, is a must-watch for superhero fans. The innovative series follows a group of super-powered parents with ordinary jobs (played by Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Kim Sung-kyun), who have passed their abilities down to their high-school-aged children (Go Youn-jung, Lee Jung-ha, and Kim Do-hoon). While much of the show has unraveled the backstories of each character and the shady government operatives who may have had a hand in creating them, the present-day storyline also includes the arrival of Frank (Ryu Seung-bum), a vicious Korean-born American spy operative who begins hunting them down.

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'Nine Puzzles' (2025)

Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku in 'Nine Puzzles.'

(Image credit: Courtesy of Disney)

This psychological thriller became Hulu's latest record-breaking K-drama hit earlier this year. As a teenager, Yoon E-na (Kim Da-mi) witnessed a notorious unsolved murder and was further traumatized when detective Kim Han-saem (Son Suk-ku) suspected her of committing the crime. A decade later, E-na joins Seoul's violent crimes unit as a brilliant yet quirky profiler—and is partnered up with Han-saem. The pair soon have to put aside their history when a new series of killings begins, each one accompanied by one of the titular puzzle pieces, and seemingly connected to their original case.

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'Revenant' (2023)

a woman and a man standing in a green room with windows in a still from the k-drama Revenant

(Image credit: Courtesy)

Twenty-Five Twenty-One's Kim Tae-ri stars in this chilling supernatural-horror drama from the writer of Kingdom. Gu San-yeong (Kim) is a hard-working young woman who traverses Seoul as an anonymous delivery person and driver. After the death of her father, an occult researcher, San-yeong is possessed by an evil spirit who enters souls and feeds on their anger. Soon, people around her begin dying by suicide under sudden and mysterious circumstances. As San-yeong deals with the turmoil, occult professor Yeom Hae-sang (It's Okay to Not Be Okay's Oh Jung-se) tries to help her destroy the spirit, which has been wreaking havoc for decades, once and for all.

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'Revenge of Others' (2022)

a man in a sweater vest and school blazer falling in the k-drama Revenge of Others

(Image credit: Courtesy)

This intense youth drama starts as a student falls to his death at school. The victim's sister, Ok Chan-mi (Shin Ye-eun), doesn't believe that her brother died by suicide, but when police find no evidence of foul play, she becomes determined to find her brother's murderer herself. When she transfers to his school, Yongtan High, she meets Ji Soo-heon (All of Us Are Dead's Lomon), who witnessed her brother's death, and begins investigating all of her new classmates. Meanwhile, a "hero" who avenges bullied students appears at the school, and Chan-mi speculates that it may be connected to her brother.

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'Rookie Cops' (2022)

a group of young police officers in uniform in the k-drama Rookie Cops

(Image credit: Courtesy)

This coming-of-age drama offers a spin on the college plot, following a group of students at the Korean National Police University as they study to become full-fledged cops. The series stars Chae Soo-bin as Go Eun-gang, the daughter of an ordinary family, and K-pop idol Kang Daniel as Wi Seung-hyun, the son of a top police executive. The two freshmen face challenges during training, including strict instructors and a difficult boot camp, while slowly falling for each other.

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'Tempest' (2025)

Gang Dong-won and Gianna Jun in 'Tempest.'

(Image credit: Disney)

This buzzy political thriller spanning two continents features a cast of both legendary Korean actors and bona fide Hollywood stars (including John Cho and Alicia Hannah-Kim). Seo Mun-ju (Jun Ji-hyun) was South Korea's ambassador to the U.S. before she resigned to support her husband's (Park Hae-joon) presidential run. When he's assassinated right in front of her, Mun-ju will do anything to discover the truth behind his death, including re-entering the political spotlight and teaming up with mysterious mercenary Paik San-ho (Gang Dong-won). Come for the twist-filled intrigue, stay for the sizzling chemistry between the two leads.

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'What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?' (2018)

a man in a suit lifting up his arms in a still from What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?

(Image credit: Courtesy)

This workplace rom-com is legendary, for both Park Min-young and Park Seo-joon's electric chemistry and intense kiss scenes. Kim Mi-so (Min-young) is the ultra-competent secretary for Lee Young-joon (Seo-joon), the narcissistic vice president of a chaebol, a family-run conglomerate. After nine years of working and clearing family debts, Mi-so is finally ready to focus on herself and quit her job. But when she resigns, Young-joon becomes desperate to keep her around, and she slowly realizes his obsession with her may not be strictly professional.

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Culture Writer

Quinci LeGardye is a Culture Writer at Marie Claire. She currently lives in her hometown of Los Angeles after periods living in NYC and Albuquerque, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. In 2021, she joined Marie Claire as a contributor, becoming a full-time writer for the brand in 2024. She contributes day-to-day-content covering television, movies, books, and pop culture in general. She has also written features, profiles, recaps, personal essays, and cultural criticism for outlets including Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, HuffPost, Teen Vogue, Vulture, The A.V. Club, Catapult, and others. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her watching the latest K-drama, or giving a concert performance in her car.