Korean Drama Releases You Shouldn’t Miss This 2025
From Netflix to Disney+ and Amazon Prime, these are the K-dramas everyone’s quietly obsessed with, and yes, you should be too.
Had a long week? We get it. Whether you’re in the mood to spiral into someone else’s drama or just want a distraction with subtitles, these Korean shows are the kind of binge-worthy comfort-watch that hits differently when you're running on empty. The best part? No need to choose between heart-fluttering romance and plot twists that punch you in the gut - especially with the long-anticipated return of Squid Game Season 3 finally on the horizon.
From love stories with supernatural stakes to thrillers that unfold like a slow burn, this lineup covers every mood and moment. So clear your schedule, cancel your plans (or don’t), and let these Korean dramas take over your screen for the weekend.
November 2025
Dear X
What: Adapted from an award-winning webcoming of the same name, Dear X is a melo-thriller that tells the story of successful young actress Baek Ah Jin (played by Kim You-jung). This wicked 12-episode drama shows how she tries to hide her dark history of trauma as she rises through the ranks of the entertainment industry through deception and lies. Her loyal protector: love interest Yoon Jun Seo (played by Kim Young-dae). Directed by K-drama veteran Lee Eung-bok who also directed Guardian: The Lonely and Great God and Descendants of the Sun, it’s a star-studded production sure to keep you on your toes.
When: Premeires on November 6 on HBOMax
Genre: Thriller
Why we recommend it: It’s a melo-thriller noir full of twists and turns while tackling some pretty dark themes. With the added layer of romance between two complicated yet charismatic characters, it’s a story sure to keep you hooked. Moreover: the combination of lauded A-list South Korean actors and director would be more than enough for a K-drama fiend to pick it up.
Seventeen: Our Chapter
What: In a four-part documentary series, K-pop icons Seventeen walks us through the past ten years together. The group’s thirteen members look back on how they started, candidly going over their highs and lows, and the future they’re envisioning for themselves as the prospect of compulsory military enlistment and temporary absences looms.
When: The documentary series premieres November 7, exclusively on Disney+.
Genre: Documentary
Why we recommend it: It’s an honest in-depth look into the lives of one of the most successful K-Pop acts. Joining the host of K-pop documentaries that featured labelmates Tomorrow X Together, BTS, and more, it’s a must-watch for all K-pop stans who want an unfiltered peek into the lives of their beloved idols.
September 2025
The Murky Stream
What: Set in 16th-century Joseon, The Murky Stream follows a gripping tale of corruption and rebellion. When local officials succumb to greed, a former noble youth, Siyul, becomes a gang enforcer. His childhood friend, Jung Chun, is now a police officer, and they are joined by Choi Eun, a sharp-witted merchant. Divided by circumstance, yet united by a shared purpose, they form an unlikely alliance. This trio must navigate a world of betrayal and unchecked power to challenge the forces preying on the weak and fight for justice.
When: The series premieres September 26, exclusively on Disney+.
Genre: Action
Why we recommend it: The series is helmed by acclaimed director Choo Changmin (Masquerade) and writer Chun Sungil (All of Us Are Dead, The Pirates). This combination of a celebrated historical film director and a successful writer of a global hit series says a lot about high production quality and a compelling narrative.
AUGUST 2025
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty
What: Fantasy rom-com, sizzling chemistry, time-slip drama, and mouthwatering royal intrigue — all the best ingredients for an addictive K-drama that is Bon Appetit Your Majesty. In this series, we will see world-class chef Yeon Ji-young (Lim Yoon-a) who is unexpectedly transported from a French culinary competition to the royal palace of the tyrant King Yi Heon (Lee Chae-min). With no way back home, she decides to go all-in — serving up bold words and even bolder dishes.
When: Premieres 23 August, Netflix
Genre: Thriller
Why we recommend it: What can we say, it’s an all-stakes drama that would keep you at the edge of your seat. Plus high resolution of food presentation on TV is guaranteed to make you salivate every episode.
JUNE 2025
Squid Game Season 3
What: For all Squid Game fanatics, Squid Game is officially entering its last round. The long awaited, high stakes finale to the global juggernaut that turned red jumpsuits and creepy playground games into cultural shorthand for survival and spectacle. We get glimpses of the players lost along the way, a cryptic message from Geum-ja, and the looming showdown between Gi-hun and the Front Man, whose identity twist in Season 2 still lingers. Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, whose work made Emmy history, Season 3 promises one last, brutal round in the game that redefined the genre.
When: Premieres June 27 on Netflix
Genre: Thriller
Why we recommend it: Because it’s more than just a deathmatch. Squid Game has always been about the cost of survival, morally, emotionally, economically, and Season 3 looks ready to finish what it started. With stakes higher than ever and the series’ central themes sharper than before, this is the kind of finale that could leave a mark. If you’ve followed Gi-hun this far, it’s time to see how it all ends.
Mercy For None
What: In Mercy For None, loyalty comes at a price, and revenge collects interest. After walking away from gang life, a former gangster is forced back into the underworld to unravel the truth behind his brother’s death. What follows is a brutal, tightly-wound journey through betrayal, blood debts, and the kind of violence that doesn’t ask for forgiveness. Set against a gritty, high-stakes backdrop, this thriller dives deep into the cost of closure when the past won’t stay buried.
When: June 6 on Netflix
Genre: Thriller/Action
Why we recommend it: Because revenge stories hit differently when there’s nothing left to lose. Mercy For None looks like one of those grim, hyper-focused thrillers that doesn’t waste time or sentiment. It’s taut, emotional, and unrelenting. Expect sharp fight choreography, moody atmospherics, and a protagonist with more rage than remorse.
Head Over Heels
What: In Head Over Heels, fate isn’t just a vibe, it’s a life-or-death deadline. Cho Yi-hyun plays Park Sung-a, a seemingly ordinary high schooler by day and an undercover shaman by night. Known to her clients as the mysterious Fairy Cheonji, she doles out prophecies and protection spells until her latest client turns out to be the boy she’s about to fall for… and the one she’s seen destined to die. Things get even messier when he shows up in her homeroom the next day as the new transfer student. Adapted from the popular webtoon, this romantic fantasy pairs high school hijinks with supernatural stakes in a world where love might be the one thing you can’t predict.
When: Now streaming on Amazon Prime
Genre: Romantic fantasy
Why we recommend it: Head Over Heels balances swoony teen romance with just enough eerie mystery to keep you hooked. The enemies-to-lovers energy is dialed up by life-or-death urgency, and Cho Yi-hyun delivers the kind of performance that makes you believe even shamans can catch feelings. If you're into K-dramas that mix high school angst with the supernatural, this one’s worth your time (and maybe your soul).
No Gain No Love
What: In No Gain No Love, love is just another line item on the balance sheet. Shin Min-a stars as Son Hae-young, a hyper-calculated office worker who’s spent her whole life keeping emotional and financial losses to a minimum. But when a job promotion slips out of reach, she does what any numbers-driven pragmatist might: stage a fake wedding to save face at work. Enter Kim Ji-wook (Kim Young-dae), a kind-hearted part-time cashier who’s allergic to confrontation, except when it comes to dealing with Hae-young, his most difficult customer. The plan? Pretend to be engaged. The problem? Nothing ever goes to plan. Set against the chaos of workplace politics and romantic misfires, this rom-com hits all the right beats without playing it safe.
When: Premieres August 26 on Amazon Prime
Genre: Rom-com
Why we recommend it: Because fake dating will never go out of style, especially when the chemistry is this good. No Gain No Love plays with opposites-attract energy and late capitalist dread in equal measure. It's sharp, chaotic, and just self-aware enough to know how ridiculous it is. Come for Shin Min-a’s deadpan delivery, stay for the emotional unravelling beneath all the spreadsheets.
Low Life
What: In Low Life, loyalty is a currency, and everyone’s trying to cash out. Set in the 1980s, this gritty period drama follows Oh Hee-Dong (Yang Se-jong), a young man raised by his uncle Oh Gwan-seok (Ryu Seung-ryong), a hustler with no qualms about how he gets paid. When a tip surfaces about treasure hidden in a sunken ship off the coast of South Jeolla, Gwan-seok sees gold, while everyone else sees danger. As word spreads, con men, criminals, and desperate dreamers descend on the sleepy coastal town, turning it into a powder keg of greed and buried secrets. Directed by Kang Yun-sung, this series trades in murky morals, shifting alliances, and the kind of tension that brews just beneath the surface.
When: Premieres July 16 on Disney+
Genre: Period drama
Why we recommend it: Low Life offers more than just vintage grit, it’s a character study wrapped in crime and saltwater, asking what happens when survival means sinking deeper into the muck. With a standout cast and a moody, cinematic backdrop, it’s the kind of show where the stakes feel real and no one walks away clean.
Law and The City
What: In Law and the City, not every lawyer wants to save the world, some just really like winning arguments. Lee Jong-suk plays An Joo-Hyeong, a high-performing, emotionally detached legal mind who's built a lucrative career at one of Seoul’s top firms without ever pretending to care about justice. But the comfort of corporate law doesn’t last forever. Set in the heart of Seocho-dong, Seoul’s legal district, the drama follows a cast of sharp-witted lawyers navigating shifting power dynamics, personal reckoning, and the cracks in their carefully curated careers. Written by Lee Seung-hyun and directed by Park Seung-woo, this isn’t your standard courtroom drama, it’s a look at what happens when ambition and burnout collide.
When: Premieres July 5 on Disney+
Genre: Legal drama
Why we recommend it: Because it's Suits meets existential dread. Law and the City isn’t interested in courtroom clichés, it’s about the emotional cost of climbing the legal ladder and the quiet unraveling that happens when everything you thought you wanted stops making sense. With Lee Jong-suk fronting a stellar ensemble cast, this one’s for anyone who likes their dramas intellectually sharp and emotionally messy.
Our Movie
What: In Our Movie, life and fiction blur in a quietly devastating way. Namkoong Min stars as Lee Je-Ha, a once-lauded film director paralyzed by the pressure of his own early success. Five years into a creative freeze, he finally begins work on a second film, one centered on love, mortality, and the messiness in between. That’s when he meets Lee Da-Eum (Jeon Yeo-bin), an aspiring actress living with a terminal illness. Their encounter begins as research, but unfolds into something deeper: a shared understanding of what it means to live on borrowed time. As the two collaborate on a film that eerily mirrors their realities, Our Movie becomes a story about making art when your life feels like it’s running out of pages.
When: Now streaming on Disney+
Genre: Melodrama
Why we recommend it: Because it’s the kind of slow-burn that hits where it hurts. Our Movie takes the classic terminal-illness love story and does something more intimate, more self-aware. It’s a drama about storytelling, but also about the stories we try to write for ourselves before it’s too late. With strong performances, emotional restraint, and a haunting sense of timing, it lingers long after the credits roll.
Tastefully Yours
What: Tastefully Yours serves up ambition, ego, and just the right dash of slow-burn romance. When a cocky culinary heir sets out to dominate the food scene, he’s thrown off course by a quietly brilliant chef whose dishes speak louder than she does. Sparks fly (and not just in the kitchen) as their rivalry turns into something deeper. Starring Kang Ha-neul, Go Min-si, and Kim Shin-rock, this drama simmers with sharp banter, simmering tension, and plenty of gorgeous food shots.
When: Now streaming on Netflix
Genre: Romance
Why we recommend it: Because it’s enemies-to-lovers, but make it food. Tastefully Yours leans into the chaos of ambition and chemistry, set against a backdrop of kitchens where reputations and feelings are on the line. If you love your K-dramas with a pinch of tension, a spoonful of swagger, and plates that look good enough to eat, this one's worth devouring.
Dear Hongrang
What: In Dear Hongrang, identity is as slippery as memory, and no one returns home without a shadow. Set against the backdrop of the Joseon era, this mystery-laced drama follows Jae-yi (Jo Bo-ah), who’s spent 12 years haunted by the disappearance of her younger stepbrother, Hongrang. When a man claiming to be him reappears with no memory and a perfectly timed past, her grief curdles into suspicion and something more complicated. Lee Jae-wook plays the enigmatic stranger with just the right edge of charm and menace, while Uhm Ji-won looms as the mother who’s wielded power long enough to lose grip on truth. Based on Tangeum: Swallowing Gold, the series is less about reunion and more about unraveling family, identity, and the very idea of home.
When: Now streaming on Netflix
Genre: Mystery melodrama
Why we recommend it: Dear Hongrang is rich in mood and full of slow, uneasy reveals, the kind of show that keeps you second-guessing everyone, including yourself. With a layered performance from Lee Jae-wook and period visuals that are just as lush as they are eerie, it’s a mystery that doesn’t rush toward answers and that’s exactly why it works.
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