Korean historical dramas

Genres: Action, Historical, Romance, Fantasy 

It follows the story of an elite assassin named Naksu, whose soul is accidentally trapped inside the weak body of Mu Deok—Jang Uk's servant from a powerful and noble mage family in the country. The young master of the Jang Family, Jang Uk, holds a dark secret about his scandalous birth. He wants the formidable assassin to help change his destiny.

Genres: Action, Historical, Romance, Fantasy

Jang Uk returns from death, and three years later, the story of the mages unfolds anew. Jang Uk becomes a hunter of the soul-shifters when a young woman, a prisoner in her own home, seeks his help to reclaim her freedom.

Genres: Thriller, Historical, Horror, Political 

No sooner does the Joseon King succumb to smallpox, do the rumors of his death begin. The Cho Clan, the clan of the pregnant Queen and her father, Chief State Councillor Cho Hak Joo, declares the Crown Prince, a traitor. Questioning the circumstances surrounding the King’s death, the Crown Prince and his guard, Moo Young, set forth to locate Lee Seung Hui, the last physician to treat his father. But the two end up stuck with Assistant Physician Seo Bi and a mysterious man named Young Shin in a village plagued with a terrifying disease.

Genres: Thriller, Historical, Horror, Supernatural 

Following the events in season one, waves of the undead threaten to reach the capital. In an attempt to save the people during the plague and regain his right to the throne, Crown Prince Lee Chang pursues Jo Hak Joo to overthrow him, while the Queen is in a race against time to produce an heir to the throne.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Fantasy, Melodrama 

When a total eclipse of the sun takes place, Go Ha Jin is transported back in time to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea during King Taejo's rule. She wakes up in the body of the 16-year-old Hae Soo and finds herself living in the house of the 8th Prince Wang Wook, who is married to Hae Soo's cousin. She soon befriends several of the princes and meets the ostracized 4th Prince, Wang So. Although knowing she should not get involved in palace intrigues over the succession to the throne, she inadvertently becomes a pawn in the struggle, as several of the Princes fall in love with her.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Melodrama 

Lee Jang Hyun is a mysterious man who suddenly appears in the Neunggun-ri social scene. Nobody really knows anything about him. Young nobles don't like him, but the elderly are wrapped around his finger. He's been dating around a lot, but he becomes curious about a certain 99 tailed fox, and one day, the said fox quite literally crash lands into his arms. Once war is brewing, the pair finds themselves separated before they could even start to make sense of their feelings.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Melodrama 

Jang Hyun is living without purpose or desire. He's a cold-hearted man who loves no one until he gets introduced to love after meeting Gil Chae. She is charming and admired by all, but her first love, Yeon Jun, is already engaged to her best friend, Eun Ae. Yeon Jun, a Sungkyunkwan student, struggles with his feelings for Gil Chae but cannot break off his engagement due to tradition. Eun Ae does not doubt nor hate the two. As Jang Hyun becomes entangled in this unusual love triangle, Gil Chae, who has only loved Yeon Jun, is confused about her own feelings. The relationship between these four gets put into an even bigger twist at the breakout of war. Will they survive the challenges of war and find their love amidst the chaos?

Genres: Military, Historical, Romance, Melodrama 

Mr. Sunshine centers on a young boy born into a house servant's family who travels to the United States during the 1871 Shinmiyangyo (U.S. expedition to Korea). He returns to his homeland later as a U.S. marine officer. He meets and falls in love with an aristocrat’s daughter. At the same time, he discovers a plot by foreign forces to colonize Korea.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Melodrama 

Lee In is a prince. His older brother is King Lee Sun, who cares about him a lot. Vowing loyalty to his older brother, Lee In is taken hostage by the Qing Dynasty. King Lee Sun soon views his younger brother's loyalty as betrayal and begins to hate him. Lee In endures deep emotional pain because of this. Lee In then meets an unknown baduk player who wagers on her games. He is completely fascinated by the baduk player. Through circumstances, Lee In becomes the king. He holds the highest position and is a strong person, but he is sad and weak internally. When Kang Hee Soo was gaining fame as an unknown baduk player, she met Prince Lee In and fell in love with him. Through a vortex of fate, she becomes a spy. She approaches King Lee In to get her revenge.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Drama, Political 

Within the palace exist troublemaking princes who cause nothing but headaches for the royal family and are about to be turned into proper crown princes. Their mother, Im Hwa Ryeong, is the wife of a great king. But instead of having an aura of elegance and grace, she is a prickly, sensitive, and hot-tempered queen. Once more serene, she changed since people kept pushing her buttons. She is a queen who sometimes abandons her pride and is even known to swear! Every day of her life is full of trials, but she withstands them all, for the sake of her children.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy 

Jang Bong Hwan is a South Korean chef who has risen up the ranks to cook for the country’s top politicians in the Blue House’s presidential residences. After a serious accident, he finds himself in the body of the young queen, Kim So Yong, when whisked away to an era deep in Korea’s past. While Queen Kim So Yong’s husband is the reigning monarch, King Cheol Jong, he is so in name only. The late King Sunjo’s Queen, Sun Won, has taken advantage of King Cheol Jong’s better nature, and is ruling the realm in his name. And she faces competition from her own brother, Kim Jwa Geun, who also has designs on power. Queen Kim So Yong will come to discover that her husband harbours some secrets, and is not as gentle and meek as he seems…

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Melodrama 

In 18th-century Korea, Prince Yi San is a perfectionist haunted by his father's murder. He's set to inherit the throne once his cruel grandfather, the current king, passes away. Despite the emotional scars left by his father's death, Yi San aspires to be a benevolent ruler who reforms the kingdom's laws. At court, he encounters Sung Deok Im, a spirited and intelligent young woman. While Yi San falls in love and proposes she become his concubine, Sung Deok Im grapples with the restrictions and responsibilities that come with royal life. However, as their love deepens, she begins to see the potential to bring positive change to the troubled realm through their union.

Genres: Historical, Horror, Romance, Fantasy 

An unexpected case leads Lee Yeon back in time to 1938, where he reencounters Ryu Hong Joo. Once a guardian spirit of the mountain in the west, she's now the owner of a high-end restaurant in the capital city of Gyeongseong. He also meets his younger brother Lee Rang. Meanwhile, another former guardian spirit and ex-friend Cheon Moo Young has become hostile. Lee Yeon struggles to return to the present, to his loved one.

Genres: Food, Historical, Romance, Medical 

About 500 years ago during the time of Chosun Dynasty, Korea boasted a rigidly hierarchical and male dominated social structure. Based on a true story about a legendary girl, Jang Geum, who became the first woman to be the supreme royal physician of her times. Despite her poor condition as a low class girl in the male dominated society, Jang Geum overcame a series of social discrimination and landed herself as a royal cook, later becoming the royal physician, then ultimately the physician in charge of the king. She was even given by the king the title "The Great Jang Geum." The story of her checkered life on her success and breakdown as well as her love story beautifully unfold.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Fantasy 

During the Joseon Dynasty, a young woman named Hong Chun Ki was a painter – a true rarity in Joseon Korea, where Confucian values dictate that such pursuits are unsuitable for a woman. She was born blind but somehow managed to acquire a sense of vision. Now, she has been accepted to the most prestigious art college in the land. One day, she meets Ha Ram, an astrologer whose fate is the polar opposite of her own: Although he was born sighted, he lost his vision in a childhood accident. Regardless, he is also in possession of an astounding talent that allows him to read the future by tracing the movement of the sky at night, despite the fact that he is blind. The duo is sucked into the machinations of the royal court, particularly those involving two princes, the free-spirited Prince Yang Myung and the cruel, scheming Prince Joo Hyang – a man who longs to become the next Joseon king.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Supernatural, Political 

Thirteen-year-old Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a high-ranking official, accompanies her mother to the royal palace to attend her brother, Heo Yeom's civil service examination congratulatory ceremony. By chance, she comes across Crown Prince Lee Hwon. They fall in love and Yeon Woo is chosen as the Crown Princess of Joseon. Before they can marry, however, the Dowager Queen secretly orders her death, in order to install Yoon Bo Gyeong, the daughter of a family clan, as Crown Princess, thus securing more power for herself. She orders the head shaman to cast a spell on Yeon Woo to strike her with an unknown sickness. After dying, Yeon Woo is resurrected from her grave but loses her memories. All believe her to be dead, including Crown Prince Lee Hwon, who refuses to love another. Eight years later, Yeon Woo returns as a shaman named Wol (meaning moon). Meanwhile, the young king begins to investigate the death of his love after seeing the grown-up Wol. But he is fighting against time because the queen's powerful political clan wants him removed from power.

Genres: Action, Historical, Romance, Political 

Princess Se Ryung  is the headstrong and forward-thinking daughter of Grand Prince Su Yang, who is determined to be King. She falls in love with the son of his mortal enemy, and their romance gets caught in the crossfire of her father's quest for the throne.  

Genres: Action, Historical, Comedy, Romance 

Jeon Nok Du lives on an island with his father and older brother. He is smart and a good swordsman. Since he was little, his father did not let him study or go to the mainland. One day, his father and older brother are attacked by a group of female assassins. Jeon Nok Du chases after one of the assassins to the capital. During that time, Jeon Nok Du meets Dong Dong Ju. She wants to shoot the King with her arrow, but Jeon Nok Du saves her from trouble. Meanwhile, the assassin that Jeon Nok Du chases goes into a widowed village. To find out who and why his family was attacked, Jeon Nok Du disguises himself as a woman and enters the widow's village. There, he meets Dong Dong Ju again. She is an apprentice to become a gisaeng.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Drama 

Lee Yul, Crown Prince of Joseon, is a perfectionist who disregards most royal palace nobles. His cold and demanding demeanor masks deeply-rooted loneliness. He comes to pass a law stating that Korean citizens of marriageable age must wed before the age of 28. Hong Shim is a strong, intelligent woman who supports herself and her father. After an attempt on his life, Crown Prince Lee Yul is severely injured and finds himself under the care of the Hong household. He’s experiencing temporary amnesia, and now unaware of his identity, he is free to wander at will as a commoner. Due to the law, he himself passed, Hong Shim, now the oldest unmarried woman in her village, must marry or face punishment from officials. Lee Yul proposes to Hong Shim that they ought to marry. Can their budding romance withstand Lee Yul’s eventual recovery, with his memory fully intact?

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Comedy, Drama 

Cho Yeo Hwa has been a widow for 15 years. Her in-laws are the most prestigious noble family in the kingdom. During the day, she leads the life of a widow devoted entirely to her dead husband's memory and rarely ventures outside the gate of her home. At night, Yeo Hwa dons the mask of Hero, who secretly jumps over the surrounding wall to save the helpless. In the process, she crosses paths with Park Soo Ho, a handsome senior officer in the Capital Guard, who quickly realizes that Hero and Yeo Hwa are not who or what they appear to be.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama 

The story is set during the Joseon Dynasty, at a time when twins were considered an ominous sign. As a result, when the Crown Princess Consort gives birth to twins, an order is sent to kill the daughter. To save her, she is secretly sent out of the palace. A few years later, the twin daughter Dam Yi returns to the palace to work as a maid. When the male twin, Lee Hwi, loses his life through a case of mistaken identity, their mother, having recognised her daughter as court maid Dam Yi, persuades her to take Lee Hwi's place. Although she distances herself from everybody, Dam Yi starts developing feelings for Jung Ji Woon, her original first love and later teacher who comes from a noble family.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Drama 

To protect herself and her family, Hong Ra On disguises herself as a man and counsels men on dating. Due to a love letter she wrote for a client, she meets Crown Prince Hyo Myung. Ra On is unaware that he is the Crown Prince, and Hyo Myung is unaware that Ra On is a woman. Soon after Ra On is forced to become a eunuch by loan sharks, and the Crown Prince and Ra On become interested in each other. As Ra On tries to survive the palace and the Crown Prince navigates his journey to become king, will their love prosper?

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Drama 

The story takes place at the beginning of the 19th century. Goo Hae Ryung is an intern to become a palace historian. However, it was not acceptable for women to write historical records at that time. She takes one step at a time to create her own destiny in Joseon, where Confucian ideas are deeply rooted. She wants to fulfill her duties as a historian and prove to the world that everyone is equal. Along with the fight of the female palace historians, the drama will tell about her romance with Prince Yi Rim who has a secret of his own.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Melodrama, Political 

This drama is about the love story between King Jung Jong and his Queen Dan Kyung, who was crowned and deposed within the span of a week due to rival political factions that controlled the king’s rule. According to historical legend, after the queen was dethroned and removed from the palace, the king would walk to the outside royal pavilion every day and sigh as he gazed at a mountain in her direction. After hearing this, she placed a red skirt, her favorite to wear in the palace, on a rock on the mountain face so he would know that she was well and that she still yearned for him.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Youth 

Kim Yun Hee is a smart, responsible young woman with an independent drive. Since her father passed away, she has worked to support her family but has also managed to do well in her studies. When her younger brother's illness worsens, and their family is in danger of being evicted from their house for lack of money. In her desperation to support him, Kim Yoon Hee decides to take the men's only national exam under her younger brother's name and disguises herself as a boy. On the day of the exam, Kim Yun Hee meets Lee Seon Joon and becomes friends. Lee Seon Joon comes from a privileged background and also possesses good looks. He is also arrogant. They both pass the national exam, and she has to share a room together with him at Sungkyunkwan University while hiding her true nature. There, she becomes friends with the playboy Goo Yong Ha and rebellious Moon Jae Shin.

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Drama 

Min Jae Yi, a gentle and poised daughter of a prominent family, is engaged to the son of a powerful State Councillor. Devoting herself to learning everything she needs to know to become a good wife and mother, Jae Yi dutifully prepares for the future. Sadly, destiny has other plans for her future. Just days before her wedding, tragedy strikes when her family is brutally murdered, and Jae Yi is falsely accused of the crime. Amidst the turmoil, she crosses paths with the cursed crown prince, Lee Hwan, who agrees to help her in exchange for her assistance in breaking his curse. As they navigate their challenges together, Jae Yi and Lee Hwan begin to develop unexpected feelings for each other. But their love faces countless obstacles, including their pasts, their uncertain futures, and the threat of the curse. Can they overcome these challenges and find a way to be together?

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Medical 

Yoo Se Poong’s legendary abilities as a physician are well-known in the royal palace. Nonetheless, he was expelled from the royal court when his involvement in a conspiracy against the royal family came to light. He moves and begins work in the strange but beautiful Gyesu Village. There he meets Kye Ji Han, Sorak Village’s grumpy old doctor with a heart of gold. Upon the encounter with Yoo Se Poong, Kye Ji Han is motivated to transform the young doctor into one who heals hearts. Another resident of the village is Seo Eun Woo, who hails from a noble family and has keen observational skills and deep empathy. Now a widow, she mirrors the stories of the heartbroken. She feels wronged by her sudden marriage and is about to become an unwilling wife who stays virtuous to a deceased husband.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Political 

The story of a crown prince named Lee Sun who fights the Pyeonsuhwe society that holds absolute power over the kingdom and also controls the water supply by privatizing it. The drama involves romance, action and court politics as the Crown prince, Lee Sun fights heroically on behalf of the people and Han Ga Eun finds herself falling in love with him instead of avenging the execution of her father at his hands. In “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask,” there is palace intrigue revolving around the true power behind the throne, and a plot twist when the prince switches identities with a commoner. But the overall theme of the show is love, which underlies the romance between a prince and his girl as well as the compassion for the country and people.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Supernatural 

It tells the story of a cynical and not-so-friendly government official named Eun Oh, who wanders the whole nation to look for his mother, who disappeared because of his mistake. Eun Oh has the ability to see ghosts, so he's used to being bothered by many kinds of ghosts. As a result, he isn’t afraid of ghosts anymore. Then, Eun Oh meets a virgin ghost named Arang. Before she became a ghost, Arang was a beautiful girl who was murdered. Arang asks Eun Oh to seek vengeance for her death, and Eun Oh tries to appease her request.  

Genres: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy 

In Joseon Dynasty, immaculately dressed in scholarly robes, the young nobleman Kim Sung Yeol lives as a vampire to keep his promise to his friends. When Sung Yeol still was a human, he found out about the vampire Gwi who sits above the King deciding the next royal line and has resurrected as a vampire trying to fight against Gwi. And now, he is living as a guardian vampire fighting against the evil vampire without losing his human nature.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Drama, Political 

Wang Won’s father is the king of Goryeo while his mother is the Yuan emperor’s daughter. He was born with many gifts as he has good looks, the wisdom of a snake, and a magnetic personality that draws people to him. But behind his gentle, virtuous demeanor, he has ambitions to conquer other lands. He has a faithful friend named Rin, who is a royal cousin and comrade with the same ambitions as he does. Then Wang Won has an encounter with a young woman named, San. San was someone that he recalled having met when he was a child and was lodged in his mind ever since. Wang Won sees how bright and confident San is and befriends her as well. But this friendship plants the seeds of tragedy. San’s beauty mesmerizes both Won and Rin and their seemingly strong bond start to fray over one woman…

Genres: Action, Historical, Comedy, Romance 

An extended period of prohibition in the Joseon era proved that the restriction of alcohol was no match for human desire. Laws against imbibing, buying or making alcohol created different challenges for these inhabitants: Inspector Nam Young from The Office of the Inspector-General who left his hometown to achieve fame in Hanyang and restore his family status; Kang Ro Seo, the aristocratic but impoverished lady who makes moonshine to reduce her debt, allowing her to continue buying her mother’s medication and her brother’s books; and even Crown Prince Lee Pyo, who was prone to scaling the palace walls in search of a tipple. This trio has a fateful encounter leading to the discovery of a hidden stash of alcohol. Revealing this secret would only result in certain death.

Genres: Historical, Romance, Medical, Fantasy 

A historical fantasy drama about a young man finding his way and love for a forgotten princess. Heo Jun faces discrimination as an illegitimate son and gives up on his natural talents, intelligence, and passion for academia. Succumbing to the limits of his social status, he resorts to making as much money as he can by using his good looks and witty charm. Meanwhile, Queen Sim is unable to conceive and she seeks the help of a shaman whose black magic enables her to have twins - a boy and a girl. However, the daughter, Seo Ri, is put under a curse and abandoned deep in the mountains, where one day, she meets Heo Jun. The curse of the abandoned princess is that whoever falls in love with her will die. Seo Ri tries to find a cure for her curse and along the way, creates magical treatments that help cure sick people. Unfortunately, Heo Jun accidentally sets the book of magic on fire, and he stays in the mountains with Seori to try to help heal the sick in a mountain village. As Heo Jun’s passion for medicine grows, he decides to become a doctor. As he sees Seo Ri fight against her destiny, his affinity for her grows, and he too begins to believe that he can change his destiny. 

Genres: Historical, Romance, Fantasy 

It tells both the heart-fluttering love story and fierce obsession of a King with two opposite personalities and an assassin girl who wants to kill him but ends up falling in love with him. Crown Prince Sajo Hyun is an intellectual character who uses his innate artistic sense to work as a fashion designer at a downtown boutique while hiding his identity of crown prince. He has a wound deep down in his heart from his childhood due to his oppressive father Sajo Seung. Sajo Hyun’s other personality Ak Hee is a charming character who can easily seduce others, but he is cursed to feel extreme pain when he makes physical touch with others. Yeon Wol lives a life full of twists and turns, going from an assassin to concubine. Yeon Wol is the royal descendant of the fallen Yeon Dynasty and the only daughter of Yeon Poong Hak. Yeon Wol hides her identity and becomes assassin Gye Ra to avenge her family. While trying to assassinate the king, she falls into a trap set by an unknown person and wakes up the next day with no memory of her past.

Genres: Historical, Comedy, Romance 

Set in the 17th Century, Jang Beo Jin is a young female diver on Tamra Island. She doesn't particularly enjoy her situation and dreams of one day leaving the island. One day, to her shock, she discovers a young blond-haired man lying on the beach. The young man's name is William, and he is a shipwrecked British citizen. Another young man named Park Kyu enters the island under the disguise of one of the many convicts sent to Tamra Island. In actuality, Park Kyu is a budding government official known as Seon Bi. These three young people then become involved in a hilarious love triangle.