The Top 10 Highest-rated Korean Dramas of 2023!

By Akriti On May 3, 2023

In recent years, the world of Korean drama has seen an extraordinary growth. With Squid Game season 1 (2021) becoming the most-watched show of all time on Netflix, K-dramas, and television shows have produced a wave of entertainment that is difficult to ignore. This year also began on a good note, with some exceptional titles making their way to Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, and television channels. As a result, it is time for a brief refresher by watching some of the highest-rated Korean dramas of 2023 so far.

Oasis (Rakuten Viki)

One of the best Korean shows of 2023, Oasis is set in the 1980s and 1990s, when the country was going through a lot of political turmoil. In this setting, the show follows Lee Du-hak (Jang) and Choi Cheol-woong (Choo), who were friends and enemies as kids.

The first one comes from a poor family and has been told not to shine more than the second one, who has a lot of money. At first, Cheol-wrong doesn’t mind that his friend does better than him, but soon they start to compete very hard. Lee has feelings for a new transfer student named Oh Jung-shin (Seol), but things get worse when Cheol-woong also has feelings for the same girl.

Release date: 6 March
Directed by: Han Hee
IMDb rating: 8.7

Call It Love (Disney+Hotstar)

Call It Love is another popular K-drama from 2023. It’s about Sim Woo-joo (Lee), who is thrown out of her own home by her father’s lover after he dies. Sim goes to Han Dong-jin (Kim), the son of her father’s former mistress because she wants to get even. Han has always worked too much and has been pretty lonely. When the two meet, their lives take a turn they didn’t expect.

Release date: 22 February
Directed by: Lee Kwang-young
IMDb rating: 8.2

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Pandora: Beneath The Paradise (Disney+Hotstar)

Hong Tae-ra (Lee), her husband Pyo Jae-hyun (Lee Sang-Yoon), and their young daughter live happy and peaceful life. Even though everything seems fine, Tae-ra doesn’t remember her past until one day, when she remembers some bad things that happened to her. Now, she has to become Korea’s first lady to protect her family and get revenge on those who hurt her in the past. Watch here.

Release date: 11 March
Directed by: Choi Hyeong-Hun
IMDb rating: 8.1

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The Glory, Part 2 (Netflix)

As Moon Dong-eun (Song) carefully plans her life after high school to get back at her bullies, she becomes even darker. Park Yeon-jin (Lim) and her friends used to mentally and physically beat Moon, but they don’t seem to feel bad about it now. Now, Moon has come back to get payback, and she is very cruel. Even though Yeon-jin is her main target, she also keeps an eye out for other bullies. No one knows who the next person will be.

Release date: 10 March
Directed by: Ahn Gil Ho
IMDb rating: 8.1

Our Blooming Youth

In this Korean drama, Min Jae-yi (Jeon), a young woman from a rich aristocratic family, is accused of killing members of her own family. In the middle of all this chaos, she meets crown prince Lee Hwan (Park), who is cursed in a strange way. As soon as they agree to help each other, they start to fall in love, even though the road ahead is hard. Watch here.

Release date: 6 February
Directed by: Lee Jong-Jae
IMDb rating: 8

Agency (JTBC)

Go A-in (Lee) works hard to become her advertising agency’s first female boss. Different parts of office politics are shown in the interesting office play. It’s one of the best K-dramas of 2023, and it shows how her friends and her humble past are important parts of her journey up the corporate ladder.

Release date: 7 January
Directed by: Lee Chang-min
IMDb rating: 8

Delivery Man (Rakuten Viki)

This Genie TV original K-drama from 2023 is a funny and romantic take on the fantasy genre. It’s about a young cab driver named Seo Young-min (Yoon) who can see ghosts. As luck would have it, he ends up taking ghosts as passengers and helping them do what they wanted to do before they died. In one of these situations, he picks up Kang Ji-Hyun (Bang), a female ghost who doesn’t remember what she was like when she was alive. She can’t seem to get out of the cab for some reason, so she ends up joining Seo on his journey to grant wishes and help him catch a serial killer.

Release date: 1 March
Directed by: Kang Sol and Park Dae-hee
IMDb rating: 8

Crash Course in Romance (Netflix)

Nam Haeng-Sun (Jeon) used to be a national-level runner. Now she is a mother and runs a store that sells side dishes. She gives off a lot of good vibes and is very active. She goes into private schooling to help her daughter do well in school. Choi Chi-Yeol (Jung), who is thought to be the most famous teacher in the education field, is the exact opposite of her. Even though he is well-known and has a good image, he can be rude to his students and peers at times. Crash Course in Romance is one of the most popular Korean series of 2023 because it shows how two people deal with their lives and their relationship.

Release date: 14 January
Directed by: Yoo Jae-Won
IMDb rating: 7.9

Love To Hate You (Netflix)

Yeo Mi-ran (Kim) is a skilled and competitive lawyer at the Gilmu Law Firm, which deals mostly with issues in the entertainment business of the country. She is very focused on her work and has no desire to be in a relationship. Nam Gang-Ho (Yoo), who is the most famous and beautiful actor, doesn’t believe in love and has trouble trusting women, just like she does. What happens to their views when they get closer?

Release Date: 10 February
Directed by: Kim Jeong-Kwon and Choi Soo-young
IMDb rating: 7.9

Divorce Attorney Shin (Netflix)

Divorce Attorney Shin is based on Kang Tae-kyung’s comics Shinsunghan, Yihon (2019). It shows Shin Sung-Han (Cho), a music teacher at a German university, trip. But in South Korea, he is a very good divorce lawyer who deals with strange people and tries to get justice for them. This is interesting to watch because you want to know why he went to Korea and what his goals are.

Release date: 4 March
Directed by: Lee Jae-hoon
IMDb rating: 7.6

Conclusion

The world of Korean drama has seen extraordinary growth in recent years, with Squid Game season 1 (2021) becoming the most-watched show of all time on Netflix. This year also began on a good note, with some exceptional titles making their way to Netflix, Disney+Hotstar, and television channels. These shows include Oasis (Rakuten Viki), Call It Love (Disney+Hotstar), Pandora: Beneath The Paradise (Disney+Hotstar), and The Glory, Part 2 (Netflix). Oasis follows Lee Du-hak (Jang) and Choi Cheol-woong (Choo), who were friends and enemies as kids. Call It Love is about Sim Woo-joo (Lee), who is thrown out of her own home by her father’s lover after he dies.

Pandora: Beneath The Paradise is about Hong Tae-ra (Lee Sang-Yoon) and her husband Pyo Jae-hyun (Lee Sang-Yoon). The Glory Moon Dong-eun (Song) plans her life after high school to get back at her bullies, but she is cruel and keeps an eye out for other bullies. Our Blooming Youth (JTBC) follows Min Jae-yi (Jeon), a young woman from a rich aristocratic family, accused of killing members of her own family. Agency (JTBC) follows Go A-in (Lee) as she works hard to become her advertising agency’s first female boss. Delivery Man (Rakuten Viki) is a Genie TV original K-drama about a young cab driver named Seo Young-min (Yoon) who can see ghosts and helps them do what they wanted to do before they died.

Crash Course in Romance (Netflix) follows Kang Ji-Hyun (Bang) as she joins Seo on his journey to grant wishes and help him catch a serial killer. Nam Haeng-Sun (Jeon) is a mother who runs a store and helps her daughter do well in school. Choi Chi-Yeol (Jung) is a famous teacher who is rude to his students and peers. Love To Hate You (Netflix) follows Yeo Mi-ran (Kim) and Nam Gang-Ho (Yoo). Divorce Attorney Shin (Netflix) follows Shin Sung-Han (Cho), a music teacher at a German university who is a divorce lawyer who deals with strange people and tries to get justice for them.