A team of inspectors schooling teenage bullies by hook or crook.
A ghost slayer taking on angry spirits haunting a murky kingdom.
A former spy on a mad mission to rescue his daughter.
Misfits turned superheroes saving the world.
It’s only July but the South Korean drama scene is brimming with action and adrenalin. Not all of it is slam and smash though. Sukanya Verma lists her favourite K-Dramas of 2026 so far.
Key Points
- South Korean dramas are delivering a strong mix of genres in 2026, with action, fantasy, romance, horror, comedy and slice-of-life stories dominating streaming platforms.
- Netflix leads the K-drama lineup with standout titles including The East Palace, Teach You a Lesson, Phantom Lawyer, Agent Kim Reactivated, The Wonderfools and My Royal Nemesis.
- Major stars headline the year’s biggest shows, including Nam Joo-hyuk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Seon-ho, Go Youn-jung, IU, Byeon Woo-seok, Lim Ji-yeon and Ahn Bo-hyun.
The East Palace
Where to watch? Netflix
One of the most hyped shows of the year marking Nam Joo Hyuk’s comeback after finishing his mandatory military service, The East Palace‘s mix of horror, fantasy and folklore more than lives up to the expectations over eight episodes of visual wizardry and royal intrigue.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Fearing the consequences of a sinister curse on his reign by a bunch of resentful wraiths, a king summons a spirit slayer and his skilled daughter to wipe out the spooky forces.
What follows is a whole lot of imaginative worldbuilding around a spectral realm, evoking Upside Down in Stranger Things, along with innovative creature design, slick action pieces and a diverse emotional palette — seeing humans beyond the prism of heroic and heinous — lends to its spellbinding appeal.
Teach You A Lesson
Where to watch? Netflix
There’s something so satisfying about watching a purposely created Educational Rights Protection Bureau put a series of entitled bullies in their place — be it kids, teachers, parents or South Korea’s flawed education system — without rest in this immensely binge-worthy adaptation of a webtoon.
Kim Mu-yeol’s dynamic portrayal as the leader of the pack, refusing to suffer fools despite extreme political pressure and intense media scrutiny, alone is worth the price of subscription as is its dedicated belief in accountability above pardon.
The Legend of Kitchen Soldier
Where to watch? Viki
A shy, sensitive young soldier serving his military enlistment finds his calling as chef after he’s assigned kitchen duties in a charming slice-of-army life.
What sweetens the deal is the mysterious screen before him (but invisible to everyone else) offering culinary quests replete with recipes and rewards wherein he unlocks new levels while learning the ways of the army, winning hearts, spreading cheer and overcoming all sorts of obstacles at the barracks.
It’s like Solo Levelling meets Food Wars in its competitive gastronomic pursuits but the real heart of the show comes from the humorous camaraderie and warm bromance between the troops.
Phantom Lawyer
Where to watch? Netflix
Hospital Playlist, Mr Sunshine and When the Phone Rings star Yoo Yeon-seok plays the titular role of a lawyer not just capable of communicating with ghosts but being possessed by them as well.
Every episode chronicles his comical, clever or thrilling journey at solving a mystery and delivering justice to hapless souls, including his long deceased dad, an ace prosecutor backstabbed by a man he considered friend.
Aside from the fun led by Yeon-seok’s side-splitting prowess, it’s really commendable how the 16 episodes deftly connects the dots and arrives at its wholesome emotional ending.
Can This Love Be Translated
Where to watch? Netflix
Filming a television show across scenic locations in various parts of the world, an actress and her interpreter fight their feelings only to give into them in a roundabout fashion and reveal Can This Love Be Translated‘s complex themes.
Beautiful people falling in love against beautiful locations comes effortlessly to K-dramas. Except there’s more to Can This Love Be Translated than delightful meet-cutes as it deviates into a story about split personalities and childhood traumas.
It’s a great deal to take in but Kim Seon-ho’s precious presence and Go Youn-jung’s multifaceted performance makes it an easy pill to digest.
Agent Kim Reactivated
Where to watch? Netflix
For all its John Wick, Taken comparisons, Agent Kim Reactivated is as Korean as it gets grabbing eyeballs with a kinetic mix of edge-of-the-seat action, cross-border espionage masala and the amusing show of brotherhood the titular hero enjoys after his daughter is abducted by her class bully’s demented daddy.
A hero is only as good as the villain and the array of thugs Agent Kim has up its sleeve promises one hell of a joyride.
The Wonderfools
Where to watch? Netflix
The laugh out loud virtues of The Wonderfools gang make the limited series an easy shoo-in.
Set in the late 1990s against the backdrop of doomsday panic, a troika of goofy albeit goodhearted besties find themselves equipped with superpowers they don’t really have the acumen for until a smart, silent survivor of an evil scientist’s human experiment shows them how.
What ensues is often bonkers, bizarre and, beyond any doubt, funny.
Perfect Crown
Where to watch? Jio Hotstar
A fairy tale romance starring hallyu superstars IU and Byeon Woo-seok? What’s not to like?
It’s no Lovely Runner but the chic aesthetics, sumptuous visuals and giddy romance between two ridiculously good looking leads makes for a breezy confection despite a wafer-thin storyline about an illegitimately-born heiress seeking social currency by marrying the prince of a fictional kingdom.
If light-hearted fluff is your thing, look no further.
My Royal Nemesis
Where to watch? Netflix
Trust K-drama to turn a spectacle out of bad guys falling in love when stars uncannily align and enable a witty, winsome banter between a nasty chaebol heir and an equally cunning Joseon era concubine reborn in a struggling actor’s body.
The crackling chemistry between Lim Ji-yeon and Heo Nam-jun keeps the momentum going even when it entangles itself in cliches and tropes after starting out on such a joyfully original note.
Spring Fever
Where to watch? Prime Video
After showing off his villainous chops in Itaewon Class and comic muscle in Flexx Cop, Ahn Bo-hyun asserts his all-rounder might in Spring Fever‘s sunshine scenario.
No matter how bleak things look, there’s always something to keep one’s chin up with this man around the corner fixing everything in a jiffy.
His love for his younger brother, his clout in the quirky coastal town he resides in, his love-hate equation with an estranged pal or the school teacher he loses his heart to, there’s never a dull moment when Bo-hyun’s around.
Spring Fever‘s under-rated merriment has my vote.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
