Korean dramas are a complete package of entertainment. Whether it be a romantic comedy or mystery thriller, they leave us awestruck with their storyline, acting, and music. They are quite addictive.
Most of the Kdramas revolve around the romance between the main leads, and they are the most popular among the audience. But there are others who like thriller dramas that have plot twists that you never think of.
Kdramas With Plot Twist
Korean dramas are also good for their intense plot twists. A well-placed plot twist can completely change the course of a story, leaving you reeling and eager to find out what happens next. And Kdramas does this best.
If you’re searching for some good Korean dramas that will leave you shocked with their twist after twist, here is a list of the best ones. Keep your eyes open all the time, as you never know what will happen.
1. Mouse
Hangul: 마우스
Year: 2021
Ba Reum is a police officer whose life changes when he encounters a psychopathic killer. This drives him and his partner to unveil the truth behind psychopathic behaviours. A drama that asks the question, “What if we could identify psychopaths in advance?”
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Seung Gi as Jung Ba Reum
- Lee Hee Joon as Ko Moo Chi
- Park Joo Hyun as Oh Bong Yi
- Kyung Soo Jin as Choi Hong Joo
No. Of Episodes: 20
Streaming Options (region-specific):
2. Kill Me, Heal Me
Hangul: 킬미힐미
Year: 2015
The story is about an heir to a business who has severe dissociative identity disorder. He asks a psychiatrist for help to get his life back under control, but she ends up falling in love with one of his personalities. Her brother looks into him and his family.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Cha Do Hyun
- Hwang Jung Eum as Oh Ri Jin
- Park Seo Joon as Oh Ri On
- Kim Yoo Ri as Han Chae Yun
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
3. Stranger
Hangul: 비밀의 숲
Year: 2017
Hwang Shi Mok, a prosecutor finds him in a murder case. He meets Police Lieutenant Yeo Jin at a murder crime scene. They work together to wipe out corruption at the prosecutor’s office and solve a serial murder case.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jo Seung Woo as Hwang Shi Mok
- Bae Doo Na as Han Yeo Jin
- Lee Joon Hyuk as Seo Dong Jae
- Shin Hye Sun as Young Eun Soo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. Prison Playbook
Hangul: 슬기로운 감빵생활
Year: 2017
A compelling drama about the lives of prisoners, their families, and the duty officers who work in the prisons. Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball pitcher, is convicted of assault after he saves his sister and goes to jail.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Park Hae Soo as Kim Je Hyuk
- Jung Kyung Ho as Lee Joon Ho
- Krystal Jung as Kim Ji Ho
- Im Hwa Young as Kim Je Hee
No. Of Episodes: 16 (90 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
5. The Devil Judge
Hangul: 악마판사
Year: 2021
The drama is set in a dystopic version of Korea. Three judges work together to bring justice and peace through a courtroom live show that airs on TV. Kang Yo Han, a cruel head trial judge, is made the chief judge.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Kang Yo Han
- Kim Min Jung as Jung Sun Ah
- Park Jin Young as Kim Ga On
- Park Gyu Young as Yoon Soo Hyun
No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
6. Flower Of Evil
Hangul: 악의 꽃
Year: 2020
Baek Hee Sung is a carpenter who lives with his wife Cha Ji Won and their daughter. However, he conceals some terrible truths from his wife. His wife is a murder detective who is working on a case involving a psychopath who is very close to her.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Joon Gi as Baek Hee Sung
- Moon Chae Won as Cha Ji Won
- Jang Hee Jin as Do Hae Soo
- Seo Hyun Woo as Kim Moo Jin
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
7. Vincenzo
Hangul: 빈센조
Year: 2021
Vincenzo, a Mafia consigliere, runs away to South Korea to get gold from the bottom of Geumga Plaza. But a company has illegally taken ownership of the building, and he must use his skills to get the building back and get his money back.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Song Joong Ki as Vincenzo Cassano
- Jeon Yeo Been as Hong Cha Young
- Ok Taec Yeon as Jang Jun Woo
- Kim Yeo Jin as Choi Myung Hee
No. Of Episodes: 20 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
8. Goblin
Hangul: 도깨비
Year: 2017
Kim Shin (Goblin) is framed as a traitor and executed by the young monarch. Years after his death, he is cursed by the Almighty to be eternal forever. He encounters Ji Eun Tak, who claims to be his spouse. The plot centres around four main leads.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Gong Yoo as Kim Shin
- Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak
- Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper
- Yoo In Na as Sunny
No. Of Episodes: 16 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
9. The Penthouse: War in Life
Hangul: 펜트하우스
Year: 2020
The story of the children of rich families who live in Hera Palace and go to Cheong-ah Arts School. Su Ryeon came from a wealthy family. She is now a beautiful upper-class woman. Seo Jin came from a rich family. Yoon Hee was born into a poor home.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Ji Ah as Shim Soo Ryun
- Kim So Yeon as Cheon Seo Jin
- Eugene as Oh Yon Hee
- Uhm Ki Joon as Joo Dan Tae
No. Of Episodes: 21 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. Tunnel
Hangul: 터널
Year: 2017
Park Kwang Ho is a detective in 1986. During his investigation, he walks through a tunnel that works as a time portal and takes him to Seoul in the present day. He meets Kim Sun Jae, a new partner and tries to find the serial killer to return to the past.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Kwang Ho
- Yoon Hyun Min as Kim Seon Jae
- Lee Yoo Young as Shin Jae Yi
- Jo Hee Bong as Jeon Seong Shik
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Master’s Sun
Hangul: 주군의 태양
Year: 2013
Joong Won is the CEO of Kingdom, a conglomerate. He meets Gong Shil, who can see ghosts. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought by the spirits. And unknowingly, they fall in love.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Gong Hyo Jin as Tae Gong Shil
- So Ji Sub as Joo Joong Won
- Seo In Guk as Kang Woo
- Kim Yoo Ri as Tae Yi Ryung
No. Of Episodes – 17 (62 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
12. Secret Garden
Hangul: 시크릿 가든
Year: 2010
When a rich CEO of a successful company falls in love with a simple stuntwoman, he has to deal with a lot of different feelings as he tries to win her over. To make things more confusing, a strange chain of events causes them to switch bodies.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Hyun Bin as Kim Joo Won
- Ha Ji Won as Gil Ra Im
- Yoon Sang Hyun as Choi Woo Young
- Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul
No. Of Episodes: 20 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
13. Circle
In a dystopic future, a detective looks into the disappearance of twin boys in 2017. He finds out a dark secret about Smart Earth, a place where there are no crimes and people’s feelings are controlled, and uncovers the truth about the future of humanity.
Cast –
- Yeo Jin Goo as Kim Woo Jin
- Kim Kang Woo as Kim Joon Hyuk
- Gong Seung Yeon as Han Jung Yeon
- Lee Gi Kwang as Lee Ho Soo
No. Of Episodes – 12
Watch On – Prime Video
14. It’s Okay, That’s Love
Jae Yeol is a popular novelist. While sitting on a talk show panel with psychiatrist Hae Soo, it became clear to all that the two just rubbed each other the wrong way. Due to an incident, they both become roommates & attempt to heal each other’s deep-seated wounds.
15. Big Mouth
Chang Ho is an underperforming lawyer. He winds up in charge of a murder case that turns him overnight into a genius conman known as “Big Mouse.” In order to survive, he must expose a huge conspiracy among the privileged upper classes.
Cast –
- Lee Jong Suk as Park Chang Ho
- Im Yoon Ah as Ko Mi Ho
- Yang Kyung Won as Gong Ji Hoon
- Kim Joo Heon as Choi Do Ha
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Disney+
16. Sky Castle
Hangul: SKY 캐슬
Year: 2018
The drama revolves around the lives of housewives residing in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle. The wives are determined to make their husbands more successful and to raise their children to be top students.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Yeom Jung Ah as Han Seo Jin
- Lee Tae Ran as Lee Soo Im
- Yoon Se Ah as Noh Seung Hye
- Oh Na Ra as Jin Jin Hee
No. Of Episodes: 20 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
17. Signal
Hangul: 시그널
Year: 2016
Park Hae Yeong watches a girl being taken away 15 years ago. Hae Yeong is now a police cop and a criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie-talkie that links him with Detective Lee Jae Han from the past. Together, they solve a string of killings.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong
- Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun
- Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han
- Kim Won Hae as Kim Gye Cheol
No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
18. 365: Repeat The Year
Hangul: 365: 운명을 거스르는 1년
Year: 2020
The story of a group of people who are given the opportunity to relive a year of their lives in order to prevent a tragic accident from happening. Along the way, they uncover hidden truths about themselves and those around them, and must confront their past mistakes.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Joon Hyuk as Ji Hyung Joo
- Nam Ji Hyun as Shin Ga Hyun
- Kim Jee Soo as Lee Shin
- Lee Sung Wook as Park Sun Ho
No. Of Episodes: 24 (35 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
19. Train
Hangul: 트레인
Year: 2020
Do Won is a detective who strives to help Seo Kyung. This drama is divided into two worlds. He travels to the other world on a mysterious train that appears in an abandoned station to track down the serial killer with the help of the other Seo Kyung.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Yoon Shi Yoon as Seo Do Won
- Kyung Soo Jin as Han Seo Kyung
- Shin So Yool as Lee Jung Min
- Lee Hang Na as Oh Mi Sook
No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
20. Awaken
Hangul: 낮과 밤
Year: 2020
Jung Woo, the leader of a special task force, ends up investigating a series of murders. Together with his team, they uncover clues that these crimes are somehow related to a tragic event that happened 28 years ago.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Namgoong Min as Do Jung Woo
- Kim Seol Hyun as Gong Hye Won
- Lee Chung Ah as Jamie Layton
- Yoon Sun Woo as Moon Jae Woong
No. Of Episodes – 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So these were the recommended Korean dramas filled with plot twists. They are exciting to watch and keep you hooked and guessing till the end. Grab your popcorn and start watching them right now.
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FAQs
1. Which Kdrama has the best plot twist?
Kdramas with the biggest and shocking plot twists are The Devil Judge, Mouse, Flower Of Evil, Train, Signal, and Big Mouth.
2. What is the most common plot twist?
The most common plot twists in Kdramas include the real identity of a character, past relationship of main leads, and hidden truths.
3. Where can I watch plot twist dramas?
You can watch the Korean dramas with unexpected plot twists on Netflix, Viki, Prime Video, Viu, Kocowa, and WeTV.
