Korean dramas will never let you down when it comes to delivering the best thriller shows. You will get hooked on the drama till the end. The direction, music, acting, and plot twists are the main reasons for their popularity.
If you have been watching thriller dramas for a while, you may have come across some popular dramas like Mouse, Signal, Tunnel, etc. These are great, but there are more dramas that have been watched by very few people.
If you want to watch some exciting thrillers that less audiences know about, here is a list of the most underrated thriller dramas for you. You’ll not get bored while watching them, and you can brag to your friends.
1. The King Of Pigs
The story about two men who were victims of school violence 20 years ago. Among them, one becomes a serial killer to punish the evil. Ironically, the other becomes a police officer, who put his life to catch the killer.
Cast –
- Kim Dong Wook as Hwang Kyung Min
- Kim Sung Gyu as Jung Jong Seok
- Chae Jung An as Kang Jin Ah
- Hwang Man Ik as Park Sung Jin
No. Of Episodes – 12
Watch On – Prime Video
2. Children Of Nobody
Woo Kyung is a child counselor who works at a children’s center. Her life seems perfect. However, her perfect life doesn’t last long, when an accident changes her life. The only person she can rely on is Ji Heon, a detective who is strict toward criminals.
3. Designated Survivor: 60 Days
Hangul: 60일 – 지정생존자
Year: 2019
Moo Jin is the environment minister. In a meeting, many government officials are killed in a terrorist attack, but he survives and is forced to serve as acting president for 60 days. He pursues the individual or group responsible for the attack.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Jin Hee as Park Moo Jin
- Son Seok Koo as Cha Young Jin
- Kang Han Na as Han Na Kyung
- Heo Joon Ho as Han Joo Seung
No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. Hello Monster
Profiler Lee Hyun, returns to Korea. Unbeknownst to him, one of his team members, Detective Ji Ahn, has been investigating him. Something triggers a memory he thought he’d lost forever. They work on solving cases.
Cast –
- Seo In Guk as Lee Hyun
- Jang Na Ra as Cha Ji Ahn
- Park Bo Gum as Jung Sun Ho
- Choi Won Young as Lee Jun Ho
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Viki
5. Duel
Jang Deuk Cheon is a detective cop whose daughter gets kidnapped. He begins his investigation to find his daughter before it is too late. He starts to hunt down the suspect using the one clue he has: Two men with the same face were at the crime scene.
Cast –
- Jung Jae Young as Jang Deuk Cheon
- Kim Jung Eun as Choi Jo Hye
- Yang Se Jong as Lee Sung Joon
- Seo Eun Soo as Ryoo Mi Rae
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Free Streaming Sites
6. Lie After Lie
Ji Eun Soo, a woman wrongfully accused of murdering her husband, gets released after ten years in prison. She sets out to find her daughter, who has been adopted by a kind-hearted journalist.
7. The Veil
Hangul: 검은 태양
Year: 2021
The best agent at the National Intelligence Service, Ji Hyuk, gets caught up in a situation that puts NIS in a very tough spot. As he tries to find the employee who betrayed him and caused him to lose his job, he runs into a much bigger enemy behind the organization.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Namgoong Min as Han Ji Hyuk
- Park Ha Sun as Seo Soo Yeon
- Kim Ji Eun as Yoo Je Yi
- Jang Young Nam as Do Jin Suk
No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
8. Blind
The drama centers around detectives, judges, law school students, and jurors and depicts the story of people who have unfairly become victims because they are ordinary and perpetrators who turn a blind eye to uncomfortable truths of the world.
Cast –
- Ok Taec Yeon as Ryu Sung Joon
- Ha Seok Jin as Ryu Sung Hoon
- Jung Eun Ji as Jo Eun Gi
- Park Ji Bin as Jung In Sung
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch – Free Streaming Sites
9. 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
10. Class Of Lies
Hangul: 미스터 기간제
Year: 2019
A murder case brings down a lawyer who usually wins a lot of cases. To get his honour back, he gets a temporary job as a teacher at the high school connected to the case. He begins to witness the crimes that take place & tries to protect victims from their peers.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Yoon Kyun Sang as Gi Moo Hyuk
- Geum Sae Rok as Ha So Hyun
- Lee Jun Young as Yoo Beom Jin
- Choi Yoo Hwa as Cha Hyun Jung
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Missing Noir M
Su Hyeon returns to Korea after working in the FBI for 10 years. He now works as the leader of the Special Missing Persons Unit. Detective Dae Young who has worked for 20 years joins the unit. They get together to catch criminals.
Cast –
- Kim Kang Woo as Gil Soo Hyeon
- Park Hee Soon as Oh Dae Young
- Jo Bo Ah as Jin Seo Jun
- Kim Gyu Chul as Park Jeong Do
No. Of Episodes – 10
Watch On – Free Streaming Sites
12. Mine
Hangul: 마인
Year: 2021
Hi Soo, a former top actress who gave up her profession and is now the Hyowon Group chaebol’s second daughter-in-law, and Seo Hyun, the Hyowon Group’s first daughter-in-law, are both attempting to discover their true identities.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Bo Young as Seo Hee Soo
- Kim Seo Hyung as Jeong Seo Hyun
- Ok Ja Yeon as Kang Ja Kyung
- Lee Hyun Wook as Han Ji Yong
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
13. 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):
14. Remember: War of the Son
Hangul: 리멤버
Year: 2016
Seo Jin Woo has hyperthymesia, a disease that makes him remember things in great detail. His father was falsely accused of murder, tried, and put on death row. Jin Woo uses his power to prove his father’s innocence.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Yoo Seung Ho as Seo Jin Woo
- Park Min Young as Lee In Ah
- Park Sung Woong as Park Dong Ho
- Namgoong Min as Nam Gyu Man
No. Of Episodes: 20 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
15. Insider
Hangul: 인사이더
Year: 2022
Kim Yo Han works as a court apprentice and is always a few steps ahead. He does an undercover investigation and gets involved in a case he didn’t expect. This makes him a prisoner, and he has to struggle to get back to his normal life.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kang Ha Neul as Kim Yo Han
- Lee Yoo Young as Oh Soo Yeon
- Kim Sang Ho as Mok Jin Hyung
- Han Bo Reum as Annie Stevens
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. Undercover
Han Jeong Hyeon, a 30-year NIS agent, and his wife Choi Yeon Soo, a Human Rights lawyer turned CIO director, must find the truth against a formidable force. The revelation of Jeong Hyeon’s secret life tests their relationship.
Cast –
- Ji Jin Hee as Han Jung Hyun [Present]
- Kim Hyun Joo as Choi Yeon Soo [Present]
- Yeon Woo Jin as Han Jung Hyun [Young]
- Han Sun Hwa as Choi Yeon Soo [Young]
No. Of Episodes – 16
Watch On – Prime Video
17. Decoy
Hangul: 미끼 파트
Year: 2023
A former lawyer turned detective investigates a string of murders tied to a presumed-dead con artist. On this investigation, he collaborates with a reporter, but they quickly realize that they are not the only ones looking for the killer.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jang Geun Suk as Koo Do Han
- Heo Sung Tae as Noh Sang Cheon
- Lee Elijah as Jeon Na Yeon
- Yoo Sung Joo as Park Sang Do
No. Of Episodes: 12 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So these were some recommended Korean dramas packed with thrillers, action, suspense, and are underrated. You can watch these shows on various streaming platforms.
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