The number of people watching Korean dramas is increasing day by day. But why? Because Kdramas are addicting and once you start watching them, you become attached to them.
Kdramas help to escape your daily life for a while and immerse yourself in a happy world. They are realistic and connect with the viewers easily. That’s why people watch more dramas.
Korean dramas have different genres. There’s something for every kind of watcher. Whether it be romance, comedy, light drama, or thriller, mystery, and suspense, Kdramas got you covered.
Suspense Kdramas
Even though romance and comedy are the most common types of Kdramas, there is also the suspense genre. They are the best because they have complex plots, intense performances, and surprising turns.
These dramas are filled with suspense and mystery. You never know what’s coming ahead in the next episodes. Most of the episodes have a cliffhanger ending that will make you binge-watch all episodes.
If you’re a fan of thriller and suspense dramas that will make you think more, here is the handpicked list of recommended suspense dramas you should watch right now.
1. 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):
2. 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):
3. 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):
4. Life On Mars
Hangul: 라이프 온 마스
Year: 2018
One day, Tae Joo has an accident while he is looking into a case. When he wakes up, he is in the winter of 1988. He is now a detective who works at a small city’s police station. He tries to solve the case so that he can get back to the present.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jung Kyung Ho as Han Tae Joo
- Park Sung Woong as Kang Dong Cheol
- Go Ah Sung as Yoon Na Yeong
- Oh Dae Hwan as Lee Yong Gi
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
5. Through The Darkness
Hangul: 악의 마음을 읽는 자들
Year: 2022
The drama will tell the story of South Korea’s first criminal profiler and how hard it was for him to look inside the minds of serial killers when the word “profiling” did not exist. It is based on a book that came out in 2018 with the same name.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kim Nam Gil as Song Ha Young
- Kim So Jin as Yoon Tae Goo
- Jin Seon Kyu as Kook Young Soo
- Ryeoun as Jung Woo Joo
No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
6. Kingdom
Hangul: 킹덤
Year: 2019
During the Joseon period, the spirit of a recently dead king comes back, and a mysterious illness starts to spread across the country. To find out what is going on and save his people, the crown prince must deal with a new kind of enemy.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Joo Ji Hoon as Lee Chang
- Ryu Seung Ryong as Jo Hak Joo
- Bae Doo Na as Seo Bi
- Kim Sung Gyu as Young Shin
No. Of Episodes: 6+6 (50 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
7. Beyond Evil
Hangul: 괴물
Year: 2021
The story of Lee Dong Shik and Han Joo Won, two brave police officers who break the law to catch a serial killer. As they try to figure out who did it, they start to doubt the innocence of everyone involved, including themselves.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Shin Ha Kyun as Lee Dong Shik
- Yeo Jin Goo as Han Joo Won
- Choi Dae Hoon as Park Jung Je
- Choi Sung Eun as Yoo Jae Yi
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
8. 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):
9. Defendant
Hangul: 피고인
Year: 2017
Park Jung Woo is a lawyer who has lost his memory and finds out that he is already on death row. He has no choice but to race against time to find out what caused his situation and prove that he is not guilty.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Park Jung Woo
- Uhm Ki Joon as Cha Sun Ho
- Kwon Yu Ri as Seo Eun Hye
- Oh Chang Seok as Kang Joon Hyuk
No. Of Episodes: 18 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. Strangers From Hell
Hangul: 타인은 지옥이다
Year: 2019
Jong Woo goes to Seoul from the country when his friend Jae Ho gives him a job offer. He finds a cheap hotel while looking for a place to live. He makes the decision to stay there for six months. But strange things start to happen with him.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Im Shi Wan as Yoon Jong Woo
- Lee Dong Wook as Seo Moon Jo
- Lee Jung Eun as Eom Bok Soon
- Ahn Eun Jin as Seo Jung Hwa
No. Of Episodes :10 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. 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):
12. 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):
13. Save Me
Hangul: 구해줘
Year: 2017
Sang Mi’s family move to Mujigun. There she meets four young men. Later, she and her family are approached by a Spiritual Father who offers to help them. However, they get caught into the pseudo-religious cult and the four young men try to save her.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Seo Yea Ji as Im Sang Mi
- Ok Taec Yeon as Han Sang Hwan
- Woo Do Hwan as Seok Dong Chul
- Jo Sung Ha as Baek Jung Ki
No. Of Episodes: 16
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. Squid Game
Hangul: 오징어 게임
Year: 2021
The story of people, who are failures in their life plays a survival game named ‘Squid Game’. The risk is high, and so is the bet, which is $45.6 billion. The men in pink overalls and masks are watching every move. There will only be one winner.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Jung Jae as Seong Gi Hun
- Park Hae Soo as Sang Woo
- Heo Sung Tae as Duk Su
- Wi Ha Joon as Joon Ho
No. Of Episodes: 9 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
15. 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):
16. 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):
17. Voice
Hangul: 보이스
Year: 2017
After his wife dies, Detective Moo Jin Hyuk works with professional voice profiler Kwon Joo, whose father also died, to solve a different crime while looking for the serial killer who killed their family members.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jang Hyuk as Moo Jin Hyeok
- Lee Ha Na as Kang Kwon Joo
- Baek Sung Hyun as Shim Dae Shik
- Son Eun Seo as Park Eun Soo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So, these were the best suspense Korean dramas that will definitely keep you hooked from the very first episode until the climactic finale. Gear up your brain, grab your popcorn, and start watching.
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FAQs
1. What are the best suspense Kdramas?
Some of the best dramas with suspense are Mouse, Beyond Evil, Through The Darkness, Defendant, etc.
2. Do suspense dramas have a satisfying ending?
Just like in any other genre, the ends can be different. Some dramas have endings that are clear and satisfying, while others may leave room for interpretation or open-ended.
3. Where can I watch suspense dramas?
You can watch most of the suspense Korean dramas on streaming platforms like Netflix, Viki, Viu, Prime Video, etc.
