Korean dramas are now popular & watched by people all over the world. Thanks to platforms like Netflix, Viki, Kdramas are getting much recognition & people are loving them.
You are aware that Kdramas are addictive. It’s impossible to quit watching them once you start. They can help you reduce stress and escape from the actual world into a happy one.
Kdramas come in different genres like romance, thriller, comedy, a slice of life, mystery, action & more. But, you know that whatever may be the theme, they always entertain us, that’s the fact.
Underrated Korean Dramas
While many dramas are popular worldwide that got good ratings & reviews, there are still good dramas that are struggling to be recognized by the audience. Only a few of them know these gems.
Everyone knows the most-watched dramas, but only some of them have also watched these less-known Kdramas that are even better than these popular ones.
Kdramas of all genres has been mentioned in this list. Even though you may have watched some of them, they are still unknown to many watchers. So, share this with your friends & let them know.
1. Misaeng: Incomplete Life
Hangul: 미생
Year: 2014
Geu Rae has been playing go since he was a kid. He tried to become a professional go player, but failed. He starts working in a company on the recommendation of a friend. He tries his best at his new job and doesn’t let his humanity slip away.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Im Si Wan as Jang Geu Rae
- Lee Sung Min as Oh Sang Shik
- Kang So Ra as Ahn Young Yi
- Kang Ha Neul as Jang Baek Ki
No. Of Episodes: 20 (80 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
2. Run On
Hangul: 런온
Year: 2020
The drama follows the love story of former sprinter Seon Gyeom, a sports agent, and subtitle translator Mi Joo. Dan Ah is the CEO of a sports agency. Soon, she meets university art major Young Hwa, who likes movies and drawing.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Im Si Wan as Ki Seon Gyeom
- Shin Se Kyung as Oh Mi Joo
- Choi Soo Young as Seo Dan Ah
- Kang Tae Oh as Lee Young Hwa
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
3. Kairos
Hangul: 카이로스
Year: 2020
The drama revolves around two people – a guy whose daughter has been abducted, and a lady whose mother has gone missing. They call each other and help each other, but they are a month apart in time and can only speak for one minute.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Shin Sung Rok as Kim Seo Jin
- Lee Se Young as Han Ae Ri
- Ahn Bo Hyun as Seo Do Gyun
- Nam Gyu Ri as Kang Hyun Chae
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
4. Hyena
Hangul: 하이에나
Year: 2020
Lawyers Yoon Hee Jae and Jung Geum Ja work for the top 1% of society. Geum Ja is an attorney who only wants money. She does whatever it takes to win her fights. Hee Jae is a very smart and confident lawyer who is at the top of his field.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Joo Ji Hoon as Yoon Hee Jae
- Kim Hye Soo as Jung Geum Ja
- Lee Kyung Young as Song Pil Joong
- Kim Ho Jung as Kim Min Joo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
5. The Guardians
Hangul: 파수꾼
Year: 2017
The story of a group of five people who come together to serve justice after losing loved ones to criminals. They keep an eye on offenders around the clock and rescue potential victims before the crime has been committed.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Lee Si Young as Jo Soo Ji
- Kim Young Kwang as Jang Do Han
- Kim Tae Hoon as Kim Eun Joong
- Kim Seul Gi as Seo Bo Mi
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
6. Hot Stove League
Hangul: 스토브리그
Year: 2019
The drama centres on a baseball team that is in last place and gearing up for an extraordinary season after the hiring of their new general manager. Each episode will highlight an issue the team is facing as they work to improve.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Namgoong Min as Baek Seung Soo
- Park Eun Bin as Lee Se Young
- Cho Byeong Kyu as Han Jae Hee
- Oh Jung Se as Kwon Gyung Min
No. Of Episodes: 16 (62 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
7. 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):
8. Queen For Seven Days
Based on the tragic Joseon legend, this drama is about the love story between King Jung Jong and his Queen Dangyeong, daughter of a powerful politician who was crowned and deposed within a week due to rival political factions that controlled the king’s rule.
9. Sell Your Haunted House
Hangul: 대박부동산
Year: 2021
Ji Ah is a real estate agent as well as an exorcist. She offers to clean out buildings where spirits have been seen. Beom is a con artist looking to make money. Can the two get along while dealing with house prices, ghosts, and their sad stories?
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jang Na Ra as Hong Ji Ah
- Jung Yong Hwa as Oh In Beom
- Kang Hong Suk as Heo Ji Cheol
- Kang Mal Geum as Joo Hwa Jung
No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
10. Gaus Electronics
Hangul: 가우스전자
Year: 2022
The drama follows the hectic lives of the employees in Marketing Team 3 at Gaus Electronics’ home appliance headquarters. The main characters deal with the ups and downs of corporate life while also dealing with their personal issues.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Kwak Dong Yeon as Lee Sang Shik
- Go Sung Hee as Cha Na Rae
- Bae Hyun Sung as Baek Ma Tan
- Kang Min Ah as Gun Kang Mi
No. Of Episodes: 12 (50 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
11. Good Manager
Hangul: 김과장
Year: 2017
A former gangster’s accountant takes a job as the chief of accounting at TQ Group, a conglomerate, in order to embezzle a big sum of money. He uses his skills to expose the company’s wrongdoings and to fight for the rights of its employees.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Namkoong Min as Kim Sung Ryong
- Nam Sang Mi as Yoon Ha Kyung
- Lee Jun Ho as Seo Yool
- Jung Hye Sung as Hong Ga Eun
No. Of Episodes: 20 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
12. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
Hangul: 하늘에서 내리는 일억
Year: 2018
A detective investigates the death of a female university student. He has a sister who meets a bad guy but has pity for him. The detective tries to drive him away from his sister because he believes the man is involved in the murder case.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Seo In Guk as Kim Moo Young
- Jung So Min as Yoo Jin Kang
- Park Sung Woong as Yoo Jin Gook
- Seo Eun Soo as Baek Seung Ah
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
13. Player
Hangul: 플레이어
Year: 2018
A con artist, a fighter, an expert hacker, and a skilled driver make up an elite team that works with a good prosecutor to solve crimes. Together, they get rid of illegal money and make sure that people who make money by breaking the law are caught.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Song Seung Heon as Kang Ha Ri
- Krystal as Cha Ah Ryung
- Lee Si Eon as Im Byung Min
- Tae Won Seok as Do Jin Woong
No. Of Episodes: 14 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
14. 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):
15. Doctor John
Hangul: 의사 요한
Year: 2019
In this medical drama, two excellent anesthesiologists named Cha Yo Han and Kang Shi Young discuss their work diagnosing patients with enigmatic pain that other medical professionals are unable to treat while letting go of their pasts.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Ji Sung as Cha Yo Han
- Lee Se Young as Kang Shi Young
- Lee Kyu Hyung as Son Suk Gi
- Hwang Hee as Lee Yoo Joon
No. Of Episodes: 32 (35 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
16. 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):
17. A Piece Of Your Mind
Hangul: 반의 반
Year: 2020
A relationship between Ha Won, the founder of M&H Company and an AI programmer, and Seo Woo, a classical music recording engineer. Her life is unstable because she does not have a family or a home, yet she is a positive person.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Jung Hae In as Moon Ha Won
- Chae Soo Bin as Han Seo Woo
- Lee Ha Na as Moon Soon Ho
- Kim Sung Gyu as Kang In Wook
No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
18. Be Melodramatic
Hangul: 멜로가 체질
Year: 2019
Jin Joo, Eun Jung, and Han Joo, three 30-year-old best friends, each pursue distinct career and romantic paths. Regardless of life’s challenges, the three friends can always return home at the end of the day and encourage one another.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Chun Woo Hee as Im Jin Joo
- Jeon Yeo Bin as Lee Eun Jung
- Han Ji Eun as Hwang Han Joo
- Ahn Jae Hong as Son Beom Soo
No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
19. Doctor Prisoner
Hangul: 닥터 프리즈너
Year: 2019
A talented doctor is forced to quit from his position at a hospital after being accused of improper medical care. He then begins working in a prison in order to create enough contacts for his vengeance against the hospital.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Namkoong Min as Na Yi Je
- Kwon Na Ra as Han So Geum
- Kim Byung Chul as Sun Min Shik
- Choi Won Young as Lee Jae Joon
No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
20. Age Of Youth
Hangul: 청춘시대
Year: 2016
Five girls in their twenties come to live together in a house. Each girl has a particular personality, background, and issues. The drama follows their struggles and incidents dealing with relationships within their circles, with dating, and with each other.
Rating:
Main Cast (Characters):
- Han Ye Ri as Yoon Jin Myung
- Ryu Hwa Young as Kang Yi Na
- Park Eun Bin as Song Ji Won
- Han Seung Yeon as Jung Ye Eun
No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)
Streaming Options (region-specific):
Wrapping Up
So, these were some of the Underrated Kdramas that you should add to your watchlist. Share this article with your friends & let them know about these dramas so that they can also freshen their mood!
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FAQs
1. What is the most underrated Kdrama?
The most underrated Korean dramas are The Guardians, Doctor Prisoner, Run On, Age Of Youth, Player, etc.
2. What is meant by underrated drama?
A drama is said to be underrated when only few people have watched it and most of the audience don’t know about the drama.
3. What is special about underrated Kdramas?
Underrated dramas have good storyline, nice ratings and reviews by the audience, and they can be watched online.
