10 Most Exciting Korean Movies & TV Shows Coming To Netflix In 2025

Netflix has long been known for its large backlog of South Korean TV shows and movies that have garnered significant audience numbers across the world. Fortunately for fans and critics, 2025 will be no different, as this year, even more K-dramas and films will hit the streaming service and give viewers plenty of content to catch up on. Many of Netflix’s best original K-dramas have shaped the streamer’s trajectory, demonstrating the interest in South Korean television across the globe. It’s likely that these newcomers to the streamer won’t be any different.

Netflix is dropping 29 South Korean dramas and movies in 2025, which bodes well for the success of the streamer and audience enjoyment. K-dramas are some of Netflix’s best TV shows, as it’s easy for viewers to get lost in their sweeping romance, as well as their intense action sequences. While some of the projects coming to Netflix are the next installments of beloved TV shows, others are brand new and touch upon a wide variety of genres. From sensitive love stories to gory crime thrillers, there’s something for everyone coming to Netflix in 2025.

10

Mercy For None (2025)

A crime thriller TV show about a man’s quest for revenge

A character with his back turned in Mercy For None

Mercy For None is a fitting name for this crime drama coming to Netflix this year. The story revolves around a young man, Nam Gi-jun, who left the world of gang warfare many years ago to find happiness in a normal life. However, when his powerful brother is suddenly killed, Gi-jun must investigate the truth behind his death. As he looks into connections between his brother’s friends and enemies, Gi-jun embarks on a journey of revenge from which there’s no going back.

Action-packed thrillers like Mercy For None are always compelling additions to the TV landscape, and Mercy For None has the added benefit of a complex emotional throughline.

So Ji-sub leads the cast as Nam Gi-jun, with Huh Joon-ho and Gong Myoung in supporting roles in Mercy For None​​​​​​. Action-packed thrillers like Mercy For None are always compelling additions to the TV landscape, and Mercy For None has the added benefit of a complex emotional throughline. Not only does Gi-jun want to dole out the violence and revenge he’s been holding inside for many years, but he’s doing so because of the grief of losing his brother.

9

When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025)

The lives of two lovers are explored in this tender new K-drama

IU and Park Bo-gum holding sheets of paper as they stand against an orange background in a promotional image announcing their casting for When Life Gives You Tangerines

Lee Ji-eun, AKA IU, is the central figure in When Life Gives You Tangerines, Ae-soon​​​​​​, alongside Park Bo-gum as Gwan-sik​​​​​​, two sides of the same coin who help each other navigate life. When Life Gives You Tangerines will likely join the ranks of Netflix’s best slice-of-life K-dramas, as it’s a sprawling story that focuses on the joys and losses of each phase of development. Gwan-sik’s enduring and unwavering love for Ae-soon is what buoys the couple throughout their hardships.

Two images side by side from upcoming K-Dramas Tempest and Newtopia

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Set in Jeju in the 1950s, When Life Gives You Tangerines incorporates elements of period TV shows and classic K-dramas, combining them to tell a universal story of love. Moon Si-ri and Park Hae-joon will join the cast as the older iterations of the characters, as When Life Gives You Tangerines won’t shy away from each phase of life. Premiering in March, When Life Gives You Tangerines will be the perfect viewing for the transition to spring.

8

Lost In Starlight (2025)

Netflix’s first animated South Korean movie is finally coming to the streamer

The main characters in Lost in Starlight

Though Netflix has produced plenty of South Korean movies and TV shows, the streamer has never released an original animated film until now. Lost In Starlight is worthy of audience attention because of its ground-breaking position, as well as its rumored story. The film will follow the tale of a couple who are literally separated by the stars, as one member is an astronaut headed for Mars. This touching concept gives Lost in Starlight all the elements of a moving feature.

The actors will be reuniting on Lost in Starlight after teaming up for the 2023 thriller TV series Revenant​​​​​​.

Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung will voice the characters in Lost in Starlight, and though audiences won’t see her face, Kim will be familiar to viewers who have seen one of Park Chan-wook’s best movies, The Handmaiden. Hong has lent his talents to a fair share of big projects as well, with Hear Me: Our Summer being one of his recent K-dramas. The actors will be reuniting on Lost in Starlight after teaming up for the 2023 thriller TV series Revenant​​​​​​.

7

When The Stars Gossip (2025)

A romance set in space is more relatable than audiences might think

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When The Stars Gossip is perfect for fans of The King: Eternal Monarch because both of these shows feature Lee Min-ho. His character, Gong Ryong​​​​​​, isn’t a king like in his past TV show, but a doctor who travels to space as a tourist. Gong Hyo-jin plays Eve Kim​​​​​​, an astronaut Gong meets at the space station, with whom he has an immediate spark. Having a traditional romance play out on a space station is an ambitious idea, but When The Stars Gossip has pulled it off well.

The new TV show, When The Stars Gossip, began airing on Netflix in the first quarter of 2025 and is a great way to kick off 2025 for K-dramas. With a unique setting and charismatic leads, When The Stars Gossip is giving audiences a taste of what’s to come for the rest of the calendar year. Romance and personal trials are the core conflicts in When The Stars Gossip​​​​​​, but that isn’t to say there aren’t larger themes and important questions posed by the series.

6

Dear Hongrang (2025)

An upcoming period drama that will touch upon identity and family

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Set in the Joseon era, Dear Hongrang revolves around the sudden reappearance of the son of a wealthy family, who was thought to be gone forever. This man, Hongrang, played by Lee Jae-wook, is immediately under suspicion after he returns home as an adult, as his family can’t be certain this is the child that has slowly faded from their memories. His sister, Jae-yi (Jo Bo-ah), has been searching for him for some time since he was her protector and ally in childhood.

Though the family and personal dramas will take center stage in Dear Hongrang, it will be interesting to see how the show grapples with its connection to the past.

Expected in the second quarter of 2025, Dear Hongrang will carefully balance its gorgeous period setting, costuming, and stylization with its contemporary themes of mystery and identity. Some of the most lush and sweeping K-dramas that Netflix has produced and distributed have been period pieces, and they’ve never shied away from touching upon the complexities of various parts of history. Though the family and personal dramas will take center stage in Dear Hongrang, it will be interesting to see how the show grapples with its connection to the past.

5

Tastefully Yours (2025)

Food and romance are intertwined in this opposites-attract K-drama

The main characters in a kitchen in Tastefully Yours

A small-town chef is swept away in a romance with a spoiled businessman in Tastefully Yours, a food-inspired K-drama coming to Netflix this year. Kang Ha-neul portrays the heir to a large food and restaurant conglomerate, Han Beom-woo, while Go Min-si is the chef, Mo Yeon-joo, who isn’t interested in business or marketing and only cares about how her food tastes. Of course, neither side of these extreme personalities can run a successful restaurant, but together, they could make something work.

By teaming up and learning from each other, Yeon-joo and Min-si will grow to appreciate the other’s opinions and abilities, finding a happy medium. Despite this, like most K-dramas, Tastefully Yours will incorporate plenty of misunderstandings and miscommunications to make their business and romance difficult to navigate. However, this is part of the fun of watching a show like Tastefully Yours, which is slated to hit Netflix in the second quarter of 2025 and will bring the first blushes of true love along with it.

4

Revelations (2025)

Yeon Sang-ho returns with an epic thriller after Train to Busan (2016)

A character in a car in the movie Revelations

After the director Yeon Sang-ho broke out with his 2016 action horror movie Train to Busan, the filmmaker was catapulted to fame. Train to Busan was immediately heralded as one of the best additions to the next generation of zombie movies, but this won’t be what audiences see in Revelations​​​​​​. Choi Gyu Seok wrote the script for Revelations after teaming up with Yeon on the animated series Hellbound, and these past collaborations bode well for Revelations.

It’s an intense plot that grapples with the dangers of unquestioning faith, but nothing less could be expected from Yeon and Choi.

Their new film will lean into the mystery genre, following the actions of a pastor who embarks on a single-minded quest for revenge when his faith tells him that a parishioner took his son. It’s an intense plot that grapples with the dangers of unquestioning faith, but nothing less could be expected from Yeon and Choi. The production company, WOW Point, who helped produce Netflix’s hit sci-fi series Parasyte: The Grey, is also behind Revelations, making for a stacked creative team.

3

Can This Love Be Translated? (2025)

The latest K-drama written by the iconic Hong Sisters

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Language barriers and the meanings that can be lost in translation will be a large part of Can This Love Be Translated?, which stars Kim Seon-ho as Ju Ho-jin, a professional translator. Go Youn-jung will join him as Cha Mu-hee, a famous actress who brings Ju Ho-jin on as her personal interpreter. Of course, it doesn’t take long for these two characters and their opposing personalities to clash, but this will result in an exciting, opposites-attract romance that any audience member can get swept away in.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Hometown Cha-cha-cha and It’s Okay To Not Be Okay characters

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The Hong Sisters, who are known for writing some of the most popular K-dramas of the last few years, like Alchemy of Souls and Hotel del Luna, are behind the story of Can This Love Be Translated?. With the Hong Sisters at the helm, it’s almost certain that audiences are in for a treat with this upcoming series. Love can be just as hard to understand as a foreign language, and even if Ju Ho-jin is a whiz at learning new tongues, that doesn’t mean he can always communicate how he truly feels.

2

The Great Flood (2024)

Kim Byung-woo’s new disaster movie is a compelling thrill ride

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This new addition to the disaster genre, The Great Flood, is poised to be a great addition to Netflix’s slate of South Korean movies. After the success of major disaster movies like Twisters in 2024, the audience’s appetite for the genre has only grown, making the tense film The Great Flood​​​​​​ a promising new film. Since it also blends elements of the apocalyptic genre into the story, the stakes are high in The Great Flood, as humanity’s survival might depend on the main characters.

Kim Da-Mi and Park Hae-Soo are playing the main characters, and Park’s previous role in Squid Game will likely bolster the number of viewers who tune in to watch The Great Flood.

Written and directed by Kim Byung-woo, The Great Flood is the latest film in his long line of lower-budget and exciting thrillers that make the most of their condensed casts and tight scripts. Kim Da-Mi and Park Hae-Soo are playing the main characters, and Park’s previous role in Squid Game will likely bolster the number of viewers who tune in to watch The Great Flood. With Kim directing and the cast led by two well-known actors performing, The Great Flood has a lot going for it.

1

Squid Game (2021–Present)

Season 3 will deliver an unforgettable ending to Netflix’s hit TV series

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Though Squid Game season 2 only recently hit Netflix, dropping at the end of 2024, season 3 of the streamer’s beloved series is already on its way. Squid Game season 3 will likely be the TV show’s most explosive installment yet, leaving viewers with an epic ending to the series. Lee Jung-jae will be back to lead the series in the third season, and it’s a good thing the show is returning so soon after the shocking season finale that viewers had to grapple with in December of 2024.

Recent photos indicate that the VIPs are returning in Squid Game season 3, which bodes well for the viewer discovering more about the behind-the-scenes forces at play on the island. Though this will be Squid Game​​​​​​’s final outing, the series has had a successful run and is going out with a strong and loyal fanbase still engaged in its episodes. Fortunately, Netflix will feature plenty of great actors from Squid Game in other projects like Kang Ha-neul in Tastefully Yours​​​​​​.

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Squid Game

TV-MA

Action & Adventure

Mystery

Drama

Thriller

ScreenRant logo

8/10

232

8.8/10

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

Netflix

Cast

See All

  • Lee Jung-Jae Profile Picture

    Lee Jung-jae

    Seong Gi-hun / ‘No. 456’

  • Headshot Of Lee Byung-hun

    Lee Byung-hun

    Front Man

Showrunner

Hwang Dong-hyuk

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Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

Squid Game (2021–Present)

89%

73%

Squid Game season 3 will premiere on Netflix on June 27th, 2025 (via Netflix).

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.