Apart from their songs, good looks, and romantic movies that make us go weak in our knees, there is one more thing that Koreans do better- Thriller K-Drama. With just the right amount of gore, blood-curdling screams, and nerve-wracking stories, these thriller K-Drama are at the top of the list. From Hell Is Other People to Hellbound, these shows are too good to miss. Happy binging!

Here Is A List Of K-Drama Packed With Thrill!

1. KINGDOM

Zombies have always been a subject of intrigue and fascination. Somehow, we can’t have enough of these ghoulish-looking half-dead beings perpetually looking for brains. Set in the 16th century, Kingdom brings out the fear, butchery, and decay of an empire clouded with impending doom.

Lee Chang, the crown prince, faces discrimination at the hands of the empire as he is mothered by a concubine. He still perseveres in the face of death and fights off the zombies. Accompanied by his bodyguard and an unlikely bunch of survivors, he must face the demons outside and within. His accomplices hide nightmarish secrets threatening Lee Chang’s survival. This thriller K-Drama will give you a bone-chilling experience.

2. SWEET HOME

What if your safe haven turns into a war zone? Whether there is a monster lurking inside our closet or making a home in our souls, we all deal with monsters of our own. The problem arises when they decide to wipe out humanity.

Cha Hyun-soo lost his family in a tragic car accident. He is dealing with a monster within and is contemplating suicide. He soon finds himself smack in the middle of an apocalypse. While he seeks some companionship in his neighbors, he quickly realizes there are monsters living next door. This thriller K-Drama is coupled with action, gore, horror, and a unique storytelling experience.

3. RUGAL

We all love Webtoon. When our characters come to life and take the form of a thriller K-Drama, the joy is indescribable. Rugal is based on a webtoon of a similar name. Kang Gi-beom, an elite police officer, is determined to bring down one of South Korea’s biggest crime organizations.

In a horrible turn of events, Kang is blinded and framed for the murder of his wife. As his world comes crashing down, he is recruited by NIS to join a very special task force that uses biotechnology to catch criminals. A tale of vengeance, technology, and justice, this thriller K-Drama is a must on our list.

4. CHILDREN OF NOBODY

Imagine a perfect life. A devoted husband, a job you cherish, supportive colleagues, and a child on the way. What will happen if everything is snatched from you at once and you are left with nothing?

Cha Woo Kyung leads a seemingly happy life. But all good things must come to an end when she winds up in a terrible accident that changes her life. She finds a mysterious child and uncovers a web of lies using poetry as clues. She meets Kang Ji Hun, whose extreme beliefs in justice pose a threat. “Children Of Nobody” is a cautionary tale of how one accident can derail someone’s entire life.

5. PSYCHOPATH DIARY

Psychopaths exist everywhere. They can be our colleagues, our family friends, or even our partner! What if one day you find out your timid colleague in the adjacent cubicle is a sadistic killer?

Yook Dong-sik is a shy and introverted man. He lets others walk all over him and cannot stand up for himself. One fateful day, he decides to end his life but unintentionally witnesses a brutal murder. He picks up the diary of the killer and flees the scene, but he is hit by the car of a patrol officer. As he wakes up with retrograde amnesia, he believes the diary belongs to him, which contains a log of the victims. Is he a psychopath? This thriller K-Drama will keep you hooked from the very beginning.

6. BEYOND EVIL

What is evil? Is it robbing someone of their life or losing what makes you human? This thriller K-Drama will make you question every character as you try to find the monster.

“Beyond Evil” is a thriller K-Drama based on Lee Dong-sik and Han Joo-won. Lee Dong-sik, previously the hero cop, has been demoted and reduced to menial work. He is evil-tempered and impulsive. Han Joo-won, a product of nepotism, is a highly capable detective determined to prove his worth. As they break the law to catch the killer, they start to question the innocence of everyone involved in the case, including themselves.

7. HELLBOUND

Hell appears in all religions. It is the very definition of torture, decay, and death. It is said that people who have collected bad karma are condemned to hell. No one knows where hell is or what happens in it. 

Imagine you are sipping a delicious cup of coffee on a delightful morning. Suddenly, an angel appears and delivers a prophecy that condemns you to death in the near future which is merely seconds away. Suddenly, three gargantuan supernatural beings mangle and incinerate you. Quite a bummer, isn’t it? This thriller K-Drama boasts of a unique concept that merges supernatural elements with justice.

8. VINCENZO

The mafia world is exciting and dangerous at the same time. When we think about the word ‘Mafia’, we imagine Italians with their Gucci tuxedos decreeing a culprit to death. We imagine enormous wealth and power. However, the mafia world is worse than it seems.

Park Joo-hyung was adopted by an Italian family at the age of eight. Unbeknownst to him, a tragic fate lies before him. He joins the mafia and becomes a consigliere. As the hierarchy of the mafia world crumbles, he reaches South Korea to uncover a heap of gold. This thriller K-Drama serves us with good looks and a formidable story we will not forget very soon.

9. CLASS OF LIES

School is tough. Apart from managing assignments, surprise tests, and a murder trial, the students of Chunmyung High School lead pretty extraordinary lives. The secret Veritas Club has turned the teachers into mere puppets who are controlled by a few elite students. 

Chunmyung High School is struck by a tragedy when the popular model and student is stabbed on her bed while her classmate, Kim Han-soo hovers over her head holding a knife. Gi Moo-hyeok, a successful and enterprising lawyer, is assigned to defend Kim Han-soo. He is later fired from his job when he loses the case. Determined to solve the case and restore his reputation, he joins the school as a teacher to uncover a web of lies. Crime, mystery, and suspense, this thriller K-Drama has it all.

10. SAVE ME

What constitutes a mystery thriller K-Drama? Suspense, dark secrets, torture, and violence. This thriller K-Drama has them all. While religion comes to the rescue when you are in despair and suffering, it becomes imperative to understand that it is not the end-all answer to everything. 

Sang Mi’s family is torn apart because of a tragedy. Her differently-abled brother was abused beyond repair, forcing him to take his own life. As the family navigates the deep water, she finds herself alienating from her parents. Sang Mi’s mother is mentally unstable, and her father is brainwashed by a cult. As Sang Mi tries to escape from the clutches of this devious cult, she finds herself trapped and unable to leave. Three years later, she comes across her friend Han Sang-hwan and whispers, “save me“. Thus, begins the quest for a rescue.

11. MOUSE

Inspired by the gut-wrenching Incheon Elementary School Murder case in 2017, this show weaves an unexpected tale of psychopaths. It is a known fact that psychopaths barely feel any remorse or guilt. It is a deeply saddening statement that has baffled experts.

Is it possible to scan a psychopath in the mother’s womb using fetal genetic testing? And if the child in the womb is a psychopath, will it be wise to have that child? “Mouse” answers these thoughtful and complex questions. It is based on a hypothetical scenario where a psychopath can feel guilt. A highly popular thriller K-Drama, it is certainly different from any show you have ever watched.

12. VOICE

This thriller K-Drama is a golden TV show. With several seasons in line, it certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. The staple of thriller crime shows is a lunatic serial killer on the loose. “Voice” has an eccentric killer who has taken away lives cruelly. 

Moo Jin-hyuk, a mad detective, is driven into despair when his wife is murdered while he is at work. Kwon-joo, a policewoman, is gifted with perfect psycho-acoustics skills and specializes in voice profiling. Her father was killed while she was working. Together, this unlikely duo is hell-bent on catching the murderer who took the lives of their loved ones.

13. WATCHER

We all have secrets. However, some secrets are so dark that they can destroy lives if let out. Secrets can come to haunt us if not dealt with properly.

“Watcher” is a haunting tale of a murder that unravels after fifteen years. A trio, brought together by fate, must solve this mystery and find out the truth. The murder shaped their destiny, and digging into the past will only bring pain and destruction. This unlikely trio will take you on a whirlwind of emotions as they navigate their feelings and the uncertainty that clouds their future now. This thriller K-Drama is a must on our list!

14. EXTRACURRICULAR

What happens when an ideal high school student resorts to a life of crime to afford college? We are not kidding you when we say that “Extracurricular” is a deeply riveting tale of a double life gone wrong. 

Taking a spin upon the word ‘extracurricular’, many of us assume it might include swimming, reading books, and even sword fighting! But when crime enters the life of unsuspecting youth, his world turns upside down. Oh Ji-soo is abandoned by his parents and has little to no money to support himself. He has a sharp mind he uses for illicit activities. Can he escape his web of lies? Let us find out in this thriller K-Drama!

15. SQUID GAME

This exclusive show has been on everyone’s mind and tongue. We promise a rollercoaster ride full of jarring emotions, ginormous sets, and a storyline one can’t possibly imagine. 

Seong Gi-hun is a divorced father in great debt. He must do something to make ends meet. When he is invited to play children’s games for a large amount of money, he laughs in disbelief but ends up participating. After all, games never hurt anyone, right? There is nothing more horrifying than class disparity and elitism. This show has an important message embedded deep between the show’s psychological complexities. This thriller K-Drama will give you a run for your money.

16. HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE

Moving to a different city can be scary. It comes with its own challenges and risks. If you have ever gone apartment hunting with your friends, you would know it’s a tedious and expensive process. It is all rewarding in the end when you find a cheap place to stay. 

Yoon Jong Woo, a relatively young boy, moves to Seoul for an internship opportunity. He rents a cheap dormitory and decides to stay till he can save money and move out. However, his plan takes a futile turn when he comes across his neighbors. They are strange, weird, and odd. No red flags here because we all know weird neighbors. However, if your neighbors start hunting you and become your mortal enemies, I think it’s time you should definitely move out. This thriller K-Drama gives viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety.

17. ALL OF US ARE DEAD

Who doesn’t love zombies? I am sure we all have fantasized about a zombie apocalypse at least once or more in our lifetime. After all, it is a distant possibility that we might encounter a  zombie. 

This coming-of-age zombie apocalypse thriller K-Drama is made up of our nightmares. They do not spare us from bloodshed, gory killings, or macabre scenes. When the local high students are smack in the middle of a zombie uprising, they must find ways to survive and escape the infectious bite. Who will survive in the end? The high school prom queen or the science nerd? Let’s find out!

18. THE CURSE

The ominous title is enough to give us the chills. This show traces its backbone to shamanism and occultism. It is certainly at the top of our list because of its impeccable storytelling.

Im Jin-Hee is a reporter. She is determined to take down the evil IT conglomerate Forest. However, the chairman of Forest is an evil and manipulative man who relies heavily on shamanism. She comes across a teenage girl who has the power to bring death. This thriller K-Drama is definitely a list topper on our crime thriller shows.

19. THE DEVIL JUDGE

Justice. A seven-letter word is enough to topple big corporations, bring equality and deliver the truth. It is a great responsibility that comes with immense power. What will happen if it falls into the hands of the wrong individual?

This thriller K-Drama takes you on a journey filled with bias, inequality, and twisted perceptions of morality. An unhinged judge believes the answer to every crime is merciless punishment. Set in a dystopian world, this thriller K-Drama will definitely make you shudder.

20. TELL ME WHAT YOU SAW

There is no better way to conclude our list than to include the most loved and revered show of all time. If you haven’t watched this show already, we strongly recommend binge watch it in one go. What happens when an ace criminal profiler is rendered to a life of seclusion and despair?

Oh Hyun-jae is a genius profiler who lost his wife to a tragic accident in an explosion. Five years later, a new murder takes place in a similar manner, and Oh Hyun-jae is forced to come out of his hiding. Together with Cha Soo-young, who has a photographic memory, both of them begin their hunt for this deranged serial killer.

Read more: 20 Thriller K-Drama That Will Keep You On The Edge