The thriller K-dramas are often dark and gritty, with a surreal quality to them. Furthermore, they deal with some of the darkest human emotions and impulses, making them fascinating to watch. They include storylines based on murderers, serial killers, and the good guys, making them one of the most sought-after genres.
Intense scenes and jaw-dropping endings grip the attention of the viewers even if they are more than 20 episodes long. The directorial, the point of view, and the CGI effects are so good that they feel absolutely real, even if they might be based on manga or other works of literature.
Murder mystery documentaries, though popular, fail to gain the number of viewership these K-dramas do. Vagabond is one such K-drama that gripped the attention of the audience to such an extent that it went on to become one of the most-watched Netflix Dramas.
Just like Vagabond, here is a list of Dramas that take the thriller/mystery genre to another level. Make sure to watch them all for your daily dose of Enigma.
Vagabond
The death of a nephew in a mysterious plane crash upends the life of Cha Dal Gun (Lee Seung Gi). In a desperate attempt to bring plane crash victims to justice, Dal Gun sets out to find the reason behind the crash by himself. The discoveries made by him led right into a web of corruption.
(credits: Netflix)
Go Hae Ri (Bae Suzy), a National Intelligence Service (NIS) Agent and the daughter of a marine, a victim of the crash, sets out on a mission to find the organization in charge of the operation.
The main leads do a remarkable job of bringing the characters to life, with emotions blending well with the action scenes and every turn ending up with a web more complicated than the original plot; Vagabond is a jaw-dropping intense crime thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The drama, however, ends on a cliff note, which makes it all the more interesting to watch.
- Drama: Vagabond
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
- Aired: 2019
- Original Network: Netflix, SBS.
Hello Monster
Lee Hyun (Seo In Guk) returns home to Korea after a triggering episode involving his past. The memories he once thought to be lost, make a return. With nowhere to go, Lee Hyun confides in one of his co-workers.
Detective Cha Ji An (Jang Na Ra) tries to unearth the mysteries surrounding Lee Hyun. The findings she makes are bone-chilling: the murder of the main lead’s father and the disappearance of his younger brother are all connected to one person.
Do Lee Hyun and Cha Ji An learn to trust each other to uncover the truth, or will they fall prey to the growing mistrust and misunderstandings between them? Hello, Monster is a drama that will question the mere existence of a monster. Are they made, or do circumstances force them to become one?
- Drama: Hello Monster
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
- Aired: 2015
- Original Network: KBS
Class Of Lies
Gi Moo Hyuk (Yoon Kyun Sang), a highly successful lawyer, faces a career downfall in relation to a case. The case of a High school student who faced no repercussions in attempted murder or suicide due to their age.
Moo Hyuk becomes an undercover teacher to save his name and bring justice to the victim. Even for his own selfish reasons, Gi Moo Hyuk finally understands the meaning of being an anti-villain or even a Hero for some.
The lowkey bullying in the high school by a specific group of students forces Moo Hyuk to take matters into his own hands. The daily cases make him popular within the school, which causes jealousy among his co-workers.
Class of Lies might not be exactly a crime thriller, but it sheds light on important topics such as mental and physical abuse by classmates and peer groups.
- Drama: Class of Lies
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
- Aired: 2019
- Original Network: OCN
Big Mouth
Park Chang Ho (Lee Jong Suk), also known as “Big Mouth” in his high school due to his overbearing promises and his incapability to deliver them. Growing up, Chang Ho becomes an infamous lawyer who is hired by the city Mayor despite his incompetence.
Soon, Chang Ho gets entangled in a case related to the Mayor where he gets framed as the accused, whose name is “Big Mouse.”
(credits: Disney+)
Park Chango’s wife, Go Mi-Ho (Im Yoo Ah), refuses to give in to the accusations made against her husband. Working as a nurse in a local hospital, she sets out on her own to prove Chang Ho’s innocence. Mi Ho, unaware of the dangers that lurk in the corner, becomes a victim of one of the harmful chemicals released by a chemical company.
Big Mouth is definitely one of the highest-rating K-dramas and a must-watch for all mystery and thriller lovers. With twists and turns throughout the drama, it is difficult to figure out the culprit and the real accused, which makes it all the more interesting to watch.
- Drama: Big Mouth
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 11 min.
- Aired: 2022
- Original Network: Hulu, MBC, Disney+.
Lawless Lawyer
Bong Sang Pil (Lee Joon Gi) grew up around gangsters and became one of them; getting into physical fights was his way of dealing with life. Tragedy struck when his mother died due to a corrupt agency. Sang Pil vows to avenge his mother’s death by going against one of the notorious gangsters involved in the case.
Sang Pil, now a lawyer, with experience from his previous life, handles cases related to the crimes committed by the gangster Ahn Oh Joo, who is the CEO of a powerful co-operation.
Ha Jae Hi (Seo Yae Ji), a lawyer who follows the Law as a religion, gets into an altercation with a senior judge over a false ruling and gets her license suspended.
Jae Hi is unable to pay her father’s debts and starts working for Sang Pil. Together, they are invincible, but not for long. They soon get a case against Ahn Oh Joo and the chief Lawyer, the two most powerful people in the city.
Lawless Attorney takes a journey through dimensions where the good deals with the bad by being the bad. Lawless or not, this K-drama should be watched by people who love the law and are willing to bend it for justice.
- Drama: Lawless Lawyer
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 6 min.
- Aired: 2018
- Original Network: TvN, Netflix, AppleTV.
Healer
Seo Jung Hoo (Ji Chang Wook) works as a special night currier popularly known as the “Healer” amongst his clients. With the help of a hacker, Jung Hoo delivers whatever the clients need as long it’s not homicide.
(credits: KBS)
When a client makes a strange request to find a girl, Hung Hoo has to comply no matter what. The girl Chae Young Shin (Park Min Young) works as a second-rate writer for a magazine and a reporter, Kim Moon Ho; things start to take an ugly turn. The past comes to light when Jung Hoo confirms his own shared past with Young Shin and Moon Ho.
Healer represents the thin line between relationships and the mysteries surrounding said relationship. Who will you give in to, and who will be the final victim?
- Drama: Healer
- Episodes: 20
- Aired: 2015
- Duration: 60 min.
- Original Network: KBS, Netflix, Kocowa, Apple TV, Viki.
Giant
Giant depicts the lives of three siblings, Lee Kang Ho, Sung Mo, and their younger sister, Mi Joo, who grew up in the year 1970. Circumstances force them apart, but their love and care for each other never diminishes.
Their past is as tragic as it gets, with their father being killed during a smuggling raid and their mother due to the shock of her husband passing.
(credits: SBS)
The year of their adulthood is the time when they reunite with the intention of getting revenge and avenging the death of their parents. With each of them skilled in a certain task force, the revenge is sweet and horrifying at the same time.
Giant is a drama that dwells upon the bond between siblings and the thirst for revenge.
- Drama: Giant
- Episodes: 60
- Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
- Aired: 2010
- Original Network: SBS, Viki.
Two Weeks
Jang Tae San (Lee Joon Gi) works multiple part-time jobs to support himself. His life turns upside down when he hears about his daughter from his ex-girlfriend. On the way to meet her, Tae San encounters people who frame him as a murder suspect, but he somehow manages to escape and run away.
In order to prove himself and get his daughter the required treatment for bone marrow cancer, Tae San has two weeks to prove himself innocent and walk freely once again with no tarnish to his name.
(credits: MBC)
Enters Park Jae Kyun (Kim So Yeon), a prosecutor who is assigned to this case. Jae Kyun desperately searches for evidence related to the murder of her father. When she comes close to finding out, the male lead abruptly falls into the background as he is arrested on false charges.
Two Weeks is a gripping story about the lengths a father will go to for his daughter, and a daughter will go for her father. As their cases are intertwined with each other, Jang Tae San and Park Jae Kyun have no other choice except to work together.
With each episode highlighting moments that could shake a person, the end of the drama does not help to calm the heart at all. Even at the end, the drama makes it a point to prove what real life looks like for those who are falsely imprisoned.
- Drama: Two Weeks
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 8 min.
- Aired: 2013
- Original Network: MBC, Netflix, Viki.
Mad Dog
The drama portrays the reality of insurance crimes throughout the Republic of South Korea. Choi Kang Woo (Yoo Ji Tae), a former police officer and now a crime branch investigator, decides to hire people to form his own investigation team after the death of his wife and son in a plane crash.
(credits: KBS2)
Kim Min Joon (Woo Do Huan), a genius fraudster, joins Choi Kang Woo’s mission after his brother becomes a victim in the same place crash. The main leads try to leave their differences apart and work together even though misunderstandings take place between them. In a fight against insurance crimes and false cases on the rise, watch them tackle one scam at a time in this thrilling revenge drama.
- Drama: Mad Dog
- Country: South Korea
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 60 min.
- Aired: 2017
- Original Network: KBS2, Netflix, AppleTV.
The Village: Achiara’s secret
Achiara is a quiet village where the crime rate is literally non-existent. Han Soo Yoon (Moon Guen Young), a High School English Teacher, discovers a corpse on her first day in the village.
As the town’s citizens try to identify the corpse, Han Soo Yoon confides in Park Woo Jae (Yook Sung Jae), a police officer and a detective in the making. With each of the villagers holding a secret and hiding the truth behind the killings, it is difficult to catch the real killer.
A “Rainy Wednesday,” as the villagers call him, will Soo Yoon be able to find the truth or become the next victim? The Village: Achiara’s secret is, unfortunately, a drama that is less known. With an amazing plot and a stellar cast, the drama should be on the watchlist of every murder mystery fan out there.
- Drama: The Village: Achiara’s Secret
- Episodes: 16
- Duration: 1 hr. 5 min.
- Aired: 2015
- Original Network: SBS, Viki.
City Hunter
Lee Yoon Sung (Lee Min Ho) is a graduate of MIT. With the murder of his father and the blind rage to avenge his death, Yoon Sung becomes a part of the International Communications Team at the Blue House.
The task given to Lee Yoon Sung is to track down five politicians and make sure of their downfall. These politicians also turn out to be the cause of the main lead father’s death. While Lee Yoon Sung is trained to be highly focused at all times, he comes across Kim Na Na (Park Min Young), which inevitably turns into a forbidden love story.
(credits: SBS)
City Hunter is one of those dramas where you think that the scenes are as predictable as they can be, but every episode ends at a cliffhanger, which makes it an interesting watch. The OST of the drama is also appreciated, which brings enough depth to the characters.
City Hunter can be watched by thriller lovers and also by people who enjoy watching the forbidden romance troupe; this drama has something for all, which makes it a rainy weather and pajama day watch.
- Drama: City Hunter
- Episodes: 20
- Duration: 1 hr. 10 min.
- Aired: 2011
- Original Network: SBS, AppleTV.
