14 Romantic K-Dramas To Watch This Valentine’s Day

‘Tis the season for romance, and where better to look for a engrossing show to binge this Valentine’s Day than amongst a vast assortment of Korean dramas?

Over the last few decades, K-dramas have grown in popularity in Asia and across the world, overcoming language barriers to make viewers connect with the humanity and heart at the center of them all. With the massive fame of movies and shows like KPop Demon Hunters, Parasite, and Squid Game, South Korean media only continues to grow in popularity, scope, and representation.

When it comes to the things you might want in a V-Day watch, K-dramas have it all. From romance, to intrigue, to comedy, to heartache, and beyond, Korean dramas encapsulate the highs and lows of love and loss, and we’ve found over a dozen terrific titles in this unique medium that deserve a spot at the top of your queue this month.

Whether you like office romances, time travel tropes, forbidden love, supernatural stories, classic rom-coms, or heartwrenching tales of overcoming trauma, our list has everything. you’re looking for and more. Despite the different genres, subject matters, and casts, what unites all of these titles are their must-see love stories.

Here are the 14 romantic K-dramas that you should consider streaming this Valentine’s Day (and beyond):

1. Transport yourself to another world with this historical fantasy romance series that takes place in the fictional nation of Daeho, where a powerful forbidden soul-switching magic is being misused to subjugate others. When a powerful sorceress (Jung So-min) is trapped within a blind woman’s body, an unlikely partnership with a young nobleman (Lee Jae-wook) could be the key to changing destinies and achieving a happily ever after.

   Where to watch Alchemy of Souls

2. When Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) helps out a friend (Seol In-ah) by taking her place on a blind date and trying to get rejected, their plans quickly go awry when the pre-arranged partner turns out to be the CEO of Ha-ri’s company, Kang Tae-moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). As Ha-ri attempts to keep up this ruse, Tae-moo has plans of his own to strike up a fake relationship in order to prevent his grandfather (Lee Deok-hwa) from sending him on more blind dates. Thus begins an unforgettable business proposal that’s sure to keep you entertained from start to finish.

   where to watch Business Proposal

3. Chicago Typewriter is a fantasy rom-com that centers on three resistance fighters from 1930s Japan-occupied Korea who are all reincarnated into contemporary South Korea. Now, as a widely renowned yet depressed author (Yoo Ah-in), a veterinarian and literary superfan (Im Soo-jung), and a gifted ghostwriter (Go Kyung-pyo), the trio rediscovers their shared past as their lives increasingly intertwine in the present.

   where to watch Chicago Typewriter

4. This beloved 2019 rom-com kicks off with a tornado that sends South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) accidentally paragliding across the border into North Korea, where she’s found by Korean People’s Army Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin). Although the law requires Se-ri’s execution, Jeong-hyeok chooses to break protocol and protect Se-ri by hiding her away, marking the beginning of a moving star-crossed love story.

   where to watch Crash Landing on You

5. Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a delightful and original K-drama that will warm your heart with its sensitive portrayal of an autistic female lead, skilled rookie lawyer Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin). The legal drama follows Young-woo as she faces judgment, discrimination, and challenges from much of the world and neurotypical people around her in South Korea. With the help of her loyal school friend Dong Geu-ra-mi (Joo Hyun-young) and her kind-hearted, handsome colleague Lee Joon-ho (Kang Tae-oh), Young-woo pursues a happy, successful life in the face of adversity.

   where to watch Extraordinary Attorney Woo

6. This fantasy romance explores mental and physical health difficulties as it follows famous singer Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok), whose seemingly glamorous celebrity life is mired with intense depression and exhaustion under the surface, as well as Sun-jae’s fan, a young woman named Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon), who had to give up her career dreams after an accident left her paralyzed in 2008. After Sun-jae takes his own life, Sol is devastated to hear the news, but ends up getting an unexpected chance to change both of their fates when she is sent 15 years back into the past, offering them both a second chance at life and love.

   where to watch Lovely Runner

7. Mr. Sunshine is a heartwrenching historical romantic-drama set in the late 19th-century, when a young Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun) escapes a cruel life born into slavery by fleeing Korea for New York City, where he grows up to become a Marine Corps officer. After returning to Korea on business with the U.S. military, Eugene meets and falls hard for nobleman’s daughter and secret freedom fighter, Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), culminating in a complicated romance challenged by the Empire of Japan’s ruthless scheme to colonize Korea.

   where to watch Mr. Sunshine

8. Reply 1988 is a nostalgic, cozy, and heartfelt coming-of-age family drama series that revolves around five friends and their families, all residing on the same street in Seoul’s Ssangmun-dong district. It’s 1988, and these young adults will lean on their loved ones to find themselves and pursue happy, fulfilling lives.

   Where to watch Reply 1988

9. This 2020 romantic drama follows former national Track and Field athlete-turned-aspiring sports agent Ki Seon-gyeom (Im Si-wan) as he gets to know a movie-loving film translator Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung). Seon-gyeom grew up privileged, while Mi-joo was an orphan who had to work hard for everything she ever got in life. Yet, despite their differences, they are brought together by a shared loneliness and search for connection that blooms into a wholesome romance.

   where to watch Run On

10. Set in 1987 Seoul amidst South Korea’s Democracy Movement, Snowdrop is a romantic drama thriller series that follows North Korean agent Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) while he poses as a graduate student for a mission. Upon meeting undergraduate student Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo), the two fall hard and fast for each other, leading them to try to make their forbidden love last in the face of secrets, opposing loyalties, and intense political unrest.

    where to watch Snowdrop

11. This thought-provoking K-drama centers on the evolving relationship between 35-year-old coffee franchise store supervisor Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-jin) and her childhood best friend’s (Jang So-yeon) younger brother, 29-year-old animation designer Seo Jun-hui (Jung Hae-in). As Jun-hui returns to South Korea from three years working abroad, his reconnection with Jin-ah begins a surprising yet tender love story that’s challenged by societal judgment and doubts due to their age difference.

    where to watch Something in the Rain

12. Enter the world of tech with this workplace romantic comedy-drama featuring an ambitious female lead and plenty of yearning. Start-Up follows Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) as she works hard to achieve her dream of becoming Korea’s own Steve Jobs and making a better life for herself and her beloved grandmother (Kim Hae-sook) in the process. As Dal-mi throws herself into a tech competition that could launch a successful career, she forms complicated relationships with a washed-up math genius (Nam Joo-hyuk) and a skilled investor (Kim Seon-ho) due to a misunderstanding regarding a connection from her past.

    where to watch Start-Up

13. This touching coming-of-age fantasy romance follows Ha Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun), who is the only hearing person amongst his deaf parents and elder brother. After Eun-gyeol’s love of music eventually leads to his father (Choi Won-young) catching him in the act of performing with his secret band, their argument leads Eun-gyeol to quit music. But when Eun-gyeol’s attempts to sell his guitar at a mysterious shop lead him to be sent back in time to 1995, where he befriends a teenage version of his father (Choi Hyun-wook), as well as a gifted cello player (Seol In-ah) with many admirers.

    where to watch Twinkling Watermelon

14. Take a bite out of this sweet slice-of-life romantic drama that revolves around the spirited Oh Ae-sun (IU) and steady Yang Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum) as they fall in love and navigate life together in late-20th-century Jeju. When Life Gives You Tangerines follows the pair’s beautiful, dedicated romance that spans life’s highs and lows over the decades, culminating in a moving series you won’t want to miss.

    where to watch When Life Gives You Tangerines

Maddy Casale is a Chicago-based writer and comedian who covers everything from animated series to Hallmark movies. Follow her on Duolingo @MCasale.