All of the Korean Movies and Shows Coming to Netflix in 2023
New series and returning favorites
Survival has become a recurring theme across some of the top series, whether it’s battling monsters during the dark days of 1945 in Gyeongseong Creature, struggling to breathe in the dystopian future of sci-fi series Black Knight or fighting to protect Joseon during Japanese colonial rule in action drama Song of the Bandits.
Fans are set to rejoice with the return of highly anticipated series Sweet Home, D.P. and The Glory this year. Part 2 of the revenge drama The Glory was released in March, with Part 1 being the most watched non-English TV show during the week of January 2 with 82.48 million viewing hours. Sweet Home, which set new benchmarks for the creature genre in Korea, will return with an expanded world and story while D.P. brings back the cast from the first season to continue chasing after deserters.
“The global popularity of K-content has continued apace over 2022, with Netflix bringing a wider variety of stories and genres to fans around the world. Over the last year, Korean series and films have regularly featured in our Global Top 10 list in more than 90 countries, and three of Netflix’s most watched shows ever are from Korea. This year, we’re pushing the envelope even further with the stories we tell and how we tell them. With this lineup of Korean titles, Netflix will continue to be the ultimate destination for compelling, diverse and must-watch Korean storytelling,” says Don Kang, vice president of content (Korea).
Other new series this year run the gamut of romance (A Time Called You, Behind Your Touch (working title), Crash Course in Romance, Destined with You, Doona!, King the Land, Love to Hate You, See You In My 19th Life), social commentary and intrigue (Bloodhounds, Celebrity, Mask Girl), drama (Daily Dose ofSunshine, Queenmaker, The Good Bad Mother) and apocalyptic (Goodbye Earth).
More films, more unscripted shows, more choice
The past year has seen Korean movies and unscripted shows becoming increasingly popular with global audiences. Action thriller Carter was one of the top 10 most watched non-English films last year, while dating reality show Single’s Inferno is currently sitting in the Global Non-English Top 10.
This year, Netflix is expanding its film offering with six Korean movies. Sci-fi thriller JUNG_E kicked things off in January, followed by Kill Boksoon — which depicts a professional killer with conflicting maternal instincts — and Believer 2, a sequel to a crime action thriller revolving around drug gangs. Other films explore the topics of revenge (Ballerina), teacher-student rivalry (The Match) and hacking (Unlocked).
Meanwhile, those who love living vicariously will be spoiled for choice with a dazzling lineup of reality shows, spanning endurance (Physical:100, Siren: Survive the Island), zombie survival (Zombieverse), coming of age (Nineteen to Twenty) and mind games (The Devil’s Plan).
There are also two new documentaries coming out. Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong’s Unreleased Short Film (working title) traces the quest for Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s debut film while true crime documentary In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal explores the self-proclaimed “‘messiahs” in modern Korean history.
“We are very excited [about] the variety of the titles that we’re sharing with our members,” says Kang. “There’s truly a series, a film or an unscripted show for everyone, and we look forward to our Korean shows connecting to fans both overseas and at home.”
For the full list of Korean titles premiering this year, keep scrolling for more.
Series
Behind Your Touch (working title)
Black Knight
Bloodhounds
Celebrity
Crash Course in Romance
Daily Dose of Sunshine
Destined with You
Doona!
D.P., Season 2
Goodbye Earth
The Glory, Part 2
The Good Bad Mother
Gyeongseong Creature
King the Land
Love to Hate You
Mask Girl
Queenmaker
See You In My 19th Life
Song of the Bandits
Sweet Home, Season 2
A Time Called You
Films
Ballerina
Believer 2
JUNG_E
Kill Boksoon
The Match
Unlocked
Unscripted Series
19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty)
The Devil’s Plan
Physical: 100
Siren: Survive the Island
Zombieverse
Documentaries
In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal
Yellow Door: Looking for Director Bong’s Unreleased Short Film (working title)