10 Brilliant South Korean Sci-Fi Shows To Stream On Netflix

The world of South Korean dramas is a wild one: the plots of even the usual romance or revenge dramas are sometimes so twisted and seem so far from reality. Knowing this, can you imagine how complicated Korean science fiction can be?

There are many fans of the sci-fi genre out there, we even consider ourselves to be one, but not many of us have experienced the mix of K-drama and a science fiction show. It's time to change that! Here are ten of the most popular South Korean sci-fi shows to stream on Netflix.

1. Love Alarm (2019)

Are you a fan of Netflix's darkest hit, Black Mirror? Well, this K-drama will be perfect for you because it oozes an eerily similar vibe. The series transports us into the future where there is a dating app so advanced that it can tell if there's someone nearby who has a crush on you. Sounds cool! Or does it?

For one particular trio, the app has brought the opposite of happiness. At the center of the story is a girl named Jojo, and now she has two guys fighting over her. Seems like the technology only brought problems into her life.

2. Please Don’t Date Him (2020)

Another take on dating life with a technological twist is portrayed in this K-drama. In this series, we are introduced to Seo Ji-seong: she works in a company that produces AI-fueled home gadgets. She feels that it's almost impossible to find a good man for a relationship, so she decides to take advantage of technology.

You know those refrigerators that can tell how fresh the food is? Well, she develops a special chip for them that can scan any man in front of it and determine whether he is worth dating or not. Sure, the new fridge has saved her from a lot of jerks, but is it really a good idea to blindly trust technology?

3. Alice (2020)

In this series, Alice is not a girl's name, but a time-policing agency (that's why it's actually ALICE). The futuristic organization (the series takes place in the year 2050) controls all things time-related, and when its leaders find out that there's a book in the past that prophesies the end of all time travel, two agents are tasked with getting their hands on it.

However, when they go back in time, one of the agents suddenly discovers she is expecting a baby. Knowing that time travel will take it away from her, she runs away with the book and creates a new identity. But she can't hide for long.

4. Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

Black Mirror vibes just don't end, but this K-drama offers a much darker twist. The story revolves around a VR game that can only be played with special contact lenses. But things get complicated when the villain tries to take over the game (Spy Kids 3 vibe is also here). At some point, there's no other way to save reality than to let someone from the outside world into the game (like we said, it's Spy Kids 3 but way darker).

5. My Holo Love (2020)

This is a K-drama centered around a very unlikely love triangle. The main character, Han So-yeon, has a special disorder that makes it impossible for her to remember people's faces. In order to feel safe and because she couldn't make friends due to her problem, she lives as an outcast. One day, however, she manages to befriend someone... but it's an AI hologram.

The hologram looks like its creator, Go Nan-do, and while the female lead started to feel really close to the warm and caring hologram, Nan-do actually seemed to start caring about her as well. The twisted love story is resolved in the end, but the journey there is worth watching.

6. Circle (2017)

What could be better than one timeline? Three different ones, of course, with completely different events and happenings. This K-drama is actually divided into three time periods: 2007, 2017, and 2037. And the difference between each gap is magnificent. The show starts in 2007 and shows us a normal family sharing a house with... an alien.

But if you think that sounds crazy, try this: the society of the year 2037 is divided into two dramatically different worlds, one of which is a polluted crime hole, and the other is some sort of a technological paradise. What has brought the Earth to such magnificent changes? Well, you won't find out until almost the end of the series.

7. Rugal (2020)

This sci-fi show will also please the action fans. The story revolves around the murder of Detective Kang's wife, who gets caught in the middle of his fight with the most dangerous criminal out there. During the fight he also gets injured and loses his sight. However, he gets a second chance after the Secret Service recruits him into a special task force that enjoys all perks that biotechnological enhancements can provide. And thus the action begins...

8. Kairos (2020)

The complicated plot of this series follows Kim Seo-jin, a successful and wealthy man whose life takes a tragic turn after his daughter disappears and his devastated wife commits suicide. At the same time, the series introduces us to Han Ae-ri, whose mother suddenly disappears. One day, she receives a phone call from Seo-jin, who asks her to help him save his family. But there's a catch: he's calling from the future.

9. Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

The story revolves around Han Tae-sul, a very talented engineer who recently lost his brother and is still devastated by his death. So he wants to build a time machine to travel back and save him. However, one day he meets a person who claims to have traveled through time before. According to this person, time travel won't benefit anyone. Dare we find out why?

10. Are You Human? (2018)

The show follows a mother who decides to create an android clone of her son to give him a chance to get his father's inheritance. The thing is, her real son got into an accident and is now in a coma, and the desperate mother doesn't want him to lose out on the huge amount of money he was about to get. But the android is very different from a real boy, and this leads to both funny and dangerous situations.