8 Historical K-Dramas Streaming on Netflix in November 2023
From the Bronze Age to the early 19th century, each story is fascinating and unique.
Since the release of Bridgerton, the period drama genre is all the rage on Netflix. And you know who, besides Shonda Rhimes, excels at producing them? South Korea!
Luckily, Netflix has an extensive library of such series. Here's a list of the best Korean historical dramas available in November 2023.
8. Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (2019, 16 episodes)
As the title suggests, this historical romcom follows the daily routine of the employees of Joseon's most successful marriage agency. One day, a young blacksmith approaches the agency to arrange a marriage with his crush. Suddenly, he is elected the new king of Joseon, turning the agency's activities upside down.
7. 100 Days My Prince (2018, 18 episodes)
As a result of a conspiracy and an assassination attempt, the arrogant and cold Crown Prince loses his memory and ends up in a small village. Although he still retains some aspects of his noble origins, such as his metropolitan language, he learns to live the life of an ordinary peasant. One day, because of a law he once introduced, he is forced to marry the daughter of the villager who saved him. She turns out to be a noblewoman in hiding whom our protagonist was once in love with.
6. Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung (2019, 20 episodes)
Set in the early 19th century, this magnificent historical drama tells the story of Goo Hae-ryung, a noblewoman who, despite all neo-Confucian prejudices, doesn't want to be just a wife and child-bearer, but wants to study history, and Prince Dowon, who writes novels in Hangul, the Korean writing system opposite to Chinese (knowledge of the latter was considered a male prerogative, so writing in Hangul assumed a female audience). Together they're thrown into the world of political intrigue surrounding a particularly scandalous book,
5. Arthdal Chronicles (2019, 30 episodes)
Arthdal Chronicles is more of a fantasy series, but by no means ordinary, as it was inspired by the legends about the god-king Dangun, who founded the first kingdom, Gojoseon, on the Korean peninsula. The story is set in the Bronze Age and tells of the exploits of mythical heroes. The action takes place in the ancient city of Arthdal, the prototype of which was the capital of Gojoseon, Asadal.
4. My Country: The New Age (2019, 16 episodes)
Just over 1000 years after the fall of Gojoseon, in the late 14th century, the peninsula was in transition between the monarchical dynasties of Goryeo and Joseon. The story follows two talented young men, the son of a framed and executed commander and the illegitimate son of a high-ranking official. The two friends become sworn enemies due to a misunderstanding.
3. Kingdom (2019, 12 episodes)
Kingdom is not a historical drama in the traditional sense, but a mixture of historical and horror genres, as well as a political thriller. In the 16th century Joseon, the Korean people are recovering from a devastating Japanese invasion during the Imjin War. At the center of events is a crown prince whose father, the king, has been resurrected to prevent the prince from becoming the new monarch. Except everything turns into a full-blown zombie apocalypse.
2. Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2022, 1 episode)
A prequel spin-off to Kingdom, Ashin of the North tells the backstory of the title character, a member of the Jurchen people who, along with her tribe, faced a zombie attack from Joseon.
1. Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022, 16 episodes)
Rounding out our list is an incredibly touching drama about a queen who is able to temper her royal arrogance in order to make her children benevolent heirs to the throne and future benefactors of Joseon. Queen Hwa-ryeong is a responsible and classy monarch. She has troublesome sons, who cause more than a little mayhem in the palace. Nevertheless, Hwa-ryeong is willing to sacrifice royal protocol so as to raise her sons properly.