Action-Packed Korean Dramas on Netflix That’ll Keep You On The Edge of Your Seat

As much as we love our romantic K-dramas, sometimes we just crave for something more fast-paced and with a little more meat. If you are unsure what K-drama to binge next on this nth week of quarantine, why not give action or thriller K-dramas a try? We’ve listed 10 action-thriller K-dramas that’ll reel you in with its multi-layer plots and fast-paced sequences that’s sure to pack a punch. 

If you’re looking for the perfect mix of action, thriller and romance - Healer is the one to watch. It follows a fighter posing as a night courier, a tabloid journalist and a famous journalist news reporter whose lives all come together as they try to uncover the truth from a broadcasting incident that happened several years back. 

Convinced that his nephew’s fatal airplane crash was sabotaged, Cha Dal-Geon turns to Go Hae Ri, an NIS agent based in Morocco, to help him find a man that was on the same flight. Further along the search, the two discover that the conspiracy is a lot darker than they initially expected. 

The Guardians follow a group of people whose lives are altered after a family tragedy. They become the ‘watchmen’ of society, who make use of their time monitoring criminals, embarrassing corrupt prosecutors, and making sure that actual criminals are punished for their crimes. This alternate society plot will surely have the viewers at the edge of their seats.

This story follows the lives of four housewives living at the exclusive and luxurious SKY Castle neighborhood as they try to use every cunning tactic to make their husbands more successful, raise their children like royalties, and eventually get them into Seoul National University. 

Set during the Japanese occupation in Korea in the 1930s, the series follows Kang To, who is a Korean officer employed by the Japanese. Despite his mother’s disapproval, Kang To pursues the job in order to bring his family out of poverty. However on his journey to success, he constantly encounters a bridal mask-faced figure, which then changes the course of his life. 

Jang Tae San, a small-time gangster, one day finds out that he has a daughter with his former girlfriend, Seo In Hye. However, the news of fatherhood is met with disappointment when Seo In Hye tells him that their daughter has been diagnosed with leukemia and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. Upon deciding to pursue the surgery, he is suddenly accused of murder and now has to fight for his life and his daughter’s. 

Signal follows the story of profiler and police officer Hae Young, who at a young age, witnessed a crime that made him lose his trust in the police. Determined to fight injustice, he and officer Cha So Hyun find a walkie-talkie that allows him to contact a detective, Lee Jae Han, from the past. The three then set out to solve cold cases. 

If that isn’t enough to pull you to start this series, Signal was inspired by true events - a crime spree that took place in South Korea from 1986 to 1991. The series also won the Best TV Drama, Best Screenplay, and Best Actress award at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards. 

Currently streaming weekly episodes on Netflix, Extracurricular follows Ji Soo, a top student at a prestigious high school. Struggling to escape the dead-end life, he pursues a crime-filled hustle that makes matters worse for him and as well as three other students. 

My Secret, Terrius most recently gained popularity for seemingly predicting the coronavirus outbreak two years ago - mind blowing stuff, really. But more than that, the K-drama is a top recommendation within the thriller genre. It pulls focus on the story of a woman, who alongside her mysterious former NIS neighbor, try to uncover a conspiracy that may be connected to the sudden death of her husband. 

Kim Tae Hyeon is a talented surgeon who is constantly burgeoned with debts because of his younger sister’s illness. In order to make ends meet, he performs illegal operations for gang members and the rich under the codename Yong Pal. However, things take an interesting turn when he is involved in a case concerning Han Yeo Jin, a chaebol heiress.