15 Best South Korean Rom-Coms on Netflix, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes

K-drama rom-coms have gained immense popularity worldwide with their unique blend of heartwarming romance, humor, and relatable characters, whether it’s the recently released My Dearest or the classic My Love From The Star. K-dramas offer a refreshing and addictive twist on the classic romantic comedy genre, making them a global trend that continues to charm viewers and inspire remakes in different cultures. Thus, given this trend, Netflix has released numerous exceptional romantic comedies, allowing fans to indulge and fully immerse themselves in the enchanting world of romance.

While numerous South Korean TV shows thrill, scare, and make audiences cry, the most common K-dramas loved by all are romantic comedies. Adding a splash of romance to a comical plot and vice versa is the ideal combination to make someone feel better. Pair that with Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and viewers can check out some of the best South Korean rom-coms on Netflix.

15 ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ (2019)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

When the Camellia Blooms stars Princess Gong Hyo-jin and the comedic actor/action star Kang Ha-neul who leads this lovely yet slightly offbeat romance about a bar owner and a local cop. Dong-baek (Gong) moves to a small village with her son and opens a bar named “Camellia.” Yong-sik (Kang) is a cop who always accidentally catches the bad guy. He’s rather tactless, and Dong-baek is stubborn.

Their chemistry on-screen is palpable, although some dialogue bits may be a bit dated for modern times. Despite that, this rom-com tackles the social stigma on single mothers in South Korea. Additionally, the series has a thriller twist, as a killer lurks around the village. The show brought Kang Ha-neul the Best Actor Award at the 2019 Baeksang Arts Awards and Gong Hyo-jin the Grand Prize at the 2019 KBS Drama Awards.

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14 ‘Thirty-Nine’ (2022)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%

What seems to be a loose South Korean homage to the HBO comedy show Sex and the City, Thirty-Nine dives into the friendship of three women on the verge of turning forty. The show depicts their lives, romantic interests, and how getting older, being single, and juggling work and private life functions for each.

This romantic comedy doesn’t just rely on the main protagonists being a man and a woman. Here, the three women in focus are all protagonists in their own way, although many would argue Crash Landing on You‘s Son Ye-jin carries the torch. Thirty-Nine is a heartwarming K-Drama series that lets viewers enjoy the ride of true friendship, giving the entire rom-com angle more depth.

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13 ‘Once Upon a Small Town’ (2022)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

Adapted from a web novel by Park Ha-min, Once Upon a Small Town follows a veterinarian from Seoul named Han Ji-yul (Choo Young-woo) who is forcibly relocated to the village of Heedong. He meets Lee Sang-hyeon (Baek Seong-cheol), a local “nuclear man,” and Ahn Ja-young (Park Soo-young), a friendly policewoman who works in the area.

When it comes to the story’s essential elements, Once Upon a Small Town strikes all the right notes. It has just the right amount of humor, drama, poignant moments, and—last but not least—the straightforward yet heartfelt romance that will have romantics moving in their seats.

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12 ‘My Holo Love’ (2020)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%

Released on Netflix in 2020, My Holo Love introduces us to the intriguing world of a woman living with prosopagnosia, a condition that prevents her from recognizing faces. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she encounters “Holo,” an advanced holographic AI designed to be the perfect companion.

As their relationship develops, viewers are taken on an emotional journey that explores themes of loneliness, love, and the blurred boundaries between humans and technology. With compelling characters and a thought-provoking narrative, My Holo Love delves into the complexities of human connection in an increasingly digital world, making it a must-watch for fans of both romance and sci-fi genres.

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11 ‘Memories of the Alhambra’ (2018 – 2019)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

Memories of the Alhambra, which is primarily set in Spain, is a stirring K-Drama on Netflix that revolves around a company CEO (Huyn Bin) and a hostel owner (Park Shin-hye) who become involved in a string of inexplicable occurrences involving a complex new augmented reality game that was inspired by the legends of the Alhambra Palace.

The utilization of computer games as the focal point of Memories of the Alhambra, supported by the characters’ superb acting and chemistry, makes it quite distinctive. Additionally, the cinematography is excellent, highlighting Alhambra as a strong supporting character and inspiring viewers to immediately plan their next vacation.

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10 ‘Itaewon Class’ (2020)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

The K-Drama Itaewon Class excelled as a dramedy depicting family ties, success, revenge, and love. Its plot focuses on Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon), who, in the past, stands up to a bully at school and gets expelled for it. Coincidentally, that bully ends up killing his father, leaving Sae-ro-yi to seek revenge.

In present, Sae-ro-yi runs a restaurant with a quirky but popular manager Yi-seo (Kim Da-mi). They’re complementary characters whose romance is initially more obvious to the viewers, showing enough potential to be greenlit by Hollywood for a remake. Another Parasite star and heartthrob, Seo-joon, carries the show on his shoulders. He has unique comedic timing and knows when to turn on the charm; Sae-ro-yi may be his most comprehensive character, which should be enough to get through the 16 one-hour episodes.

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9 ‘My First First Love’ (2019)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

My First First Love follows a group of close-knit friends who find themselves entangled in a complicated web of emotions and relationships as they navigate the challenges of college life. The rom-com K-drama ticks of some of best characteristics of stellar K-dramas, including a diverse cast that includes a college student, his friend on the run, his friend who’s a drop-out, and his childhood buddy.

While undergoing their first romantic experiences, audiences embark on an emotional rollercoaster, traversing the spectrum from friendship and romance to heartbreak and personal development. Moreover, this heartwarming series explores themes of love, loyalty, and self-discovery, offering relatable and endearing characters. With a perfect blend of humor, drama, and romance, My First First Love is a heartwarming journey through the complexities of youth and love that fans can easily relate to.

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8 ‘Alchemy of Souls’ (2022 – )

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Alchemy of Souls is set in the mythical nation of Daeho and follows the love and development of young magicians as they battle their twisted fates as a result of a forbidden magic technique called the “alchemy of souls,” which enables souls to switch bodies. As a soul shifter falls in love with someone who hunts her, they must go through a series of challenges to fight so they can be together.

The program is said to offer the best visual effects in the K-drama categories and to seamlessly combine drama and humor with just enough human qualities to make the plot feel relatable. Alchemy of Souls also boasts excellent writing and a very sensible approach to the fantasy genre, which contrasts with other series where the fantasy element appears to be carelessly handled.

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7 ‘Our Beloved Summer’ (2021)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Literally translated to That Year We, Our Beloved Summer depicts a coming-of-age story filled with comical twists and romance. Its main characters are Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) and Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi), two former lovebirds who, upon breaking up, vowed never to meet again. But their promise can’t be upheld, as they participated in a high school documentary and have to meet again.

Parasite‘s Woo-sik does a brilliant job as the slightly clueless but adorable bookworm, especially opposite the beautiful and confident acting of Kim Da-mi. This show depicts how love progresses over time and can happen in unexpected moments and be seen in the smallest of things. Our Beloved Summer is a teen show available on Netflix with 16 one-hour episodes.

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6 ‘Business Proposal’ (2022)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Business Proposal was developed after the webtoon of the same name became a smash hit. Featuring a workplace romance, the story follows Ha-ri (Se-jeong), who goes on a blind date instead of her friend, with the intention of making the suitor give up. However, Ha-ri gets involved in a bit of drama when she realizes the blind date is her boss.

This K-drama has it all – tension, romance, comedy, drama, and twists and turns for days. It aired for 12 one-hour episodes but was a hit in South Korea. The show was loved for its lighthearted and enjoyable plot, as well as the palpable tension between its main characters. The show was very well-received in Korea that production released a two-CD soundtrack which ranked eleventh on the Circle Album Chart.

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5 ‘Mad for Each Other’ (2021)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Mad For Each Other is unique for several reasons — its protagonists develop romance through an unusual friendship, they both visit the same psychologist, and the episodes are only thirty minutes long. Lovers of K-dramas are typically used to one-hour features, but Mad For Each Other was all the more remarkable because of episode runtimes.

Hwi-oh (Woo Jung), a detective with anger issues, and Min-kyung (Yeon-Seo Oh), a fashionable girl with OCD, live in the same building and go to the same psychologist. Their lives become intertwined, and the attraction is apparent to viewers much sooner than to the protagonists – making the show more entertaining. With several comical scenes per episode, it’s surprising that this rom-com flew slightly under the radar.

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4 ‘Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha’ (2021)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a mix of romance, comedy, and drama, and one of the best series for first-time K-drama viewers. It follows a dentist, Hye-jin (Shin Min-a), who decides to leave her big-town job after catching her boss cheating on customers. Her journey leads her to an idyllic village Gongjin, where she meets the handy and clever Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), who’s loved by the entire village.

The two characters’ paths seem to constantly cross; Hye-jin gets into small troubles, and Du-sik somehow rescues her. Paired with lovely landscapes of rural South Korea and a slice-of-life approach to the story, this rom-com will make anyone feel better as soon as they watch it. The show’s a Netflix original and has 16 one-hour episodes.

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3 ‘Crash Landing on You’ (2019 – 2020)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Crash Landing on You is one of the most famous Korean rom-coms with a rivals-to-lovers storyline. The show is about a South Korean businesswoman Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), who likes to keep her work and private life under control; one day, she gets into a paragliding accident, crashing on the North Korean side of the border. There, she’s found by the mysterious North Korean Army Captain Lee (Hyun-bin).

Besides Descendants of the Sun, Crash Landing on You is one of the best South Korean romantic series. Whether by K-drama or rom-com standards, this show surpassed expectations and brought one of the most magnetic on-screen romances between the leads. Coincidentally, the two actors fell in love on set and got married! That’s a solid testimony to this 16-episode whirlwind romance.

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2 ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ (2022)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Twenty-Five Twenty-One is one of the most-watched series on South Korean cable television the year it was released. It follows the romantic lives of five characters, some through flashbacks and some through present-day events. The span of time depicted is between 1998 and 2021.

The flashback aspect and the characters’ romantic adventures make the show an instant hit. Additionally, the series is just one of the smash hits starring Nam Joo-hyuk. This young heartthrob has affirmed himself as the ‘romantic comedy king’ after starring in some of the most popular rom-com, including Start-Up and Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo.

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1 ‘Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung’ (2019)

Audience Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung is one of the rare Netflix show with a 100% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about a lively and cheerful girl Goo Hae-ryung who wants to attend an all-female historian school. Besides her, the story follows Prince Cha Eun-woo, who hides from his royal family, dreaming of becoming a romance novelist.

This drama was popular when it came out because of its wit and swoon-worthy scenes. Additionally, it’s one of the most popular historical shows depicting life during the Joseon dynasty. For history buffs, there are also wonderful landscapes and incredible costumes. This show is on Netflix with 20 one-hour episodes.

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