The world of the supernatural is such a vast space that can offer us countless stories in all shapes and forms! So if you don’t mind stretching the boundaries of reality, you’d be glad to know that there are several K-dramas under this genre that is truly entertaining! But we’ll help you out, as we round it out into 10 of the best supernatural Korean dramas that you should watch!
Guardian: The Lonely & Great God/ Goblin (2016)
If your K-drama “stanning” hasn’t led you to binge-watch this popular drama yet, then now is the right time to do so! If you’re into reincarnation, goblins, and grim reapers, then this should keep you hooked.
This drama stars Gong Yoo, who plays an immortal goblin who protects souls. Parasite’s Kim Go-eun portrays an orphaned high school student who seeks better things in life. The two met by accident, fell in love, and discovered that their fates had been predetermined a long time ago. As if a love story between a goblin and a human is not enough, their age gap only paved way for a May-December romance too. If you can look past that, then you would learn to empathize with the couple as they face their destined paths.
Stretching the world of fantasy even further, the goblin lives with the grim reaper played by Lee Dong-wook. The two of them forged an unlikely alliance only to find out that their destinies are just as intertwined more than they would’ve liked it to be.
Goblin became an international sensation that raked in very high ratings, ranking the second spot among the highest-rated dramas in the history of South Korean cable TV.
Oh My Ghost (2015)
This 2015 drama is about Na Bong Sun (Park Bo Young), a timid young girl who works at a restaurant run by Kang Sun Woo (Jo Jung Suk), a famous and talented chef. Bong Sun has a huge crush on her boss, but she could never dare to show it. But things get supernaturally twisted when she got possessed by the ghost of a lustful virgin.
Those who knew her were caught off guard when Bong Sun started acting out of character. The situation gets even more complicated when the ghost tries to seduce Sun Woo. Being able to go in and out of Bong Sun’s was switching from her shy self to someone overly aggressive.
Eventually, all these crazy antics caught Sun Woo’s attention, but can this renewed confidence he is seeing in Bong Sun be enough to make him love the real deal?
Oh My Ghost is a laugh trip romance drama that also gives you a hint of suspense. It’s one of those series that has aged well, as it is still enjoyable to binge even to this day.
My Love From The Star (2013)
Are you curious enough to get into some extraterrestrial romance? My Love From The Star revolves around that premise, and it became one of the most successful dramas of 2013.
This love story is about a 400-year-old alien (Kim Soo-hyun) who visits Earth way back in the Joseon era. Due to unavoidable circumstances, he had to remain on this planet for 400 more years. He had been counting the days until he gets to go back home.
Unfortunately, just when he was already counting down the days, he meets a famous actress (Jun Ji-hyun) and he begins to fall in love with her. The more time they spend together, the more difficult it is for him to leave. But even if he chose to stay on Earth, his deteriorating health would make it difficult for him to thrive.
This drama was a phenomenal hit across Asia. Even though falling in love with an alien seemed totally out of this world (pun intended), the story turned out to be heartwarming paired with the right amount of conflict. The team behind it was able to perfectly connect the pieces together and created an amazing and beautiful masterpiece.
Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
From Aliens, we move on to mermaids in this 2016 fantasy rom-com which starred K-drama superstars Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun.
It’s about a con man named Heo Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho) who made it his business to scam the rich. He then meets Shim Cheong (Jun Ji Hyun), a strange woman who had special abilities. Joon Hae finds her annoying and ill-mannered. Little did he know that she’s actually a mermaid who came on land to search for her long-lost love. She succeeds in hiding her identity but complications occur when a dangerous rival hunts her down and Joon Jae also starts to find her unusual ways quite charming.
On top of this fairytale-like romance, the plot also reveals that Joon Jae and Shim Cheong are actually reincarnations of two people who fell in love in the Joseon era but suffered a tragic fate. In his past life Joon Jae dreamt of his reincarnation, so he made a time capsule to warn his future self. Can Joon Jae really change destiny and rewrite a tragic love story?
The first few episodes may have its share of slapstick humor, but it slowly evolves later on to focus more on the love story that endured multiple timelines!
A Korean Odyssey (2017)
Son Oh-Gong (Lee Seung-Gi) is an immortal demon who had been trapped in a painting due to his crimes 25 years ago. Desperate for freedom, he persuaded a small girl who harbored supernatural power to set him free. He lied that he would help her whenever she needed him to. However, when the young girl was able to free him, Oh-Gong returned to his own realm and left her behind to deal with the punishment of setting him free.
At present, Oh-Gong never expected that they would meet again. But the small girl he tricked back then is now a beautiful young lady (Oh Yeon Seo) who helps people resolve supernatural problems through her powers.
This story also includes a bull demon king named Ma-Wang (Cha Seung Won) who had bad blood with Son Oh-Gong. But circumstances forced Ma-Wang to work with him so he could collect ‘points’ which will allow him to become a deity. Yes—in this story, even supernatural beings have their own promotion system!
This drama has a lot of supernatural elements—from gods, demons, to walking corpses! Overall, this drama gives audiences a well-balanced story with moments of hilarity, horror, and even a sprinkle of romance!
Master’s Sun (2013)
If you are a fan of horror/fantasy dramas, this should keep you entertained for the full 17 episodes! It’s about a woman named Tae Gong Shil (Gong Hyo Jin) who lives under very difficult circumstances because of her ability to see ghosts. These spirits follow her around asking for help to settle unfinished business. This forced Gong Shil to live like a recluse, even appearing strange most of the time with all these spirits tailing them around.
Joo Joong-won (So Ji Sub) is a cold-hearted CEO of a retail company who never believed in anything supernatural. However, when he came across Gong Shil and her quirks, his world started to become even more interesting. For Gong Shil, having Joong Won around kept the spirits at bay.
Little did they know that a tragedy from the past would bring them together. Gohng Shil soon realized that this odd young woman will actually help bring answers to a mystery that involved him in the past. With each other’s presence, they started to uncover some truths and also helped each other overcome their fears.
Hi, Bye Mama (2020)
This tearjerker is about a new mom named Cha Yu Ri (Kim Tae Hee) who died and came back as a ghost who spent the next five years watching over her daughter. However, in a sudden twist of fate, she gets reincarnated with the chance of regaining her place in her family’s life, but she only has 49 days to do so. Unfortunately, her husband (Lee Kyu Hyung) is now remarried.
Cha Yu Ri’s return wasn’t quite as she has expected, but will she be brave enough to take back what was hers?
Hi, Bye Mama can be a cryfest, but it also offers interesting subplots that make it worthy to binge on! It may have supernatural elements that made this story even more heartbreaking, but the end snaps us back to reality as beautifully concluded later on.
Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)
You might want to keep the lights turned on for Lee Dong-wook‘s supernatural series because it’s a little scary (think scenes with ghosts and water wells reminiscent of The Ring). Aside from some minor scenes that make you shudder, however, the story largely revolves around his character Lee-yeon, a mythical nine-tailed fox who abdicated his position as the guardian mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan to search for the reincarnation of his one true love.
His paths cross with a documentary filmmaker Nam Ji-a (Jo Bo Ah) who is out to get a scoop on supernatural beings. The two started out on the wrong foot, but they were unaware that they were actually once lovers in the past.
Circumstances in the present bring the two on a treacherous journey that involves solving the mysterious murder of Ji-a’s parents mysterious deaths and the two rediscovering their love for each other.
Kingdom (2019)
If you are into gore and heart-racing fright brought by rabid zombies, then Kingdom should be a very entertaining series to watch! Many people also thought so because its solid concoction of the suspenseful plot made it one of the most popular dramas to air in 2019 and 2020.
Kingdom begins when the current king succumbs to a mysterious disease. His conniving young wife, Queen Cho (Kim Hye-jun), and her family have kept him artificially alive through a “resurrection plant” that turns the king into a flesh-eating zombie—until her son is born. Her son would inherit the throne over the current Crown Prince, Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon), who was born to a concubine.
Adamant to know about his father’s condition, Prince Lee Chang’s curiousity opened a can of worms. He inevitably uncovered the monster and the virulent disease that the greedy Queen Cho unleashed. From relative peace, the entire kingdom is now rocked by this mysterious disease that could potentially turn everyone into flesh-eating zombies.
Part historical political drama, part supernatural zombie horror, this series proved to be a smart, heady and addictive delight.
Hotel Del Luna (2019)
After he was invited to manage a hotel for dead souls, elite hotelier, Gu Chan-sung (Yeo Jin Goo) gets to know the establishment’s ancient owner and her strange world.
Hotel Del Luna is no ordinary establishment. It was a hotel that caters only to ghosts. This is where Jang Man Wol (IU) came to atone for her sins after killing so many people out of revenge. As a punishment, she was cursed to run the hotel until her heart, now personified as a tree, would change.
Change came through Gu Chan Sung, who became the new general manager of Hotel Del Luna. Far from Man Wol’s personality, Gu Chang Sung was organized, well-mannered, and level-headed. But more than tweaking the management style, he slowly warms Man Wol’s heart. But falling for each other would only mean goodbye because that signals the deities that Man Wol’s heart has changed making her worthy to go to the afterlife.
Hotel Del Luna is a visual treat that also offered a captivating plot! Besides the blossoming romance, you’d be entertained to learn about the different stories and backgrounds that each of the hotel’s guest have!
