Top 17 Mystery Korean Dramas That'll Keep You Hooked (2024)

If you’ve ever watched any Korean drama, you know that they keep building suspense till the end and then reveal the truth. Because of this, you get hooked on and get eager to binge-watch the whole drama.

One of the major elements of any drama, whether it be romance or thriller, is mystery. You can often see a character that is mysterious in some way, or the plot involves the mystery of any incident.

If you are into watching shows with mystery that will make you think more, here is a handpicked list of the best mystery Kdramas that you should watch to fulfill your cravings for the perfect mystery show.

1. Signal

Park Hae Yeong watches a girl being taken away 15 years ago. Hae Yeong is now a police cop and a criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie-talkie that links him with Detective Lee Jae Han from the past. Together, they solve a string of killings.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong
• Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun
• Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han
• Kim Won Hae as Kim Gye Cheol

No. Of Episodes: 16 (75 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

2. Mother

When school teacher and bird researcher Soo Jin finds out that one of her students is being abused, she takes the girl hostage and tries to care for her as if she were her own mother.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Bo Young as Kang Soo Jin
• Heo Yeol as Kim Hye Na
• Lee Hye Young as Kang Yeong Shin
• Go Sung Hee as Shin Ja Young

No. Of Episodes: 16 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

3. Through The Darkness

The drama will tell the story of South Korea’s first criminal profiler and how hard it was for him to look inside the minds of serial killers when the word “profiling” did not exist. It is based on a book that came out in 2018 with the same name.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Kim Nam Gil as Song Ha Young
• Kim So Jin as Yoon Tae Goo
• Jin Seon Kyu as Kook Young Soo
• Ryeoun as Jung Woo Joo

No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

4. Mouse

Ba Reum is a police officer whose life changes when he encounters a psychopathic killer. This drives him and his partner to unveil the truth behind psychopathic behaviours. A drama that asks the question, “What if we could identify psychopaths in advance?”

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Seung Gi as Jung Ba Reum
• Lee Hee Joon as Ko Moo Chi
• Park Joo Hyun as Oh Bong Yi
• Kyung Soo Jin as Choi Hong Joo

No. Of Episodes: 20

Streaming Options (region-specific):

5. Beyond Evil

The story of Lee Dong Shik and Han Joo Won, two brave police officers who break the law to catch a serial killer. As they try to figure out who did it, they start to doubt the innocence of everyone involved, including themselves.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Shin Ha Kyun as Lee Dong Shik
• Yeo Jin Goo as Han Joo Won
• Choi Dae Hoon as Park Jung Je
• Choi Sung Eun as Yoo Jae Yi

No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

6. Defendant

Park Jung Woo is a lawyer who has lost his memory and finds out that he is already on death row. He has no choice but to race against time to find out what caused his situation and prove that he is not guilty.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Ji Sung as Park Jung Woo
• Uhm Ki Joon as Cha Sun Ho
• Kwon Yu Ri as Seo Eun Hye
• Oh Chang Seok as Kang Joon Hyuk

No. Of Episodes: 18 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

7. My Perfect Stranger

Hae Joon and Yoon Young go back in time to 1987. There, Hae Joon attempts to uncover the truth about the murder case, while Yoon Young attempts to keep her parents from marrying. They soon learn that their goals are intertwined.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Kim Dong Wook as Yoon Hae Joon
• Jin Ki Joo as Baek Yoon Young
• Seo Ji Hye as Soon Ae (1987)
• Lee Won Jung as Hee Seop (1987)

No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

See Also

Year In Review: 2020 Best Korean Dramas

9. Tunnel

Park Kwang Ho is a detective in 1986. During his investigation, he walks through a tunnel that works as a time portal and takes him to Seoul in the present day. He meets Kim Sun Jae, a new partner and tries to find the serial killer to return to the past.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Kwang Ho
• Yoon Hyun Min as Kim Seon Jae
• Lee Yoo Young as Shin Jae Yi
• Jo Hee Bong as Jeon Seong Shik

No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

10. Law School

Set in Hankuk University Law School, the drama tells the story of students and professors in the law school who come across an unusual case. A professor is arrested as a suspect & his students work together to reveal the truth.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Kim Myung Min as Yang Jong Hoon
• Kim Bum as Han Joon Hwi
• Ryu Hye Young as Kang Sol
• Lee Jung Eun as Kim Eun Sook

No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

11. Missing: The Other Side

The drama is set in a village inhabited by the souls of people who went missing while they were alive. There, a group of people search for missing bodies and try to discover what happened to each of them.

Cast –

• Go Soo as Kim Wook
• Heo Joon Ho as Jang Pan Seok
• Ahn So Hee as Lee Jong Ah
• Ha Joon as Shin Joon Ho

No. Of Episodes – 12

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

12. Big Mouth

Chang Ho is an underperforming lawyer. He winds up in charge of a murder case that turns him overnight into a genius conman known as “Big Mouse.” In order to survive, he must expose a huge conspiracy among the privileged upper classes.

Cast –

• Lee Jong Suk as Park Chang Ho
• Im Yoon Ah as Ko Mi Ho
• Yang Kyung Won as Gong Ji Hoon
• Kim Joo Heon as Choi Do Ha

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Disney+

13. Revenant

A demon-possessed woman and a guy who can see demons team up to solve the mysterious murders of five people. As they get closer to the truth, they discover an evil plot that could put their lives in danger.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Kim Tae Ri as Ku San Young
• Oh Jung Se as Yeom Hae Sang
• Hong Kyung as Lee Hong Sae
• Yang Hye Ji as Baek Se Mi

No. Of Episodes: 12 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

14. 365: Repeat The Year

The story of a group of people who are given the opportunity to relive a year of their lives in order to prevent a tragic accident from happening. Along the way, they uncover hidden truths about themselves and those around them, and must confront their past mistakes.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Joon Hyuk as Ji Hyung Joo
• Nam Ji Hyun as Shin Ga Hyun
• Kim Jee Soo as Lee Shin
• Lee Sung Wook as Park Sun Ho

No. Of Episodes: 24 (35 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

15. Vagabond

The stuntman Cha Dal Gun’s nephew dies in a plane crash. He learns that the plane crash was caused by a huge government scandal, and he and a NIS agent named Go Hae Ri set out to find out the truth and bring those responsible to justice.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Lee Seung Gi as Cha Dal Gun
• Bae Suzy as Go Hae Ri
• Shin Sung Rok as Gi Tae Ung
• Moon Jung Hee as Jessica Lee

No. Of Episodes: 16 (70 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

16. Revenge Of Others

To avenge her twin brother’s death, Ok Chan Mi moves to his school and teams up with Ji Soo Heon, who avenges bullied students. Their investigation into her brother’s killing reveals dark truths and hidden intentions.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Shin Ye Eun as Ok Chan Mi
• Lomon as Ji Soo Heon
• Seo Ji Hoon as Seok Jae Beom
• Chae Sang Woo as Ki Oh Sung

No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

17. Train

Do Won is a detective who strives to help Seo Kyung. This drama is divided into two worlds. He travels to the other world on a mysterious train that appears in an abandoned station to track down the serial killer with the help of the other Seo Kyung.

Rating:

Main Cast (Characters):

• Yoon Shi Yoon as Seo Do Won
• Kyung Soo Jin as Han Seo Kyung
• Shin So Yool as Lee Jung Min
• Lee Hang Na as Oh Mi Sook

No. Of Episodes: 12 (60 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Wrapping Up

So these are some of the most exciting Korean dramas with mystery plots that are full of puzzles. You will definitely love these dramas and will also recommend them to your friends.

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