Squid Game is the streamer’s biggest show of all time, reigning as the most viewed Netflix show in 94 countries at its peak and 95 percent of the show’s viewership came from outside South Korea, Netflix stated on January 18.
Fresh off the heels of Squid Game, Hellbound, the K-drama that premiered around two months after it in 2021, ranked among the top 10 Netflix shows in 93 countries and ranked no. 1 in 34 countries.
Sci-fi mystery thriller The Silent Sea (released on Christmas Eve in 2021) also bagged the top spot in the weekly non-English top 10 lists for its premiere.
Having launched over 130 Korean titles from 2016 to 2021, the streamer shows no signs of slowing down, with this year marking the launch of more than 25 Korean shows, its “largest number to date,” Netflix said.
Here we look at some of the most compelling K-dramas and Korean films coming to Netflix in 2022.
All of Us Are Dead
Slated for release on January 28, All of Us Are Dead will mark the first new K-drama series to be unveiled by Netflix this year.
The zombie thriller follows a group of high school students who try to survive a mysterious virus outbreak at their school. With “horrific visuals” and “stunning action” sequences, the new show will see teenagers find love and friendship even amid a zombie apocalypse, according to Netflix.
Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area
The Korean adaptation of gripping Spanish crime drama Money Heist is one of the most highly anticipated Korean shows to be released this year.
The Korean remake—which stars Squid Game actor Park Hae-soo (who played contestant no. 218 in the hit Netflix K-drama—will follow the same premise of the original series, which sees the enigmatic “Professor” character recruit a group of people to stage a grand heist in the face of extraordinary challenges
Set on the Korean peninsula, the plot will unfold on both sides of the Korean border as the thieves attempt to steal the “freshly minted currency of a to-be unified Korea,” according to the streamer.
The Accidental Narco
Based on real-life events, the upcoming series follows the life-threatening journey of an ordinary businessman who joins a secret government mission to capture a Korean drug lord.
The show stars Squid Game’s Park Hae-soo and Hwang Jung-min, a major Korean actor known for various works including the disturbing Korean horror pic The Wailing.
Glitch
Starring Jeon Yeo-bin from the hit Netflix K-drama Vincenzo, Glitch sees a woman attempt to track down her boyfriend who goes missing. She uncovers a mysterious secret while seeking the help of a UFO club.
The series is written by Jin Han-sae, the writer behind the Netflix K-drama series Extracurricular.
A Model Family
A Model Family sees a man on the brink of bankruptcy and divorce stumble upon a car loaded with cash and cross paths with the second-in-command of a drug organization, played by Park Hee-soon from Dr. Brain, the first Korean series released by AppleTV+ last year.
The Sound of Magic
Based on a webtoon known as Annarasumanara, The Sound of Magic is about a girl “who had to grow up too fast” and a “mysterious magician” who lives in an abandoned amusement park, according to Netflix.
The “touching drama” is directed by Kim Sung-youn, the brains behind the popular Netflix K-drama series Itaewon Class.
Tomorrow
This fantasy drama series starring Kim Hee-seon (a major Korean actress known from a string of K-dramas and Korean films) sees grim reapers “who used to escort the dead now save those who want to die” as part of a special mission, Netflix describes.
Somebody
This murder mystery centers around a dating app called “Somebody.” The app’s developer and her friends find themselves entangled in “inexplicable issues surrounding a mysterious figure,” according to Netflix.
Black Knight
Set on the deserted islands of the Korean peninsula in 2071, when only one percent of the human race has survived, the new series depicts an air polluted world where people rely on respirator masks to breathe and “a strict social stratification has been established,” according to Netflix.
JUNG-E
Directed by Yeon Sang-ho, the filmmaker of Train to Busan fame who also directed Netflix’s Hellbound, the upcoming film explores a unique theme combining “dystopia, cloning and technology,” Netflix describes.
Set in the 22nd century on a desolate Earth that is no longer inhabitable due to climate change, a war breaks out in a shelter built for human survival, according to the streamer.
The film stars Hellbound actors Kim Hyun-joo and Ryu Kyung-soo.
Seoul Vibe
This “action blockbuster” film sees a crew of drivers known as the Sangedong Supreme team undertake a special operation to unravel the corruption behind slush funds amid the backdrop of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, according to the streamer.
Starring Yoo Ah-in, the famed Korean actor from Hellbound and Burning, the film features “breathtaking action scenes,” including a chase through the streets of the South Korean capital.
Yaksha: Ruthless Operations
This “breathtaking” spy action film sees a merciless man known as “Yaksha” cross paths with a prosecutor (played by Squid Game’s Park Hae-soo) on a special inspection mission in Shenyang, China.
The film marks the comeback of Korean director Na Hyun (known for the Korean movie The Prison) and also features Jinyoung, the actor and singer from K-pop group GOT7.
Others New K-Dramas on Netflix in 2022
Twenty Five, Twenty One (out February 12)Forecasting Love and Weather (out February 12)Thirty Nine (out February 16)Juvenile JusticeBusiness ProposalRemarriage and DesiresThe FabulousLove to Hate You
Other New Korean Films/Shows on Netflix in 2022
Love and Leashes (out February 11)Carter20th Century GirlCeleb Five: Behind the Curtain (unscripted show)
