7 K-Dramas on Netflix With an Actual Plot (No Offence to Romance Fans)

K-dramas are far from being frivolous stories without deep, intricate plots. On the contrary, South Korean productions are known for their genre diversity, drawing inspiration for stories from the country's many social, economic, religious, and historical issues. Even people who aren't into Korean entertainment probably have a good idea of what, say, Oldboy or Squid Games are all about.

And yet, when it comes to K-dramas, they sometimes do indeed suffer from a storytelling problem: no matter how intriguing and original the premise, it is often reduced to a mere plot device, and the narrative focuses on the romantic dynamics of the male and female leads, devaluing the main driver of the story.

Fortunately, there are enough South Korean dramas that manage to keep the main story consistent and the romance, if any, in a secondary place.

7. Awaken (2020, 16 episodes)

One of the most gripping thrillers, Awaken follows the Seoul Metropolitan Police Special Task Force as they investigate a series of murders that are somehow connected to the killings in a remote village 28 years ago.

6. Psychopath Diary (2019, 16 episodes)

A young man finds the diary of a serial killer. Moments later, however, he is hit by a car, leaving him with amnesia. Now he believes he's the psychopath and gradually takes on his personality traits. The story does a great job of balancing comedy and suspense with little to no romance.

5. Juvenile Justice (2022, 10 episodes)

Juvenile Justice is a courtroom drama that follows a judge with an aversion to young people. However, she is assigned to work with juvenile cases and gradually comes to understand the reasons that drive minors to commit crimes.

4. Vincenzo (2021, 20 episodes)

Vincenzo is a smart and fast-paced thriller about a man working for the Italian Mafia who is forced to confront a drug cartel masquerading as a pharmaceutical company.

3. Signal (2016, 16 episodes)

Signal is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows a profiler from 2015 and a detective from 1989 as they connect via a mysterious walkie-talkie to solve a series of connected homicides.

2. Under the Queen's Umbrella (2022, 16 episodes)

The title character is a responsible and graceful, yet hot-tempered queen. But the royal palace is in disarray not because of her, but because of her troublesome sons. To raise them as worthy princes, she is willing to sacrifice royal protocol while reminiscing about her youth.

1. Navillera (2021, 12 episodes)

Navillera is an incredibly moving and heartbreaking story about an unlikely friendship between a 70-year-old retired mailman and a 23-year-old young man, both of whom want to fulfill their dreams of becoming ballet dancers.