From zombie outbreaks in All of Us Are Dead to monster and human conflicts in Sweet Home, check out our list of the best K-drama titles that will satiate your thirst for apocalyptic horror bingeing.
Going beyond jump scares and cliché plotlines, apocalyptic horror Korean dramas are a notch above the rest. Leading the list is the Netflix global hit All of Us Are Dead season 1. The series was watched over 474.26 million hours in the first 30 days of its release, making it one of the most-watched Korean dramas on Netflix. The show’s plot is based on the 2009 Korean webtoon, Now At Our School, by popular artist Joo Dong-geun. Following its global success, the series was officially renewed for season 2 by Netflix.
Talking about the same, director Lee Jae-kyoo told The Korea Herald, “Many directions, settings and scenes were intentionally produced to expand the story into an additional season, including the introduction of the new races of zombies.” According to K-media sources, All of Us Are Dead season 2 is set to premiere in 2025.
Meanwhile, raising the benchmark for apocalyptic horror K-drama shows with captivating performances and a gripping storyline is the Yoo Ah-in starrer Hellbound. This 2021 series got an official invite to the 46th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), making it the first Korean TV series to make it into the coveted film festival. Additionally, Hellbound recorded over 43.48 million viewing hours within three days of release and ended up topping the Netflix global TOP 10 TV (non-English) list.
Not to forget the Jung Dong-yoon directorial apocalyptic horror K-drama Gyeongseong Creature season 1, which stars popular Korean celebrities Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee. The series garnered over 3 million views and 24 million viewing hours within three days of release in December 2023. The instant success of the series led Netflix to announce its second instalment. According to its streaming platform Netflix, Gyeongseong Creature season 2 is under production and extends its narrative “from the tumultuous spring of 1945 to the bustling streets of 2024 Seoul. This continuation, set against the backdrop of monstrous creations born from human greed, further entwines the fates of Jang Tae-sang (Park) and Yoon Chae-ok (Han).”
Best apocalyptic horror K-drama titles to add to your watch list
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Sweet Home (2020–)
Directed by: Lee Eung-bok
Cast: Song Kang, Lee Do-hyun, Kim Hyo-jin
Episodes in season 1: 10
Episodes in season 2: 8
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hr. 15 min.
Synopsis: Introverted high school kid Cha Hyun-su (Song) moves to a new apartment in the Green Home complex. He is left in shock when he witnesses his neighbours turn into deadly monsters a day later. Hyun-su must now join a group of survivors led by medical trainee Lee Eun-hyuk (Lee) and fight his way to safety.
About the show: In season 2, after fighting off strange creatures at the Green Home apartment, Cha Hyun-su, Eun-hyuk and other survivors find their lives at risk once again. According to Netflix, season 3 will further blur the line between monsters and humans, as “humanity grapples with the emergency of neohumans in a world on the brink of annihilation”. Sweet Home season 3 is all set to premiere on Netflix on 19 July 2024.
Dark Hole (2021)
Directed by: Kim Bong-joo
Cast: Kim Ok-bin, Lee Joon-hyuk, Park Keun-rok
Episodes: 12
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hr.
Synopsis: Lee Hwa-sun (Kim) and a group of survivors fight for their lives when humans start turning into blood-thirsty mutants after breathing mysterious dark smoke from a sinkhole.
Hellbound (2021)
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-a
Episodes: 6
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hr. 5 min.
Synopsis: Dread ensues in South Korea when people start hearing prophecies about the exact time of their death. Things worsen when, at the said time, a death angel condemns the selected people to hell. Soon, the bloodshed created by these mysterious beings gives rise to Saejinrihwe — a new religion with cryptic notions about righteousness.
All of Us Are Dead (2022–)
Directed by: Lee Jae-kyoo and Kim Na-su
Cast: Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Lomon
Episodes in season 1: 12
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hr. 10 min
Synopsis: The lives of all attending Hyosan High School are turned upside down after a student returns from the science lab with a strange infection. Soon, the teenagers find themselves trapped in a deadly outbreak where the infected start turning into zombies.
Duty After School (2023)
Directed by: Sung Yong-Il
Cast: Shin Hyun-soo, Lee Soon-won,
Lim Se-mi
Episodes: 10
Approx. duration per epiosde: 1 hr.
Synopsis: During an ongoing alien attack on Earth, the Korean government orders universities and high schools to organise student reserve forces to increase their military power. When allotted a high school of second and third graders, platoon leader Lee Choon-ho (Shin), Sergeant Kim Won-bin (Lee) and Park Eun-young (Lim) together try to keep things at bay throughout the human-alien war.
About the show: It is a Korean drama adaptation of the webtoon Banggwa Hoo Jeonjaenghwaldong by Ha Il-Kwon (2012).
Gyeongseong Creature (2023–)
Directed by: Jung Dong-yoon
Cast: Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee, Wi Ha-joon, Kim Hae-sook, Kim Su-hyun
Episodes in season 1: 16
Approx. duration per episode: 1 hr. 5 min.
Synopsis: In 1945 Gyeongseong (Seoul under Japanese rule), Jang Tae-sang (Park), the wealthy and arrogant owner of Golden Jade House, is on a journey to investigate a series of missing person cases in the mysterious Ongsung Hospital. Helping him in the mission is bounty hunter Yoon Chae-ok (Han).
Parasyte: The Grey (2024)
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Jung-hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo
Episodes: 6
Approx. duration per episode: 50 min.
Synopsis: When Jung Soo-in (Jeon) gets infected by a parasite, she is forced to begin a mysterious cohabitation with it. However, with Choi Jun-kyung (Lee), the leader of The Grey team planning to exterminate the parasites from South Korea, Soo-in’s survival seems difficult.
About the show: This Jeon So-nee starrer is a Korean live-action adaptation of the manga series Kiseijuu by Iwaaki Hitoshi.
(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy Netflix)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The latest apocalyptic horror K-drama is the 2024 Netflix series 'Parasyte: the Grey'.
Some of the apocalyptic horror K-dramas about high school survival are 'All of Us Are Dead' and 'Duty After School'.
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Sushmita is a writer with a passion for crafting engaging and informative stories. An avid fan of K-pop and K-dramas, Sushmita mostly writes about Korean culture and entertainment. When not writing, you can find Sushmita dancing, reading, collecting books, learning about fashion, art, motion pictures, and appreciating BTS.
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