The bestmysteryK-dramasare full of suspenseand keep audiences hooked until the final moments. Strong writing, convincing performances, and a balance of drama and crime are key ingredients for a compelling mystery series. Though it’s not always required in the genre, several mystery TV shows involve criminal activity and detective protagonists. These characters work to solve tough murder cases and take audiences along with them as they uncover shocking bits of information and get closer to the truth.
Other mystery K-dramas,likeLife on Mars,Perfect Marriage Revenge, andTunnel, implement the use of time travel, adding another layer of mystery to an already puzzling narrative. While many ofthese K-dramas have fantasy and supernatural attributes, they are still grounded in reality thanks to their moving narratives and outstanding performances. Whether they’re made to shock, make audiences cry, or be a lighthearted viewing full of laughs, what the best mystery K-dramas have in common is their ability to keep audiences wrapped up in their stories.
May It Please the Court
Cast
May It Please the Court follows Noh Chak-hee, a prominent lawyer from Jangsan law firm, who transitions to the role of a public defender. She is confronted with the challenging duty of defending the individual accused of killing her loved one.
Based on a book by lawyer Jeong Hye-jin,May It Please the Courthas all the makings of adrama-filled legal TV show, sprinkled with elements of an intriguing mystery. The K-drama revolves around former corporate lawyer Noh Chak-Hee (Jung Ryeo-won), who gets in trouble while working at a distinguished law firm in Seoul. As a result of her suspension, Chak-Hee is made to work at a nearby public defender’s office, where she stumbles upon a strange serial murder case.
May It Please the Courtsees Chak-Hee bonding with her spirited co-worker Jwa Si-baek (Lee Kyu-hyung) as they work on the case together. Unlike most mystery K-dramas,the central relationship between the two is the focus of the series. Still,May It Please the Courtis an engaging watch, and it’s satisfying to see Chak-Hee and Si-baek get increasingly closer to finding the truth.
Memorist
Memorist is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Yoo Seung-ho as Dong Baek, a detective with the ability to read memories by touch. The series follows Dong Baek and his partner, Han Sun-mi, a criminal profiler, as they investigate a string of mysterious and brutal murders. Together, they confront their pasts and unravel the secrets behind the killer’s identity.
The supernatural world is mysterious in and of itself and supports the core mystery inMemorist. The series' leading detective, Dong Baek (Yoo Seung-ho), has the ability to read people’s memories, which frequently comes in handy with the job.Following a series of murders, Baek teams up with Han Sun-mi (Lee Se-young), a highly skilled criminal profiler, and as the truth about the murders begins to present itself, so does the truth about each of their complicated pasts.
Memorist is an engrossing detective K-drama that’ll keep audiences guessing, as viewers can never be entirely confident about what will happen next.
Memoristis an engrossingdetective K-drama that’ll keep audiences guessing, as viewers can never be entirely confident about what will happen next. The series hasthe best of what mystery K-dramas have to offer, including leads who struggle to trust one another, a story that steadily alternates between past and present events, and, of course, a riveting mystery that’ll have audiences on the edge of their seats.
Life on Mars
Life on Mars is a South Korean television series based on the British series of the same name. It follows a modern-day detective who is transported back in time to the 1980s, where he must navigate a different era of policing while trying to find a way to return to his own time.
Combining time travel with a gripping murder mystery is the 2018 seriesLife on Mars. The K-drama follows detective Han Tae-joo (Jung Kyung-Ho) in the present day as he’s investigating a murder case. Tae-joo ends up in an accident during the investigation and wakes up to discover he’s now in the past. In 1988, Tae-joo learns thatin order to get back home to the present, he must solve an ’80s case involving a serial killer.
Life on Marsexcels at transporting audiences back to the past, with the wardrobe and set design being strong indicators between the two timelines. The K-drama is just one of the many adaptations of the original British series of the same name and does a great job of reproducing the beloved elements of its predecessor while still managing to stand out and offer something refreshing and new.
Perfect Marriage Revenge
Perfect Marriage Revenge is a 2023 film featuring Han Yi-joo and Seo Do-guk, who unite to seek vengeance after Han Yi-joo awakens from a fatal accident to find herself in the past. They target the family that never loved her, exploring themes of betrayal and retribution.
Revenge is a popular K-drama genre, as it’s often executed in ways that are both gritty and overly dramatic. The latter best describesPerfect Marriage Revenge, which includes the use of time travel and exaggerated and cruel family members. The K-drama follows Han Yi-joo (Jung Yoo-min), who gets adopted into a rich family. To say Yi-joo hasn’t had an easy life would be putting it lightly. Her family is cruel to her, and she’s in a marriage with an unfaithful husband.
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However,Yi-joo’s life changes when she gets into an accident and wakes up one year earlier. Using her knowledge of future events to her advantage, Yi-joo seeks to alter the course of her life for the better. The mystery aspect ofPerfect Marriage Revengeisn’t as strong as other series mentioned, but there is fun to be had when Yi-joo pieces together the best ways to get back at those who’ve previously wronged her.
Flower of Evil
Flower of Evil is a South Korean thriller series that follows the story of Baek Hee-sung, a man who hides his dark past and pretends to be a perfect husband and father. However, his life is disrupted when Detective Cha Ji-won, a determined and intelligent detective, begins to suspect him of being involved in a series of mysterious events.
Most of the mysteries presented in K-dramas are tied to criminal investigations or involve people unrelated to the protagonist. However, inFlower of Evil, the mystery is a bit more personal. The series revolves around a married couple that appear to be perfect from the outside. However, it’s soon made clear to audiences that the relationship between Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won) and her husband Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) could not be any more complicated.
Hee-sung is a mysterious figure on his own, but Ji-won becomes increasingly suspicious of his behavior after her work as a detective sends her down a rabbit hole of unexplained murders.Flower of Evildoesn’t move as fast as other mystery series, butclues are dropped with each episode leading up to the biggest revealtowards the end.This effectively draws audiences in, keeping them engaged until the very end.
Missing: The Other Side
Missing: The Other Side is a supernatural thriller series that follows a group of individuals who discover a village inhabited by the spirits of missing people. As they unravel the mysteries of the village, they work to solve the cases of those who disappeared.
There’s more than just one mystery to get audiences hooked inMissing: The Other Side.The fantasy K-dramafollows charismatic Kim Wook (Go Soo), who frequently uses his looks and conversation skills to take money from people. When a run-in with a tough group of criminals goes bad, Wook ends up in a village invisible to the outside world.The Duon Village hosts people who were killed but never discovered by others.
Wook makes it his mission to help the people of Duon Village by uncovering the truth about their deaths, allowing them to fully transition over to the other side. Each of the various villagers comes with fascinating backstories, making it easy for audiences to become invested in the truth about their deaths —it’s safe to say tears will be shed. Wook, too, is a compelling character, as he puts forth a great effort to turn his life around and uses his unfortunate predicament to help others.
Stranger
Stranger is a South Korean television series that follows prosecutor Hwang Si-mok (Cho Seung-woo), who, after undergoing brain surgery, lacks emotion but gains heightened rationality. Partnering with police detective Han Yeo-jin (Bae Doona), he tackles corruption within the prosecution system, aiming to uncover the hidden truths behind a tangled web of deceit and crime. The series is praised for its intricate plot, compelling characters, and gripping narrative.
The central mystery inStranger, also known asThe Forest of Secrets, has to do with corruption. In the series, Hwang Si-mok (Cho Seung-woo) is a skilled prosecutor who loses his empathy and social skills after surgery. He teams up with Han Yeo-jin (Bae Doona), a police lieutenant, to investigate a murder, buttheir case is prevented from moving quickly due to an ongoing corruption conspiracyinvolving respected agencies.
Unlike most mystery K-dramas,Strangerhas two seasons, which allows for the conflict and lingering questions to be stretched out over more episodes. While this means it does take longer to get to the bottom of the core mystery,the writing of the series is strongenough to secure audiences' attention for an extended amount of time. Not only is there suspense surrounding the figures responsible for obstructing the main investigation, but audiences will be pleased with the development of Si-mok and Yeo-jin as partners and as individuals.
Mouse
A rookie police officer and a veteran detective confront a terrifying psychopath whose serial killings have plunged the nation into fear and chaos. As they pursue justice, the encounter with the killer profoundly alters their lives, challenging their beliefs and revealing shocking truths.
Mouseintroduces some complex themes as its leading detectives rush to catch psychopathic serial killers.The events of the series were inspired by real-life murdersin which the killers appeared to show no signs of remorse when questioned about their actions. Screenwriter Choi Ran felt the guilt and weight of a killer’s actions is a punishment in and of itself, and thusMousewas created.
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In the K-drama, detective Ko Moo-chi (Lee Hee-joon) and his rookie partner Jeong Ba-reum (Lee Seung-gi) dive deep into psychopathic behaviors, seeking to better understand serial killers with such tendencies.Moo-chi and Ba-reum are a classic pairing, approaching their detective work in different ways and learning a lot from one another because of it. Psychopathy is difficult for many to truly understand, soMouse’s exploration of its mysteries is both insightful and engaging.
Tunnel
Tunnel is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2017. The show follows a detective, Kwang-ho, who travels back in time from 1986 to 2016 and teams up with a detective in the present day to solve a series of cold cases. As they work together, they uncover hidden secrets and unravel the mysteries of the past.
Inspired by a real-life series of murders, the K-dramaTunnelsends its lead detective into the future to solve a crucial case. Park Gwang-ho (Choi Jin-hyuk) is an accomplished detective living in the year 1986, and the series begins with him investigating a homicide case. However, when the detective chases the presumed perpetrator through a tunnel, he winds up time traveling 30 years into the future.The K-drama’s time travel factoris already enough to have audiences intrigued.
The mystery of the show not only comes from Park Gwang-ho’s ability to travel to the future, but there’s a compelling murder case to be solved as well. In the future, the detective realizes a serial killer is operating in the same manner as the culprit in 1986, and he teams up with others to catch the killer once and for all. The series' mystery is balanced with drama and a bit of romance to ensure audiences are engaged in every respect.
Signal
Signal is a South Korean crime thriller television series that follows a detective from the present day who communicates with a detective from the past through a ham radio. They work together to solve cold cases and uncover the truth behind a mysterious crime.
The mystery inSignalinterweaves the events of two different timelines. Living in present-day 2015, criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) stumbles across a walkie talkie at the scene of a crime. The walkie talkie allows Hae-young to communicate with detective Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong), who resides in 1989. Together, the two help one another solve a series of cold cases inspired by real-life murders that took place in South Korea between 1986 and 1994.
Audiences will not only be caught up in the mystery surrounding the years-long unresolved cold cases but in the events that led to Jae-han’s disappearance as well.
However,Signalboasts plenty of originality and unexpected twistsand merely uses the real-life murders to inform the actions of those involved. Audiences will not only be caught up in the mystery surrounding the years-long unresolved cold cases but in the events that led to Jae-han’s disappearance as well. Though there’s only one season so far, there are still plenty of puzzling events that leave audiences stunned and engaged until the finale.
