For the past few years, Korean dramas have grown increasingly in popularity, and surprisingly, so has the interest in true crime and true crime media. So, for all the true crime fans as well as the K-drama fanatics, this list has been composed to include the top K-dramas that have been directly based on or had been inspired by bone-chilling actual crime cases that have taken place in South Korea.
1. Through The Darkness
Among all the K-dramas, this series is highly recommended. “Through the Darkness” is based on the autobiography of a Korean police officer, Ko Na-mu, who is recruited to join the Korean behavioral analysis team. This is a series that dives straight into the criminal mind. The story follows South Korea’s first criminal profiler, Kwon II Yong. We begin the series in the 1990s when the citizens of Seoul are plagued with an unknown murderer on the loose. As the attacks become increasingly brutal Gook Yoon-Soo, aware of the American FBI behavioral analysis unit, decides to form a team that can catch these killers. “Through the Darkness” is a very interesting watch.
2. Juvenile Justice
“Juvenile Justice” is another thrilling drama that is recommended to watch if you are a true-crime junkie. This series was based on actual juvenile cases that have taken place in South Korea. Several of these cases have happened; however, the series creators have taken creative liberties to make them appear more dramatic. This series shows the darker side of the Korean Justice System and delves into the Korean Juvenile system. We follow Shim EunSeok, a judge who hates young criminals and gets appointed to the juvenile department in the Yeonhwa District Court.
3. Signal
“Signal”, is a Korean drama that’s a highly engaging and popular drama that is inspired by the horrifying Hwaseong murder cases where Lee Chun-Jae, also known as the Korean Zodiac Killer, was responsible for the murder and rape of several women as well as the Park Choroung Bitnari abduction. In this series, we follow Hae-Young, a police lieutenant haunted by the abduction of a childhood friend. He travels back in time through a walkie-talkie to find the culprit responsible for kidnapping his friend. These series are highly acclaimed and beloved by true crime fanatics.
4. Narco-Saints: Suriname
“Narco-Saints: Suriname” is surprisingly based on the story of a drug lord named Cho Bong-Haeng. He was responsible for operating a vast trafficking organization that ran between the 1990s and the early 2000s in Suriname. To arrest Cho, the NIS hired an ordinary businessman to infiltrate the organization’s ranks. We follow Kang In-Gu, our main character, who is just an everyday Korean businessman who gets employed to infiltrate a drug gang by the NIS and gets involved in a full-fledged drug war.
5. Taxi Driver
Here, we are talking about the Korean Drama “Taxi Driver”, where we follow the main character, Kim Do-Ki, a taxi driver who works for the Rainbow Taxi Company. However; this is not just an ordinary taxi company, this company provides a unique service to its clients where they inflict revenge on those who have wronged them. You would be surprised to know that the drama covers several real-life events and actual crime cases that have taken place in South Korea.
6. Ms. Hammurabi
“Ms. Hammurabi” is not directly based on actual crime cases but on the lives of actual judges. One of the writers behind the script of this K-drama, Moon Yoo Seok is also a real judge, who works at the Seoul Central District Court as a senior judge. We follow the life of Park Chao Reum, our protagonist who gets appointed as a new judge in the 44th Civil Affairs Department at the Seoul Central District.
7. D.P.
“D.P.”, is a K-drama based on a webtoon written by Kim Bo Tong, and surprisingly, it is based on actual events. We follow Private Ahn Joon-Ho and Corporal Han Ho-Yul, who are part of a military police team whose mission is to catch deserters. Kim Bo Tong, who had written the webtoon and was a co-writer for the drama, included the hazing, violence, and bullying he faced in the military. This series dives into the dark side of the military in South Korea and its effects on the soldiers.
8. Mouse
“Mouse”, is a thrilling K-drama that delves into the dark side of society and asks the fundamental question that all psychologists and anyone working in the criminal field have if someone is a born killer. This series was inspired by the Incheon Elementary School Murders. In the drama, scientists find out if a person has a murderous gene, which would make them a killer. Our protagonist, whom we follow, is Detective Go Mu-Chi. We follow him and his partner in their quest to hunt a notorious serial killer.
9. Gabdong: The Serial Killer
In “Gabdong”, we follow detective Moo-Yeom, who is hellbent on catching the “Gap Dong” serial killer. We see that Moon-Yeom's father was suspected of being the killer himself, and due to the questioning conducted by the then detective, Yeom’s father took his own life. Now, more than twenty years later, even after the statute of limitations has passed, we see Detective Yeom trying to hunt down and capture the killer. This series had been inspired by the real “Hwaseong serial murders”, where ten women were raped and murdered between 1986 and 1991. This show is considered a hidden gem by K-drama lovers.
10. Nobody Knows
“Nobody Knows” is an exciting drama that was based on the true stories of children, who were all ostracised and marginalized by society and the horrors they must face. We follow Cha Young-Jin, a detective trying to catch a serial killer, who was responsible for killing her childhood friend, nineteen years ago. Still carrying the heavy weight of guilt and loss of her friend we see Cha Young in her pursuit of justice.
