Medical procedurals are always an exciting option to binge-watch, and the best medical K-dramas put a unique South Korean spin which sets them apart from their US counterparts. K-dramas come in all genres that have fans enthralled from comedy, romance, and even medical dramas. Medical K-dramas still cover a broad range of genres, such as those in the world of psychiatry or veterinary or historical and supernatural, within their given storylines. These K-dramas have some romance, riveting thrills, the supernatural, and even laugh-out-loud comedy.
There’s plenty gasping and holding-your-breath thrills in the best medical K-dramas, as they often entail life-or-death situations both in the ER and the rest of the hospital. Whether a surgeon or psychiatrist, medical K-dramas can explore a variety of different procedural avenues. Romantic storylines in K-dramas are always a bonus feature, but not necessarily a requirement to make the list of best medical K-dramas. These medical K-dramas are considered some of the best to have premiered in South Korea and are beloved by international fans as well — here they are, ranked worst to best.
15 A Poem A Day (2018) – Stream On Prime Video
One of the best medical K-dramas, A Poem a Day focuses on those who support doctors inside the hospital, such as nurses, radiologists, and physical therapists. The show follows three main characters, Ye Jae-Wook (Lee Joon-hyuk ), a physical therapy professor. Woo Bo-Young (Lee Yu-Bi), a physical therapist who dreams of becoming a poet, and Shin Min-Ho (Jang Dong-yoon), a physical therapist who wasn’t able to enter medical school. While it didn’t win any accolades, A Poem a Day is a must-watch K-drama due to its relatable characters, emotionally-charged episodes, and intriguing love triangle plot.
14 Cross (2018) – Stream On Myasiantv
K-drama fans will be on the edge of their seats as they watch one of the best medical K-dramas, Cross. The K-drama focuses on the career of a doctor named Kang In-Kyu (Go Kyung Pyo), who has long planned to avenge the death of his father by volunteering at a prison medical office. The K-drama shows In-Kyu’s ethical and moral struggle between his sworn oath and satisfying his hunger for revenge. Due to its interesting and intriguing plot and viewership numbers, some viewers feel that Cross needs to have a Hollywood movie adaptation.
13 D-Day (2015) – Stream On Rakuten Viki
D-Day was one of the best medical K-dramas from 2015, with a twist as it was also tagged with a natural disaster storyline. Surgeon Lee Hae-Sung and orthopedic resident, Jung Ddol-Mi are faced with a monumental challenge. Both doctors are stuck in Seoul after a sinkhole appears in the city following an earthquake. The sinkhole causes the city to be blocked off as there’s no electricity, water, or the ability to call for help. As doctors, Hae-Sung and Ddol-Mi work together to treat patients and those wounded. Though its ratings aren’t as high as others on the list, the series is one of the best, thanks to its high stakes.
12 Soul Mechanic (2020) – Stream On Rakuten Viki
While not one of the best medical K-dramas on the list, Soul Mechanic certainly ranks thanks to its exploration into psychiatry and overwhelmingly sweet storyline. In this romantic and scenic K-drama, psychiatrist Lee Shi-joon is completely comfortable with himself and his abilities within his profession. Using a healthy dose of humor and fun, Shi-joon takes psychiatric healing to a whole new level. However, he’s given a problem patient in the form of musical star Han Woo-joo, who suffers from serious anger management issues. Soul Mechanic started off strong with high viewership numbers, but they dwindled as the series went on.
11 Doctor Detective (2019) – Available To Stream On Kocowa
A wonderful woman-led K-drama and certainly one of the best medical K-dramas, Doctor Detective follows Do Joong-eun (Jin-hee Park), an industrial health doctor. She ends up partnering with Dr. Heo Min-ki (Tae-gyu Bong) to uncover the truth behind a string of suspicious industrial accidents and diseases, but will the TL group successfully cover up the truth? While Doctor Detective has no awards to its name, the female-led K-drama kept solid ratings throughout its 16-episode run.
10 Once Upon A Small Town (2022) – Stream On Netflix
One of the best medical K-dramas also features a sweet romance storyline. Seoul city boy and veterinarian Han Ji-yul (Choo Young-woo) returns to his hometown, a small village called Heedong, to take over the veterinary clinic from his ailing grandfather. While there, he befriends a young woman and police officer named Ahn Ja-young (Park Soo-young) who holds a secret. He soon finds out that moving to a small town isn’t so bad after all. Named one of the Top 10 Korean dramas to watch on Netflix by Time, Once Upon a Small Town is a great option for both its romantic plot and medical elements.
9 Birthcare Center (2020) – Stream On Netflix
Another fantastic female-led K-drama, Birthcare Center makes it higher on the list of best medical K-dramas thanks to its realistic exploration into post-partum care and motherhood later in life. Primarily following high-powered executive Oh Hyun-jin (Uhm Ji-won), the proficient exec finds out that having a baby is much harder than she originally thought, and finds herself under constant scrutiny of other elitist mothers while residing at a post-partum care center. Birthcare Center received two award nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, but unfortunately lost out.
8 Hospital Ship (2017) – Stream On Kocowa
Unlike some of the other best medical K-dramas that are usually set in a hospital, Hospital Ship has its doctors traveling around in a ship and providing healthcare to those on far-flung islands. The thrilling K-drama show follows the lives of the doctors aboard the ship, Song Eun-Jae, a highly-regarded surgeon from a large hospital in Seoul, and Kwak Hyun, a famous surgeon who decides to render his military service by joining the ship. Some viewers found the show to be a slow burn due to the pacing of its episodes. Despite that, Hospital Ship received awards from both the 10th Korean Drama Awards and the 36th MBC Drama Awards.
7 Life (2018) – Stream On Netflix
One of the best medical K-dramas, Life follows Jin-Woo, a dedicated emergency medicine specialist at one of Korea’s top medical centers. When the hospital’s director suddenly dies from a fall, Jin-Woo suspects it wasn’t an accident. Jin-Woo soon starts butting heads with the hospital’s new president, Koo Seung-Hyo who believes running a business is the same as running a hospital. Intermixed in the Netflix K-drama are the struggles of the hospital staff and Jin-Woo uncovering the dark conspiracies and cover-ups. Life won 3 awards in total, for Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenwriter at the 6th APAN Star Awards and Best Supporting Actress at the 2nd Seoul Awards.
6 Doctor John (2019) – Stream On Rakuten Viki
Doctor John is another one of the best medical K-dramas that surpassed the 16-episode mark with a total of 32 episodes. The drama centers around two doctors and the recurring theme of the morals behind euthanasia. Cha Yo-Han (Ji Sung, who ended up dating one of his K-drama costars) is a top anesthesiologist who comes off as rude and cold. He had previously served time in jail for euthanizing dying patients he could no longer help.
He and second-year resident, Kang Si-Young (Lee Se-Young) work together to diagnose patients and find the root cause of their pain. Doctor John has three accolades to its name, winning the Excellence Award at the 12th Korea Drama Awards and the Excellence Award in Miniseries (Actress) and Child Actor Award at the 27th SBS Drama Awards.
5 Doctor Prisoner (2019) – Stream On Kocowa
Doctor Prisoner is one of the best medical K-dramas and will take fans down a dark path of revenge for a doctor who was wrongly accused. Na Yi-Je (Namkoong Min of the baseball show Hot Stove League) is a top surgeon falsely accused of malpractice. Yi-Je is kicked out of the hospital, and his reputation is ruined. Yi-Je decides to work as a doctor at a prison — but he has a hidden agenda. He hopes to accumulate enough prison connections to exact his revenge on the people responsible. Doctor Prisoner is highly acclaimed, scooping up a total of seven awards at the 14th Seoul International Drama Awards, the 12th Korea Drama Awards, and the KBS Drama Awards.
4 Good Doctor (2013) – Stream On Rakuten Viki
The popular medical drama The Good Doctor starring Freddie Highmore isn’t an original show. The American version is a reboot and adaptation of one of the best medical K-dramas, Good Doctor. The 20-episode drama followed Park Si-On (Joo Won) who’s an autistic savant. He enters a hospital as a pediatric surgery resident but has a tough time proving his worth. With only six months to earn his place the odds are against Si-On, especially when he starts to fall in love. Good Doctor is highly acclaimed among audiences and critics alike, earning itself 14 awards in the Korean Drama Awards, KBS Drama Awards, Baeksang Arts Awards, and more.
3 Hospital Playlist (2020) – Stream On Netflix
Hospital Playlist is a must-watch, as it’s one of the best medical K-dramas to stream right now that will have audiences crying with laughter, feeling heartfelt emotions, and sighing in contentment. The medical K-drama got such rave responses from fans that Netflix approved a second season. Hospital Playlist focuses on five best friends who met in medical school. Now they all work as surgeons in different departments at the same hospital.
Fans watch as these friends face life challenges including raising a child, a broken marriage, career-changing decisions, and family troubles. All the while, these characters deal with the harsh reality of working as doctors. Don’t worry, this group of friends always finds a way to uplift each other with some comedy. Similar to Good Doctor, Hospital Playlist has won 14 separate awards, including some for its great soundtrack, but it is slightly better than the other medical K-drama because of its hilarious ensemble cast.
2 Kill Me, Heal Me (2015) – Stream on Kocowa
Certainly one of the best medical K-Dramas available, Kill Me, Heal Me revolves around Cha Do-hyun (Ji Sung), a business heir who has Disassociative Identity Disorder and seven alters due to a couple of traumatic events. He seeks the help of first-year psychiatry resident Oh Ri-jin (Hwang Jung-eum), which is fine and well, until Ri-Jin’s journalist twin brother, Oh Ri-on (Park Seo-joon) starts digging for dirt around Do-hyun and his wealthy family.
Much like Good Doctor, Kill Me, Heal Me got both a Chinese remake (A Seven-Faced Man) and a Hong Kong remake (Threesome), with the Hong Kong version turning it into a legal dramedy instead. Kill Me, Heal Me is easily one of the best medical K-dramas based on its accolades record alone, earning 17 awards and being nominated for an additional 17.
1 Dr. Romantic (2016) – Available To Stream On Kocowa
Dr. Romantic hits the highest as one of the best medical K-dramas out there. It has received such positive reviews from its viewers that Dr. Romantic was renewed for a second season, with season 3 hitting the screen in April 2023. Boo Yong-Joo (Han Suk-Kyu) is one of Korea’s renowned surgeons with triple-board certification. After the death of his junior, Young-Joo recluses himself.
In the K-drama with more than one season, Young-Joo takes on a new identity as Kim Sa-Bu and returns to medicine at a small hospital and becomes the Chief Surgeon. Young-Joo teaches his residents to fight against corrupt power and wealth and do what’s right for the patient. Dr. Romantic made a clean sweep of awards season, raking in 19 wins, many of them from the SBS Drama Awards, and being nominated for an additional 16. Needless to say, Doctor Romantic is one of the best medical K-dramas available to watch now.