30 Steamy K-Dramas You Must Watch Today

Directed by Park Hyun-jin, Netflix's romantic comedy Love and leashes introduced many Western audiences to the world of hot K-drama shows - but it's far from the only one. Love and leashesThe BDSM take on the classic romantic K-drama made it a somewhat shocking discovery for viewers unfamiliar with how quickly the genre has developed over the years. In the past, K-dramas have gained a reputation for being highly polished soap operas. While many Korean dramas still fall into this category, the narrative has evolved significantly, and even some of the more seemingly traditional K-dramas have put their own unique spins on conventional romantic tropes.

Nowhere is this truer than in the hottest Korean dramas streaming online today. Love and leashes is just one of many sexy, hot, or steamy K-dramas that subvert typical expectations about the genre. The hottest K-dramas aren't just about sex — they tackle intimacy, companionship, social taboos, love, and other themes in a way that less raunchy and steamy romantic K-dramas can't.. For those looking for Korean dramas that stray from the norm, these shows and movies turn up the heat on the romance genre.

30

Love and weather forecast

The K-Drama was released in 2022

Love and weather forecast It's not the hottest K-drama out there, but it has some hot and even more suggestive scenes between its main couples. The series begins with a woman being betrayed by the man she has been with for years, and cheating is not left to the imagination.

She also hooks up with a complete stranger after the breakup, who she ends up working with when she becomes a staff supervisor at the Korean Meteorological Association. The two decide to pursue a relationship while trying to hide it from everyone around them. The show is full of near misses as crew members almost catch them together. Their relationship becomes complicated when another co-worker stays with them while he is away from his wife, and they struggle to maintain a professional relationship.

The show has an interesting concept when examining relationships - comparing them to weather patterns - and while it has steamy moments, it's not as steamy as the rest of the K-dramas here.

29

Wok of love

The K-Drama was released in 2018

Wok of love It frequently appears on K-drama lists about shows that highlight food. The series features some delicious dishes, but it also features a love story at the center of the story with some steamy moments.

The central couple includes a chef whose employees betray him, played by Lee Jun-ho, and an heiress whose life is completely changed, played by Jung Ryeo-won. They initially cross paths at a Chinese restaurant called Hungry Wok, where a former gangster has created an environment for people to find a second chance in life.

These two people from very different backgrounds find a relationship through Hungry Wok. While most of what's shown in the series is chaste and features some colorful banter, they also spend some steamier moments in the restaurant kitchen.

28

Mr. Plankton

The K-Drama was released in 2024

Mr. Plankton It's a far cry from the hottest K-dramas here, but because K-dramas are often more chaste in their depiction of love and romancemany loyal K-drama fans discovered Mr. Plankton be on the hot side of 2024 releases. After all, it brings a little romance and the characters are often without clothes. It's a comedy, so there isn't a big focus on hot aspects.

The series follows a man who discovers he has a terminal illness. He decides to make one last trip before his death. Having no immediate family, he decides to look for a potential family member and forced to accompany him is his ex. She is one of the unluckiest women to ever live and has just been faced with a diagnosis of early menopause when she was hoping to have children.

The two have fantastic chemistry and, of course, hilarity ensues despite their tragic histories. Misfortune follows the two everywhere, but the show tries to show how much good can come with the bad.

27

Commercial Proposal

The K-Drama was released in 2022

This rom-com is probably more in line with what K-drama fans look for when looking for a hot series. There's as much comedy as there is heart and warmth Commercial Proposalwhich has become one of the most popular romance K-dramas in recent years.

The story follows a young girl who pretends to be your friend when she goes on a blind date. It turns out, however, that the blind date is her boss - although he doesn't know she works for him at first. Mistaken identity, a comedy of errors and great chemistry make the show work.

There's also just as much romance and steam between the show's supporting couple as the main couple, which is rare for a K-drama. The series was nominated for several SBS Drama Awards, winning five of them, two of them for Best Couple for the program's main pairs.

26

While you slept

The K-Drama was released in 2017

...a much more passionate nature than most K-dramas...

Not to be confused with the American film of the same name While you slept It has some fantasy elements combined with its romance. It also has a much more passionate nature than most K-dramas.

The story follows Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy), who has dreams that show glimpses of the future. When a prosecutor and a police officer linked to his past also begin to have premonitions, things in his life become even more complicated. The group works together to solve crimes and prevent disasters. Along the way, however, Nam Hong-joo falls in love with the prosecutor and her future, and some of her hottest moments happen in dreams before they become reality for the audience.

While you slept was nominated for 11 SBS Drama Awards in South Korea, winning five of them, including Best Couple.

25

Queen Woo

The K-Drama was released in 2024

Queen Woo is one of the newest and most controversial K-dramas. It was compared with Game of Thrones by Korean critics because of its tendency toward historical fiction and its use of physically intimate scenes and violence.

The series follows the life of the queen of the Goguryeo kingdom of Korea. When her husband dies, Queen Woo seeks to protect her people by remaining on the throne. She chooses to marry her late husband's younger brother so that she can still offer the people she cares about some measure of protection. The series combines political intrigue and violence with his life story.

K-drama fans hoping for a steamy romance should be warned that this isn't entirely it. Just as there are physically intimate scenes in the series, they are combined with scenes of shocking violence. A woman is impaled in the middle of a sexual act, for example, and this type of juxtaposition caused a bit of an uproar when it originally aired in South Korea.

24

The lover

The K-Drama was released in 2015

Although K-dramas have a reputation for being incredibly chaste and many fans believe they have only recently started including steamier scenes with couples, this is not always the case. This K-drama debuted in 2015 and features more tension and explicit scenes than many on the air today. The lover is essentially an anthology series as it focuses on four different pairings. The show, however, follows couples who live in the same condominium.

A Korean man needs a roommate and specifically requests a non-Korean because he thinks he won't feel the need to have a relationship with him. He ends up living with a Japanese man.

A couple features a couple who have lived together for years but are single. Another shows an older woman supporting her younger boyfriend as he pursues his dream. The third is a young couple who have just moved in together and have not revealed their full true selves to each other. The final pair is especially progressive for the time, as they are the only ones who are not heterosexual. A Korean man needs a roommate and specifically requests a non-Korean because he thinks he won't feel the need to have a relationship with him. He ends up living with a Japanese man.

The series is full of cheeky humor, which is highly unusual in the K-drama scene. It also contains more intimate scenes than usual. It was a breath of fresh air when it debuted.

23

Sixth Sense Kiss

The K-Drama was released in 2022

Sixth Sense Kiss It began as a webnovel before being adapted into a webtoon and later a live-action K-drama. It's a romantic comedy that leans more into fantasy than a K-drama would normally try to do.

Hong Ye-sool (Seo Ji-hye) is a young woman with a strange supernatural ability. She can see the future when someone kisses her. While it may seem helpful on the surface, it makes her life more complicated when she accidentally ends up kissing her boss. The kiss leaves her seeing their future together, including more intimate moments. Her visions make her focus on seeing what this future will be like, and she becomes interested in getting closer to her boss.

Of course, because this is a romantic K-drama, there are more complications when Hong Ye-sool's ex-boyfriend tries to re-enter her life.

22

It's okay, this is love

The K-Drama was released in 2014

It's okay, this is love isn't usually one of the shows that comes up in conversations about hot K-dramas. That's because the series is more likely to come up in conversations about the representation of mental health in the media. Both aspects of the show - a steamy romance and a mental health storyline - are the backbone of the series.

The show follows a man who is a best-selling novelist and radio DJ who also suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder stemming from childhood trauma. When he crosses paths with a psychiatrist who has a negative view of love and a phobia of sex, they initially butt heads, but there is a spark between them.

This series, however, is not a lighter romantic K-drama. It deals with a man being accused of murder and presents an examination of undiagnosed schizophrenia. The series won several awards and was also recognized with a plaque of appreciation from the Korean Society for Research on Schizophrenia.

21

I love to hate you

The K-Drama was released in 2023

I love to hate you is on the lighter end of the K-drama romantic comedy spectrum, but still features some serious subjects. The two main characters get off on the wrong foot because they both have very specific and negative views of the opposite sex.

Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) is a lawyer with a free spirit and a healthy sexual appetite. She, however, also doesn't particularly like men in general and is ready to offer her own brand of social justice to women who have been hurt by them. Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo) is an actor who hires his law firm and begins to have an aversion to most women because of his own past experiences. Although the two start out as enemies, they also present fantastic sexual tension to the audience..

20

King of Earth

The K-Drama was released in 2023

It's important to note that K-dramas are not known for their racy content. Even romance K-dramas are more likely to imply physical aspects of a relationship or include flirtatious moments rather than giving the audience any kind of mature scene. This has been slowly changing in stories involving any kind of romance on Korean television, but it is still much more likely in kissing scenes, like those in King of Earthto be considered the steamier aspect of a K-drama than anything more overtly sexual.

There's a lot more to their interactions than that, and the chemistry on the show is impressive.

King of Earth It works as a romantic comedy and a heritage dramedy. The series follows the wealthy heir of a luxury hotel group and his interactions with one of the hotel employees whose smile he can't seem to stand. Of course, there's a lot more to their interactions than that, and the chemistry on the show is impressive.

19

In love in the city

The K-Drama was released in 2020

In love in the city is closer to what audiences might consider an American comedy as Friends or New girl. It follows a group of people in various stages of relationships as they live in a large city in South Korea. The format of the series is similar to that of a documentary with the characters giving interviews about their relationships, and has the flirtatious tendencies of romantic comedies like King of Earth and Love and weather forecast.

It doesn't feature as much steamy content as some of the other K-dramas here, but what it does feature is one of the best first kisses in K-dramas to date.. Critics often compare Park Jae-won and Choi Kyeong-jun's characters to the most well-known "will they or won't they" couple on television, Ross and Rachel from Friends.

18

melting me gently

The K-Drama was released in 2019

Also called Melt me, melting me gently It's a mix of romance and science fiction. Both The main characters agree to take part in an experiment in which they will be frozen for 24 hours to see the effects. Unfortunately, something goes wrong in the experiment and the two end up frozen for 20 years.. When they wake up, not only do they have to catch up on two decades of events, but they also have to deal with very physical limitations on how much they can interact with others, which is, paradoxically, where the steam comes into play.

It's the tension between the characters that leads to some of the series' steamiest moments.. They both need to maintain lower heart rates and gradually increase their body temperature to avoid any damage to the body. As their attraction to each other grows, this becomes almost impossible, leading the two characters to kiss under the running stream of a cold shower to keep themselves out of harm's way at one point.

17

The Forbidden Marriage

The K-Drama was released in 2022

A series set in a historical Korean era that involves a marriage ban and a conman might not seem like it would include a lot of heat, but surprisingly, it does.. Both a historical drama and a romantic comedy, the series follows a young woman who acts as a matchmaker despite marriage being banned by the king. The king's grief over the loss of his wife leads to the ban, but when the matchmaker tries to get out of prison by saying she is possessed by the spirit of his late wife, things get complicated.

There is a clear attraction between the two, despite the matchmaker denying it. She insinuates that the king is ugly at one point, leading him to take off his clothes in her presence to make a point. The tension comes from him discovering the truth behind her lies, but along the way, there are many heated moments between the two.

16

Secret love affair

The K-Drama was released in 2014

It should be noted that Secret love affairor Secret Affair as it is also known, it is not a romantic comedy. Many of the K-dramas known for their steamier moments are much more comedic than this series. Instead, it comes very close to melodrama and serves to provide a lot of social commentary on how Korean society views romantic relationships.

The series follows a 40-year-old woman who allows everyone around her to believe that she has led a completely fulfilling life. She is married and successful, but she is missing something. When she falls in love with a 20-year-old pianist, she realizes she is experiencing love for the first time. The story is about their affair and how it could easily harm both of their lives, but throughout the story, moments that reflect how Korean society would view this couple, how society views love in general, and how society measures success are all intertwined.

15

Something in the rain

The K-Drama was released in 2018

In Something in the rain, Jin-ah, 35, is a successful single woman who begins to fall in love with her best friend's younger brother when he returns from abroad after three years.. It's a twist on an old romantic comedy trope. The two slowly fall in love as they get to know each other and overcome their age difference, inevitably telling their respective families and others about their romance.

This gives even the most classic romantic comedy scenes — like sneakily holding hands under the table or walking in the rain — a new lease of life.

What it does Something in the rain a hot Korean drama is the way realistically addresses the South Korean taboo of younger men dating older women. This is something that several K-dramas have taken on since then. This gives even the most classic romantic comedy scenes — like sneakily holding hands under the table or walking in the rain — a new lease of life.

14

Your private life

The K-Drama was released in 2019

Sung Deok-mi is an art gallery curator who is secretly a zealous fan of K-pop idol Cha Shi-an. In the era of fan communities on social media, This K-drama definitely hits a pop culture sweet spot.

A hot K-drama for fans who like K-pop, Your private life begins when false rumors arise about Sung Deok-Mi and Cha Shi-an dating. After the idol's wild fanatics threaten Sung Deok-Mi, she pretends to be dating her boss Ryan Gold, a retired artist who runs the gallery. When the two are forced to keep up appearances at work and elsewhere, what begins as make-believe ends up turning into a full-blown romance. Aside from being a hot Korean drama, this also results in funny scenes like Ryan ignoring a delivery man to kiss Deok-Mi passionately.

13

My secret romance

The K-Drama was released in 2017

The K-drama My secret romance follows Cha Jin-wook and Lee Yoo-mi, who meet at a Gangwon-do resort, with the former working there as a porter under his father's orders and the latter there for his mother's wedding. The two hit it off and spent the night together.

Three years later, Yoo-mi is working as a nutritionist at Jin-wook's company. Their new relationship starts off rocky with Jin-wook being hard on Yoo-mi, even antagonizing her, just to be close to her. Although outsiders may see him as a playboy, the truth is that he has a memory of the night they spent together and just wants the chance to get to know her. When the two finally start getting closer again, everything turns into a Korean drama full of passion and some of the usual romantic comedy misunderstandings and love.

12

The world of married people

The K-Drama was released in 2020

A K-drama version of the popular BBC One series, Doctor Foster, The world of married people follows the life of successful psychiatric doctor Ji Sun-woo, who appears to be living a perfect life with her husband, Lee Tae-oh, and son, Lee Joon-young. What seems perfect, however, rarely really is.

Her world turns upside down when she discovers that Tae-oh is having an affair with young Yeo Day-Kyung – and her “friends” are hiding it from her. While it's definitely one of the hottest K-dramas, The world of married people is also one of the most moving while some of the characters give in to their darkest thoughts. Tae-oh and Day-Kyung deliver unforgettable intimate scenes that perfectly capture the excitement of forbidden lust, but the series also features more violence than the usual steamy series.

11

A witch's romance

The K-Drama was released in 2014

This particular K-drama is actually a remake of a 2009 Taiwanese series, and although it only has 16 episodes, it has a great story. Ban Ji-yeon is a 39-year-old woman who gave up on love in the hot Korean drama, A witch's romance. However, her heart begins to melt when she meets 25-year-old Yoon Dong-ha, and the two embark on a romance from December to May.

The intimacy prevalent in the passionate scenes between the two betrays their growing feelings of love for each other.

Another steamy K-drama that isn't afraid of the South Korean social taboo regarding older women dating younger men, A witch's romance it also deals with the effects of tragedy. While Ji-yeon's war photographer husband disappeared before their wedding day, Dong-ha lost his girlfriend to a heart condition. The intimacy prevalent in the passionate scenes between the two betrays their growing feelings of love for each other.