This article discusses the best Ryu Kyung-soo K-Dramas to watch and does not contain any spoilers. Check out these brilliant recommendations.
Ryu Kyung-soo is a South Korean actor who, despite having seemingly made his debut in 2012, went on something of a leave of absence from mainstream K-dramas until 2019, when he returned with a vengeance. He did guest and star in several movies during those years, but the Kyung-soonaisance really began in earnest with Confession.
In this article, we round up some of his most prominent and best-regarded K-drama roles using the audience scores from MyDramaList to rank them from worst to best.
Best Ryu Kyung-soo K-dramas you must watch
Happy Ending (2012)
Kyung-soo’s earliest credit is also is lowest-rated, Happy Ending, a family drama in which he was a guest star and which garnered a total score of 7.5/10.
Official synopsis:
Doo Soo is a hotblooded local news reporter and a family man. Having lived his life for his family, he believed that he had been a good husband and father. Yet, the truth is that he was a tyrant at home, and due to his busy schedule, he had been unable to communicate with his family. Doo Soo’s wife Seon Ah is a sensitive woman. Although she resents Doosu’s authoritarian behavior, she had depended on him in many ways. The two have three children: the feisty housewife Geum Ha, the shrewd Eun Ha, and one son, Dong Ha—a model student who now wants to be a singer. As such, there is never a moment of peace in the family. One day, Doo Soo receives shocking news. Cancer has spread throughout his body, and he has only 6 months to live. He despairs at this new reality but is more concerned about his family who depends upon him. As Doo Soo battles cancer, the strong-willed and independent family members struggle to understand each other, mend each other’s wounds, and prepare for the departure of their beloved patriarch.
Hellbound (2021)
Hellbound was a six-part K-drama that aired on Netflix, adapted from the Yeon Sang Ho webcomic of the same name. The dark fantasy series earned a total score of 7.6/10.
Official synopsis:
A story about otherworldly beings who appear out of nowhere to issue a decree and condemn individuals to hell. These supernatural events cause great mayhem and enable the religious group The New Truth to grow in influence. A few people, however, become suspicious about its activities and begin investigating its involvement in mysterious events.
Glitch (2022)
The ten-episode sci-fi comedy Glitch is another Netflix release, this one about UFOs, aliens, conspiracies, and religious cults. It hasn’t had long to percolate, but at the time of writing it’s sitting on a score of 7.7/10.
Official synopsis:
About a woman searching for her missing boyfriend, who disappeared one night in a flash of unknown lights. With the help of a community of UFO watchers, she uncovers the truth behind a mysterious secret. Hong Ji Hyo is a “parachute hire” (someone who got hired based on their family connections). She has a steady job and a solid family background. Although they are no longer passionately in love, she also has a boyfriend that she’s dated for four years. The couple is beginning to think of marriage when her boyfriend suddenly goes missing. Heo Bo Ra is an unsuccessful Twitch streamer and a YouTuber with only a few hundred subscribers, whose content is all about mysteries. She’s a warrior who wields a keyboard as her weapon, and she’s a member of the UFO watcher community. She spends day after day inside her room, editing her videos.
Lovestruck in the City (2020)
Hyung-soo had a main role in Lovestruck in the City, a grounded romantic drama that ran for 17 episodes in 2020 and 2021. The show was very popular and has sustained an overall rating of 8.0/10 with 15,000 reviews.
Official synopsis:
Lovestruck in the City is a realistic portrayal of young people who pursue romance and happiness, while struggling to get by in a busy, competitive urban environment. Park Jae Won is an honest man, a passionate architect and lover of city alleyways. His hobby is collecting new hobbies. A romantic at heart, he cannot forget a certain woman. This thief of his heart, and his camera, has disappeared, much like a fleeting midsummer night’s dream. Lee Eun Oh is an ordinary woman who temporarily re-invents herself as the spontaneous and free-spirited Yun Seon Ah. On a whim, she heads to parts unknown, where Jae Won falls in love with her new identity.
Confession (2019)
Hyung-soo had a supporting role in Confession, a dark legal drama that has garnered an impressive rating of 8.3/10.
Official synopsis:
A case involving the hidden truth behind the law prohibiting double jeopardy. When Choi Do Hyun was a boy, he had a heart disease. He spent most of his childhood in a hospital. He miraculously had a chance for a heart transplant. Right after the successful heart transplant surgery, his father was accused of murder. His father received the death penalty. To investigate his father’s case, Do Hyun now works as a lawyer.
The Sound of Magic (2022)
Hyung-soo only had a guest role in the well-received six-episode Netflix drama The Sound of Magic, which, like the above, has an overall rating of 8.3/10, but with 15,000+ total reviews.
Official synopsis:
High school student Yoon Ah Yi finances herself and her younger sister by working part-time jobs. She doesn’t know where her parents are. Debt collectors drove her father away from home—and then her mother fled too. But even with her poor financial circumstances, Yoon Ah Yi manages to rank near the top of her school academically. Yoon Ah Yi wants to become an adult as soon as possible, to have a stable job. Her classmate Na Il Deung competes with Yoon Ah Yi for the top grade, but they begin to have feelings for each other. One day, Yoon Ah Yi meets magician Lee Eul at an abandoned amusement park. He performs magic shows for people who believe in magic. He is a mysterious person; he comforts Yoon Ah Yi who tells him that she believes in magic.
Two Weeks (2013)
One of Kyung-soo’s earliest credits, the action thriller Two Weeks nonetheless remains one of his highest-rated appearances (even though he only had a guest role). Its overall score is 8.5/10 from just shy of 10,000 reviews, which is impressive, but not quite as much as the next entry.
Official synopsis:
Jang Tae San works at a pawn shop by day and prostitutes himself to older women at night. One day, he’s contacted by his ex-girlfriend that he is the father of her daughter with leukemia, and he’s the last chance to donate bone marrow and save their daughter’s life. That same day, he finds himself framed for murder but manages to escape and runs away. With nobody to trust, Jang Tae San has two weeks to try to prove his innocence and survive until his daughter’s surgery. Park Jae Kyung is a prosecutor searching for evidence to take down Moon Il Suk, the man who stabbed her father, and Jo Seo Hee, a beloved senator who is actually working with Moon Il Suk. Together with Detective Im Seung Woo, she works to uncover the truth behind the murder and its connections to Moon Il Suk and Jo Seo Hee.
Itaewon Class (2020)
This was an immensely popular drama, and while Kyung-soo only had a supporting role in it, Itaewon Class remains his highest-rated credit at 8.5/10 with — wait for it — 54,000 reviews.
Official synopsis:
Park Saeroyi’s life has been turned upside down after he gets expelled from school for punching a bully and his father is killed in an accident. Following his father’s steps, he opens a pub named “DanBam” in Itaewon and, along with his manager and staff, strive towards success and reaching greater heights.
And that’s our list of the best Ryu Kyung-soo K-Dramas to watch right now. Do you have any other recommendations for Korean Drama series starring Lee Se-hee? Let us know!
