#1
Six Flying Dragons
Six men of vastly different stations help shape the founding of the Joseon dynasty.
Watch on: Viki
Editorial List
Best Sageuk (Korean Historical) Dramas
The sageuk — Korea's tradition of richly produced historical drama, ranked.
This list is curated by the DramaSeek editorial desk and ranks 20 titles. Each entry below is a real, fully reviewed drama or film with its own dedicated page — synopsis, cast, ratings, and where-to-watch information. Inclusion isn't decided by audience rating alone: we factor in cultural footprint, craft, rewatchability, and contribution to the genre.
If you're new to the category, start at #1 and work your way down. If you're a returning fan, scan the list for titles you haven't yet caught. For broader recommendations beyond this list, see our long-form drama discovery handbook.
#2
My Dearest
A drifting Joseon nobleman and a strong-willed countrywoman meet on the eve of a Manchu invasion.
Watch on: Viki
#3
The Red Sleeve
King Jeongjo of Joseon falls for a court lady who treasures her independence above royal favour.
Watch on: Viki, Viu
#4
Mr. Sunshine
A Korean-born US Marine returns to his birthplace during the late Joseon era and falls for a noblewoman secretly fighting for independence.
Watch on: Netflix
#5
Between Him and Her
During the 1636 Manchu invasion of Joseon, two lovers are wrenched apart and survive a war that reshapes their kingdom.
Watch on: Viki, Viu
#6
Mr. Queen
A modern playboy chef wakes up in the body of a Joseon queen, sparking palace chaos and reform.
Watch on: Viki
#7
Tree With Deep Roots
King Sejong races to invent the Korean alphabet while a secret society plots to murder his most trusted scholars.
Watch on: Viki
#8
Chicago Typewriter
A bestselling but blocked novelist begins channeling a 1930s freedom fighter — who shares his face.
Watch on: Viki, Netflix
#9
The Crowned Clown
A clown is forced to impersonate a paranoid Joseon king while assassins close in.
Watch on: Viki, Viu
#10
Under the Queen's Umbrella
A pragmatic queen wrangles five misbehaving princes through a brutal succession contest.
Watch on: Netflix
#11
Kingdom
A crown prince investigates a mysterious plague that turns the dead into ravenous creatures, threatening to topple the Joseon throne.
Watch on: Netflix
#12
Love in the Moonlight
A girl disguised as a male eunuch becomes the closest companion of a flirtatious crown prince.
Watch on: Viki, Netflix
#13
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
A modern young woman is transported to the Goryeo court and into a love triangle among rival princes.
Watch on: Viki, Netflix
#14
Knight Flower
A young Joseon widow leads a double life as a masked vigilante helping the city's most desperate.
Watch on: Viki
#15
Lovers of the Red Sky
A blind royal painter and a court astrologer fight a centuries-old curse in a fictional Joseon-era kingdom.
Watch on: Viki, Viu
#16
100 Days My Prince
A crown prince loses his memory and ends up married to the kingdom's oldest unmarried woman.
Watch on: Viki, Netflix
#17
Chief Detective 1958
A young detective in 1950s Korea fights a corrupt police force and a city still raw from war.
Watch on: Disney+
#18
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung
Joseon's first female historian befriends a melancholy prince hiding behind his pen name.
Watch on: Viki, Viu
#19
Joseon Attorney
A lighthearted Joseon attorney takes only paying cases — until politics force him into a buried royal mystery.
Watch on: Viki
#20
12.12: The Day
Inside the nine hours of the 1979 Seoul military coup that decided Korea's next decade.
Watch on: Hulu, Prime Video
How we rank these titles
DramaSeek's editorial lists are not pure aggregations of user scores — those are useful but tend to flatten cultural context. We factor in the show's audience reception, its place within the genre's history, and how it stands up to a rewatch. We also weight more heavily for titles that are still legally streaming in major regions, since this is a where-to-watch guide first and an archive second.
The list above is updated as new titles enter the catalogue and as streaming-rights deals shift. Bookmark it and check back periodically for the current state of the field.