Top 14 Best Investigation Korean Dramas (Solving Crimes)

Love to watch detectives solving crimes & catching serial killers? Here are some recommended dramas to watch.

Korean dramas are gaining popularity due to their content. If you’re not watching Kdramas, you’re missing out on something great. Kdramas are the best way to escape from the real world and have fun.

Kdramas come in a variety of genres. Not only rom-com but there are a lot of dramas that are thrillers, comedy, mystery, horror, and more. You can find your favorite story in Korean dramas.

If you want to watch some dramas and begin your journey, streaming platforms like Netflix, Viki, iQiyi, and Disney Plus are suitable for you. These platforms have the majority of Kdramas that are known to people.

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Best Investigation Kdramas

Besides romance, the best category among dramas is thriller and mystery. Thriller Kdramas have a unique storyline, excellent cinematography, suspense-building background music, and plot twists.

investigation korean dramas

The thriller genre is also categorized into different types such as time travel, revenge, investigation, and other sci-fi plots. Investigative Korean dramas are perfect to binge-watch that include solving crimes.

If you’re looking for some of the best investigation dramas to watch on weekends, here is the list. These dramas include solving murder cases, serial killer, law, action, fighting, suspense, and a lot more.

1. Through The Darkness

The drama will tell the story of South Korea’s first criminal profiler as he struggles to look inside and read the hearts of serial killers during a time when the word “profiling” did not exist. It is based on the 2018 book of the same title.

through the darkness kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Kim Nam Gil as Song Ha Young
  • Kim So Jin as Yoon Tae Goo
  • Jin Seon Kyu as Kook Young Soo
  • Ryeoun as Jung Woo Joo

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Viki, MX Player

2. Law School

Set in Hankuk University Law School, the drama tells the story of students and professors in the law school who come across an unprecedented case. A professor is arrested as a suspect & his students work together to reveal the truth.

law school kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Kim Myung Min as Yang Jong Hoon
  • Kim Bum as Han Joon Hwi
  • Ryu Hye Young as Kang Sol
  • Lee Jung Eun as Kim Eun Sook

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

3. Tell Me What You Saw

Hyun Jae used to be a top criminal profiler. He gets vanished after his fiance’s death. Meanwhile, Soo Young is a police officer in the countryside. She is selected as a rookie detective who will partner with Hyun Jae informally. Together they work to solve cases.

tell me what you saw kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Jang Hyuk as Oh Hyun Jae
  • Choi Soo Young as Cha Soo Young
  • Jin Seo Yun as Hwang Hwa Young
  • Jang Hyun Sung as Choi Hyung Pil

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Viki

4. Signal

Park Hae Young witnesses the kidnapping of a girl 15 years ago. Currently, Hae Yeong is now a police officer and criminal profiler. One day, he finds a walkie-talkie that connects him with Detective Lee Jae Han who is in the past. Together, they solve a series of murders.

Read Signal Review

signal kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Lee Je Hoon as Park Hae Yeong
  • Kim Hye Soo as Cha Soo Hyun
  • Jo Jin Woong as Lee Jae Han
  • Kim Won Hae as Kim Gye Cheol

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

5. Tunnel

In 1986, Park Kwang Ho works as a detective. While working he passes through a tunnel that acts as a time portal, which transports him to present-day Seoul. He meets a new partner Kim Sun Jae. They try to find out the serial killer to return.

Read Tunnel Review

tunnel kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Choi Jin Hyuk as Park Kwang Ho
  • Yoon Hyun Min as Kim Seon Jae
  • Lee Yoo Young as Shin Jae Yi
  • Jo Hee Bong as Jeon Seong Shik

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

6. Bad Guys

Hangul: 나쁜 녀석들

Year: 2014

The Police Chief asks Detective Goo Tak to put together a team of criminals in order to stop violent crimes. He gathers his team, which includes the gangster Park Woong Cheol, the contract killer Jung Tae Soo, and the youngest serial killer, Lee Jung Moon.

bad guys kdrama 11

Rating:

3 star rating

Main Cast (Characters):

  • Kim Sang Joong as Oh Goo Tak
  • Park Hae Jin as Lee Jung Moon
  • Jo Dong Hyuk as Jung Tae Soo
  • Ma Dong Seok as Park Woong Cheol

No. Of Episodes: 11 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Netflix button
Free streaming sites button

Short Review: A dark, violent drama with strong, deep characters, great music, and well-made action scenes and twists. The story has more depth and feeling because the actors, especially the main ones, play their parts so well.

7. One Ordinary Day

The drama explores the criminal justice system through the story of an ordinary college student who suddenly becomes a prime suspect in a murder case of a woman & a lawyer who barely passed the bar exam trying to help him.

one ordinary day kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Kim Soo Hyun as Kim Hyun Soo
  • Cha Seung Won as Shin Joong Han
  • Lee Seol as Seo Soo Jin
  • Yang Kyung Won as Park Doo Shik

No. Of Episodes – 8

Watch On – Viu

8. Awaken

Jung Woo, the leader of a special task force, ends up investigating a series of murders. Together with his team, they uncover clues that these crimes are somehow related to a tragic event that happened 28 years ago.

awaken kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Namgoong Min as Do Jung Woo
  • Kim Seol Hyun as Gong Hye Won
  • Lee Chung Ah as Jamie Layton
  • Yoon Sun Woo as Moon Jae Woong

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

9. Voice

Detective Moo Jin Hyuk after his wife’s death, works with professional voice profiler Kwon Joo, whose father is killed, to solve a different crime, chasing for the serial killer who is responsible for the deaths of their family members.

voice kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Jang Hyuk as Moo Jin Hyeok
  • Lee Ha Na as Kang Kwon Joo
  • Baek Sung Hyun as Shim Dae Shik
  • Son Eun Seo as Park Eun Soo

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

10. Crime Puzzle

A criminal psychologist is sent to prison for murder, and the criminal profiler who loses her father to the murder conducts interviews with him. These two used to be lovers and now face the unexpected truth to a series of murders.

crime puzzle kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Yoon Kye Sang as Han Seung Min
  • Go Ah Sung as Yoo Hee
  • Yoon Gyung Ho as Kim Pan Ho
  • Song Sun Mi as Park Jeong Ha

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Free Streaming Sites

11. Stranger

Hwang Shi Mok, a prosecutor finds him in a murder case. He meets Police Lieutenant Yeo Jin at a murder crime scene. They work together to wipe out corruption at the prosecutor’s office and solve a serial murder case.

stranger kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Jo Seung Woo as Hwang Shi Mok
  • Bae Doo Na as Han Yeo Jin
  • Lee Joon Hyuk as Seo Dong Jae
  • Shin Hye Sun as Young Eun Soo

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix

12. Beyond Evil

The story of two fearless lawmen, Lee Dong Shik and Han Joo Won, who break the law to catch a serial killer. In the course of uncovering the culprit’s identity, they question the innocence of everyone involved in the case including themselves.

beyond evil kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Shin Ha Kyun as Lee Dong Shik
  • Yeo Jin Goo as Han Joo Won
  • Choi Dae Hoon as Park Jung Je
  • Choi Sung Eun as Yoo Jae Yi

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

13. Life On Mars

Hangul: 라이프 온 마스

Year: 2018

One day, Tae Joo has an accident while he is looking into a case. When he wakes up, he is in the winter of 1988. He is now a detective who works at a small city’s police station. He tries to solve the case so that he can get back to the present.

life on mars kdrama 11

Rating:

4 star rating

Main Cast (Characters):

  • Jung Kyung Ho as Han Tae Joo
  • Park Sung Woong as Kang Dong Cheol
  • Go Ah Sung as Yoon Na Yeong
  • Oh Dae Hwan as Lee Yong Gi

No. Of Episodes: 16 (65 min. each)

Streaming Options (region-specific):

Free streaming sites button

Short Review: You will like how the series has both crime and science fiction elements. The drama did a good job of making the 1980s feel like we are actually in that period. It has perfect amount of suspense and comedy that makes it worth watching. Read Life On Mars Review.

14. Partners For Justice

Baek Beom is a forensic doctor working for 10 years, he is excellent with his work, but does not open his mind to other people. Eun Sol is a rookie prosecutor with a bright personality and comes from a wealthy family. They both try to catch a serial killer.

partners for justice kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Jung Jae Young as Baek Beom
  • Jung Yoo Mi as Eun Sol
  • Lee Yi Kyung as Cha Soo Ho
  • Park Eun Seok as Kang Hyun

No. Of Episodes – 32

Watch On – Netflix, Viki

15. Insider

Kim Yo Han works as a judicial apprentice and always thinking a few moves ahead. He conducts an insider investigation and becomes involved in an unexpected case. This leads to him becoming a prisoner and ends up struggling to try to recover his normal life.

insider kdrama 11

Cast –

  • Kang Ha Neul as Kim Yo Han
  • Lee Yoo Young as Oh Soo Yeon
  • Kim Sang Ho as Mok Jin Hyung
  • Han Bo Reum as Annie Stevens

No. Of Episodes – 16

Watch On – Viki

Wrapping Up

So, these were some of the top investigation Kdramas that are recommended to watch. If you’re bored of the same romance kind of dramas, watch these dramas for a change.

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Hi! I'm Alma Santos from Philippines. I have watched over hundreds of dramas and can speak Korean a little bit. My favorite drama is Crash Landing On You.

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