Cover Rowoon, Yoon Ji-on, Kim Hee-sun, and Lee Soo-hyuk in 'Tomorrow' (Photo: MBC)

How many of these top-rated K-dramas of 2022 have you watched?

What makes a good K-drama? On point casting, quality acting, high production value, and more importantly, skilful storytelling with engrossing storylines that reel you right in. The K-drama audience also loves when the content resonates with them and they can build an emotional connection with the characters—even long after the final episode.

Read more: 40 New Korean Dramas You Should Watch in 2022

K-dramas are a dime a dozen, but thanks to MyDramaList, you'll be able to narrow the good ones down to 10. Here are the 10 highest-rated K-dramas of 2022 so far.

10. Sh**ting Stars

Starring Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-dae, Sh**ting Stars is a rom-com set in the entertainment industry.

Oh Han-byul (Lee Sung-kyung) heads the PR department of Star Force Entertainment. She has extraordinary eloquence and is skilled in crisis response and management. Also in Star Force Entertainment is Gong Tae-sung (Kim Young-dae), an A-list actor who’s well-loved by people for his bright smile and clean image. In reality, however, he has a hot temper and harbours a dark past.

Oh and Gong have a love-hate relationship and would often bicker over just about anything, but their relationship soon takes a romantic turn. 

9. The Sound of Magic

Do you believe in magic?

The Sound of Magic is an emotional music drama that tells the story of a mysterious magician, Rieul (Ji Chang-wook), who dwells in an abandoned theme park. He meets a disillusioned teen, Yoon Ah-yi (Choi Sung-eun), a poor student who’s struggling to shoulder her family’s burdens. The two cross paths and go on a whimsical, fantastical journey that'll change their lives.

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The Sound of Magic will charm you and leave you in wonder with its dream sequences, whimsical elements, cute choreography, and stunning shots of South Korea.

8. Again My Life

Based on a web novel and webtoon of the same title which, Again My Life is a fantasy revenge drama starring Lee Joon-gi, Lee Geung-young, Kim Ji-eun, and Jung Sang-hoon.

Kim Hae-woo (Lee Joon-gi) is a hot-blooded prosecutor who gets murdered by an unidentified man while investigating corrupt politician Jo Tae-seob (Lee Geung-young). However, his life gets restored in the mortal world but as his younger self and is given a chance to live again. He enters his college student life once more and maps out an elaborate plot for revenge.

Again My Life also celebrates Lee Joon-gi’s small screen comeback after two years and it was worth the wait.

7. Juvenile Justice

What happens when an elite judge who has a strong dislike of juveniles, gets assigned to a juvenile court? A mix of drama and legal thrills.

As an elite judge Sim Eun-seok (Kim Hye-soo) is cold and distant, and not a fan of juvenile criminals. As luck (and irony) would have it, she’s appointed judge of a juvenile court. There, she’s forced to balance her aversion to juveniles while holding on to her firm beliefs on justice and punishment and tackling complex cases.

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6. My Liberation Notes

Released in April, My Liberation Notes tells the story of three siblings­—Yeom Chang-hee (Lee Min-ki), Yeom Mi-jeong (Kim Ji-won) and Yeom Gi-jeong (Lee El)—who want to escape from the monotony of their lives.

Each sibling has a situation they want to be liberated from. Chang-hee, to escape from his family’s home because he’s looked down upon by his family members; Mi-jeong, who’s introverted and timid, and feels lonely and unfulfilled; Gi-jeong, to find love. One day, a mysterious Mr Gu (Son Seok-koo) moves into the village and changes their lives.

Praised for its writing, My Liberation Notes will leave you in a reflective mood.

5. Ghost Doctor

Boasting an all-star cast of Rain, Kim Bum, Uee (former After School member), and Son Na-eun (of K-pop group Apink), Ghost Doctor revolves around two doctors from extreme backgrounds and skills merging into one person.

Cha Young-min (Rain) is a genius but arrogant cardiothoracic surgeon who, after a car crash, roams a hospital as a ‘coma ghost’ and possesses first-year thoracic surgery resident Go Seung-tak (Kim Bum), who is clumsy and has zero sense of study.

Read more: 7 K-Dramas That Tackled Uncharted Territory

Together, they take on operations and uncover a huge conspiracy in the hospital. The melding of the medical and fantasy genres, coupled with Rain and Kim Bum’s bromance, makes Ghost Doctor binge-watch-worthy.

4. Tomorrow

Fans of fantasy-themed K-dramas will love Tomorrow, starring Kim Hee-sun, Rowoon (of K-pop group SF9), Lee Soo-hyuk, and Yoon Ji-on. It follows a group of grim reapers and death angels who guide the dead and save the people who want to die.

By accident, Choi Jun-woong (Rowoon) meets grim reapers Koo-ryeon (Kim Hee-sun) and Lim Ryung-gu (Yoon Ji-on), and gets enlisted as a contract worker in their crisis management team.

The plot line boldly touches on taboo topics and social issues in South Korea, such as mental health, sexual assault, and bullying, while tugging on your heartstrings. Prepare tissues for this one.

3. Through the Darkness

Based on the 2018 non-fiction book of the same title co-written by South Korea's first criminal profiler Kwon Il-yong and journalist-turned-author Ko Na-mu, Through the Darkness follows criminal profiler Song Ha-young (Kim Nam-gil) who struggles to read the minds of serial murderers.

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Together with Gook Young-soo (Jin Seon-kyu), they set up a Criminal Behavioural Team to take on murder cases with no apparent motive. Riveting in the way it explores what goes on in a criminal’s mind, this will keep you at the edge of your seat.

2. A Business Proposal

Starring Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Se-jeong, Kim Min-kyu, and Seol In-ah, A Business Proposal is a rom-com based on a webtoon of the same name.

The story centres on Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong), a single woman who accepts her friend Jin Young-seo’s (Seol In-ah) offer to go on a blind date in her place, only to find out that her date is actually Kang Tae-moo, the CEO of the company where she works.

All hell breaks loose when she agrees to continue dating him for a payment of KRW800,000 (about RM2,745) per date but struggles to hide her real identity from him while working in the same company.

1. Twenty-Five, Twenty-One

Released in February, Twenty-Five, Twenty-One tells a '90s love story between Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) and Back Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk).

Set during the most difficult period in Korean history, the drama tells the story of youths who grow together in the aftermath of having their hopes and dreams ripped away.

Don't miss: Interview: Nam Joo-Hyuk and Kim Tae-Ri on Prepping for Netflix’s ‘Twenty-Five, Twenty-One’

Against a backdrop of devastation—when South Korea suffered the Asian financial crisis and experienced a seismic change in economy, society, and culture—is a truly emotional story of love and friendship.

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