9 Historical Korean Dramas Or Sageuk to Watch In 2025
Add all these historical Korean dramas to your to-watch list
By Hana Lee -
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If you’re a fan of Korean dramas, you’d probably be familiar with the term “sageuk” or historical Korean dramas. These are the ones set in the olden days such as the Joseon dynasty or the Three Kingdoms of Korea. A couple of historical Korean dramas you might be familiar with could be Jewel In The Palace (filming for a sequel started in 2024!) and Moon Embracing The Sun.
The alluring thing about sageuk K-dramas is that you get to see how Korean culture was like, but more importantly, the palace drama can rival those in historical Chinese dramas. Here are some storylines that will have you gripping the edge of your seat. You’ve probably seen some clips of these dramas on TikTok, but believe us, that’s just a sneak peek of what these historical K-dramas have in store.
1. The Haunted Palace
Yeo-ri (Bona) is the only granddaughter of a famous shaman. However, she is determined not to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps, and instead becomes a glass craftswoman. When her first love, Yoon Gap (Yook Sung-jae), is possessed by an imoogi (a large, serpent-like creature in Korean folklore), she must enter the palace where he works to help him. After all, she is the cause of him being possessed, having rejected the imoogi who wanted to use her as a vessel to ascend to heaven. She discovers that the palace is home to many vengeful female spirits who have a grudge against the royal family. The drama premiered in April 2025.
The Haunted Palace is available on Viu and Netflix.
2. The First Night With the Duke
College student “K” (Girls’ Generation’s Seohyun) wakes up to find herself as a minor character in her favourite historical romance novel. She meets the male lead in the novel, Beon (Ok Taec-yeon), a member of the royal family with a tragic history, and ends up spending the night with him. He wants to marry her, but she introduces him to Jo Eun-ae (Kwon Han-sol), the female lead he is supposed to fall in love with. Despite her attempts to let the original plot flow, he finds his way back to her each time. Is she rewriting the plot of the original novel? The drama premiered in June 2025.
The First Night With the Duke is available on Viu.
3. Check in Hanyang
Four interns working at the most prestigious inn in Joseon have to navigate complex operations, unhappy guests, and strict supervisors, all while facing their own challenges. One of them, Lee Eun, is actually a prince who hides his real identity to get a sense of the social and political situations. Hong Deok-soo is a woman who disguises herself as a man to avoid the societal limitations imposed on women, and she aims to be the general manager. Cheong Jun-hwa is the successor of the inn. He is resistant to the idea of working there, but is forced to do so by his father. Ko Soo-ra is ambitious and wants to be promoted to permanent staff to help his family. The quartet forms a friendship while working there. The drama premiered in December 2024.
Check in Hanyang is available on Netflix.
4. Bon Appetit, Your Majesty
This time-slip drama follows the story of Chef Yeon Ji-young (Lim Yoon-a), a French-trained chef who gets sent back in time to the Joseon dynasty. She is forced to cook for King Yeonhui (Lee Chae-min), a temperamental tyrant and a gourmet who is misunderstood because of his sharp tongue and even sharper taste buds. Ji-young tries to survive palace politics and a king with a temper, while King Yeonhui finds his taste buds changing as Ji-young presents him with dishes he has never seen before. The drama will premiere on Aug 23.
Bon Appétit, Your Majesty will be available on Netflix on Aug 23, 2025.
5. Hong Rang
Hong-rang, the son of a wealthy merchant, went missing when he was eight. Twelve years later, a man who claims to be him shows up, but he claims to have no memories of his past. Although his half-sister Jae-yi didn’t give up searching for him through the years, she is skeptical, while his mother believes him. The newly returned Hong-rang seems to harbour a big secret, and as Jae-yi seeks to uncover the truth, she realises that it could be linked to family secrets and power struggles. The drama premiered in May 2025.
Dear Hongrang is available on Netflix.
6. The Tale of Lady Ok
Ok Tae-young (Lim Ji-yeon of The Glory fame) is a legal expert who is smart, athletic, and never hesitates to help others. She is well-liked and respected by the people around her. However, what people don’t know is, her name, her husband and even her status are fake. She is actually a former slave who escaped slavery. She meets Cheon Seung-hwi (Choo Young-woo), a travelling storyteller. He falls for her at first sight and helps her out in every way he can. The drama premiered in Nov 2024.
The Tale of Lady Ok is available on Viu and Netflix.
7. Queen Woo
Woo Hee (Jeon Jong-seo), the empress of Goguryeo, finds herself to be the target of different parties who have vested interest in the throne, following the death of the king of Goguryeo (Ji Chang-wook). To protect her family and tribe, she opts for levirate marriage, where she has to marry one of her late husband’s brothers. She has to do so — and while defending herself against her attackers — in 24 hours, before news of the king’s death spreads. The drama also stars Lee Soo-hyuk and Song Jae-rim. The drama aired in Aug 2024, and was one of Jae-rim’s final works before his passing in Nov 2024.
Queen Woo is available on Viu.
8. The Scandal of Chunhwa
In this historical Korean drama, Go Ara plays Hwa Ri, the youngest princess of the fictional country Dongbangguk. When she reaches the age to marry, she ventures out of the palace to find a husband by herself. She meets her suitors, but at the same time, she tries to find the person who used her likeness as the main female character in a series of erotic paintings. Meanwhile, the most eligible suitor on her list of potential husbands is a wealthy merchant (played by Chang Ryul) who looks like a man who enjoys women and riches, but harbours a secret. The drama premiered in Feb 2025.
The Scandal of Chunhwa is available on Prime Video in selected regions, and we’re still awaiting its release in Singapore.
9. The Queen Who Crowns
Another drama based on a real historical figure, Queen Wongyeong (played by Cha Joo-young in the drama), the story follows her life as she became a kingmaker to help her husband, Lee Bang-won, also known as Prince Jeongan, ascend the throne. She set her plans in motion after King Taejo (Lee Sung-min) selected his second son as the successor instead of her husband. The husband and wife pair worked together, and Lee Bang-won became King Taejong. After becoming king, he acquired many concubines and destroyed her family. Lee Hyun-wook stars as King Taejong. The drama premiered in January 2025.
The Queen Who Crowns is not available on streaming platforms in Singapore at the moment.