Palace Romances & Supernatural Twists: Historical Korean Dramas Or Sageuk To Watch In 2026
K-drama fans, take note. Son Ye-jin, Kim Seon-ho, Song Hye-kyo, and Gong Yoo are all returning with these major new series
By Hana Lee and Michelle 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.
Portraits of Delusion
Love Kim Seon-ho in the hit romance K-drama Can This Love Be Translated? Here’s his next work to watch. In 1935 Gyeongsang, a struggling and unknown painter, Yoon Yi-ho (Kim Seon-ho) receives a commission to paint a portrait of a hotel owner who hasn’t been seen in public for more than 50 years. He assumes he would be painting a portrait of an elderly woman, but is confused when the owner turns out to be a young woman (Bae Suzy). She requests that he paint her as he would imagine her to look in her 70s, and he is not allowed to leave the hotel until he finishes the portrait. One day, he finds a note from a painter who was previously hired by the owner, warning him that no artist has left the hotel alive or mentally sound.
Portraits of Delusion will be available on Disney+ in the second half of 2026.
Scandals
K-drama darling Son Ye-jin returns in this historical K-drama set in the late Joseon period, where noblewoman Madam Jo (Son Ye-jin), despite her charms and talents, experiences the restrictions placed on women. Resenting these limitations, she plays a temptation game with her admirer, Jo Won (Ji Chang-wook). Jo Won doesn’t believe in love, and only dates for fun. To win her over, he accepts her bet and approaches Hee-yeon (Nana), a widow who vows to remain chaste following her husband’s passing. She initially rejects him, but eventually finds herself having conflicting emotions.
Scandals will be released on Netflix in 2026.
The East Palace
Those into sageuks with a more dark fantasy-esque twist will enjoy this drama starring Nam Joo-hyuk, Roh Yoon-seo and Cho Seung-woo. Gu Cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), a fearless ghost slayer who can traverse the realm of ghosts and Saeng Gang (Roh Yoon-seo), a court lady who possesses the ability to hear ghosts, are summoned by the king (Cho Seung-woo) to unearth the palace’s dark secrets. Together, they investigate a series of bizarre royal incidents, unravel dark secrets and even take on a deadly curse.
The East Palace is slated to be released on Netflix in Q3 2026.
Tantara
While not a traditional sageuk, this drama takes viewers back to the gritty and intense world of South Korea’s entertainment industry in the 1960s and ’80s.
It’s also among the most star-studded series of the year. Song Hye-kyo makes her TV comeback after The Glory as Min-ja, a resilient woman who, having grown up under less privileged circumstances, pursues a music career to make her mark. Gong Yoo plays Dong-gu, her childhood friend who enters the industry with her. Despite his reckless nature, he listens to everything Min-ja says. Their paths cross with famed composer Gil Yeo (Cha Seung-won), who is known to turn every singer he collaborates with into a superstar.
Tantara is expected to be released on Netflix in Q4 2026.
100 Days of Lies
Child star and now leading lady Kim Yoo-jung (Dear X) stars alongside Park Jin-young in this spy-romance drama set during the Japanese colonial era in Korea. It’s centred around Ga-kyung (Kim Joo-young), a brilliant pickpocket who disguises herself as an employee inside the Government-General of Joseon for 100 days as a “fake spy”. However, her mission gradually turns real as she becomes an informant for the independence army.
While leading her dangerous double life, she encounters Tae-woong (Park Jin-young), a Joseon-era Korean interpreter, and the two find themselves drawn into a romance amid secrets, lies, and political tension.
100 Days of Lies is set for a Netflix release in 2026.
Did you catch these historical K-dramas in 2025?
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.
Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is available on Netflix.
Dear Hongrang
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.
Dear Hongrang is available on Netflix.
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 Haunted Palace is available on Viu and Netflix.
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 First Night With the Duke is available on Viu.
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 Scandal of Chunhwa is available on Prime Video.