Vampires will never go out of style, not even in K-dramas. While fans were hooked on the popular Twilight movies, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries, there are many vampire storyline K-dramas to sink your teeth into. The vampire characters in these K-drams are sinfully good-looking but not the average bloodsuckers.\
Some vampires work as diligent prosecutors, doctors, and even as scholars that walk the night. K-dramas and vampires make the perfect pairing that no fan can resist, and there’s a high probability that audiences will enter a binge spiral involving several of these shows. There are countless K-dramas about ghosts, ghouls, and immortals, but it’s time to give vampires some much-needed attention.
Immortal Goddess (2016) - 5.0
Available to stream on Kocowa.
In the web K-drama Immortal Goddess, the main vampire character suffers from a dilemma that’s not usually seen in the fabled creature. The show focuses on a vampire named Yuri, who has an acquired immune deficiency disorder that forces her to age.
The show also features other characters that either try to help Yuri find a solution, or barricade her way to eternal youth. With its funny moments and short run-time, Immortal Goddess is a short vampire K-drama that’s easy to watch.
Vampire Flower (2014) - 5.6
Vampire Flower is a drama from 2014 based on a web novel by Shin Ji Eun. Many fans dub the short drama as Korea’s version of Twilight. The six-episode drama follows a similar storyline to Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward’s (Robert Pattinson). Louis (Seo Jae Hyung) is a centuries-old vampire who still looks like a youthful teenager.
Louis soon meets Seo Young (Kim Ga Eun) who entices him with her unique and extraordinarily smelling blood. As they fall deeper and deeper in love, they’re faced with dangerous situations. Together, Louis and Seo Youn make the treacherous journey through the land of vampires to retrieve a rare Vampire Flower.
Kissable Lips (2022) - 6.1
Available to stream on Rakuten Viki.
There aren’t a lot of K-dramas with great LGBTQ+ representation. However, Kissable Lips manages to feature two leading men in a romantic relationship. Set in a unviersity, the K-drama is about two students, Jun Ho (Kim Ji-Woong), a vampire who feels that he is nearing his death, and Min Hyun (Yoon Seo-Bin), a rebellious human who is classmates with Jun Ho.
Jun Ho needs to drink pure blood in order to survive his ordeal. Thankfully, Min Hyun possesses the type of blood that can save Jun Ho, but in order to get to it, he must first get close and attract his classmate.
Orange Marmalade (2015) - 6.4
Orange Marmalade is a teen romance K-drama centered in a world where vampires exist hidden amongst human life. The show revolves around Ma-Ri (Seolhyun), a young recluse teenage vampire who tries to keep her identity hidden due to a peace treaty signed by the government.
Things take a turn when Ma-Ri starts dozing off on the train and is enticed by the sweet smell of Jae-Min’s (Yeo Jin-Goo) blood. The same exact scene is seen in the drama’s original webtoon. From that moment, Ma-Ri falls in love with Jae-Min and he can’t stay away from her. Their love story isn’t easy, as Jae-Min isn’t fond of vampires.
The Sweet Blood (2021) - 6.4
The Sweet Blood is a newer K-drama from 2021 with only seven episodes. Yeon Seo (Song Chae Yoon) is a 118-year-old vampire born to a human mother and vampire father. Despite her abilities and beauty, she wants to live a normal life and blends in with high schoolers.
Her desire to graduate high school is put on hold and her life gets turned upside down when she smells the blood of Song Meo Roo (Kim Eo Jin). Meo Roo’s sweet blood isn’t only attracting Yeon Seo, but of every vampire and werewolf alike. Yeon Seo vows to protect him while trying to resist a taste.
Freeze (2006) - 6.5
K-drama fans go into the vault to unearth the 2006 miniseries titled Freeze. The dram has, even the chilling story of a serial killer. Baek Joong-Won (Lee Seo-Jin) was saved years ago by Ehwa (Son Tae-Young) and turned into a vampire. In the modern-day, they run a bar together.
Joong-Won turned off his emotions a long time ago but when receiving a letter from his old lover, something changes. His lover asks Joong-Won to look after her daughter after her death. Her mother now dead, Ji-Woo (Park Han-Byul) finds Joong-Won and sparks fly. Intermixed in their love story is a serial killer draining his victims.
Vampire Idol (2011) - 6.5
Vampire Idol is a K-drama for K-Pop fans as it is a youth comedy sitcom but centered around vampires. The drama tells the story of a naive vampire prince from a distant vampire planet. Being a fan of K-Pop and idols, he travels to Earth to watch a performance of his favorite idols. Accompanying the Prince are his three trusted servants.
Something occurs and the Prince is unable to return home. He takes it as his opportunity to finally pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a famous idol. His journey isn’t easy as he’s not deemed attractive on Earth and has to deal with the adversaries of adolescence and humans.
The Vampire Detective (2016) - 6.7
The Vampire Detective follows a common storyline and many K-drama tropes but it’s still a bingeworthy show. Yoon San (Lee Joon) works as a private detective with his friend solving cases for clients. One day, Yoon San is changed into a vampire and he doesn’t know why.
Now a vampire, Yoon Joon uses his abilities to solve more cases. The bigger storyline revolves around Yoon Joon using his abilities to try and uncover his past and why he was turned. The show only has 12 episodes and some fans wished it got a proper ending that fit the thrilling storyline.
Blood (2015) - 6.9
Blood is one of the most highly talked about K-dramas when it comes to a vampire storyline. Park Ji-Sang (Ahn Jae-Hyun) is a notorious doctor in his field as a hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon. He hides a secret; Ji-Sang is a vampire who suppresses his blood lust to save the lives of terminally ill patients.
Yoo Ri-Ta (Ku Hye-Sun) catches Ji-Sang’s attention for being snooty and arrogant just for being the niece of the group chairman. Despite this, he can’t help but be attracted to her. Underneath it all, there’s a story of the two-faced hospital director who has evil and dark ambitions for power.
Bite Sisters (2021) - 7.1
If there’s one thing that vampire shows have revealed about the marvelous creatures, it’s that vampires are more likely to survive if they stick together. In the K-drama Bite Sisters, three vampires pretend to be sisters. It mainly focuses on Han Yi-Na (Kang Han-Na), an 821-year-old vampire who is also a very popular online influencer.
Yi-Na uses her popularity to secretly help victims of injustice. In the show, she also falls in love with a human named Jung Sung-Min (Lee Shin Young), which somewhat makes Bite Sisters a fantasy and romance K-drama similar to Hotel Del Luna and Goblin.
Scholar Who Walks The Night (2015) - 7.2
Based on its original manhwa, Scholar Who Walks the Night is a famous historical K-drama set during the Joseon era. Jo Yang-Sun (Lee Yu-Bi) and her family are disgraced when her father is framed for treason. In order to make money, she dresses as a man and becomes a bookseller. She soon meets the handsome and mysterious scholar Kim Sung-Yeol (Lee Joon-Gi).
Sung-Yeol has been a vampire for 120 years and a guardian who kills anyone who defies the rules. Sung-Yeol is aware of Yang-Sun’s secret and tasks her with finding a special book. Along the way, Sung-Yeol realizes there’s a vampire going after the throne, and with Sung-Yeol tries to stop him and seek revenge for his past.
Hello Franceska (2005) - 7.4
The 2005 K-drama, Hello Franceska, has a bit of everything as it’s titled a sitcom, comedy, horror, and satire with the added flair of vampires. Fans might notice that the show is inspired by The Addams Family in terms of aesthetic and character dynamics.
The last of the vampire families are sent off by their leader to different parts of the world. One family makes a mistake and ends up in South Korea where they meet an unlucky salaryman. After Franceska (Shim Hye-Jin) bites him, he turns, but they vow to turn him human again when their leader comes for them. Having no choice, they pretend to be a family and assimilate into human life.
Vampire Prosecutor (2011) - 7.9
Available to stream on Prime Video.
Vampire Prosecutor is a must-watch when it comes to a vampire K-drama. It’s a rare show that got a second installment due to its popularity. The 2011 drama centered around Min Tae-Yeon (Yeon Jung-Hoon), a respected prosecutor who’s turned into a vampire.
Tae-Yeon’s abilities come with a useful yet painful perk. By drinking the blood of the deceased, he can see their pasts to help find the person responsible for their deaths. There’s a downside as drinking the victim’s blood causes him extreme pain. One case catches his attention as the perpetrator might be a vampire and Tae-Yeon starts to question why he was turned.
