The 25 Best Time Travel K-Dramas, Ranked

The idea of traveling through time is a powerful storytelling tool popularized by Hollywood movies, anime series, and the best time travel K-dramas. For K-dramas, the past often involves the Joseon era, riddled with political distress, turmoil, and drama. In some cases, K-dramas get creative and use time travel to solve crimes, like a heinous murder from the past, or with clues unraveling through time. In others, time travel is the narrative catalyst for an epic romance story of lovers separated by centuries.

Not surprisingly, many of the best K-dramas involving time travel use the concept to elevate romantic stories with a sci-fi or fantasy twist. In fact, this happens so much that K-drama audiences largely agree that it’s become an overused plot device. That said, whether they are mainly romantic, detective, or historical K-dramas, there are dozens that cleverly use time travel to continue telling captivating stories, and the best time travel K-dramas use the trope to tell some of the most unique stories on the small screen.

25 A Time Called You

Released In 2023

A Time Called You is actually a remake of a Taiwanese series called Someday or One Day, and it features more science fiction than just time travel. It also includes the characters jumping into the bodies of others and having their own doppelgangers. There is a lot going on, but it makes for a fascinating watch.

The series follows two sets of characters played by Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop who see both their pasts and futures controlled by an old cassette player. The song on the tape player helps to control aspects of their lives, but not everything, leading to a lot of moving parts in the story. There’s even a serial killer subplot for those who like their K-dramas with a little mystery.

The only reason the series isn’t truly the best time travel K-drama is that the finale of the series doesn’t offer a full measure of closure, leaving some things open-ended for the audience.

24 Again My Life

Released In 2022

Again My Life isn’t the typical time travel K-drama. Rather than feature someone traveling straight into another time, the person is actually murdered early in the series, but then, the main character comes back as a college student. This actually works in his favor since in his previous life, he was a prosecuting attorney, so he’s already extremely intelligent and excels in the academic program, allowing him to spend his free time figuring out who set out to kill him.

Because this is one time travel series that is more of a thriller, there’s also an action element to it. Lee Joon-gi, who stars as the lead, has a black belt in taekwondo, and he does many of his own action scenes in the show instead of a stunt double. He won an award for his work on the show at the SBS Drama Awards after the show’s release.

23 Twinkling Watermelon

Released In 2023

Twinkling Watermelon

Twinkling Watermelon is a South Korean television series that follows the lives of a group of high school friends who form a band. As they navigate the complexities of adolescence, they encounter challenges, build relationships, and discover their passions. Featuring a mix of music and drama, the show delves into themes of friendship, ambition, and self-discovery.

Cast

Seol In-ah , Ryeoun , Choi Hyun-wook , Choi Won-young , Koo Jun-hoe , Shin Eun-soo , Kim Joo-ryung , Chun Ho-jin

Release Date

September 25, 2023

Seasons

1

There are shades of Back to the Future in this time travel K-drama as a teenage boy (Ryeoun) ends up in his father’s high school years. The boy and his father (Choi Won-young as an adult and Choi Hyun-wook as a teenager) don’t see eye to eye when it comes to music. While he wants to pursue a career as a musician, his father doesn’t think it’s a good idea. Their fight is the catalyst for the time travel experience.

While in the past, he finds that his father is desperate to connect with another young woman, not one who becomes his mom. He also realizes that his father isn’t hearing impaired as he is as an adult. He decides to try to prevent the accident that causes the hearing loss as well as make sure his father ends up with his mother, even as he’s forming a band with him.

It’s a heartwarming story about getting to know one’s parents and understanding how one decision can change everything.

22 Lovely Runner

Released In 2024

Lovely Runner (2024)

Lovely Runner is a TV series that follows the story of a young athlete who rises to fame in the world of track and field. As the protagonist navigates the highs and lows of competitive sports, the series explores themes of perseverance, sacrifice, and personal growth.

Cast

Byeon Woo-seok , Kim Hye-yoon , Song Geon-hee , Lee Seung-hyub

Release Date

April 8, 2024

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Kim Bbang

Those who enjoy K-Pop, athletics, and love stories will certainly enjoy Lovely Runner. The series sees a former superstar named Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok) lives a life of mostly isolation while his career explodes. Im-sol (Kim Hye-yoon) is a superfan who has been supporting his career. In their 30s, however, they both wonder what their lives would have been like if they had done things differently. Of course, they also have a past connection.

When one of them dies, the other gets a chance to travel to the past to change their future, and it’s revealed that they have both been doing everything they can to protect one another, even if it means their own lives might never be the same. The theme of the show is self-sacrifice as it explores what lengths someone will go to for someone they care about.

Interestingly, Beyon Woo-seok is not a trained K-pop singer, even though there are many artists who have crossed over into the acting world. Despite that, the song “Sudden Shower,” which was recorded for use in the show, charted, demonstrating that he’s got what it takes to lead a boy band.

21 Reborn Rich

Released In 2022

The last few years have produced a lot of hugely successful K-dramas that have reached an international audience. Reborn Rich, however, was hugely successful at home as well. It was the most-watched K-drama in South Korea in 2022.

Like Again My Life, this series sees someone who is murdered get a chance to start a new life in a new body, but with the awareness of their previous life. This time, it’s someone who is a hardworking employee at a chaebol – a sprawling family-owned business, the kind that truly runs the economy in South Korea. When he sees something wrong and tries to do the right thing, he is killed for it. He ends up returning to life as the youngest member of a chaebol family in an earlier time and starts putting his knowledge of the future to use.

While the bare bones of the two stories are similar as both characters want revenge on those who took their lives, the worlds they explore are very different. Reborn Rich was nominated for a slew of awards in South Korea and ended up winning for Best Miniseries at the Seoul International Drama Awards.

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20 My Perfect Stranger

Released In 2023

My Perfect Stranger (2023)

My Perfect Stranger is a 2023 TV series that follows the story of a woman who discovers a mysterious stranger may be the key to solving a tragedy from her past. As she uncovers the truth, she must navigate a complex web of secrets and lies to uncover the truth about her own life.

Cast

Kim Dong-wook , Jin Ki-joo , Seo Ji-hye , Lee Won-jeong , Kim Jong-soo

Release Date

May 1, 2023

Creator(s)

Baek So-yeon , Kang Soo-yeon , Lee Woong-hee

Seasons

1

While most Korean dramas involving time traveling only see one character do the actual time traveling, My Perfect Stranger takes a risk in making both of its main characters time travelers. One does so on purpose though, while the other does not, which is where much of the intrigue comes from.

Hae Jun (Kim Dong Wook) is a journalist investigating a serial murder case who discovers a time machine and uses it to follow his own investigation. Yoon Young (Jin Ki Joo) discovers her mother dead and is then struck by a car, waking up in the same time that Hae Jun traveled to. As is true for many time travelers, they become trapped instead of able to travel between times. When the two cross paths, they find that maybe their time traveling, and their lives, are actually linked to one another.

19 Tunnel

Released In 2017

Tunnel (2017)

Tunnel is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2017. The show follows a detective, Kwang-ho, who travels back in time from 1986 to 2016 and teams up with a detective in the present day to solve a series of cold cases. As they work together, they uncover hidden secrets and unravel the mysteries of the past.

Cast

Choi Jin-hyuk , Yoon Hyun-min , Lee You-young , Jo Hee-bong , Kim Byung-chul

Seasons

1

Instead of traveling to the past, Tunnel is a time travel K-drama that takes the audience to the future – in a manner of speaking. The present-day of the story is actually 1985 in which a string of murders are being investigated. When the detective (Choi Jin Hyuk) pursuing a lead runs after a suspect through a tunnel, he’s hit in the head and ends up 30 years in the future.

The murder mystery element of the series is inspired by a real string of serial killings in Korea, but the story is very much fictional. While the show presents itself as a murder mystery with a time-travel element, there’s also a romantic subplot and a family at the center of the story that makes it a drama that really shines. Incredibly popular outside of South Korea as well, Tunnel has been adapted for Thai television and an Indonesian remake is in development.

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18 Familiar Wife

Released In 2018

Familiar Wife (2018)

Familiar Wife is a South Korean television series that aired in 2018. The show revolves around Cha Joo-hyuk, a bank employee who travels back in time to when he was in his college days and alters the course of his life, resulting in a different reality where he is married to his first love, instead of his current wife.

Cast

Ji Sung , Han Ji-min , Kang Han-na , Son Jong-hak , Park Won-sang

Release Date

August 1, 2018

Creator(s)

Yang Hui-seung , Lee Sang-Yeob

Seasons

1

A married man (Ji-Sung) with two kids is unhappy in his life. He’s depressed, hates his wife, and is unsatisfied at work. If he had only made different choices in his youth, he might have had a happier life. After traveling through a toll booth and losing control of his car, he winds up in the past and is able to change some of those decisions.

This is one time travel series that doesn’t confine the protagonist to one time. Able to travel back and forth between the past and the present, he’s able to see how his different decisions have big outcomes later in life. It’s a similar concept to something like Sliding Doors but with many small changes to help someone understand their path in life. The music truly helps set the stage in the series as well with the soundtrack being nominated at the Korea Drama Awards.

17 Times

Released In 2021

Times (2021)

Times is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2021, following the story of Seo Jin-Woo, a man who discovers a way to communicate with his past self through a mysterious walkie-talkie. As he navigates this new power, he attempts to prevent a tragic event that occurred in his past.

Cast

Jason Zhang , G.E.M. , Penny Tai , Kelly Yu

Release Date

October 22, 2021

Creator(s)

Lu Yanfu

Seasons

3

Times isn’t a traditional time travel K-drama in which one character is transported to another time period completely. Instead, the time travel is a result of a phone line that is able to traverse timelines. Several series have used similar ideas, often with the use of radios instead of phones, with varying degrees of success.

Two journalists, one in 2015 and one in 2020, connect over the use of the same phone line. Initially, they work together to prevent the death of one of their fathers, but while investigating, they uncover a conspiracy that involves time travel and corrupt politicians. The series is definitely a unique take among the time travel shows created for Korean television, which usually focus on history and a romantic subplot instead of political intrigue. While the series didn’t reach widespread acclaim, star Lee Joo-young was nominated for Best New Actress at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

16 Tomorrow With You

Released In 2017

Tomorrow With You (2017)

Tomorrow With You is a fantasy romance television series that follows Yoo So-joon, a successful real estate CEO who has the ability to time-travel through a subway. He meets Song Ma-rin, a photographer, and falls in love with her, but their relationship is threatened when he discovers his ability to travel through time is linked to his fate with her.

Cast

Lee Je-hoon , Shin Min-a , Kang Ki-doong , Jo Han-chul , Kim Ye-won

Release Date

February 3, 2017

Seasons

1

While Tomorrow With You does use romance like most time travel K-dramas do, it also has a unique idea for the time travel itself. While most Korean time travel shows involve time traveling by accident, the main character in Tomorrow With You can decide to travel in time. It’s also done so while traveling the subway instead of falling through a portal or suffering a life-threatening injury in order to do it.

Yoo So-Joon (Lee Je-Hoon) takes on time-traveling adventures when he discovers that Ma-Rin (Shin Min-A) and he are linked by a tragic accident in the future. Intrigued by her, he decides to save both her and himself. He believes that he can change their fates thanks to his ability, but he has to figure out just how they are connected. He resolves to marry her in order to make sure, and they become truly linked as he falls in love.

15 The Best Hit

Released In 2017

The Best Hit (2017)

The Best Hit is a 2017 South Korean television series. The show revolves around the life of a K-pop idol, Lee Ji-hoon, who travels back to 1994 and meets his younger self and a young woman named Kim Hyun-jae. As Lee Ji-hoon navigates his past, he must confront his mistakes and learn valuable lessons about life, love, and friendship.

Cast

Yoon Shi-yoon , Kim Min-jae , Lee Se-young , Cha Tae-hyun , Yoon Son-ha

Release Date

June 2, 2017

Seasons

1

In The Best Hit, 1993 K-pop idol Yoo Hyun-Jae (Yoon Shi-yoon) gets accidentally transported to 2017, discovers that he is presumed dead after he disappeared in 1994, and investigates why he traveled through time. He does all this while struggling with living in the future, of course. Meanwhile, Hyun-Jae’s biological son, Lee Ji-Hoon (Kim Min-jae), is secretly training to become an idol himself and is even enrolled in Star Punch Entertainment’s program – while making his parents believe that he’s studying for the civil service exams.

Also known as Hit the Top, and Best Punch, The Best Hit is an underrated gem in the world of the best time travel K-dramas. It’s also an interesting way for the audience to get a look at what it takes to become a pop idol. Some of the stars of the series are also popular musicians. Kim Min-jae, for example, is also a rap artist and was nominated for the Best New Actor award at the Seoul Awards following the debut of the show.

14 Sisyphus: The Myth

Released In 2021

Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)

Sisyphus: The Myth is a South Korean television series that follows the story of Han Tae-sul, a genius engineer who tries to uncover the truth behind his brother’s death. As he delves deeper into the mystery, he discovers a conspiracy that threatens the entire nation.

Cast

Cho Seung-woo , Park Shin-Hye , Chae Jong-hyeop , Sung Dong-il , Tae In-ho

Release Date

February 17, 2021

Seasons

1

This 2021 Netflix K-drama has some serious Terminator vibes to it, but it’s full of good laughs, color, and drama. Han Tae-Sul (Cho Seung-woo) is a talented engineer who is determined to uncover the real reason behind his older brother’s murder. If that wasn’t enough, the storyline introduces a character who travels from the future to his current time. In the future, the world is dominated by gangs and military cliques. Survival entails having serious combat skills, and Gang Seo-Hae (Park Shin-Hye) is just the right warrior.

She travels back in time to help Tae-Sul on his dangerous journey after learning key evidence about his brother’s death. What’s interesting is that the series doesn’t focus solely on the one-way time travel trip, but insists that the two main characters are responsible for breaking a time loop. Some critics disliked that Sisyphus: The Myth breaks its own established rules about time traveling, but it certainly keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

13 Splash Splash Love

Released In 2015

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Splash Splash Love is a South Korean television series that premiered in 2015. The fantasy romance drama tells the story of Lee Do, a high school student who travels back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty and meets Kim Mu, a prince who becomes his ally and friend. As Do navigates the complexities of court politics, he finds himself falling for the prince’s sister, Princess Wonseong.

Cast

Kim Seul-ki , Yoon Doo-joon , Jin Ki-joo , Ahn Hyo-seop , Im Ye-jin

Release Date

December 13, 2015

Seasons

1

Splash Splash Love is one of those K-dramas that combine time travel with romance. In the television series, a high-school student gets transported to 15th-century Korea. She soon meets the young king of the kingdom who wants to learn more about mathematics. Thankfully, the heroine of the show is a patient teacher who is more than willing to tutor the King.

Splash Splash Love is a quick and easy watch as it is one of the shortest K-dramas out there, with only two episodes. This is part of why the show has near-perfect pacing and ranks among the best time travel K-dramas. It was originally broadcast as a 10-part webseries on Naver TV Cast. Its popularity led to it being edited into two hour-long episodes, so binging it is really like watching a movie.

12 Rooftop Prince

Released In 2012

Rooftop Prince (2012)

Rooftop Prince is a South Korean television series that tells the story of Crown Prince Lee Gak, who travels from the Joseon Dynasty to modern-day Seoul in search of his missing bride. With the help of Park-ha, a young woman who resembles his lost love, he navigates the complexities of contemporary life while trying to uncover the truth behind his bride’s disappearance.

Cast

Park Yoo-chun , Han Ji-min , Jeong Yu-mi , Kim So-hyun , Lee Tae-sung

Release Date

March 21, 2012

Seasons

1

Rooftop Prince has a lot of storylines to process, but they’re well worth it. The titular protagonist is a prince who wakes up in present-day 2012, even though he’s actually from the Korean Joseon dynasty/era. The crown prince and his two confidants find themselves on the rooftop of Park-ha’s (Han Ji-min) home. After the prince realizes he’s time-traveled 300 years into the future, he also sees the long-lost sister of Park-ha – who is the spitting image of his late wife who drowned.

The prince is convinced he will find the answers to his past in 2012 and poses as the grandson of a powerful CEO, who in reality was killed by another family member. Both the characters of the past and the characters of the present have intense backstories and the series leans into the soap-opera-like aspects of those. It works in the show’s favor, as the series has become even more popular outside of Korea than in its home. It is most popular in Japan and China.

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11 The King: Eternal Monarch

Released In 2020

The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

The King: Eternal Monarch is a fantasy romance drama that tells the story of Emperor Lee Gon, who discovers a mysterious portal that leads him to a parallel universe. He meets a detective named Jung Tae-eul, and together, they navigate between their two worlds, uncovering secrets and conspiracies that threaten the stability of both kingdoms.

Cast

Lee Min-ho , Kim Go-eun , Woo Do-Hwan , Kim Kyung-nam , Jung Eun-chae

Release Date

April 17, 2020

Seasons

1

Not only does The King: Eternal Monarch have a phenomenal female lead in Jeong Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun), but it’s also full of riveting action, features a unique story of parallel worlds, and is also one of the unique time travel K-Dramas available on Netflix. In the show, there are two co-existing realities: present-day South Korea and the Kingdom of Corea.

The current king of Corea witnessed his father’s murder as a child at the hands of his uncle. When he discovers a doorway to the parallel world and present-day South Korea, he also discovers that his uncle has been traveling between the two worlds and trying to raise his own army. The king must stop his uncle, but along the way, he learns the truth about the mysterious figure who once saved his life and finds he must travel to a moment in the past. The series explores the idea of a single moment in time altering someone’s whole reality.

10 Queen In-Hyun’s Man

Released In 2012

Queen In-Hyun’s Man (2012)

Queen In-Hyun’s Man is a 2012 South Korean television series that tells the story of Kim Boong-do, a dignified and charismatic nobleman, who travels through time from the 17th century to the present day, where he meets and falls in love with actress Choi Hee-jin.

Cast

Yoo In-na , Ji Hyun-woo , Kim Jin-woo , Ga Deuk-Hi , Jo Dal-hwan

Release Date

April 18, 2012

Seasons

1

A Joseon Dynasty scholar meets an aspiring actress in the year 2012 in the political and romantic Korean drama, Queen In-Hyun’s Man, one of the best time travel K-dramas. In 1694, a noble-born scholar is the only survivor after his family was murdered, but there’s a bigger story at play while he supports the reinstatement of the deposed queen and there’s a conspiracy involving a royal concubine. Due to a magical talisman, he time travels 300 years into the future and meets an actress who he has a connection with.

What makes the rom-com elements of the scholar from the past meeting the actress from the future is that the actress, so far, is not a household name. instead, her big break is about to be playing Queen In-Hyun, the very woman the scholar is a supporter of.

9 Faith

Released In 2012

Faith (2012)

Faith is a South Korean television drama that aired in 2012, starring Lee Min-ho as Choi Young, a skilled warrior, and Kim Hee-sun as Yoo Eun-soo, a plastic surgeon who travels back in time to the Goryeo era. The story follows their love story amidst the political turmoil of the time.

Cast

Lee Min-ho , Kim Hee-seon , Yu Oh-seong , Sung Hoon , Ryu Deok-hwan

Release Date

August 13, 2012

Seasons

1

The time travel K-drama Faith follows the story of a plastic surgeon who gets transported to 14th-century Goryeo. She soon learns that a royal guard warrior was the reason why she was brought back more than 600 years into the past. The royal guard begs the plastic surgeon to help their injured queen. However, the plastic surgeon has actually caught feelings for her kidnapper.

Faith is considered one of the better time travel and fantasy-themed romance K-dramas thanks to the stellar performances of the actors, as well as the detailed story that shines a light on Korean history and mythology. It’s also got a multi-layered title. While the literal translation of the title is “faith” as in “belief in justice,” the Hanja lettering (Chinese letters used to write Korean) actually means “divine doctor,” allowing the audience to understand that both terms are important to the long-term storyline of the show.

8 Nine: Nine Time Travels

Released In 2013

Nine: Nine Time Travels (2013)

Nine: Nine Time Travels is a South Korean television series that follows the story of Park Sun-woo, a man who discovers a way to travel through time and sets out to prevent a family tragedy from occurring.

Cast

Lee Jin-Wook , Jo Yoon-hee , Jeon Kuk-hwan , Uhm Hyo-seop , Jeon No-min

Release Date

March 11, 2013

Seasons

1

In the time travel K-drama Nine: Nine Time Travels, Park Sun-woo (Lee Jin-wook) discovers nine incense sticks that could take him back 20 years in time. He uses his time in the past to save his family, who have been victims of a terrible tragedy. However, he needs to be extra careful when he goes back in time, as he can only do it nine times – the twist that makes Nine: Nine one of the best time travel K-dramas. Park soon finds out that whatever he changes in the past also resonates and affects his present life.

The K-drama was nominated for several awards across Korea for its great cast and romantic storyline, including snagging nominations at the Korean Drama Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards. It also became popular outside of Korea, broadcast on television in China, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Thailand.

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7 Go Back Couple

Released In 2017

Go Back Couple (2017)

Go Back Couple is a South Korean television series that explores the lives of a married couple, Choi Ban-do and Ma Jin-joo, who are struggling to balance their careers and relationship. After 18 years of marriage, they are suddenly transported back in time to their college days, giving them a chance to re-evaluate their life choices and relationships.

Cast

Jang Na-ra , Son Ho-jun , Heo Jung-min , Han Bo-reum , Jang Ki-yong

Release Date

October 13, 2017

Seasons

1

Inspired by a webtoon called Do It One More Time, Go Back Couple (also simply called Go Back in some regions) is a Korean miniseries where a couple wishes that they never met each other. They have both become unhappy and exhausted with their marriage and wish they could have changed their unhappiness at the seeming source of all of their problems – meeting each other. The couple soon finds that they’ve reverted to their 20-year-old selves, faced with trying to make decisions that will make their future selves happy and satisfied.

The show features plenty of funny and heartwarming moments that will make viewers swoon — and an ending that will surely tug at the heartstrings of every long-time K-drama viewer. After its broadcast, the series was nominated for a slew of KBS Drama Awards, picking up two, one for Best Couple for the lead actors in Son Ho-jun and Jang Na-ra, and Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries for Jan Na-ra.

6 Chicago Typewriter

Released In 2017

Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Chicago Typewriter follows the lives of three individuals: Han Se-joo, a talented writer; Jeon Seol, a passionate fan; and Yoo Jin-oh, a mysterious ghostwriter, who become entwined as they navigate their complex relationships and uncover the mysteries of their pasts.

Cast

Yoo Ah-in , Lim Soo-jung , Go Kyung-Pyo , Kwak Si-yang , Jo Woo-jin

Release Date

April 7, 2017

Seasons

1

Out of the most compelling and best time travel K-dramas (as well as general fantasy K-Dramas), Chicago Typewriter is one of the few that’s about reincarnation rather than strictly about traveling through time. Three resistance fighters from the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea find themselves in a new time period, but not because of mysterious scientific machines or magical objects. Instead, the three are reincarnated as a writer, a fan, and a ghostwriter.

Switching between the 1930s and the 21st century, these three characters start to see parallels between both time periods. As they start to uncover the truth behind their pasts, they worry about how it might affect their present. K-drama fans tired of the same old romantic comedy fare will love the truly unique story elements of Chicago Typewriter. The series was also filmed on location around Seoul, South Korea, so fans will enjoy picking out the real sites.