Revisiting racks of thrills and charismatic spies, in iconic K-dramas like ‘Iris,’ ‘City Hunter,’ ‘Vagabond,’ ‘My Name,’ and ‘Snowdrop’
Jung Hae-in in a still from ‘Snowdrop.’ Photo: JTBC, courtesy of Han Cinema
In the world of espionage K-dramas, everything is smoke and mirrors. Here, spies become heroes, and heroes become legends. Think Iris and City Hunter. Each twist and turn reveals dark secrets and graphic action, just like in My Name. And it doesn’t matter that the stakes are high because the thrills are still very addictive—like in Vagabond and Snowdrop. Here are some of the most iconic K-dramas featuring charismatic spies and their treacherous missions—stories that still entertain years later.
Iris (2009)
One of the most expensive K-dramas out there in terms of budget, Iris was a massive hit, sweeping the 2009 KBS Drama Awards, including the Daesang Award for Lee Byung-hun. Co-directed by Kim Kyu-tae, Yang Yun-ho, Kim Tae-hun, and Pyo Min-soo, the espionage drama stands out for its excellent production values and storytelling, blending action, suspense, and romance. The story’s two NSS (National Security Service) agents, Kim Hyeong-Jun (Lee Byung-hun) and Jin Sa-woo (Jeong Jun-ho), are best friends and fall for the same agent, Choi Seung-hee (Kim Tae-hee), who’s quietly manipulating their trust.
But here’s where it gets intense—Hyeong-Jun’s solo mission to Hungary takes a dark turn when he discovers Sa-woo’s betrayal, followed by a car explosion that leaves them both believing the other is dead. A year later, Hyeong-Jun returns to Korea for revenge, but he must also face the secret society “Iris,” which won’t just let the two Koreas reunite. In what follows, we see tension and complexity in the conflict from both angles, challenging our heroes to confront a greater threat—an international conspiracy.
City Hunter (2011)
Lee Yoon-sung (Lee Min-ho) is a genius IT expert with a hidden agenda—revenge on the “Council of Five,” the corrupt officials who caused his father’s death. Trained for years by his father’s best friend, he begins working in South Korea’s presidential palace, the Blue House, while secretly biding his time. There, he meets Kim Na-na (Park Min-young), a skilled bodyguard who becomes his ally as well as his love interest.
While Yoon-sung aims at his targets, he becomes the force of justice—the “City Hunter”—that’s got the whole nation talking. Based on Tsukasa Hojo’s iconic manga series of the same name, Director Jin Hyuk’s live-action adaptation brings the story to life. The portrayal cemented Lee Min-ho’s status as a K-drama star, earning him Best Actor at the fourth Korea Drama Awards.
Vagabond (2019)
Director Yoo In-sik’s gripping spy action thriller follows Cha Dal-geon (Lee Seung-gi), a stuntman whose life is suddenly upended by the devastating news that his nephew is among the victims of a plane crash in Morocco. But what starts as grief soon turns into a quest for answers when Dal-geon gets a clue suggesting that the crash might not have been an accident.
To dig deeper, he teams up with Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy), a brilliant secret agent with the National Intelligence Service. And as things gain momentum, they find themselves mired in corruption, deceit, and severe risk.
My Name (2021)
In Yoon Ji-woo’s (Han So-hee) life, revenge is all that matters after she witnesses her father’s brutal murder on her 17th birthday and dedicates her life to finding the killer. Her journey takes her down a dark path, where she becomes entangled with the very same underworld that took her father’s life. Choi Mu-jin (Park Hee-soon), a ruthless crime lord, becomes her unlikely mentor, training her in his fight facility.
Ji-woo evolves into a powerhouse, assuming a new identity—Oh Hye-jin, a cop, but in truth, Mu-jin’s mole. Working with Jeon Pil-do (Ahn Bo-hyun), a dogged narcotics officer, she walks the thin line between loyalty and deception. Director Kim Jin-min’s sublime narrative keeps the tension palpable, even as Ji-woo’s heart burns with revenge and her soul yearns for connection.
Snowdrop (2021-2022)
In 1987, South Korea’s protests rage, and the government is on high alert, setting the stage for this intense action-romance espionage series helmed by Jo Hyun-tak. The plot follows Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in), a graduate student found bloodied by Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo of Blackpink), a university student who hides him in her dorm room—unaware that beneath his innocent facade, he’s a North Korean agent on a mission.
As Soo-ho grows closer to Yeong-ro, torn between loyalty and love, his secret threatens to destroy everything, raising the question: will their love overcome the looming threats or become a casualty of politics and time?