8 Korean Dramas With Zombies: When the Dead Walk

Zombies have found a chilling home in South Korean dramas. They show up not just as monsters, but as symbols of fear, chaos, and survival. These dramas mix horror with raw human emotion.

They reveal how far people will go when life turns into a fight. The stories are tense, fast, and often heartbreaking. Some unfold in ancient kingdoms.

Others play out in modern cities. Each one shows a world collapsing under the weight of the undead. The rise of zombie-themed K-dramas proves how creative the industry can be.

They take a familiar horror concept and give it new life with deep plots and striking visuals. Viewers get both fear and feeling. That balance keeps these dramas unforgettable.

1- Kingdom (2019–2020)

Kingdom is not just about zombies. It is also about power, greed, and fear. The story takes place during the Joseon Dynasty, a time when the country struggled with famine and corruption. The crown prince stumbles on a dark secret. A strange plague is spreading through the land. The dead rise and eat the living.

This world feels rich and brutal. The costumes, old villages, and quiet forests hide constant danger. The infected move fast, hunt in packs, and come back every night. Each death becomes another threat. The prince must stop the outbreak while fighting greedy nobles who want his throne.

The show builds tension by mixing political plots with survival horror. People betray one another for scraps of power. Soldiers hide the truth. Villagers panic. It feels like the country could collapse at any moment.

Kingdom stands out because it gives the undead a place inside real history. The story explores what people will sacrifice to survive, and what leaders will do to hold power. It is sharp, tragic, and full of dread. For many viewers, this series showed that Korean dramas could blend horror and politics in a striking way.

• Where to Watch: Netflix

• Genre: Historical Political Thriller / Horror

• Zombie Type: Fast, ferocious, heat-seeking

• Best for Fans of: Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, historical dramas

• Content Note: High violence, gore, political intrigue

2- All of Us Are Dead (2022)

All of Us Are Dead takes the zombie outbreak into a high school. It begins quietly with normal teenage life—classes, gossip, small fights. Then the infection starts. A student gets bitten. Soon the entire school is overrun.

The story focuses on a small group of students trying to survive. They face hunger, fear, and loss while trapped inside their classrooms. Each moment could be their last. The zombies move fast and attack without warning. The school hallways become battlefields.

This series stands out because it shows how young people handle a crisis. They are scared but try to stay strong. Friendships crack under pressure. Some kids make selfish choices. Others risk everything to protect their friends. Death feels sudden and cruel, and no one is truly safe.

While the outside world tries to contain the outbreak, the students have only each other. The story captures their desperation and hope. All of Us Are Dead blends teenage drama with raw survival horror. It is loud, fast, and relentless. It reminds viewers how quickly a safe place can turn into a trap.

Also Read: ‘All Of Us Are Dead’ Season 2 Begins Filming with New Faces and a Bigger Story

• Where to Watch: Netflix

• Genre: Teen Drama / Survival Horror

• Zombie Type: Fast, swarm-like, classic infected

• Best for Fans of: The Society, Lord of the Flies, 28 Days Later

• Content Note: High violence, gore, teen death, bullying themes

3- Happiness (2021)

Happiness moves the zombie outbreak into an apartment building. A new disease spreads quietly through the city. People turn violent and uncontrollable. The government seals off the building, trapping everyone inside.

The residents panic. Food runs low. Neighbors stop trusting one another. Anyone could be infected. The fear grows faster than the virus. The main characters, a detective and a special forces agent, try to keep order. They must fight the infected while also handling the tension between neighbors.

The series feels tight and claustrophobic. Unlike large-scale zombie stories, this one is personal. It shows how people act when they cannot escape. Some work together. Others lie or turn cruel. The thin walls between apartments hold more secrets than safety.

Happiness is not just about the infected. It is about human nature under pressure, it shows how fear changes people. It also shows how hope survives even in locked rooms.

The mix of thriller tension and human drama makes it stand out. It proves that even small spaces can hold massive danger when trust is gone.

• Where to Watch: Viki, Amazon Prime

• Genre: Apocalyptic Thriller / Psychological Drama

• Zombie Type: “Infected” – rage-filled but still human-like

• Best for Fans of: The Last of Us (game/show), contained thrillers like The Mist

• Content Note: Violence, suspense, themes of classism and distrust

4- Zombie Detective (2020)

Zombie Detective gives a strange yet fun spin on the zombie world. It follows Kim Moo Young, a zombie who wakes up in the forest with no memory of his past life.

Unlike the usual flesh-eating type, he struggles more with basic human habits. He practices walking, talking, and even applying makeup just to blend in with society.

He decides to live among humans and becomes a private detective. This is not because he loves solving crimes but because he wants to figure out who he used to be.

His search brings chaos, but also humor. He works with Gong Sun Ji, a passionate writer who becomes his assistant. She finds him odd but slowly grows curious about his story.

This drama mixes comedy, mystery, and light horror in an offbeat way. It is less about gore and more about identity. Viewers see Moo Young fight not only external threats but also his zombie instincts.

It explores how he tries to be human while knowing he is not. The tone stays playful even when danger lurks. It stands out by showing a zombie who wants to live, not destroy.

• Where to Watch: Viki, Kocowa

• Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Satire

• Zombie Type: The one lone zombie trying to be human

• Best for Fans of: Lighthearted mysteries, supernatural comedies

• Content Note: Mild violence, mostly comedic tone

5- Sweet Home (2020)

Sweet Home does not have classic zombies, yet the idea feels similar. It shows a world where people transform into monsters shaped by their hidden desires.

These creatures are horrifying, violent, and hard to predict. The story begins inside the Green Home apartment complex where a group of residents are stuck together.

Cha Hyun Soo, a lonely and depressed teenager, becomes the central figure. He has just lost his family in a tragedy. Now he faces both his own grief and the monsters outside his door.

The residents must protect each other while doubting who might turn next. Tension grows as their humanity slowly breaks apart.

This drama stands out because it focuses on inner battles. It asks how much fear can change people. Each monster reveals something twisted from its former human. The visuals are brutal, yet the emotions feel raw.

While not labeled as a zombie show, the survival tone and infection-like threat make it feel close to one. The fear of losing control drives the entire story. Sweet Home makes the horror personal by showing that the real monster might already live inside.

• Where to Watch: Netflix

• Genre: Body Horror / Monster Apocalypse

• Monster Type: Desire-based unique monsters (not undead)

• Best for Fans of: Parasyte, The Thing, psychological body horror

• Content Note: Extreme body horror, violence, suicide themes

6- Dark Hole (2021)

Dark Hole shifts from classic undead to something even stranger. It starts when a strange black smoke rises from a massive sinkhole. Anyone who inhales it becomes a twisted creature with violent instincts. Their eyes turn dark. Their minds vanish. The infection spreads fast through a small city.

Lee Hwa Sun, a detective from Seoul, comes to the city after receiving a call from her husband’s killer. She gets caught in the chaos. Yoo Tae Han, a former cop turned tow truck driver, joins her. They fight to save the few uninfected survivors while searching for the truth behind the smoke.

Unlike many horror dramas, this one keeps its tone grim and grounded. There are no jokes or light moments. Every scene builds tension as more people fall to the smoke. It shows how fear can strip people of their morality as fast as any virus. Survival feels uncertain from start to finish.

The show focuses on desperation rather than action. It raises questions about what people become when their minds are no longer their own. While the monsters are not classic zombies, they carry the same horror—soulless shells of what used to be human.

• Where to Watch: Viki, iQIYI

• Genre: Cosmic Horror / Survival Noir

• “Zombie” Type: Smoke-infected mutants

• Best for Fans of: The Crazies, nihilistic horror

• Content Note: High violence, grim tone, body horror

7- Newtopia

Newtopia tells a survival story inside a Seoul high-rise. The drama centers on Jae Yun, a soldier, and Yeong Ju, his girlfriend. Their breakup becomes meaningless when the world around them collapses under a zombie outbreak.

Jae Yun had joined the military late, seeking a stable path through the defense industry. He felt lost about his future. He clung to Yeong Ju, afraid to be left behind. That pressure ruined their relationship.

When zombies appear, everything changes. Fear turns him into someone new. He starts as weak and unsure. As death closes in, he learns to lead a squad of survivors inside the air defense unit.

Yeong Ju starts as a quiet newcomer to adult life. She never felt understood by Jae Yun. She planned to move on after their breakup. But when she learns of the outbreak, she chooses to reach him. She fights through chaos to find him. Fear forces her to grow fast.

Their paths run toward each other through the dead-filled city. The show explores how desperation changes people. It asks if love can survive when the world no longer does.

• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
• Genre: Apocalyptic Survival, Thriller, Drama
• Zombie Type: Classic viral outbreak zombies (fast, aggressive)
• Best for Fans of: Happiness (contained thriller), #Alive (high-rise survival), All of Us Are Dead (desperate survival)
• Content Note: Expected to contain high violence, gore, comedic silly scenes, themes of survival in a collapsed society.

8- A Korean Odyssey

A Korean Odyssey mixes fantasy and horror with modern Seoul. It loosely adapts the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West but adds a dark twist.

The story begins when Jin Seon-mi meets Son Oh-gong as a child. She frees him from captivity. In return, he promises to protect her whenever she calls his name.

Decades later, they meet again. Seon-mi is now an adult who sees spirits and demons. Son Oh-gong is powerful but reckless. Their fate reconnects in a world overflowing with dark energy and undead creatures.

The drama uses zombies as part of this cursed world. They appear as puppets of evil forces. Son Oh-gong battles them with ease, showing his god-like strength. Woo Ma-wang, a demon turned businessman, stands in his way. Their rivalry fuels the chaos.

The zombies here are not just mindless monsters. They symbolize the souls trapped between life and death. They show how greed and fear can turn people into the living dead.

At its heart, the drama blends romance, horror, and mythology. It asks whether love can survive in a place where death walks openly.

• Where to Watch: Netflix, Hulu, Viki

• Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy

• Zombie Role: Occasional supernatural minions

• Best for Fans of: Hotel del Luna, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

• Content Note: Fantasy violence, romantic themes

South Korean dramas have turned zombies into more than background threats. They use them to explore fear, greed, hope, and human weakness. The undead are not the real villains.

The real danger often comes from the living. That twist makes these shows stand out from typical zombie stories. They carry action, but also heart. For viewers, it’s not just about watching people survive.

It’s about seeing who they become while trying to survive. These dramas prove that even in a world full of death, the strongest thing left might be humanity itself.

📌 Bookmark