The Best TV Shows on KBS1

Every KBS1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Discover the best of KBS1 with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for September 2026. Leading the pack on KBS1 are Tears of the Dragon and Emperor Wang Gun, with their initial broadcasts in 1996 and 2000. KBS1 has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1996 all the way to 2025.

  • Yellow Handkerchief
    Yellow Handkerchief (2003)10.0

    Sang-min wants success in life, and in pursuit of success, he abandons his ten-year relationship with Ja-yeong to marry his boss’ daughter, Min-ju. Ja-yeong finds herself pregnant and raising a child alone. When Sang-min finds out, the battle over custody of child begins. This drama became a number one hit and captured more than 30% of viewers during its broadcast while unraveling the mysteries of waiting, forgiveness and above all - the value of love.

  • Documentary Three Days
    Documentary Three Days (2007)9.0

    This new style documentary observes and documents events at a certain venue for 72 hours straight. It gives a glimpse into the ever-changing, versatile and dynamic Korean society by closely capturing from a heartwarming perspective the natural occurrences in people's lives at a certain local during a three-day period of time. - KBS

  • Seoul 1945
    Seoul 1945 (2006)7.5

    Seoul 1945 is a 2006 South Korean television series starring Ryu Soo-young, Han Eun-jeong, So Yoo-jin, Kim Ho-jin, and Park Sang-myun. It aired on KBS1 from January 7 to September 10, 2006 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:30 for 71 episodes. Set around 1945 right after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule when the nation was engulfed by ideological turmoil, the story revolves around the rivalry between Suk-kyoung, a renowned pianist and daughter of a rich pro-Japanese politician, and Hae-kyung, a headstrong servant; both women love Woon-hyuk, whose ambition to become a lawyer gets thwarted due to his political ideology.

  • Larva
    Larva (2011)7.0

    Two curious worms spend their days investigating the otherworldly objects that fall through the grate into their subterranean world.

  • Be My Dream Family
    Be My Dream Family (2021)6.8

    The story of the series revolves around two families Geumgane and Hangane from different cultural backgrounds. They meet when their parents remarry in the twilight of life, and they become one family. The series follows the conflict, understanding and harmony of the extended family, showing meaning of a true family.

  • My Merry Marriage
    My Merry Marriage (2024)6.4

    A delightful family drama that asks the true meaning of 'happiness' by showing various aspects of marriage such as divorce, remarriage, and single life, and brings about empathy and laughter from all generations. Maeng Gong Hee is a contract designer at Jayce Fashion. Having inherited her strong mother's spirit and her former detective father's athletic ability, she is a rare wild woman these days who has the guts to survive even if she were to be stranded on a deserted island. Gu Dan Soo is the grandson of Jayce Fashion Chairman Hwang Ik Seon and born to a wealthy father and a poor mother. Dan Soo, who was living as a free spirit in a foreign country, comes to Korea according to his grandmother's plan to make a successor to the chairman out of him and he reunites with childhood friend Maeng Gong Hee once again.

  • Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin
    Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin (2004)6.0

    Admiral Yi Sun-shin, who led the Joseon Navy to a myth of invincibility during the Hideyoshi invasion, was a true soldier and leader who struggled to protect people. Drama Yi Sun-shin is not a biography of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, nor does it inetnd to reconstruct a part of the Joseon Dynasty that existed in the 16th century. This drama will merely look into many human beings, incliuding Yi Sun-shin, who underwent an extreme situation. It is not just a historical drama series. It’s rather about human nature that makes both of the war and peace. It is a Korean version of “War and Peace” in 21st century. No hero has ever been sent by heaven. He has emerged as one ultimately after undergoing a lifelong process. Drama Yi Sun-shin is designed to shed a new light upon him as a human being.

  • Brilliant Heritage
    Brilliant Heritage (2020)6.0

    A stepmother takes revenge on four spoiled brothers. The father feels betrayed by his sons who are always after his money. This twisted family shows conflict and the true meaning of being a family. The story revolves around Buruna Noodles and the owner of the restaurant. Each son and their wives have different dreams, but they all want one thing.

  • Protect Your Luck
    Protect Your Luck (2025)6.0

    Han Mu Cheol, also known as 'K-Scrooge', owns Daewoon Building and is obsessed with money. He is wealthy but miserly, trembling at 100 won and spewing venom at people.

  • The King Dae Joyoung
    The King Dae Joyoung (2006)5.7

    This 100-episode epic drama vividly depicts the life of King Dae Jo-yeong and other heroes of the Balhae Kingdom, which dates back 1300 years ago.

  • You are My Destiny
    You are My Destiny (2008)5.5

    Jang Sae-byuk is a cheerful and grateful orphan who always tries her best. She dreams of one day becoming an interior designer, despite her lack of education and money. Because of an accident that happened before the story starts (about three years ago), she loses her sight and undergoes corneal transplant surgery. Different events unravel when she encounters the Kim family, who has lost a daughter in a horrible car crash, unbeknownst to everyone besides the father and older brother. The stories then intertwine when Sae-byuk meets the Kim's extended family and the son of a big interior design company, Lohas, in Korea.

  • Bread Barbershop
    Bread Barbershop (2019)5.2

    Meet Bread! He's a brilliant cake decorator who gives amazing makeovers to customers in a town inhabited by quirky little food characters.

  • King Sejong the Great
    King Sejong the Great (2008)4.8

    "The Great King, Sejong" is a full-scale political drama describing how King Sejong and his loyal retainers cooperate and contrive to make his dynasty a better place. While King Sejong was on the throne, the Joseon Dynasty enjoyed increasing prosperity. The drama shows the dramatic processes of how so many new cultural heritages have been devised.

  • Apple of My Eye
    Apple of My Eye (2023)4.5

    A work about the delightful and heartbreaking story of a family growing up while raising a child, centering on a single dad Geum Kang San and adopted child Ok Mi Rae who is the apple of his eye.

  • The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War
    The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War (2015)3.4

    Jingbirok, the name of a book written by real-life Joseon historian and scholar Ryu Seong Ryong (Kim Sang Joong),detailing the Imjin War (1592-1598). The drama will be a telling of historical events with the scholar as the central character, in the samevein as “Jung Do Jun”(who influenced the founding of the Joseon dynasty). Ryu Seong Ryong was an official who served during King Seonjo’s reign in the late 16th century. He was a brilliant Confucian scholar who was put in charge of military operations during the Imjin War, and greatly influenced AdmiralLee Soon Shin.

  • Emperor Wang Gun
    Emperor Wang Gun (2000)3.2

    Taejo Wang Geon was a 200-episode Korean drama starring Choi Soo Jong in the title role. It became very successful, reaching very high ratings, around 60%.

  • Tears of the Dragon
    Tears of the Dragon (1996)N/A

    This drama depicts the turbulent period spanning from the reign of King Taejo (born Lee Seong Gye), the founder of the Joseon dynasty, to King Sejong.

  • Splendor Of Youth
    Splendor Of Youth (2009)N/A

  • Hello Carbot
    Hello Carbot (2014)N/A

    An unexpected package is delivered to a school boy, Chatan. Chatan opens the box, but there is only an ordinary toy cube inside. However, as soon as Chatan touches the cube, a car-transformation robot appears.

  • Marie and Her Three Daddies
    Marie and Her Three Daddies (2025)N/A

    Kang Ma Ri has always longed for her father, but her search takes an unexpected turn when three men suddenly step into her life. This leads to the birth of an eccentric new family, one that proves stronger than blood and more persistent than DNA.