K-Drama First Kiss Scenes Ranked: Most Romantic by Year

Can One Kiss Scene Actually Ruin Every Real Relationship You’ll Ever Have?

Okay, I’m only half joking. But if you’ve spent any serious time watching K-dramas, you already know that the first kiss scene in a Korean drama isn’t just a kiss — it’s a whole event. It’s the OST swelling at exactly the right moment, the camera slowly circling the couple, the rain (always the rain), and you, sitting there at 2am with a bowl of ramyeon going cold beside you because you literally cannot look away. K-drama first kiss scenes have genuinely set a standard that no rom-com, no Hollywood movie, and certainly no real human being has ever been able to match. And I say that with love and a healthy dose of self-awareness.

I’ve been watching Korean dramas for over ten years. I’ve ugly-cried on a Tuesday morning because a fictional chaebol finally grabbed the girl’s wrist (don’t @ me, it was 2014 and we were all different people). I’ve cancelled plans, missed sleep, and once ate dinner at 11pm because I refused to pause mid-episode. So when it comes to ranking the most romantic first kiss scenes in K-drama history, year by year? I feel qualified. Extremely, embarrassingly qualified.

Let’s get into it.

Why First Kiss Scenes Hit Different in K-Dramas

Here’s the thing — the reason K-drama kisses are so unforgettable isn’t just the production quality (though, wow, the cinematography has gotten insane). It’s the build-up. Korean dramas are masters of slow burn. By the time the leads finally kiss, you’ve invested six, eight, sometimes sixteen episodes of longing looks, almost-touches, misunderstandings, and second lead syndrome that genuinely had you considering switching teams. The payoff hits harder because the wait was longer. And honestly? That’s a lesson the rest of the world could learn.

There’s also something about the specific emotional language of Korean dramas — the way a character will literally run through the city in the rain, or stand outside someone’s door without saying a word, or grab someone’s hand right before they walk away forever. It’s dramatic. It’s a little makjang sometimes. But it works every single time and I will not be hearing arguments.

2016 — Descendants of the Sun: The Kiss That Started a Global Crisis

We have to start here. We have to. Descendants of the Sun starring Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo didn’t just give us a great first kiss scene — it gave us a cultural moment. The chemistry between Yoo Si-jin and Kang Mo-yeon was almost aggressively unfair. When that first real kiss happened, the OST dropped in like it had been personally written to destroy your heart, and the entire internet collectively lost its mind.

The show aired on KBS2 and was later picked up internationally on Netflix. Ratings in Korea hit historic highs. People were calling in sick to work to watch. The kiss itself — confident, unhurried, shot beautifully against a backdrop that screamed “this is the most cinematic thing you’ve ever seen” — set the bar for every romantic Korean series that came after it. Hot take incoming: Song Joong-ki’s soft smirk before that kiss is more romantic than anything Ryan Gosling has ever done in any movie. I stand by this.

2017 — Strong Woman Do Bong-soon: Adorable Chaos in the Best Way

Okay but seriously, if you slept on Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, what were you doing in 2017? This show on JTBC (available on Viki) gave us one of the most heart-fluttering first kisses of the year through the pairing of Park Hyung-sik and Park Bo-young, who have approximately zero right to be that cute together.

The first kiss scene between Ahn Min-hyuk and Do Bong-soon is everything — it’s sweet, it’s slightly flustered, it perfectly captures the push-and-pull dynamic of a guy who’s been completely gone for the girl since episode two but has been playing it so, so cool. There’s this moment of pure surprise on Bong-soon’s face that felt completely genuine, and honestly? Same, Bong-soon. Same.

What makes this one stand out is the aegyo energy of the whole scene. Not every great kiss has to be intense and dramatic. Sometimes the most romantic thing is a stolen moment that’s a little awkward and a little soft and entirely perfect. This drama understood that assignment.

2018 — My ID Is Gangnam Beauty: The Kiss That Made Us Feel Things

Here’s a drama that doesn’t always get the first kiss credit it deserves. My ID Is Gangnam Beauty on JTBC tackled some genuinely heavy themes about beauty standards, self-worth, and social cruelty, which meant that when the romantic moments arrived, they carried real emotional weight. Cha Eun-woo (yes, that face is legally required to come with a warning label) and Im Soo-hyang created a pairing where you were rooting not just for the romance but for the healing.

The first kiss scene in this one is quiet in the best way. No dramatic rain, no swelling orchestra. Just two people who’ve been circling each other slowly, finally closing the distance. That restraint made it hit harder. The second lead syndrome in this drama was also genuinely severe — I’m not going to name names but you know who you are and I’m still not over it — which made the main couple’s moments feel even more earned.

2019 — Crash Landing on You: A Kiss Worth Crossing Borders For

[SPOILER WARNING] — Mild spoilers for Crash Landing on You ahead.

Did Crash Landing on You need to be as good as it was? No. Did Netflix’s most internationally successful Korean drama anyway proceed to absolutely demolish every emotional defense I had? Yes. Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin (who, in case you’ve been living off-grid, are now actually married in real life and I’m still not emotionally recovered from that fact) created the kind of on-screen chemistry that makes you question the nature of reality.

The first kiss in this drama comes after an agonizing slow burn set against the backdrop of North Korea, military service, and the very real possibility that these two people will never see each other again. When it finally happens, it’s desperate and tender at the same time. The OST — and the Crash Landing on You OST as a whole deserves its own blog post — rises at exactly the right moment. I cried. I’m not ashamed. I’d cry again right now if I thought about it too long.

This is available on Netflix and if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for?

2020 — It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: The Kiss That Broke Everyone

Unpopular opinion time: It’s Okay to Not Be Okay had the most emotionally complex first kiss of its year, and it wasn’t even the most talked-about moment in the drama — which says everything about how extraordinary this show is. Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Ye-ji on Netflix delivered a relationship dynamic unlike anything I’d seen in a Korean series before. Ko Moon-young isn’t your typical K-drama female lead. She’s sharp, she’s difficult, she’s wounded in ways that take time to understand. And Moon Gang-tae matches her in this slow, careful way that makes every moment of softness feel like it costs something.

The first kiss scene is charged in a way that’s different from most on this list. It’s not sweet. It’s not gentle. It’s two broken people colliding, and the camera doesn’t look away from how complicated that is. The OST choice here is also perfect — understated in a way that lets the scene breathe. Watch it on Netflix. Then watch all sixteen episodes. Then call in sick the next day, you’ve earned it.

2021 — Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: The Comfort Kiss We All Needed

After everything 2020 and 2021 threw at us, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha on Netflix arrived like a warm blanket and a cup of sikhye and gave us exactly the kind of romance we needed. Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho in this drama are — I can’t explain it — they’re just right together in a way that feels effortless even when the writing puts them through the dramatic wringer.

The first kiss is quintessential slow burn reward. Yoon Hye-jin has been fighting her feelings for Hong Doo-sik for the better part of the drama, and when she finally stops fighting, it’s like watching someone exhale after holding their breath for too long. The scene is warm and a little surprised and completely binge-worthy in the way this whole drama is — you tell yourself one more episode, just one more, and then it’s 4am and you’re googling whether Gongjin is a real village you can visit.

(It’s inspired by a real village in South Chungcheong Province, by the way. You’re welcome.)

2022 — Twenty-Five Twenty-One: The Kiss That Came With a Cliffhanger of Emotions

[SPOILER WARNING] — Proceed carefully if you haven’t watched Twenty-Five Twenty-One yet.

Now let’s talk about the drama that made 2022 feel like an emotional rollercoaster with no safety harness. Twenty-Five Twenty-One on Netflix with Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk is genuinely one of the most beautifully constructed Korean dramas I’ve ever watched — the nostalgia, the 1990s aesthetic, the fencing sequences, the way it captured the specific feeling of being young and brave and not yet knowing how the story ends.

The first kiss between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin is sweet and young and a little clumsy in the most perfect way. It feels like a memory you’d hold onto for the rest of your life. The drama uses its kisses as punctuation marks in a larger story about time and loss and what we carry forward, which gives every romantic moment extra weight. The ending of this drama remains one of the most talked-about in recent K-drama history. I have feelings about it. Very strong feelings. We don’t have time to unpack all of them here.

2023 — My Demon and Destined with You: Two Kisses, Two Completely Different Energies

Want to know the best part about 2023 for K-drama fans? We were spoiled. Genuinely spoiled for choice when it came to romantic Korean series with incredible first kiss moments.

My Demon on Netflix gave us Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung in a supernatural romance that leaned fully into its ridiculous, delightful premise. Their first kiss scene has this wonderful tension between the contract-relationship setup and the real feelings bleeding through the cracks. Song Kang has mastered the art of looking at someone like they’re the only person in the room, and this drama used that skill to lethal effect.

Meanwhile, Destined with You on ENA and Netflix gave us a gentler, fate-themed romance between Rowoon and Jo Bo-ah. The first kiss in this drama is softer, warmer, built on the kind of “maybe this was always meant to happen” energy that K-drama fans live for. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s the emotional core of about forty percent of the Korean dramas ever made, and somehow it never gets old.

2024 — Queen of Tears: The Kiss That Reminded Us Why We Watch

I don’t know who gave Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won permission to have that much chemistry, but someone needs to have a conversation with them about what they’re doing to the rest of us. Queen of Tears on Netflix in 2024 was one of the most-watched Korean dramas internationally, and the first kiss scene is a masterclass in how to deploy a romantic moment after you’ve spent episodes making the audience genuinely uncertain whether this relationship is going to survive.

The genius of Queen of Tears is that it gives you a couple who are already married and falling apart, which means the romantic journey isn’t about getting together — it’s about finding each other again. That context makes the first rekindled kiss hit completely differently than a traditional first kiss scene. It’s not about beginning. It’s about choosing each other when you don’t have to. Honestly? That’s more romantic than anything on this entire list, and I will argue about this in the comments.

FAQ

What is considered the most romantic K-drama first kiss scene of all time?

It’s genuinely hard to crown just one, but Crash Landing on You (2019) consistently tops fan polls for most romantic first kiss in a Korean drama. Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin’s chemistry was extraordinary, and the emotional stakes surrounding their kiss made it unforgettable. Descendants of the Sun (2016) is a close second and still gets referenced as a benchmark for romantic Korean series.

Which K-drama on Netflix has the best kiss scenes?

Netflix has become the home of some seriously memorable K-drama kiss scenes. Crash Landing on You, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and Queen of Tears are all Netflix originals or exclusives with first kiss scenes that regularly make top lists. If you’re starting from scratch, Crash Landing on You is the obvious entry point.

Why do K-dramas take so long to have a first kiss?

The slow burn is intentional and it’s honestly part of what makes Korean dramas so addictive. Writers build romantic tension across multiple episodes so that by the time the kiss happens, viewers are emotionally invested. The delay creates anticipation that makes the payoff feel earned. It’s a storytelling technique that works incredibly well, even if it does occasionally cause viewers to yell at their screens.

What is the best K-drama for romance beginners to start with?

If you’re new to Korean dramas and want something with great romantic moments including a memorable first kiss, Crash Landing on You on Netflix is widely recommended as a starting point. It’s accessible, emotionally engaging, and internationally beloved. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is also a great entry point if you prefer something lighter and more comforting in tone.

Are K-drama kiss scenes scripted or spontaneous?

K-drama kiss scenes are fully scripted and choreographed, often discussed extensively between the director, actors, and production team. The “frozen” style kiss that was common in older Korean dramas — where one actor stands very still — was actually a deliberate choice reflecting the genre’s conventions at the time. Modern Korean series tend toward more naturalistic, emotionally engaged kiss scenes.

Some Kisses Stay With You Forever — And That’s the Whole Point

Here’s what I keep coming back to every time I try to rank these scenes: the best K-drama first kiss moments aren’t just romantic because they’re well-shot or because the leads are beautiful (though, I mean, yes to both). They’re romantic because by the time the kiss happens, you’ve been on a journey with these characters. You know what it cost them to get there. You’ve seen the misunderstandings, the almost-moments, the episodes where you genuinely weren’t sure they’d make it.

That’s the thing about Korean dramas. They understand that romance isn’t a moment — it’s everything that leads to the moment. And the first kiss is just the most visible proof that all that emotional investment was worth it.

I’ll be back with more rankings, more drama deep-dives, and more content that gives you excellent reasons to cancel your weekend plans. In the meantime, drop a comment below: what’s your all-time favorite first kiss scene in a K-drama? I want the drama name, the year, and exactly how many times you rewatched it. No judgment. We’re all friends here.