A strong and powerful end to a K-drama series can cement it as a well-planned masterpiece, while a terrible ending can ruin the entire K-drama. Regardless of whether a K-drama has a mind-blowing and incredibly shocking ending or an incomprehensible mess of an ending, any K-drama conclusion that can make audiences scream "WTF" by the end is guaranteed to be memorable.

K-dramas often have shocking plot twists at the end of the show which change the entire premise. Ranging from shocking plot twists in the finale can either make or break the K-drama.

10 Chicken Nugget (2024)

A Bizarre Premise From The Start

Chicken Nugget is a quirky comedy K-drama series with a bizarre premise. The K-drama revolves around a woman who is accidentally turned into a chicken nugget by a machine, and her father's desperate attempts to revert her to her human form. The president of a company Choi Seon-man (Ryu Seung-ryong) takes the help of an intern, Go Baek-joong (Ahn Jae-hong) who has a crush on his daughter, Choi Min-ah (Kim Yoo-yung), in an effort to turn her back into a human.

With aliens and time travel being central to the conclusion of Chicken Nugget, the notoriously chaotic and shocking yet satisfying ending takes audiences all the way back to the beginning.

While the premise of Chicken Nugget is bizarre enough to make audiences say "WTF", the dramatic and shocking resolution to the show cements the show as an unpredictable and unconventional K-drama. With aliens and time travel being central to the conclusion of Chicken Nugget, the notoriously chaotic and shocking yet satisfying ending takes audiences all the way back to the beginning.

9 The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

A Tragic & Unpredictable Ending

The mystery thriller K-drama The Smile Has Left Your Eyes revolves around Kim Moo-young (Seo In-guk), a charming young man with memory loss and a dark side who falls for Yoo Jin-kang (Jung So-min). After Jin-kang's older brother, the homicide detective Yoo Jin-gook (Park Sung-woong) becomes suspicious of Moo-young, their lives take a drastic turn as their past and secrets threaten to tear them apart.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes has one of the most tragic and shocking K-drama endings, as the series ends with the romance between Jin-kang and Moo-young facing a violent end after they're both murdered and Moo-young never gets a chance to redeem himself. Love it or hate it, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes' tragic ending is guaranteed to make jaws drop.

8 Memories Of The Alhambra (2018)

An Engaging Cliffhanger Ending

The science fiction romance K-drama series Memories of the Alhambra follows the CEO of a company after he travels to Spain for business and a hostel owner as the duo get dragged into a series of mysterious occurrences as the line between the real world and the augmented reality world begins to thin. The open-ended conclusion of Memories of the Alhambra managed to be underwhelming and unsatisfying.

The finale episode of Memories of the Alhambra sees the CEO and highest level player in the AR game Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin) getting erased in the game, seemingly resulting in his death in reality. One of the final scenes of the K-drama hints that Jin-woo is still alive. Despite a promising start, the K-drama's cliffhanger ending soured audiences against the show.

7 A Korean Odyssey (2017)

An Addictive Fantasy Romance

A Korean Odyssey is a fantasy romance K-drama revolving around the immortal and powerful Monkey King, Son Oh-gong (Lee Seung-gi), and a CEO with the ability to see ghosts and blood with magical properties, Jin Seon-mi (Oh Yeon-seo). It's impossible not to root for Lee's portrayal of the devious Oh-gong and his transformation from a mischievous and self-centered trickster into a better and more noble version of himself.

The ending of A Korean Odyssey relied on the overused and common K-drama trope of a character getting amnesia after Oh-gong loses his memories.

In addition, the K-drama has a deeply tragic ending, as Oh-gong and Seon-mi's relationship is taken back to square one with Oh-gong losing his memories, and Seon-mi's subsequent death. The tragic conclusion to the show cements its status as one of the most tragic K-drama endings.

6 When the Stars Gossip (2025)

A Sci-Fi Romance Comedy

The sci-fi romantic comedy K-drama When the Stars Gossip revolves around an astronaut and a space tourist as they fall for each other while at a space station. When the Stars Gossip follows an obstetrician-gynecologist Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho) who makes the decision to traverse space as a tourist, and the gifted astronaut Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) who is at the space station.

Ryong and Eve's budding relationship results in Eve becoming pregnant. However, the pregnancy in space causes deadly complications for both the Eve and the baby. When the Stars Gossip ends with Eve dying soon after childbirth and Ryong and the child living in space as they cannot return to earth as it risks their lives and health. The surprisingly tragic and bittersweet ending of the K-drama is sure to make audiences say "WTF".

5 Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020)

A Heartbreaking Exploration Of Life

The heartwarming and sweet romantic comedy K-drama series Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol follows a cheerful pianist, Goo Ra-ra (Go Ara), who loses her wealth and status and is forced to rebuild her life, and a king and warmhearted man, Joon Sun-woo (Lee Jae-wook), who becomes friends with Ra-ra and falls for her. In the series finale, it is revealed that Sun-woo lost his life to cancer, and the show follows his friends and loved ones as they grief his ing.

The K-drama instead relied on the disappointing and underwhelming plot twist that Sun-woo faked his death and has fully recovered.

If the show ended with Sun-woo's tragic death, then Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol could have been a heartbreaking yet grounded exploration of life, death, and grief. However, the K-drama instead relied on the disappointing and underwhelming plot twist that Sun-woo faked his death and has fully recovered, making the emotional journey the K-drama takes audiences on completely pointless.

4 The Penthouse: War In Life (2020-2021)

A Dark Ending

The Penthouse: War in Life is a revenge thriller K-drama series revolving around the wealthy families living in Hera Palace and their children attending the prestigious Cheong-ah Arts School. The K-drama follows the ensemble cast as they fight, manipulate, and murder to protect their interests. With three seasons of high-stakes drama and constant betrayals, the K-drama continued to up the ante for the final season.

The Penthouse: War In Life season 3's dark ending features most of the main characters dying. Shim Su-ryeon (Lee Ji-ah) falling from a cliff seemed to be a ploy to fake her death and make her escape. However, it was revealed that Su-ryeon didn't fake her death and is actually dead. In the shocking finale, it's revealed that Logan Lee (Park Eun-seok) and Su-ryeon never get their happy ending and drive off into the sunset, making for a bleak yet thrilling ending to the show.

3 Missing 9 (2017)

The WTF Ending Doesn't Work This Time

Missing 9 is a gripping mystery K-drama series that follows a group of South Korea's famous celebrities after their plane crashes on an island and leaves them stranded. After four months, the sole survivor Ra Bong-hee (Baek Jin-hee) is rescued, however her memory loss makes it difficult to unravel what happened to the remaining survivors. As survivors begin being picked off one by one, the group has to figure out which of them is a murderer.

Missing 9's finale reveals that Choi Tae-ho (Choi Tae-joon) is behind the murders that took place on the island and haunt the survivors. In a bizarre turn of events, Missing 9 ends with Tae-ho facing no consequences for his actions and his crimes being forgiven, despite the fact that he murdered multiple people in cold blood. The weak and inexplicable "WTF" ending of Missing 9 ruins the K-drama.

2 Iris (2009)

A Controversial Finish To The K-Drama

The spy action K-drama Iris follows two best friends Kim Hyun-jun (Lee Byung-hun) and Jin Sa-woo (Jung Joon-ho) as they're scouted by the National Security Service (NSS) and fall for the same agent Choi Seung-hee (Kim Tae-hee). After making it through deadly fights and save the day countless times, Hyun-jun and Seung-hee are ready to leave the high-stakes life of being NSS agents behind and live a normal and peaceful life.

Iris has a heartbreakingly tragic plot twist ending, as Hyun-jun is shot and killed by a sniper as he drives to the lighthouse to propose to Seung-hee. The visual of Seung-hee dead in his car looking towards the lighthouse where Seung-hee is waiting for him is unforgettable and deeply tragic. The controversial "WTF" ending of Hyun-jun being killed off when he was on the brink of happiness left audiences frustrated.

1 The Light In Your Eyes (2019)

A Groundbreaking K-Drama

The Light In Your Eyes makes audiences say "WTF" in the best way possible, with a clever and well-planned plot twist that changes the entire premise of the K-drama. The K-drama revolves around Kim Hye-ja (Han Ji-min), a woman who has a special watch that allows her to manipulate time. However, using the watch has a heavy cost and Hye-ja ages drastically after the watch is used. Hye-ja's usage of the watch results in her turning into an old lady, played by the actor of the same name, Kim Hye-ja.

The final episode of The Light In Your Eyes reveals that there is no magic watch and no time travel, and that Hye-ja is an elderly woman who has Alzheimer's. The "WTF" ending forces audiences to reevaluate and reconsider the entire K-drama. The poignant and moving portrayal of Alzheimer's and the plot twist makes the thought-provoking K-drama The Light In Your Eyes a groundbreaking show.