Korean dramas and films have given vampires a distinctly different identity, turning the classic creatures of the night into everything from tragic immortals and supernatural detectives to doctors struggling with their thirst for blood. Rather than relying solely on horror, these stories often blend vampirism with romance, fantasy, comedy, mystery and historical drama.
Here are eight memorable vampires from Korean screen stories, including Bae Suzy’s mysterious new character in the upcoming “Portraits of Delusion”.
Song Jeong-hwa — Bae Suzy, “Portraits of Delusion”
One of the newest additions to Korea’s vampire lineup is Song Jeong-hwa, played by Bae Suzy in the upcoming Disney+ series “Portraits of Delusion”.
Set in Gyeongseong in 1935, the story follows Jeong-hwa, a heartbroken vampire and the mysterious owner of Nammun Hotel who has remained hidden from the public for decades. When she commissions a portrait from an unknown painter, Yoon I-ho, played by Kim Seon-ho, he expects to meet an elderly woman but instead encounters someone who appears remarkably young.
Jeong-hwa then asks him to paint her as she would look in her 70s and refuses to let him leave until the portrait is completed, setting up a dark mystery around her identity and past. The series also reunites Suzy and Kim Seon-ho after their popular collaboration in “Start-Up”.
Sun Woo-hyeol — Ok Taecyeon, “Heartbeat”
In the 2023 supernatural romantic comedy “Heartbeat”, Ok Taecyeon plays Sun Woo-hyeol, a centuries-old vampire who dreams of becoming human.
Woo-hyeol believes that becoming human will allow him to experience the kind of love associated with having a real human heart. He attempts to complete a 100-year transformation ritual by sleeping inside a coffin, but his plan goes wrong when Joo In-hae, played by Won Ji-an, accidentally wakes him one day too early.
He is left as a half-vampire, half-human and must learn how to survive in the modern world while dealing with his strange powers and increasingly human emotions. The result is a lighter take on the vampire myth, mixing supernatural elements with romance and comedy.
Kim Sung-yeol — Lee Joon-gi, “Scholar Who Walks the Night”
Lee Joon-gi takes on one of the more dramatic vampire roles as Kim Sung-yeol in the 2015 historical fantasy “Scholar Who Walks the Night”.
Sung-yeol begins as a scholar devoted to the Joseon royal family but becomes a vampire while trying to fight Gwi, a powerful vampire who has secretly controlled the royal court for generations.
Unlike his enemy, Sung-yeol refuses to abandon his humanity. He spends his immortal life protecting people and searching for a way to defeat Gwi. His mission eventually brings him together with Jo Yang-sun, a bookseller who helps him uncover the secret that could destroy the powerful vampire.
The series combines palace intrigue, forbidden romance and supernatural fantasy, with Lee Joon-gi’s tortured vampire becoming one of the genre’s most recognisable Korean characters.
Park Ji-sang — Ahn Jae-hyun, “Blood”
A vampire who works as a doctor might sound like an impossible combination, but that is exactly what “Blood” explores.
Ahn Jae-hyun plays Park Ji-sang, a talented surgeon at Taemin Cancer Centre who was born with the VBT-01 virus. The condition gives him extraordinary strength and rapid healing, but also leaves him with an intense thirst for blood.
Despite his condition, Ji-sang is determined to save human lives and searches for a cure that could make him fully human. His situation becomes even more complicated when he falls for fellow surgeon Yoo Ri-ta and comes into conflict with Lee Jae-wook, another vampire whose ambitions threaten the people around him.
The 2015 drama combines medical drama, romance and supernatural fantasy while placing its vampire protagonist in one of the most unlikely environments: a hospital.
Baek Ma-ri — Seolhyun, “Orange Marmalade”
“Orange Marmalade” offers a different take on vampire stories by imagining a world where humans and vampires have lived alongside one another for centuries.
Seolhyun plays Baek Ma-ri, a high school student who is secretly a vampire. Although humans and vampires have technically reached a peace agreement, vampires continue to face prejudice, forcing Ma-ri to hide her identity.
Her carefully guarded secret becomes harder to maintain after she encounters Jung Jae-min, played by Yeo Jin-goo. Jae-min already dislikes vampires because of his family’s history, making their growing relationship particularly complicated.
The series uses its supernatural premise to explore discrimination, acceptance and first love, giving the vampire genre a distinctly youthful and romantic direction.
Yoon San — Lee Joon, “The Vampire Detective”
In “The Vampire Detective”, vampirism becomes an unusual advantage for solving crimes.
Lee Joon plays Yoon San, a former police officer who becomes a private detective after an injury ends his career. During an investigation, he is mysteriously transformed into a vampire.
Instead of abandoning his work, San learns to use his newfound abilities while continuing to investigate cases. At the same time, he searches for answers about how and why he became a vampire.
The 2016 OCN drama combines supernatural mystery with crime procedural elements, giving viewers a vampire protagonist who spends his nights chasing criminals rather than simply hunting for victims.
Sang-hyun — Song Kang-ho, “Thirst”
Park Chan-wook’s 2009 film “Thirst” takes a much darker approach to vampirism.
Song Kang-ho stars as Sang-hyun, a Catholic priest who volunteers for a medical experiment. After the experiment goes catastrophically wrong, a blood transfusion saves his life but transforms him into a vampire.
Sang-hyun struggles to reconcile his religious beliefs with his new need to consume human blood. His situation becomes even more dangerous when he begins an affair with Tae-ju, the unhappy wife of a childhood friend.
Rather than presenting vampirism as a glamorous supernatural power, “Thirst” uses it to examine guilt, desire, morality and the gradual collapse of a man’s carefully maintained principles.
Gwi — Lee Soo-hyuk, “Scholar Who Walks the Night”
Lee Soo-hyuk’s Gwi deserves a place on the list as one of the most memorable villains in Korean vampire dramas.
Unlike Sung-yeol, Gwi embraces his supernatural nature and uses his power to manipulate Joseon’s royal court. He has secretly influenced rulers for generations, creating a terrifying presence that threatens both the kingdom and its people.
His rivalry with Sung-yeol gives “Scholar Who Walks the Night” its central conflict: one vampire fighting to preserve humanity while another uses immortality and power to dominate it.
Together, the two characters demonstrate how dramatically Korean dramas can reinterpret the same supernatural creature — as both a reluctant hero and a ruthless villain.
From historical scholars and supernatural detectives to surgeons, students, priests and mysterious hotel owners, Korean screen vampires have evolved far beyond the traditional bloodthirsty monster. With “Portraits of Delusion” bringing another mysterious immortal to the screen, the genre continues to find new ways to mix supernatural fantasy with romance, suspense and human drama.
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