# Narco-Saints (2022)

> An ordinary Korean entrepreneur is recruited into a secret government operation to capture a drug lord hiding in South America.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/82447

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 62 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, thriller
- Created by: Yoon Jong-bin
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Yeon-seok, Choo Ja-hyun, Hyun Bong-sik, Lee Bong-ryeon
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14518692/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: suspenseful, gritty, tense, sober

## What critics say

Viewers found the true-crime thriller suspenseful and gripping, though its story is not especially original and its ending leans safe and generic.

## Synopsis

Narco-Saints (2022) is a South Korean crime miniseries created by Yoon Jong-bin for Netflix. Ha Jung-woo plays Kang In-gu, an ordinary entrepreneur who is pulled into a secret government mission, while Hwang Jung-min plays Jeon Yo-hwan, a seasoned operative running the operation. Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, and Yoo Yeon-seok fill out the principal cast. The engine of the story is a dangerous undercover pursuit: the team must win the trust of a Korean drug lord operating in South America, and every step deeper into the criminal network raises the stakes for everyone involved. Each of the six roughly hour-long episodes builds tension through negotiations, deceptions, and shifting alliances. The series is a one-season limited run based on a true story, and it is set in the 2010s across South America and Korea, a deliberate move outside the usual Korean drug world. The tone is suspenseful and gritty, with a sober view of greed, complicity, and the blurred line between law enforcement and criminality. Fans of Narcos, Blow, and Money Heist will find resonance in its grounded, morally compromised take on the drug trade. The serialized storytelling rewards close attention throughout the run.

## Shows like Narco-Saints

- [The Tyrant (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/162388)
- [Bad Guys (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54966)
- [Buried Hearts (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/178377)
- [Eun-soo's Good Day (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/150113)
- [En la Boca del Lobo (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/77788)
- [Private Lives (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/89721)
- [Big Bet (2022)](https://ember.film/tv/93806)
- [The Veil (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/105498)
- [Unmasked (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/155731)
- [Evilive (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/147931)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt