I finished Dae Jang Geum and thought to myself "Lookout Shakespeare, here is some serious competition!"

I really enjoy the Kdramas, especially the historical ones, for the way they explore the uses of power (good and bad) and the impact a single individual can have, or an idea. Great stuff.

Let me know if you want more recommendations. I've watched a lot of these, including some I couldn't finish because the story line just got too painful to watch (Bridal Mask, set against the Japanese occupation of Korea.)

The blog Dramabeans does critiques and summaries of many kdramas as well as offering context for some of the details non-Koreans would not get.