Essential South Korean Films
List activity
325 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
93 titles
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsChoi Min-sikYoo Ji-taeKang Hye-jeongAfter being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must track down his captor in five days.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsKim Yoon-seokHa Jung-wooSeo Yeong-hieA disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
- DirectorKim Sung-suStarsJung Woo-sungAhn Sung-kiJu Jin-mo1375. Nine Koryo warriors, envoys exiled by Imperial China, battle to protect a Chinese Ming Princess from Mongolian troops.
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-gunWon BinEun-ju LeeWhen two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsSong Kang-hoLee Byung-hunJung Woo-sungThe story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsLim Soo-jungYum Jung-ahKim Kap-suAfter being institutionalized in a mental hospital, Su-mi reunites with her sister, Su-yeon, and they return to live at their country home. But strange events plague the house, leading to surprising revelations and a shocking conclusion.
- DirectorPark Kyung-JinJohn H. LeeKim Tae-WonStarsJung Woo-sungSon Ye-jinJong-hak BaekA young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsCha Tae-hyunJun Ji-hyunIn-mun KimA young man sees a drunk, cute woman standing too close to the tracks at a metro station in Seoul and pulls her back. She ends up getting him into trouble repeatedly after that, starting on the train.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoKim Sang-kyungKim Roe-haIn a small Korean province in 1986, two detectives struggle with the case of multiple young women being found raped and murdered by an unknown culprit.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho KimA boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoShin Ha-kyunBae DoonaA recently laid off factory worker kidnaps his former boss' friend's daughter, hoping to use the ransom money to pay for his sister's kidney transplant.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsWon BinKim Sae-ronKim Tae-hoonA quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug-and-organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin GooA mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJung SuhKim Yu-seokCho Jae-hyunWorking at a fishing resort in an idyllic location, but surrounded by various facets of human unpleasantness, a young mute woman falls in love with a man on the run from the law for committing murder.
- DirectorWon Shin-yeonWon Sin YunStarsLee Byung-joonOh Dal-suKyung Ho JungOn a day trip through countryside, aspiring opera singer In-jeong flees to woods to escape advances of her lecherous professor and mentor, Yeong-sun.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsLee Byung-hunChoi Min-sikJeon Gook-hwanA secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
- DirectorLee Yong-juStarsKim Bo-yeonSin Eun-jeongShim Eun-kyungAfter Hee-jin's younger sister So-jin, who is possessed by a spirit,disappears,the neighbors die one by one and a secret underlying their deaths is revealed.
- DirectorByeong-ki AhnStarsHa Ji-WonKim Yu-miWoo-jae ChoiInvestigative reporter Ji-won begins to receive a series of menacing calls. To escape the terrifying and relentless clanging of the telephone, she changes her number and moves out. But the threatening campaign of terror continues unabated.
- DirectorYang Ik-joonStarsKim KkobbiHwan LeeYang Ik-joonA bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoAfter a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.
- DirectorHyeong-Joon KimStarsSol Kyung-guRyu Seung-beomHan Hye-jinDespite being nearly proven the murderer, a serial killer threatens to kill the daughter of a forensic pathologist if he doesn't get him bailed out.
- DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoGang Dong-wonKo Chang-seokA fired South Korean agent and a deserted North Korean spy meet by chance after six years and start a business partnership, each with the intention of stealing information from the other.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoKim Ok-binChoi Hee-jinThrough a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.
- DirectorHwang Dong-hyukStarsGong YooJung Yu-miKim Hyeon-sooBased on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time.
- DirectorNa Hong-jinStarsLee Yoo-miHa Jung-wooLee Hee-joonWhen the attempt to kill a professor goes wrong, a series of violent events are triggered which force a taxi driver to run for his life.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsNam-mi KangJeong-nam ChoiHye-Sook GoAfter being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
- DirectorCheol-soo JangStarsSeo Yeong-hieJi Seong-wonMin-ho HwangA woman subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out.
- DirectorGeun-seop JeongStarsUhm JunghwaKim Sang-kyungSong Young-chang15 years ago, a mother lost her child in a kidnapping case. A similar crime happens again and she won't let him go this time.
- DirectorJung Byung-gilStarsJeong Jae-yeongPark Shi-hooJung Hae-kyunLee Du-Seok publishes an autobiography describing murders he committed after the statute of limitations expires. A detective and one of the victim's mothers search for the author while an anonymous person claims to be the real killer.
- DirectorJoon-Hwan JangStarsKim Yoon-seokYeo Jin-gooCho Jin-woongA boy with five fathers who is attached to the criminal underworld. A sinister past is about to be revealed as he is forced to join the killing spree.
- DirectorKim Seong-hunStarsLee Sun-kyunCho Jin-woongJeong Man-sikAfter trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.
- DirectorSong Il-gonStarsKam Woo-seongJung SuhKang Kyung-hunA recently widowed TV producer is drawn to an isolated cabin in a mysterious woods.
- DirectorPark Jin-PyoStarsSol Kyung-guKim Nam-juGang Dong-wonOne day, the only son of famous news anchor HAN Kyung-bae, disappears without a trace. Soon, the kidnapper calls the mother demanding a $100,000 ransom. The police assign a veteran inspector to the case and assemble a top-notch task force to work under his command. But the kidnapper constantly outwits the police and continues calling the parents with yet more instructions for the money drop.
- DirectorKim Sung-suStarsJang HyukSoo AeMin-ah ParkChaos ensues when a lethal, airborne virus infects the population of a South Korean city less than 20 kilometers from Seoul.
- DirectorSang-yoon LimIm Sang YoonStarsSo Ji-seobLee Mi-yeonKwak Do-wonWhen a change of heart moves a well-trained hitman to tender his resignation to his employers, no good comes of it for anyone.
- DirectorWon Shin-yeonStarsGong YooPark Hee-soonSong Boo-gunBetrayed and on the run, a North Korean agent tries to uncover the volatile secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsSong Kang-hoLee Byung-hunJung Woo-sungThe story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits.
- DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsAhn Sung-kiSol Kyung-guHuh Joon-hoBased on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated.
- DirectorAndrey KravchukStarsKonstantin KhabenskiyElizaveta BoyarskayaSergey BezrukovThe story of admiral Aleksandr Kolchak who remained faithful to his oath to the Russian Emperor and fought against the Bolshevik rule after the 1917 October Revolution.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoByun Hee-BongPark Hae-ilA monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
- DirectorRyu Seung-wanStarsRyu Seung-beomYoon So-yiAhn Sung-kiAs a dorky cop falls in with five Tao masters who admire his c'hi, an ancient foe comes looking for them all.
- DirectorKi-hyeong ParkStarsJung Kyung-hoGo Gyu-pilJang Hie-jinA group of friends form a soccer team and call themselves "Tigers". The group gets into a fight seniors at their school and other students begin to view them differently. One of the friends then becomes interested in the ex-girlfriend of a gang leader at another school. The "Tigers" soon find themselves in a gang war.
- DirectorLeonardo CorbucciStarsJames LewCrystal SantosRigan MachadoDaniel is a humble guy. Daniel is in the beginning stages of a relationship with his girlfriend Rosie. Rosie wants Daniel to learn to fight until she realizes that not only does he know how to fight, but is an accomplished martial artist with a dark past. Through this journey Rosie learns from Daniel that winning isn't always everything. He is a spiritual being indeed.
- DirectorMoon-saeng KimStarsAndrew AblesonCathy CavadiniJoon-ho Chung2142: Pollution and climate change wiped out most of Earth's population. Ecoban city is built to withstand this. Suppression results in revolt. A childhood couple find each other as adults on opposing sides.
- DirectorLee Jeong-beomStarsJang Dong-gunKim Min-heeBrian TeeA hit man traumatized from accidentally killing a young girl during a job is given the mission to eliminate her mother, and begins the ultimate fight to save her life.
- DirectorHan-min KimStarsPark Hae-ilRyu Seung-ryongKim Mu-yeolA skilled Korean archer goes up against the mighty force of Manchus with the sole purpose of rescuing his kidnapped sister.
- DirectorHan Jae-rimStarsSong Kang-hoOh Dal-suChoi Il-hwaA light hearted action noir about a part time gangster who tries to be a full time daddy and wants to live a peaceful life with his family despite of being in trouble almost all the time, due to his profession.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsJun Ji-hyunJang HyukKim Soo-roThe heart-warming romance story between Kyungjin and Myungwoo. Even though he has passed away, he will be always with Kyungwoo forever.
- DirectorPark Kyung-JinJohn H. LeeKim Tae-WonStarsJung Woo-sungSon Ye-jinJong-hak BaekA young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
- DirectorJong-kwan KwonStarsJung Woo-sungLim Soo-jungCha Tae-hyunThis film follows the lives of four very different couples as they deal with love, loss and life in these romantic, loosely interconnected tales.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee Seung-yunJae HeeHyuk-ho KwonA transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLim Soo-jungRainPark Byeong-eunA girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guMoon So-riAhn Nae-sangAn irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
- DirectorJae-young KwakStarsSon Ye-jinZo In-sungCho Seung-wooA college student finds a diary detailing a long-ago love triangle involving her mother, her future father, and his best friend.
- DirectorHyun-seung LeeStarsLee Jung-jaeJun Ji-hyunMu-saeng KimIn 1999, a voice actor moves from Il Mare, a seaside house, and leaves a Christmas card in its (magical) mailbox. An architecture student receives it in 1997, and a friendship separated by 2 years begins.
- DirectorAndrew LauStarsJun Ji-hyunJung Woo-sungLee Sung-jaeAbout a tragic love triangle story involving young painter Hye-young, Interpol detective Jeong Woo, and professional hitman Park Yi.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsHa Jung-wooPark Ji-yeonBaek Gwang-DooTo save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.
- DirectorJoon-Hwan JangStarsShin Ha-kyunBaek Yun-shikHwang Jung-minByeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.
- DirectorJee-woon KimStarsPark In-hwanNa Moon-heeSong Kang-hoA family opens a mountain inn where their first guest commits suicide. Suddenly all their guests befall horrible fates.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsBae DoonaLee Sung-jaeKim Ho-jungAn idle part-time college lecturer is annoyed by the yapping sound of a nearby dog. He decides to take drastic action.
- DirectorHwan-kyung LeeStarsRyu Seung-ryongKal So-wonOh Dal-suA story about the love between a mentally-ill father and his lovingly adorable daughter.
- DirectorSang-Jin KimStarsLee Sung-jaeYu Oh-seongKang Seong-jinFour disaffected youths rob a gas station but find their plans complicated and sidetracked before the night is through.
- DirectorHee-chan RaStarsJeong Jae-yeongSon Byung-hoLee Young-eunThings get out of control when Doman, an eager and saintly traffic cop, is asked the play the role of the bank robber in a robbery intervention police training program.
- DirectorLeos CaraxMichel GondryBong Joon HoStarsAyako FujitaniRyô KaseAyumi ItoA triptych examines the nature of one unforgettable city as it's shaped by the disparate people who live, work (and even run amok) inside one enormous, constantly evolving, densely populated megalopolis, the ravishing and inimitable Tokyo.
- DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsPark Joong-hoonAhn Sung-kiChoi Jeong-yunOnce a superstar with a music award on his belt, rocker CHOI Gon now sings in a run-down café. But an incident with one of the guests at the café has him end up locked behind bars. His manager for more than 20 years, Min-soo makes a deal with the radio station producer to help Gon bail out, and in exchange, to have Gon DJ at a remote radio station in the suburbs. Reluctant to work at first, CHOI Gon soon finds out that the little things matter the most, and his attitude towards his pal and manager Min-soo gradually changes.
- DirectorHwang Dong-hyukStarsShim Eun-kyungNa Moon-heePark In-hwanA 74-year-old widow realizes she is becoming a burden on her family. She mysteriously regains her physical appearance from the age of 20.
- DirectorYoon-Chul JungStarsHwang Jung-minJun Ji-hyunKang Ae-shimA snobbish producer makes a documentary about the extraordinary behavior of her neighbor who believes himself to be Superman.
- DirectorYoon-Chul JungStarsCho Seung-wooKim Mi-sookLee Ki-youngAn autistic boy discovers he has a talent for running and with the help of the mother participates in a major marathon.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee EolKwak Ji-minHan Yeo-reumJae-Young is an amateur prostitute who sleeps with men while her best friend Yeo-Jin "manages" her, fixing dates, taking care of the money and making sure the coast is clear. When Jae-Young falls in love with one of those man she suppresses her feelings towards him in respect of her friend who's jealous.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-riFollowing a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
- DirectorLee Hae-junStarsJeong Jae-yeongJung Ryeo-wonYeong-seo ParkA failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.
- DirectorWoo-seok YangStarsSong Kang-hoKwak Do-wonIm Si-wanAn ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-raA sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
- DirectorJK YounStarsHwang Jung-minYunjin KimOh Dal-suAmid the time of Korean War, a young boy's vow to take care of his family marked the beginning of a lifelong promise spanning 60 years.
- DirectorChang-min ChooStarsLee Byung-hunRyu Seung-ryongHan Hyo-jooA look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsYang Dong-geunMin-jung BanKim Young-minRomances end in blood and the frail hopes of individuals are torn apart in a vile karmic continuity of colonialism, civil war and occupation. After surviving Japanese colonization, Korea became the first war zone of the Cold War. The legacy of war remains today in this divided country.
- DirectorJung Doo HongJee-woon KimStarsLee Byung-hunShin Min-aKim Yeong-cheolThings go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
- DirectorPark Hoon-jungStarsLee Jung-jaeChoi Min-sikHwang Jung-minAn undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
- DirectorYoon Jong-binStarsChoi Min-sikHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woongOn the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
- DirectorIm Sang-sooStarsJeon Do-yeonLee Jung-jaeYoun Yuh-jungA man's affair with his family's housemaid leads to dark consequences.
- DirectorKang Woo-sukStarsJeong Jae-yeongPark Hae-ilYoo Joon-sangA mysterious person calls a young man and informs him that his estranged father has died in a country village. The curious son travels to the town to discover what happened. From there out the audience is led on a thrilling and hauntingly atmospheric journey into the history of the father and the truth about his relationship to the threatening and violent locals. The film is 2h40m, long even for Korean standards, but it is the magically haunting and at the same time threatening atmosphere in the film that sustains the audience interest. Let yourself be carried away...
- DirectorHa YooStarsZo In-sungChun Ho-jinMin Nam-koongA small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.
- DirectorKim Seong-sooStarsKwon Sang-wooYoo Ji-taeSon Byung-hoHot-blooded district attorney Jin-woo and undisciplined cop Do-young want the same thing; justice. Their methods are completely different but they team up to catch and prosecute a powerful mafia boss and politician YOO.
- DirectorPang Eun-jinStarsUhm JunghwaMoon Sung-KeunKwon Oh-jungA woman gets killed in a department store. No one imagines this could lead to serial murders, but two days after the first murder, another homicide occurs. A woman is suffocated to death and the only evidence left at the crime scene is a sticker of the cartoon character "Princess Aurora". A veteran detective OH suspects an attractive and lively woman named JUNG Soon-jung as the murderer. However, he does not tell anyone -not even his partner- that Jung also happens to be his ex-wife. Again and again, the Princess Aurora sticker is found... each with a dead body.
- DirectorYeon-woo LeeStarsKim Yoon-seokJung Kyung-hoSeon Woo-seonJo Pil-seong, a rural detective, is an unhappy husband, often blamed by his older wife for gambling. Despite her being hard on him, he steals money from her to bet on bull butting. Fortunately, he chalks up an unexpected win, but his luck, by no means, lasts long because his money gets snatched by an unprecedented absconder.
- DirectorHyun-seung LeeStarsSong Kang-hoShin Se-KyungCheon Jeong-myeongA young assassin is sent to kill a retired mob boss. But things get complicated when she begins to like him.
- DirectorYun-ho YangStarsKim Kang-wooKim Gyu-riSu-kyeong LeeOfficers Kyung-yoon CHO and Eun-joo PARK are on the hunt a killer following duo of ghastly murders. The victims carry a common military past, and the secret of their past must be unraveled to find the killer.
- DirectorDong-hoon ChoiStarsKim Yoon-seokLee Jung-jaeKim Hye-suAfter a heist in South Korea, a gang of 5+1 fly to Hong Kong to look into a heist, in a Macau casino, of a $30M diamond, planned by someone unreliable. He brings in HK thieves as well. Can anyone be trusted?
- DirectorTae-kyeong KimStarsKim Ha-neulNam Sang-miJeon Hye-binA teenage girl suffering from amnesia discovers that she is somehow connected to a group of people who are being killed off one by one by a vengeful ghost.
- DirectorJae-yeon YunStarsSong Ji-hyoPark Han-byeolJo AnA staircase leading to the dormitory of a remote boarding school usually has 28 stairs, but every so often there appears to be 29. When someone steps on the mysterious extra stair, the horror begins.
- DirectorFruit ChanPark Chan-wookTakashi MiikeStarsBai LingLee Byung-hunKyoko HasegawaAn Asian cross-cultural trilogy of horror films from accomplished indie directors.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsJo Min-sooLee Jung-JinWoo Ki-hongA loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsJang Dong-gunJoe OdagiriBingbing FanIn World War II-era Korea, rival runners, one Korean (Jang Dong-gun) and one Japanese (Joe Odagiri), go to war together against the Soviets.