Korean Thrillers
by koushiksocial | created - 15 Sep 2020 | updated - 09 May 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Parasite (2019)
R | 132 min | Drama, Thriller
Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik
Votes: 958,593 | Gross: $53.37M
2. Oldboy (2003)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
After 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,489 | Gross: $0.71M
3. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Not Rated | 144 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A secret agent exacts revenge on a serial killer through a series of captures and releases.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 146,133 | Gross: $0.13M
4. No Mercy (2010)
Not Rated | 123 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
Despite 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.
Director: Hyeong-Joon Kim | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Ryu Seung-beom, Han Hye-jin, Sung Ji-ru
Votes: 9,464
5. Breathless (2008)
Not Rated | 130 min | Crime, Drama
A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
Director: Yang Ik-joon | Stars: Kim Kkobbi, Hwan Lee, Yang Ik-joon, Jeong-soon Park
Votes: 5,559
6. Silenced (2011)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
Based 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.
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Stars: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Hyeon-soo, Kim Jee-young
Votes: 21,646
7. Mother (2009)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo, Yun Je-mun
Votes: 71,616 | Gross: $0.55M
8. The Chaser (2008)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A disgraced ex-policeman who runs a small ring of prostitutes finds himself in a race against time when one of his women goes missing.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Seo Yeong-hie, Kim Yoo-jung
Votes: 72,743
9. Train to Busan (2016)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
While a zombie virus breaks out in South Korea, passengers struggle to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan.
Director: Yeon Sang-ho | Stars: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an
Votes: 258,474 | Gross: $2.13M
10. The Man from Nowhere (2010)
R | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: Lee Jeong-beom | Stars: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Tae-hoon, Kim Hee-won
Votes: 74,827 | Gross: $0.01M
11. The Wailing (2016)
TV-MA | 156 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Soon after a stranger arrives in a little village, a mysterious sickness starts spreading. A policeman, drawn into the incident, is forced to solve the mystery in order to save his daughter.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Jun Kunimura, Hwang Jung-min, Kwak Do-won, Chun Woo-hee
Votes: 81,889
12. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
R | 114 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
After 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.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Kim Kap-su, Moon Geun-young
Votes: 68,253
13. Thirst (2009)
R | 134 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Choi Hee-jin, Seo Dong-soo
Votes: 51,392 | Gross: $0.30M
14. Joint Security Area (2000)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
After 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Lee Yeong-ae, Lee Byung-hun, Song Kang-ho, Kim Tae-woo
Votes: 34,189
15. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
Directors: Jung Doo Hong, Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Kim Yeong-cheol, Hwang Jung-min
Votes: 42,912
16. New World (2013)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
Director: Park Hoon-jung | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, Hwang Jung-min, Park Sung-woong
Votes: 26,351 | Gross: $0.46M
17. Montage (2013)
Not Rated | 120 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
15 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.
Director: Geun-seop Jeong | Stars: Uhm Junghwa, Kim Sang-kyung, Song Young-chang, Jo Hie-bong
Votes: 8,247
18. A Hard Day (2014)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After 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.
Director: Kim Seong-hun | Stars: Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong, Jeong Man-sik, Shin Jeong-geun
Votes: 16,589
19. Confession of Murder (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Lee 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.
Director: Jung Byung-gil | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Park Shi-hoo, Jung Hae-kyun, Kim Yeong-ae
Votes: 11,682
20. The Handmaiden (2016)
Not Rated | 145 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Moon So-ri
Votes: 172,586 | Gross: $2.01M
21. Memories of Murder (2003)
Not Rated | 132 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In 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.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Song Jae-ho
Votes: 216,193 | Gross: $0.01M
22. Lady Vengeance (2005)
R | 115 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After being wrongfully imprisoned for thirteen years and having her child taken away from her, a woman seeks revenge through increasingly brutal means.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Nam-mi Kang, Jeong-nam Choi, Hye-Sook Go, Bok-hwa Baek
Votes: 86,085 | Gross: $0.21M
23. Forgotten (2017)
TV-MA | 108 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When his abducted brother returns seemingly a different man with no memory of the past 19 days, Jin-seok chases after the truth behind the kidnapping.
Director: Jang Hang-jun | Stars: Kang Ha-neul, Yeon Je Hyung, Kim Mu-yeol, Nam Myung-ryul
Votes: 45,977
24. The Client (2011)
Not Rated | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Elite attorney Kang Seong-Hee goes up against a top prosecutor over a case involving a man accused of killing his wife.
Director: Young-Sung Sohn | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Park Hee-soon, Jang Hyuk, Sung Dong-il
Votes: 1,978
25. 1987: When the Day Comes (2017)
Not Rated | 129 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In 1987 Korea under an oppressive military regime, the unlawful interrogation and death of a college student ignite ordinary citizens to fight for the truth and bring about justice.
Directors: Jung Sung Ho, Joon-Hwan Jang | Stars: Kim Tae-ri, Yeo Jin-goo, Ha Jung-woo, Gang Dong-won
Votes: 6,818
26. Masquerade (2012)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, History
A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
Director: Chang-min Choo | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 7,441 | Gross: $0.92M
27. Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
Not Rated | 139 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After a heroic death, a firefighter navigates the afterlife with the help of three guides.
Director: Yong-hwa Kim | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
Votes: 19,259 | Gross: $1.91M
28. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Drama, History
Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.
Director: Han-min Kim | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Myung-gon
Votes: 13,049 | Gross: $2.59M
29. The Terror Live (2013)
Not Rated | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A newsman discovers he's been rigged with a bomb after he has an exclusive interview with a terrorist who blew up a bridge.
Director: Byung-woo Kim | Stars: Won-Jin Ahn, Lee Da-wit, Choi Deok-moon, Sung-chun Han
Votes: 7,990
30. Inside Men (2015)
TV-MA | 130 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A former political henchman seeks out revenge for being dropped by a ruthless politician while a determined investigator tries to find proof of a connection between the two of them.
Director: Min-ho Woo | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Cho Seung-woo, Baek Yun-shik, Lee Kyoung-young
Votes: 4,129
31. A Day (2017)
90 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A mystery drama revolving around a father who commits an unethical act in an attempt to save his daughter's life. Three years later, his actions return to haunt him, trapping him in an endless time loop.
Director: Jo Sun-ho | Stars: Kim Myung-min, Byun Yo-han, Shin Hye-sun, Jo Eun-hyung
Votes: 2,951
32. The Age of Shadows (2016)
TV-MA | 140 min | Action, History, Thriller
Korean resistance fighters smuggle explosives to destroy facilities controlled by Japanese forces in this period action thriller.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Gong Yoo, Song Kang-ho, Jeon Yeo-been
Votes: 11,037 | Gross: $0.54M
33. The Yellow Sea (2010)
R | 136 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When 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.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Lee Yoo-mi, Ha Jung-woo, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Yoon-seok
Votes: 22,952
34. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A 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.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Shin Ha-kyun, Bae Doona, Lim Ji-eun
Votes: 75,120 | Gross: $0.05M
35. The Call (2020)
TV-MA | 112 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Two people live in different times. Seo-Yeon lives in the present and Young-Sook lives in the past. One phone call connects the two, and their lives are changed irrevocably.
Director: Chung-Hyun Lee | Stars: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee El
Votes: 43,537
36. Burning (2018)
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Soo-Kyung
Votes: 76,280 | Gross: $0.72M
37. Night in Paradise (2020)
TV-MA | 131 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Hiding out in Jeju Island following a brutal tragedy, a wronged mobster with a target on his back connects with a woman who has her own demons.
Director: Park Hoon-jung | Stars: Eom Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been, Cha Seung-won, Cho Dong-in
Votes: 8,780
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