The Best Korean Movies
by swagat_gogoi | created - 14 Jul 2016 | updated - 6 days ago | PublicMovies are listed chronologically. Will be updated from time to time.
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1. Peppermint Candy (1999)
Not Rated | 129 min | Drama
Following a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Yeo-jin, Moon So-ri, Se-beom Park
Votes: 10,799
2. The Harmonium in My Memory (1999)
116 min | Drama, Romance
Hong-yun is a high school girl in a little mountain village who falls head-over-heels for a handsome new school teacher, Mr Kang. What with taking care of her youngest baby brother for her ... See full summary »
Director: Young-jae Lee | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Lee Dae-yeon, Jeon Do-yeon, Park Gun
Votes: 1,075
3. 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: 34,141
4. My Sassy Girl (2001)
Not Rated | 137 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A 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.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun, In-mun Kim, Song Wok-suk
Votes: 50,444
5. Failan (2001)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
A marriage of convenience between a petty gangster and an illegal immigrant he has never met has unforeseen consequences for them both.
Director: Hae-sung Song | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Cecilia Cheung, Son Byung-ho, Kong Hyeong-jin
Votes: 6,212
6. The Way Home (2002)
PG | 80 min | Drama
This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Eul-boon Kim, Hyo-hee Dong, Kyung-hyun Min
Votes: 5,886 | Gross: $0.44M
7. Oasis (2002)
133 min | Drama, Romance
An irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Moon So-ri, Ahn Nae-sang, Ryu Seung-wan
Votes: 10,379
8. 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: 634,666 | Gross: $0.71M
9. 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: 215,814 | Gross: $0.01M
10. The Classic (2003)
127 min | Drama, Romance
A college student finds a diary detailing a long-ago love triangle involving her mother, her future father, and his best friend.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Son Ye-jin, Zo In-sung, Cho Seung-woo, Lee Ki-woo
Votes: 10,122
11. A Moment to Remember (2004)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, Romance
A young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
Directors: Park Kyung-Jin, John H. Lee, Kim Tae-Won | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Son Ye-jin, Jong-hak Baek, Lee Seon-jin
Votes: 25,541
12. Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
R | 140 min | Action, Drama, War
When 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.
Director: Kang Je-kyu | Stars: Jang Dong-Gun, Won Bin, Eun-ju Lee, Kong Hyeong-jin
Votes: 41,056 | Gross: $1.11M
13. Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
Not Rated | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, War
Soldiers from both sides of the Korean divide live among villagers who know nothing of the war.
Director: Kwang-Hyun Park | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Shin Ha-kyun, Kang Hye-jeong, Ha-ryong Lim
Votes: 7,532
14. Miracle of Giving Fool (2008)
99 min | Comedy, Romance
A mentally challenged man trying to keep his mother's only wish alive at any cost while trying to reconcile with his first and only real crush.
Director: Jeong-kwon Kim | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Ha Ji-Won, Jo Ah-ra, Sulli Choi
Votes: 1,604
15. 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: 72,659
16. 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: 5,553
17. 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: 71,528 | Gross: $0.55M
18. A Brand New Life (2009)
92 min | Drama
Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her.
Directors: Lee Jong Eon, Ounie Lecomte | Stars: Kim Sae-ron, Ko Ah-sung, Sol Kyung-gu, Baek Hyun-joo
Votes: 2,528
19. 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: 9,451
20. 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: 74,778 | Gross: $0.01M
21. Hello Ghost (2010)
111 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A man's failed suicide attempt enables him to see ghosts, who later keep following him everywhere. It is now up to him to fulfill their wishes to make them go away.
Director: Young-Tak Kim | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Kang Ye-won, Lee Moon-su, Ko Chang-seok
Votes: 4,790
22. Sunny (2011)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama
Seven girls become good friends in high school, then events pull them apart for 25 years. When one of the friends lies dying in a hospital, she wishes to see each of them one last time.
Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol | Stars: Yoo Ho-jeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Jin Hee-kyung, Kim Min-yeong
Votes: 6,548
23. 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: 21,590
24. Always (2011)
108 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A love story centered on ex-boxer Chul-min and a blind telemarketer Jung-hwa.
Director: Song Il-gon | Stars: So Ji-seob, Han Hyo-joo, Kang Shin-il, Park Chul-min
Votes: 11,205
25. Children... (2011)
Not Rated | 132 min | Mystery, Thriller
The film is based on a true case from the early 1990s that is known among Koreans as the "disappearance of the frog children." In 1991, five elementary school students told their parents ... See full summary »
Director: Kyu-maan Lee | Stars: Park Yong-woo, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sung Dong-il, Sung Ji-ru
Votes: 2,950
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: 7,430 | Gross: $0.92M
27. Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013)
127 min | Comedy, Drama
A story about the love between a mentally-ill father and his lovingly adorable daughter.
Director: Hwan-kyung Lee | Stars: Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won, Oh Dal-su, Jeong Man-sik
Votes: 23,926
28. 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: 8,230
29. The Attorney (2013)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama
An ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court.
Director: Woo-seok Yang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kwak Do-won, Im Si-wan, Oh Dal-su
Votes: 7,576 | Gross: $0.56M
30. 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: 26,320 | Gross: $0.46M
31. Way Back Home (2013)
131 min | Drama
Jeong Yoon is a caring wife and mother and a sensitive woman who finds herself plunged into a legal ordeal thousands of miles from home. After years of planning, she and her husband Jong ... See full summary »
Director: Pang Eun-jin | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Go Soo, Claudette Lalí, Michèle Raingeval
Votes: 1,457
32. Ode to My Father (2014)
Not Rated | 126 min | Drama, War
Amid 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.
Director: JK Youn | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, Yunjin Kim, Oh Dal-su, Jung Jin-young
Votes: 6,097 | Gross: $2.30M
33. The Royal Tailor (2014)
127 min | Drama
Story of a rivalry between two tailors Dol-Seok, who is the best master artisan in charge of royal attire and Kong-Jin - genius like designer, born with dexterity and an excellent sense, plunges the court into scandal and tragedy.
Director: Wonsuk Lee | Stars: Han Suk-kyu, Go Soo, Park Shin-Hye, Yoo Yeon-Seok
Votes: 1,224
34. Assassination (2015)
Not Rated | 140 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
While Korea is occupied by the Japanese Army in 1933, the resistance plans to kill the Japanese Commander. But their plan is threatened by a traitor within their group and also the enemies' forces are hunting them down.
Director: Dong-hoon Choi | Stars: Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su
Votes: 7,923 | Gross: $1.90M
35. 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: 172,136 | Gross: $2.01M
36. A Taxi Driver (2017)
Not Rated | 137 min | Action, Drama, History
A widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the 1980 uprising, soon finds himself regretting his decision after being caught in the violence around him.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-Yeol
Votes: 31,099 | Gross: $1.53M
37. 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, Park Hee-soon
Votes: 6,793
38. Little Forest (2018)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
A young woman grows tired of life in the city and returns to her hometown in the countryside.
Director: Soon-rye Yim | Stars: Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Jin Ki-joo, Moon So-ri
Votes: 3,891
39. House of Hummingbird (2018)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama
Seoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love.
Director: Bora Kim | Stars: Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byeok, Jeong In-gi, Soo-Yeon Park
Votes: 3,771
40. 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: 956,347 | Gross: $53.37M
41. Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019)
118 min | Drama
Kim Ji-yeong, an ordinary woman in her 30s, suddenly shows signs of being inhabited by others such as her late mother and older sister, and the stories of the people connected to her.
Director: Kim Do-Young | Stars: Jung Yu-mi, Gong Yoo, Kim Mi-kyung, Kim Sung-cheol
Votes: 4,247
42. Innocent Witness (2019)
129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A man either committed suicide or he was murdered. An autistic girl is the only witness.
Director: Lee Han | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Kim Hyang-gi, Jang Young-nam, Park Geun-hyeong
Votes: 2,948
43. My First Client (2019)
114 min | Crime, Drama
A rookie lawyer blinded by success, meets a 10 year old girl as his first client, who insists she killed her younger brother.
Director: Kyu-sung Jang | Stars: Lee Dong-hwi, Seon Yu, Choi Myung-bin, Lee Joo-won
Votes: 1,299
44. Pawn (2020)
Not Rated | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A human drama about a man who would do anything for money becoming friends with a child who is then taken hostage.
Director: Dae-gyu Kang | Stars: Sung Dong-il, Kim Hee-won, Ha Ji-Won, Park So-yi
Votes: 1,642
45. Minari (2020)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
Director: Lee Isaac Chung | Stars: Steven Yeun, Han Yeri, Alan Kim, Noel Cho
Votes: 96,728
46. Broker (2022)
R | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a young mother reconsiders abandoning her baby, she discovers a scheme selling foundlings for adoption.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, IU
Votes: 16,624
47. Soulmate (2023)
124 min | Drama, Romance
Coming-of-age story where two friends first meet at 11 years old and spend the course of 14 years remaining close and sharing experiences in both friendship and romance.
Director: Young-Keun Min | Stars: Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee, Byeon Woo-seok, Heo Ji-na
Votes: 1,645
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