Top Korean Crime Thrillers (Post 2000)
by prav00784 | created - 15 Feb 2018 | updated - 23 Apr 2018 | PublicKorean Film Industry is best known for its thrillers and are subjected to be remade and copied all over the world. This list features top Korean Thriller Movies from last two decades.
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1. 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: 216,668 | Gross: $0.01M
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: 636,295 | Gross: $0.71M
3. 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: 82,087
4. 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: 172,919 | Gross: $2.01M
5. 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: 86,146 | Gross: $0.21M
6. 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: 68,299
7. 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: 11,045 | Gross: $0.54M
8. 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: 146,327 | Gross: $0.13M
9. 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: 7,942 | Gross: $1.90M
10. 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: 22,960
11. 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: 75,172 | Gross: $0.05M
12. 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: 72,809
13. 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: 42,929
14. 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: 74,882 | Gross: $0.01M
15. 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: 34,227
16. 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: 71,685 | Gross: $0.55M
17. 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: 41,080 | Gross: $1.11M
18. 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: 259,011 | Gross: $2.13M
19. Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)
Not Rated | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
On 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.
Director: Yoon Jong-bin | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Ma Dong-seok
Votes: 7,304
20. A Dirty Carnival (2006)
Not Rated | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.
Director: Ha Yoo | Stars: Zo In-sung, Chun Ho-jin, Min Nam-koong, Lee Bo-young
Votes: 9,240
21. The Villainess (2017)
Not Rated | 124 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A female assassin leaves a trail of bodies behind her as she seeks revenge.
Director: Jung Byung-gil | Stars: Kim Ok-bin, Shin Ha-kyun, Sung Jun, Kim Seo-hyeong
Votes: 16,803 | Gross: $0.03M
22. Cold Eyes (2013)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A high-tech police surveillance team attempts to take down a gang of ruthless bank robbers.
Directors: Kim Byung-seo, Ui-seok Jo | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Woo-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Jun-ho
Votes: 8,438
23. The Thieves (2012)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After 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?
Director: Dong-hoon Choi | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-su, Jun Ji-hyun
Votes: 11,556 | Gross: $0.69M
24. Asura (2016)
Not Rated | 136 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A shady cop finds himself in over his head when he gets caught between Internal Affairs and the city's corrupt mayor.
Director: Kim Sung-su | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Ju Ji-hoon, Kwak Do-won
Votes: 3,358 | Gross: $0.17M
25. 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: 4,136
26. 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: 11,694
27. 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: 9,473
28. 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: 26,377 | Gross: $0.46M
29. The Suspect (2013)
Not Rated | 137 min | Action, Thriller
Betrayed and on the run, a North Korean agent tries to uncover the volatile secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man.
Director: Won Shin-yeon | Stars: Gong Yoo, Park Hee-soon, Song Boo-gun, Lee Chae-yun
Votes: 6,775 | Gross: $0.22M
30. The King (2017)
Not Rated | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The story of a young prosecutor who rises swiftly to power, but tumbles even quicker.
Director: Han Jae-rim | Stars: Zo In-sung, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Bae Sung-woo, Jung Woo-sung
Votes: 2,463
31. The Outlaws (2017)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Based on real events, this crime action film depicts a Seoul detective's attempts to keep peace while two Chinese-Korean gangs battle over turf in the neighborhood.
Director: Yunsung Kang | Stars: Ma Dong-seok, Yoon Kyesang, Jo Jae-yoon, Choi Gwi-hwa
Votes: 12,652
32. Veteran (2015)
Not Rated | 123 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A honest cop seeks justice for a common man against all odds. A rich boy seeks revenge on the cop.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Hae-jin, Oh Dal-su
Votes: 7,772 | Gross: $1.20M
33. Memoir of a Murderer (2017)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
A former serial killer with Alzheimer's fights to protect his daughter from her psychotic boyfriend.
Director: Won Shin-yeon | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Nam-gil, Kim Seol-hyun, Oh Dal-su
Votes: 12,661 | Gross: $0.09M
34. The Berlin File (2013)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Thriller
Jong-seong, a North Korean ghost agent, interrupts an illegal arms sale in Berlin. A notorious North Korean agent tests the loyalties of everyone involved as Jong-Seong prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Han Suk-kyu, Ryu Seung-beom, Jun Ji-hyun
Votes: 7,633 | Gross: $0.67M
35. A Violent Prosecutor (2016)
Not Rated | 126 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After a prosecution lawyer is framed and convicted for murder, he tries to catch the real murderer from jail with the help of a con artist.
Directors: Lee Il-Hyung, Il-Hyeong Lee | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, Gang Dong-won, Jung Seung Bae, Jeon Bae-soo
Votes: 3,398
36. Midnight Runners (2017)
Not Rated | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two friends who are students at Korean National Police University, find themselves in an endless race against time after they witness a kidnapping and decide to use their knowledge.
Director: Joo-hwan Kim | Stars: Park Seo-joon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Ha-seon, Sung Dong-il
Votes: 9,622
37. The Battleship Island (2017)
Not Rated | 132 min | Action, Drama, History
During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island ("Hashima Island") to mine for coal, attempt to a dramatic escape.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, So Ji-seob, Song Joong-ki, Lee Jung-hyun
Votes: 8,495
38. Steel Rain (2017)
TV-MA | 139 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A coup in North Korea forces an agent to defect to South with unconscious "Number One". While operatives from North hunt for both of them, the agent has to work with South Koreans to stop the nuclear war.
Director: Woo-seok Yang | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Kwak Do-won, Kim Kap-su, Kim Eui-sung
Votes: 6,557
39. The Merciless (2017)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young cop finds his loyalties divided after befriending a notorious criminal while undercover in prison.
Director: Byun Sung-hyun | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Im Si-wan, Lee Kyoung-young, Jeon Hye-jin
Votes: 3,068
40. The Prison (2017)
Not Rated | 125 min | Action, Crime
A troubled ex-cop imprisoned for a hit-and-run accident discovers that the entire penitentiary is controlled by an inmate who has been running a crime syndicate with the help of the warden and guards which provides them 100% alibi.
Director: Hyeon Na | Stars: Kim Rae-won, Han Suk-kyu, Jeon Bae-soo, Hyun Bong-sik
Votes: 2,178 | Gross: $0.21M
41. Anarchist from Colony (2017)
129 min | Biography, Drama
Life of a upcoming Korean patriot Park Yeol, who formed the anarchist organization "Black Wave" during the Japanese colonial period and attempted the assassination of the Japanese Crown Prince Hirohito.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Lee Jehoon, Choi Hee-Seo, Wi Ha-joon, Kwon Hyeok-soo
Votes: 702
42. V.I.P. (2017)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The son of a high-ranking North Korean official is suspected of committing serial murders around the world, and is chased by South Korea, North Korea and Interpol.
Director: Park Hoon-jung | Stars: Jang Dong-Gun, Kim Myung-min, Lee Jong-suk, Park Hee-soon
Votes: 3,058
43. 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: 9,473
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