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Best of South Korea: Drama Movies

by d_smojver • Created 12 years ago • Modified 1 day ago
South Koreans have several great social drama (most of them directed by Lee Chang-dong) and art drama (most of them directed by Kim Ki-duk)! Besides that, they have pretty good history drama: The King and the Clown, Masquerade, Untold Scandal, A Frozen Flower... There are also family drama, crime drama, sport drama and other types of drama on my list.

Kim Ki-duk is the director with the most titles here, which is reasonable, because that's his main genre and he is one of the greatest Korean and Asian filmmakers.

There is also another great drama movie, that is hard to find on IMDb, because of name that is hard to find, I (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14891034/?ref_=fn_rvi_t_1).

My other lists:

Best of South Korea: Action/Adventure Movies


Best of South Korea: Anime

Best of South Korea: Comedies

Best of South Korea: Crime Movies/Thrillers

Best of South Korea: Horror Movies

Best of South Korea: Romance Movies

Best of South Korea: War/Military Movies
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  • 1 - 250
  • 529 titles
  • Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

    1. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

    20031h 43mR85Metascore
    8.0 (89K)
    In the midst of the Korean wilderness, a Buddhist master patiently raises a boy while teaching wisdom and compassion through experience and endless exercises.
    DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsKim Ki-dukOh Yeong-suJong-ho Kim
  • Song Kang-ho, Jung Ik-han, Jung Hyun-jun, Lee Joo-hyung, Lee Ji-hye, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park Myeong-hoon, Park Keun-rok, Jang Hye-jin, Lee Jeong-eun, Choi Woo-sik, Park Seo-joon, Park So-dam, and Jung Ji-so in Parasite (2019)

    2. Parasite

    20192h 12mR97Metascore
    8.5 (1.1M)
    Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeong
  • Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, and Kim Tae-ri in The Handmaiden (2016)

    3. The Handmaiden

    20162h 25mNot Rated85Metascore
    8.1 (189K)
    In 1930s Korea, a girl is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress who lives a secluded life on a countryside estate. But the maid has a secret: She is a pickpocket recruited by a swindler to help seduce the Lady and steal her fortune.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsKim Min-heeHa Jung-wooCho Jin-woong
  • Teo Yoo and Greta Lee in Past Lives (2023)

    4. Past Lives

    20231h 45mPG-1394Metascore
    7.8 (153K)
    Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
    DirectorCeline SongStarsGreta LeeTeo YooJohn Magaro
  • Won Bin and Kim Hye-ja in Mother (2009)

    5. Mother

    20092h 9mR79Metascore
    7.7 (77K)
    A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
    DirectorBong Joon HoStarsKim Hye-jaWon BinJin Goo
  • Poetry (2010)

    6. Poetry

    20102h 19mTV-PG87Metascore
    7.8 (14K)
    A 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.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYun Jeong-hieLee Da-witKim Hee-ra
  • Song Kang-ho in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

    7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

    20022h 9mR59Metascore
    7.5 (78K)
    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.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoShin Ha-kyunBae Doona
  • Yoo Ah-in in Burning (2018)

    8. Burning

    20182h 28mNot Rated91Metascore
    7.4 (82K)
    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.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsYoo Ah-inSteven YeunJeon Jong-seo
  • Jeong Jae-yeong in Castaway on the Moon (2009)

    9. Castaway on the Moon

    20091h 56mPG-13
    8.0 (20K)
    A failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.
    DirectorLee Hae-junStarsJeong Jae-yeongJung Ryeo-wonYoung-Seo Park
  • Gong Yoo and Jung Yu-mi in Silenced (2011)

    10. Silenced

    20112h 5mNot Rated
    8.0 (25K)
    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.
    DirectorHwang Dong-hyukStarsGong YooJung Yu-miKim Hyeon-soo
  • Sul Kyung-gu in Peppermint Candy (1999)

    11. Peppermint Candy

    19992h 9m
    7.6 (12K)
    Following a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSul Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-ri
  • Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hee-soon, Ha Jung-woo, Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Hee-joon, and Kim Tae-ri in 1987: When the Day Comes (2017)

    12. 1987: When the Day Comes

    20172h 9m
    7.7 (7.5K)
    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.
    DirectorJang Joon-hwanStarsKim Tae-riGang Dong-wonHa Jung-woo
  • Cho Seung-woo in Marathon (2005)

    13. Marathon

    20051h 57m
    7.6 (2.6K)
    An autistic boy discovers he has a talent for running and with the help of the mother participates in a major marathon.
    DirectorYoon-Chul JungStarsCho Seung-wooKim Mi SookLee Ki-young
  • Jeon Do-yeon in Secret Sunshine (2007)

    14. Secret Sunshine

    20072h 22mNot Rated84Metascore
    7.5 (10K)
    A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
    DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsJeon Do-yeonSong Kang-hoLee Dong-yong
  • Lee Joon-gi in The King and the Clown (2005)

    15. The King and the Clown

    20051h 59mPG-13
    7.3 (6.1K)
    Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
    DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsKam Woo-seongJung Jin-youngKang Seong-yeon
  • Song Kang-ho and Kim Ok-bin in Thirst (2009)

    16. Thirst

    20092h 14mR73Metascore
    7.1 (53K)
    Through a failed medical experiment, a priest is stricken with vampirism and is forced to abandon his ascetic ways.
    DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsSong Kang-hoKim Ok-binChoi Hee-jin
  • Eul-boon Kim and Yoo Seung-ho in The Way Home (2002)

    17. The Way Home

    20021h 20mPG63Metascore
    7.7 (6.1K)
    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.
    DirectorJeong-hyang LeeStarsYoo Seung-hoEul-boon KimDong Hyo-hee
  • Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (2004)

    18. Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do

    20041h 56m
    7.4 (2.8K)
    By "Fist of Fury", Kim Hyun-Soo (Sang-Woo Kwone) addicted to Bruce Lee. Year 1978. Hyun-Soo moved to KangNam, Seoul. Hyun-Soo transferred to JungMoon High, Maljuk Street, Kangnam, Seoul. He goes schooling by No.78 Bus. First day a senior male took Hyun-Soo's collar and made Hyun-Soo being punished inside JungMoon playground because of forgetting collar Hyun-Soo made friends with Kim Woo-Sik (Bruce Lee fan) and Hamburger. Hamburger always bring adult magazines to school and was always being found by the school soldiers. Hyun-Soo father had his own TaeKwonDo Dojo - his wish is to see Hyun-Soo being the top 5 in his JungMoon High class, and got himself promoted to University. One day inside #78 bus, Hamburger and Hyun-Soo met Kang Eun-Ju (EunYang Female High), a female Bruce Lee fan who looks like "Olivia Hussey", whose music favorites are Agaetha (ABBA) and Celsia Chan, Hyun-Soo began to fall in love with Eun-Ju. Hyun-Soo and Woo-Sik became rivals of Cha Jung-Hoon (Triad Head, JungMoon High) when Jung-Hoon took Eun-Ju's schoolbag inside #78 Bus, and Woo-Sik settled everything. Woo-Sik tried flirting Eun-Ju but she refused him because she loves Hyun-Soo. On a Rainy day, Hyun-Soo talked with Eun-Ju in #78 Bus, knew that Eun-Ju keep listening to a midnight radio program, and she had even wrote postcards to that program but it didn't speak out her postcard messages. Hyun-Soo lent Eun-Ju his black Umbrella and ran to home. Eun-Ju ask Woo-Sik to return the umbrella to Hyun-Soo, Hyun-Soo wrote postcard to the radio program and it spoke the message at 2am when Eun-Ju was in #78 bus. Hyun-Soo invited Eun-Ju to listen to his guitar playing. Eun-Ju asked Hyun-Soo to return Woo-Sik's pen. She even wrote her reply to the radio program. Woo-Sik and Hyun-Soo were being punished inside a wardrobe, with the soldier telling them how many Viet Congs he had ever killed in Vietnam War by himself without any comrades to help. Hyun-Soo went to library and heard Eun-Ju's postcard message in the radio program which both Eun-Ju and Hyun-Soo always listened to. Eun-Ju regret asking Woo-Sik to return umbrella and she promised Hyun-Soo that she won't ever disappoint him anymore. Then, Hamburger became Jung-Hoon's gang member. Woo-Sik tore Hamburger's adult photos, Jung-Hoon challenged Woo-Sik to roof battle. Finally Woo-Sik was defeated and was carried by Hyun-Soo. Woo-Sik even left JungMoon High without contacting Hyun-Soo anymore. Eun-Ju was being rumored to leave with Woo-Sik but later Hamburger found that she had not left with Woo-Sik, but was being suspended one year for bad results. One day, Hyun-Soo met Jung-Hoon's gang. they threatened to remove Hyun-Soo's eyeballs from his eyes. Hyun-Soo decided to train himself for any further struggle with Jung-Hoon's gang. On the day of Hyun-Soo's battle, a classmate threw his milk to Jung-Hoon. Jung-Hoon's gang ran into Hyun-Soo's class and ask who did that. Hamburger tried pacifying Jung-Hoon but failed. Hyun-Soo stood up and challenged Jung-Hoon at roof. Hyun-Soo used his double-stick to hit Jung-Hoon when they went upstairs. Finally, in great resistance, Hyun-Soo won the battle and went downstairs. Soldiers stopped Hyun-Soo, but he escaped, destroyed 2 windows and spoke, "F**k all schools in Korea!" Hyun-Soo father talked to Jung-Hoon's mother but she blame Hyun-Soo for destroying her son's face. Hyun-Soo said sorry to father, father asked Hyun-Soo if Bruce Lee had ever studied into University. Hyun-Soo smiled, father knew no. Hyun-Soo studied in G.E.D. (General Education Diploma) and met Hamburger when Hamburger sold his adult magazines to classmates for 2 bucks. Hamburger told Hyun-Soo that Eun-Ju also studied this GED center. Hyun-Soo waited Eun-Ju but failed, got up to #78 Bus. Hyun-Soo missed Eun-Ju until females said "Bye-bye, Eun-Ju!" Hyun-Soo turned his head and saw Eun-Ju alone. Eun-Ju said that Korea weather is colder than before, Hyun-Soo said yes. Eun-Ju got off in HanNam station. Hamburger ask Hyun-Soo to watch Jackie Chan movie, "Drunken Master" and even said Bruce Lee is already outdated. Hyun-Soo kicked to revenge for Bruce Lee outside the cinema door.
    DirectorHa YooStarsKwon Sang-wooLee Jung-JinHan Ga-in
  • Painted Fire (2002)

    19. Painted Fire

    20022hUnrated78Metascore
    7.1 (2.9K)
    In a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
    DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsChoi Min-sikAhn Sung-kiYoo Ho-jeong
    a.k.a. Drunk on Women and Poetry
  • Lee Re in Hope (2013)

    20. Hope

    20132h 2m
    8.2 (11K)
    Story of an 8-year-old girl who faces a horrible rape that damages her internally and affects her emotionally, trying to overcome all the obstacles following the incident with the good support of those around her.
    DirectorLee Joon-ikStarsLee ReSul Kyung-guUhm Ji-won
  • Song Kang-ho in A Taxi Driver (2017)

    21. A Taxi Driver

    20172h 17mNot Rated69Metascore
    7.9 (35K)
    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.
    DirectorHun JangStarsSong Kang-hoThomas KretschmannYoo Hae-jin
  • Lee Byung-hun in Masquerade (2012)

    22. Masquerade

    20122h 11mNot Rated
    7.8 (7.8K)
    A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
    DirectorChoo Chang-minStarsLee Byung-hunRyu Seung-ryongHan Hyo-joo
  • Sunny (2011)

    23. Sunny

    20112h 4mPG-13
    7.7 (6.8K)
    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.
    DirectorKang Hyoung-chulStarsYoo Ho-jeongShim Eun-kyungJin Hee-kyung
  • Yunjin Kim in Ode to My Father (2014)

    24. Ode to My Father

    20142h 6m
    7.8 (6.6K)
    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.
    DirectorJK YounStarsHwang Jung-minYunjin KimOh Dal-su
  • The Attorney (2013)

    25. The Attorney

    20132h 7mNot Rated55Metascore
    7.7 (8.1K)
    An ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court.
    DirectorWoo-seok YangStarsSong Kang-hoKwak Do-wonYim Si-wan

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