All Korean films have distinctive tales that capture viewers’ attention with their action, drama, suspense, and thriller elements.

The Greatest Korean Films Ever

1. Okja (2017)

Bong Joon-ho is the director of the 2017 science-fantasy action-adventure film Okja (/ˈoʊkdʒə/; Korean: 옥자), which has a screenplay written by Bong and Jon Ronson based on a narrative by Bong. The movie tells the story of a little girl who raised Okja, the genetically altered “super pig,” and sets out on a journey to save her from abuse at the hands of the meat business after being brought to the United States. The ensemble cast, which includes child actor Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Yoon Je-moon, Choi Woo-shik, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal, is the focal point of this international co-production between South Korea and the United States.

In the main competition section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the movie was up for the Palme d’Or. On June 28, 2017, Netflix launched it. Critics gave the movie favorable reviews.

2. Badland hunters (2024)

In 2024, Heo Myung-haeng, a South Korean dystopian action film director, made his directorial debut with Badland Hunters (Korean: 황야). Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Jun-young, and Roh Jeong-eui are the main actors. The movie, a follow-up to Concrete Utopia, picks up after the earthquake that turns Seoul into a post-apocalyptic wasteland where everything has crumbled, including civilization and law and order.

On January 26, 2024, the film an original Netflix production was released.

3. Sweet Home (Series)

A web series from South Korea, Sweet Home (스위트홈) stars Song Kang, Lee Jin-wook, and Lee Si-young. It is based on Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan’s Naver webtoon of the same name, which has amassed over 2.1 billion net views. Netflix launched the first season on December 18, 2020. December 1, 2023, saw the release of the second season. The summer of 2024 will see the release of the third season.

4. Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (2022)

Na Hyeon is the director of Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, a 2022 South Korean spy action movie (Korean: 야차; Hanja: 夜叉; RR: Yacha). Park Hae-soo and Sol Kyung-gu are the film’s main stars. The film, which is based in Shenyang, China, centers on a prosecutor who was transferred to an intelligence agency and the head of the agency’s black ops unit. On April 8, 2022, the movie was made available on Netflix globally.

5. The Call (2020)

Park Shin-hye and Jeon Jong-seo feature in Lee Chung-hyun’s 2020 South Korean psychological thriller film, The Call (Korean: 쌜; RR: Kol). The Call, which is based on the 2011 British and Puerto Rican film The Caller, centers on two women from different eras named Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) and Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), who contact over the phone and have their destiny switched. The COVID-19 outbreak caused the film’s original cinema premiere to be canceled. On November 27, 2020, Netflix launched the movie globally.

6. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (2022)

A 2022 South Korean period adventure film directed by Kim Jeong-hoon, The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korean: 해적: 도깨칄 깃발; Hanja: 쵷賊: 도깨칄 엗발; RR: Haejeok: Dokkaebi Gitbal; lit. The Pirates: Goblin Flag) stars Kang Ha-neul, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Kwang-soo, and Kwon Sang-woo. The movie, a spiritual follow-up to the 2014 blockbuster The Pirates, tells the story of a group of pirates going on an expedition in the sea to find lost royal jewels. IMAX version was released on January 26, 2022, which was the same day as the Korean New Year holiday. In 2022, on the eleventh day of its release, it became the first Korean film to receive one million viewers.

Netflix will start streaming the movie on March 2, 2022.

7. Night in Paradise (2020)

Uhm Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been, and Cha Seung-won star in Park Hoon-jung’s 2020 South Korean neo-noir crime thriller, Night in Paradise (Korean: 낙원의 밤; RR: Nagwonui bam). On September 3, 2020, it made its global premiere at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. On April 9, 2021, Netflix released it.

8. Love and Leashes (2022)

Based on Gyeoul’s webtoon Moral Sense, Love and Leashes (Korean: 모럴센스, lit. Moral Sense) is a 2022 South Korean romantic comedy film. The movie, which was directed by Park Hyun-jin and starred Seohyun and Lee Jun-young, tells the story of a romance between Ji-hoo—a person who seems faultless on the outside but has secret BDSM desires—and Ji-woo, a capable member of a public relations team who discovers his secret. Valentine’s Day fell on February 11, 2022, when it was made available on Netflix.

9. #Alive (2020)

Cho Il-hyung is the director of the 2020 South Korean post-apocalyptic action horror film #Alive (Korean: #살아있다; RR: #Saraitda). It is based on Matt Naylor’s 2019 script Alone, which is also being adapted into a movie and stars Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye. Naylor co-adapted the script with Cho. The story of the movie centers on a live-streamer of video games who must fight to survive during a zombie apocalypse while living alone in his Seoul apartment. On June 24, 2020, it was made available in South Korea; on September 8, 2020, Netflix made it available worldwide. Reviews from critics were mostly favorable.

10. Sweet & Sour (2021)

Based on Kurumi Inui’s novel Initiation Love, Sweet & Sour (Korean: 새콤달콤; RR: Saekom-Dalkom) is a romantic comedy film released in 2021 in South Korea. Jang Ki-yong, Chae Soo-bin, and Krystal Jung star in Lee Gye-byeok’s film, which tells the tale of a couple that drifts apart. On June 4, 2021, Netflix launched it.

11. Forgotten (2017)

Jang Hang-jun is the writer and director of the 2017 South Korean psychological thriller film Forgotten (Korean: 기억의 밤; RR: Gieokui Bam; lit. “Night of Memory”). Kang Ha-neul and Kim Mu-yeol are the main actors in the movie; Moon Sung-keun and Na Young-hee play minor parts.

12. Carter (2022)

2022 saw the release of Carter, a South Korean action thriller co-written and directed by Jung Byung-gil and Jung Byeong-sik. Joo Won, Lee Sung-jae, Jeong So-ri, and Kim Bo-min are the film’s main stars.

On August 5, 2022, Carter was released by Netflix. Critics gave the film mixed to negative reviews, praising Joo Won’s performance, the action scenes, and the cinematography, but criticizing the screenplay and premise.

13. The Fortress (2017)

Hwang Dong-hyuk is the director of the 2017 South Korean epic historical drama film The Fortress, which stars Kim Yoon-seok and Lee Byung-hun. It is based on Kim Hoon’s novel Namhansanseong.

The movie takes place in 1636, during the Qing invasion of Joseon, when King Injo and his retainers took sanctuary in Namhansanseong stronghold.

14. Svaha: The Sixth Finger

Jang Jae-hyun is the director of the 2019 South Korean mystery thriller Svaha: The Sixth Finger (Korean: 사바하; Hanja: 娑婆訶; RR: Sabaha). The film stars Lee Jung-jae, Park Jeong-min, Lee Jae-in, Jung Jin-young, Jin Seon-kyu, and Lee David. In its first week of release, the movie brought in a total of 840,000 dollars in sales and attracted 1.18 million viewers in its first five days. It raises issues of faith in general while illustrating a mystery concerning a Buddhist group.

15. Tune in for Love (2019)

2019 saw the release of the South Korean romantic drama film Tune in for Love (Korean: 유열의 음악앨범; RR: Yooyeolui Eumakaelbum; lit. Yoo Yeol’s Music Album), starring Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae-in. Director Jung Ji-woo. On August 28, 2019, it was made available on Netflix worldwide. On November 5, 2019, it was released in South Korea.

16. Time to Hunt (2020)

Yoon Sung-hyun is the writer and director of the 2020 South Korean dystopian action thriller film Time to Hunt (Korean: 사냥의 시간; RR: Sanyangui Sigan). It was distributed worldwide on April 23, 2020 by Netflix. The movie, which takes place in a dystopian South Korea, centers on a group of friends who plan a heist and, after they succeed, discover that a mystery assassin is hunting them.

The movie made its world premiere on February 22, 2020, at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival. It was the first South Korean film to be screened in the Berlinale Special section.

17. Space Sweepers (2021)

Starring Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin, Space Sweepers (Korean: 승리호; Hanja: 勝利號; RR: Seungriho; lit. Spaceship Victory) is a 2021 South Korean space western film directed by Jo Sung-hee. Regarded as the first Korean film space blockbuster, it was released straight on Netflix worldwide on February 5, 2021.

After Earth becomes inhospitable in 2092, Tae-ho, Captain Jang, Tiger Park, and an android named Bubs form a crew of space sweepers and dwell on an orbiting planet made by UTS corporation. During their labor, the crew discovers a little robot named Dorothy, who holds a weapon of mass destruction built by the terrorist group “Black Fox”. Their plot is thwarted when UTS soldiers perpetrate a slaughter at the club where the swap was intended to take place, and they end up having to negotiate a ransom for Dorothy’s return. The crew has to deal with their personal issues in addition to navigating the hazardous circumstance.

18. Seoul Vibe (2021)

Seoul Vibe, also known as Seoul Grand Operation (Korean: 서울대작전; romanized as Seouldaejagjeon) is an action comedy film from South Korea released in 2022, directed by Moon Hyun-sung and based on a screenplay by Sua Shin. The film has an ensemble cast lead by Yoo Ah-in, Go Kyung-pyo, Lee Kyu-hyung, Park Ju-hyun and Ong Seong-wu.

Seoul Vibe was released on Netflix on August 26, 2022.

19. Psychokinesis (2018)

Yeon Sang-ho is the writer and director of Psychokinesis, a 2018 South Korean superhero film (Korean: 염력; Hanja: 念늫; RR: Yeomnyeok)[3]. The main cast of the movie includes Kim Min-jae, Jung Yu-mi, Park Jeong-min, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Shim Eun-kyung. After directing his first live-action picture, Train to Busan, in 2016, Yeon Sang-ho is directing his second live-action picture. The story of this first South Korean superhero movie centers on a bank security guard who, after drinking water from a meteor-affected mountain spring, develops telekinetic superpowers. He then vows to utilize these skills to protect his estranged daughter and her neighborhood from a malicious construction business.

20. The Drug King (2018)

Woo Min-ho is the writer and director of the 2018 South Korean crime drama film, The Drug King (Korean: 마약왕; Hanja: 麻藥王; RR: Mayakwang). Song Kang-ho plays Lee Doo-sam, a common small-time drug dealer in Korea in the 1970s who rises to prominence as a notorious drug king. The movie also stars Bae Doona as a lobbyist who helps Lee get into the upper echelons of the drug trade and Jo Jung-suk as a prosecutor from Seoul who is determined to bring Lee down. Yoon Je-moon, Lee Hee-joon, Jo Woo-jin, Yoon Dae-myung, and Kim So-jin are among the other cast members. 2018 saw the movie’s release on December 19.

21. Kingdom: Ashin of the North (series)

The 2019 South Korean period horror streaming television series Kingdom (Korean: 킹덤) is based on the webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods (신의나라:버닝헬), written and directed by Kim Eun-hee and illustrated by Yang Kyung-il. The first Korean original series on Netflix debuted on January 25, 2019. Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, Kim Hye-jun, Ryu Seung-ryong, and Ju Ji-hoon are among its stars. Kim Seong-hun directed the first season’s entirety as well as the first episode of the second; Park In-je helmed the remaining episodes of that season.

Kingdom is a fictional story that takes place in a medieval-inspired Joseon (modern-day Korea) in the sixteenth century, three years after the Imjin War ends. It combines aspects of zombie horror with political thriller. The narrative centers on Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon, who, while trying to learn more about the strange sickness that has been plaguing the King, finds himself sucked into a fatal epidemic that is destroying the Joseon Kingdom. He must prevent his political rivals from taking the throne in addition to attempting to save the Kingdom from the epidemic.

After receiving favorable reviews, the show was given a second season renewal, which premiered on March 13, 2020. Released on July 23, 2021, the special feature-length episode of the show called “Ashin of the North” focused on Jun Ji-hyun’s supporting role. The episode, which serves as a prequel to the second season of Kingdom, delves into the past of Ashin, the enigmatic figure who Lee Chang’s crew met when traveling north to find out where the infected originated.

22. The 8th Night (2021)

Directed by Kim Tae-hyoung for Gom Pictures, The 8th Night (Korean: 제8일의 밤; RR: Je8ileui Bam) is a mystery-thriller film released in 2021 in South Korea and stars Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon, Kim Yoo-jung, and Nam Da-reum. In the movie, a former exorcist fights to prevent the resurrected forms of two enigmatic entities that tortured people and were kept apart in different coffins for two millennia. On July 2, 2021, Netflix launched it and made it available for viewing in 190 countries.

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Every single Korean film demonstrates its distinct narrative and explains why it is considered a masterpiece.