Top Korean movies I've Seen
by anusince87 | created - 08 Jul 2011 | updated - 01 Feb 2020 | PublicIt is the list of top Korean movies I've seen over the years. The list has an eclectic mix of various genres.
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1. 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: 10,129
Keulraesik
2. Ahobsal insaeng (2004)
105 min | Drama
A life of nine year old... It ain't an easy life! Yeo-min is a matured and thoughtful 9 year old boy who lives in a small mountain village. Even at his young age, he has too many things to ... See full summary »
Director: In-ho Yun | Stars: Seok Kim, Lee Se-yeong, Myeong-jae Kim, Ah-hyeon Na
Votes: 439
3. 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: 41,071 | Gross: $1.11M
Tae-guk-gi
4. Hope (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
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.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Lee Re, Sol Kyung-gu, Uhm Ji-won, Kim Hae-sook
Votes: 9,652
Wish
5. 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: 50,478
6. 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: 34,193
7. 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: 216,211 | Gross: $0.01M
8. 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: 258,499 | Gross: $2.13M
9. The Host (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
A monster emerges from Seoul's Han River and begins attacking people. One victim's loving family does what it can to rescue her from its clutches.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-Bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona
Votes: 132,678 | Gross: $2.20M
10. 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: 958,752 | Gross: $53.37M
11. Daisy (2006)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
About a tragic love triangle story involving young painter Hye-young, Interpol detective Jeong Woo, and professional hitman Park Yi.
Director: Andrew Lau | Stars: Jun Ji-hyun, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-jae, Sara Bernardo Aires
Votes: 6,679
Daisy
12. Art of Seduction (2005)
Not Rated | 100 min | Comedy, Romance
Min-jun and Ji-won are first-rate "players" who are used to getting their way in the field of love and sex, until they run into each other. Let the games begin.
Director: Ki-hwan Oh | Stars: Son Ye-jin, Song Il-guk, Geum Bo-ra, Seong-cheol Ha
Votes: 1,528
13. 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: 72,746
14. The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)
R | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1940s Manchuria and their rivalry to possess a treasure map while being pursued by the Japanese army and Chinese bandits.
Director: Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung, Yun Je-mun
Votes: 37,928 | Gross: $0.13M
15. Silmido (2003)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Drama
Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the ... See full summary »
Director: Kang Woo-suk | Stars: Ahn Sung-ki, Sol Kyung-gu, Huh Joon-ho, Jeong Jae-yeong
Votes: 4,728
16. 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: 635,549 | Gross: $0.71M
17. 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: 146,147 | Gross: $0.13M
18. 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: 7,934 | Gross: $1.90M
19. 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: 31,176 | Gross: $1.53M
20. Deranged (2012)
Not Rated | 109 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
People binge eat and suffer from extreme thirst, which leads them to go crazy for water. They cannot control themselves because they are brainwashed by a parasite.
Director: Jeong-woo Park | Stars: Kim Myung-min, Moon Jeong-Hee, Kim Dong-wan, Lee Hanee
Votes: 3,263
21. The Warrior (2001)
R | 158 min | Action, Drama, History
1375. Nine Koryo warriors, envoys exiled by Imperial China, battle to protect a Chinese Ming Princess from Mongolian troops.
Director: Kim Sung-su | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Ahn Sung-ki, Ju Jin-mo, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 11,264
Musa
22. 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: 71,619 | Gross: $0.55M
23. 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: 23,949
24. 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: 172,603 | Gross: $2.01M
25. 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: 12,632 | Gross: $0.09M
26. 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: 81,898
27. 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: 25,558
28. 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: 7,533
Welcome to Dongmakgol
29. Too Beautiful to Lie (2004)
115 min | Comedy, Romance
While a man is out of town, a con-woman claims to be his fiancée and moves in with his family.
Director: Hyeong-jun Bae | Stars: Kim Ha-neul, Gang Dong-won, Song Jae-ho, Kim Jee-young
Votes: 1,969
30. Hot for Teacher (2006)
109 min | Comedy
At a Christian boys high school, a new trainee teacher gains attention. She's set to teach dance to three students for an upcoming festival. Rumors spread of an affair between her and a student.
Director: Yoo-sung Kim | Stars: Kim Sa-rang, Jun Gyu Park, Hyeok-jae Lee, Haha
Votes: 1,062
Who slept with her
31. 3-Iron (2004)
R | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Lee Seung-yun, Jae Hee, Hyuk-ho Kwon, Joo Jin-mo
Votes: 58,254 | Gross: $0.24M
32. 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: 68,256
33. Friend (2001)
Not Rated | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Four childhood friends go their separate ways, two go off to college while the others become rival gangsters.
Director: Kyung-taek Kwak | Stars: Yu Oh-seong, Jang Dong-Gun, Seo Tae-hwa, Un-taek Jeong
Votes: 5,321
34. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
R | 103 min | Drama, Romance
A boy is raised by a Buddhist monk in an isolated floating temple where the years pass like the seasons.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Kim Ki-duk, Oh Yeong-su, Jong-ho Kim, Kim Young-min
Votes: 86,805 | Gross: $2.38M
35. 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: 11,546 | Gross: $0.69M
36. The Tower (2012)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A Christmas Eve party at a luxury residential building takes a horrific turn when a fire breaks out.
Director: Ji-hoon Kim | Stars: Kim Sang-kyung, Sol Kyung-gu, Son Ye-jin, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 6,816
37. 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: 86,083 | Gross: $0.21M
Sympathy for lady vengeance
38. 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: 76,286 | Gross: $0.72M
39. The Silenced (2015)
99 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A girl is transferred to a mysterious boarding school, where she is forced to discover its secrets to survive.
Director: Hae-Young Lee | Stars: Joo Bo-bi, Park Bo-young, Kim Dong-hyeon, Uhm Ji-won
Votes: 3,840
40. Someone Special (2004)
107 min | Comedy, Romance
A struggling for love, Baseball players discovers he has terminal illness and meets a girl who has had a crush on him since times immemorial. The twists and turns of events bring them together.
Director: Jin Jang | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Lee Na-young, Jeong Gyu-su, Kim Hye-jung
Votes: 1,139
41. Windstruck (2004)
123 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The heart-warming romance story between Kyungjin and Myungwoo. Even though he has passed away, he will be always with Kyungwoo forever.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Jun Ji-hyun, Jang Hyuk, Kim Soo-ro, Lee Ki-woo
Votes: 7,708
42. Yeon-ae-geu-cham-eul-soo-eop-neun-ga-byeo-woom (2006)
125 min | Comedy, Romance
A young man is forced by convention to grow up, marry and abandon his friends and lover.
Director: Kim Hae-gon | Stars: Bo-eun Choi, Oh Dal-su, Yeong-gwang Han, Jin-young Jang
Votes: 147
43. Il Mare (2000)
105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
In 1999, a voice actor moves from Il Mare, a seaside house, and leaves a Christmas card in its (magical) mailbox. An architecture student receives it in 1997, and a friendship separated by 2 years begins.
Director: Hyun-seung Lee | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, Mu-saeng Kim, Jo Seung-yeon
Votes: 9,457
44. Sex Is Zero (2002)
96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
At a South Korean university most students are busy having a good time. A 28 y.o. and his horny friends are always getting into hilarious situations. He likes a much younger, pretty girl but she likes someone else.
Director: JK Youn | Stars: Chang Jung Lim, Ha Ji-Won, Choi Seong-guk, Chae-yeong Yu
Votes: 6,536
45. Time (2006)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
To save her relationship, a woman puts herself through extensive plastic surgery.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Park Ji-yeon, Baek Gwang-Doo, Jung Gyu-woon
Votes: 12,876 | Gross: $0.01M
Shi gan
46. Shiri (1999)
R | 125 min | Action, Thriller
South Korean agents Ryu and Lee are tracking a female assassin from North Korea who has mysteriously disappeared. With new killings and the theft of a deadly bomb, time is running out to catch her.
Director: Kang Je-kyu | Stars: Han Suk-kyu, Choi Min-sik, Yunjin Kim, Song Kang-ho
Votes: 8,576 | Gross: $0.10M
Shiri
47. A Millionaire's First Love (2006)
116 min | Drama, Romance
Jae-Kyung (Hyun-Bin ) is a tough guy, who is a high school senior,If he turns 19 years means, he could be a millionaire by inheriting his deceased grandfather's wealth. Unfortunately his ... See full summary »
Director: Tae-gyun Kim | Stars: Hyun Bin, Yong-joon Cho, Park Jin-young, Lim Ju-hwan
Votes: 5,390
48. Open City (2008)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Crime
Baek Jang-Mi is the female leader of an international pickpocket gang. Her target is to broaden her territory to outside Seoul. She disguises as a tattooist as a cover. After a number of ... See full summary »
Director: Sang-gi Lee | Stars: Son Ye-jin, Kim Myung-min, Kim Byeong-Ok, Son Byung-ho
Votes: 856
49. 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
50. 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: 74,830 | Gross: $0.01M
51. 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004)
95 min | Comedy, Romance
A cute, poor, Korean high school senior's dumped by her boyfriend so she kicks a beer can hitting a handsome driver, who "crashes" his convertible. He insists on 3M won/USD3000 in damages. She can work it off over 100 days. Comedy follows.
Directors: Jo Byung-Suk, Shin Jae Ho, Shin Jai-Ho, Dong-yeob Shin, Shin Dong Yeop | Stars: Kim Jae-won, Ha Ji-Won, Jin Tae-hyun, Min Han
Votes: 3,282
52. 200 Pounds Beauty (2006)
Not Rated | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A talented but obese girl, who ghost-sings for a not-so-talented pop star, undergoes extensive plastic surgery to become a slender beauty with a new identity.
Director: Yong-hwa Kim | Stars: Ju Jin-mo, Kim Ah-jung, Sung Dong-il, Kim Hyun-sook
Votes: 8,811
53. My Girl and I (2005)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Romance
Beautiful student Su-Eun prevents her fellow student Su-Ho to drown in the ocean. Su-Ho however, does not know who saved him, until Su-Eun tells him after a while. The love between them ... See full summary »
Director: Yun-su Jeon | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Song Hye-kyo, Song Chang-ui, Moon Jeong-Hee
Votes: 2,737
54. My Little Bride (2004)
Not Rated | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teenage girl tries to continue her normal social and school life, after her grandfather forces her into an arranged marriage with a man in his twenties.
Director: Ho-joon Kim | Stars: Kim Rae-won, Moon Geun-young, Ahn Sun-yeong, Kim Bo-kyung
Votes: 5,933
55. 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: 75,118 | Gross: $0.05M
56. 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: 51,395 | Gross: $0.30M
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