Long before the existence of BTS (I love you, Jungkook!), the Korean movie industry thrived on producing some of the best Korean movies for every type of audience and genre.
With some international fan base today and thanks to international hits like Parasite which won an Oscar, more and more audiences are looking out for the best Korean movies to watch, be it on a chill afternoon or a romantic date night!
Now, the problem is there are too many of the best Korean movies out there, and trying to find something fitting can be a little daunting!
Fret not! As a movie buff myself who is particularly well-versed in Korean movies, I’ve put together a simple guide of the 30 best Korean movies you can watch.
These movies cover various genres and include some old-time gems that I highly recommend you watch! What are you waiting for?
Gaja (가자)!
Table of Contents
1. Jung_E – 2023
Director: Sang-ho Yeon
Duration: 1h 38 min
Main Actors: Kang Soo-youn , Kim Hyun-joo , Ryu Kyung-soo , So-yi Park
Robots and science but Korean? Sign me up!
In this Sci-fi drama, you will follow the main character who navigates a world filled with unsettling moral dilemmas alongside technology and greed and how all these now impact the world at a larger scale.
The late Kang Soo-yeon delivers brilliant acting that will make you feel the grief and perseverance of navigating this changed landscape, which is now heavily influenced by AI tech. It’s not a wonder why this might be one of the best Korean movies to watch if you’re into sci-fi!
2. High Society – 2018
Director: Hyuk Byun
Duration: 1h 38 min
Main Actors: Soo Ae, Park Hae il, Ra Mi-ran
Follow the struggles of this husband-and-wife duo as they try to do whatever they can to climb the societal ladder and belong to the elite class.
The husband, a professor played by Park Hae-il, saves an unfortunate man from a fire and subsequently becomes famous on TV for his kind act. The wife, played by Soo Ae, tries to become an art manager and has an affair with a well-known photographer. Is all this really going to hold their status together?
The movie is tense, glamorous, and elite. If you love dramas like Succession, this should be your go-to.
3. Train to Busan – 2016
Director: Hyuk Byun
Duration: 1h 38 min
Main Actors: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Yeon Sang-ho
Perhaps one of the best Korean movies that propelled the entire industry to international fame is Train to Busan. No, it’s not just another ordinary zombie movie.
A workaholic father travels with her daughter on the train to Busan, on her birthday so that she can celebrate with her mother. Little do they know that the same train is boarded by a sick woman who eventually triggers a series of unfortunate events.
Can the father save his daughter? Is the daughter ever going to see her mom?
Brilliantly directed by Yeon Sang-ho, this zombie movie is definitely going to keep you on the edge of your seat!
4. Tune in for Love – 2019
Director: Jung Ji-woo
Duration: 2h 2 min
Main Actors: Jung Hae-in, Kim Go-eun, Jeong Eu-Gene
In the mood for some love and romance? Tune in for love follows a couple who are navigating their relationship through many ups and downs over the years.
What’s odd and funny is that strange situations always follow them too, not letting either of them catch a break!
Despite that, they search for each other over time, determined to be together. Will their love be stronger and stand the test of time?
Director Jung Ji-woo presents a neatly tied, light, and heartfelt movie brilliantly delivered by both his co-stars. It is definitely one of the best Korean movies in the romance genre out there, perfect for a date night!
5. Midnight – 2021
Director: Kwon Oh seung
Duration: 1h 43 min
Main Actors: Wi Ha-joon, Jin Ki-joo, Jeong Won-chang
If you’re like me and love Squid Games, then chances are Midnight by director Kwon Oh seung will be your favorite too.
Follow a ruthless killer who goes after a deaf lady who accidentally witnesses the killer stabbing someone else. The deaf woman now becomes the serial killer’s target and both her mother and brother tries to protect her – but can they escape the killer’s madness?
Wi Ha-joon delivers an outstanding performance, keeping you at the edge of your seat with so much suspense. Definitely worth watching!
6. Love and Leashes – 2022
Director: Hyeon-jin Park
Duration: 1h 58 min
Main Actors: Seohyun, Lee Jun-young
The Korean movie industry produces some of the best Korean romantic movies and series, but this one is truly extraordinary.
The story follows Ji-woo who is introduced to the world of BDSM through her colleague Ji-hoo. Although it discusses BDSM, the movie has taken a genuine approach to educating its audience and erasing the stigma that is often associated with it.
By featuring values like being respectful, Love and Leashes definitely differentiated itself(successfully) when compared to movies like 50 Shades of Grey.
If you want a feel-good rom-com with a twist then this will surely be a hit!
7. The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil – 2019
Director: Hyeon-jin Park
Duration: 1h 58 min
Main Actors: Seohyun , Lee Jun-young
Another dark thriller on the list, this movie follows an unfortunate serial killer who rear-ends a car with a mob leader, played by Don-Lee. Staying true to his MO, the killer who usually attacks random victims will end up stabbing him or her to death.
But in this instance, does he actually kill the mob boss? Enter a rogue cop who has been chasing after the killer.
Will the mob boss and the rogue cop catch the killer together, or will someone get to him first?
8. Unlocked – 2023
Director: Hyeon-jin Park
Duration: 1h 58 min
Main Actors: Seohyun , Lee Jun-young
Lee-Na Mi is manipulated by the sinister Oh Jun-Yeong after accidentally dropping her phone in the bus. Oh installs spyware on her phone which unravels all of her life’s secrets. What will you finally learn about Na Mi’s life?
Director Tae-joon Kim creates a fast-paced movie full of drama before beautifully unveiling another shocking twist, you can only find out if you watch the ending of this movie!
9. Past Lives – 2023
Director: Celine Song
Duration: 1h 46 min
Main Actors: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Two childhood friends grow distanced in their relationship and live across the globe from each other. But years later, they reconnect and realize that their lives just can’t quite reconnect.
After another stretch of time, they reconnect and find themselves trying to learn and explore what the distance in their friendship has done for them as well as their relationship.
A directional debut, this one-of-a-kind best Korean movie on a friendship theme is rare and delivered very beautifully by Celine Song. If you’re in the mood for a light-hearted movie, this should be your go-to!
10. Kill Boksoon – 2023
Director: Byun Sung-hyun
Duration: 1h 46 min
Main Actors: Esom, Lee Yeon, Jeon Do-yeon
Mother and assasin? Take my money!
Kill Boksoon follows a female assassin played by Jeon Do-yeon who has never missed a target ever.
But as a mother, she has grown weary of the only thing that she would truly give her life for her daughter. Unfortunately, the people whom she works for are now turning on her and leaving her only one choice: kill or be killed. Can she keep her daughter safe and her bosses happy?
Delivered cinematically, every kick, punch, and stab scene has been crafted beautifully to match the likes of a Western movie. No wonder it is one of the best Korean movies you can watch!
11. Burning – 2018
Director: Byun Sung-hyun
Duration: 1h 46 min
Main Actors: Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo, Yoo Ah-in
Jong-su and Hae-mi once childhood friends, run into each other after a long time. Just before she takes a trip to Africa, the duo hooks up.
Jong-su on the other hand agrees to cat-sit during the trip and does some unpleasant things in her home while thinking of her. Hae-mi returns to South Korea but with someone she met during her trip.
All three spend time together and slowly the man that Hae-mi met starts revealing his disturbing little hobby. What is that hobby that causes this much tension? One of the best Korean movies to watch if you want some over-edge suspense and chilling revelations!
12. I Saw The Devil – 2010
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Duration: 2h 22 min
Main Actors: Kim Jee-woon, Choi Min-sik, Lee Byung-hun
Secret Service agent Soo-hyun gets unfortunate news that his pregnant wife is murdered, in a gruesome way. When her head is discovered in a local river, he vows to catch the killer and make him suffer.
And so when he finally discovers who did it, he takes torture to the next level. He plants a GPS capsule and lets the murderer get away only to ensure a cat-and-mouse game!
Brilliantly captured by director Kim Jee-woon, this movie is so famous that it is one of the best Korean movies that was even translated into French!
13. Miracle in Cell No. 7 – 2013
Director: Lee Hwan-kyung
Duration: 2h 7 min
Main Actors: Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won, Park Shin-hye
Get your tissues ready because this one will definitely get to you. When a mentally challenged father, Yong-Goo is wrongfully accused and imprisoned for murder, his chance to be with his daughter is now non-existent.
Yong-Goo, however, happens to save gang leader Yang-ho. Yang-ho’s gratitude is only aptly repaid by smuggling his daughter into a special cell. But how is he going to do it?
14. The Beauty Inside – 2015
Director: Baik
Duration: 2h 7 min
Main Actors: Han Hyo-joo, Park Seo-joon, Lee Dong-wook
This is one of the best Korean movies in the romance genre that I’ve watched despite the fact that it’s slightly older. It follows an 18-year-old Woo-jin with a rare condition who wakes up as a different person every day.
He could wake up as a foreigner one day, a woman next or even a child on the third day! As he is a furniture maker, he’s able to hide his condition from the world.
However, that’s short-lived as Yi-soo starts working at the furniture store. They embark on a relationship from then on, but what will that relationship entail?
The director delivers just the right amount of suspense keeping you forever guessing throughout the movie.
15. Lucid Dream – 2017
Director: Jun-sung Kim
Duration: 1h 41 min
Main Actors: Go Soo, Sol Kyung-gu, Kang Hye-jung
If you love films like Interstellar or Inception, You’d immediately like Lucid Dream. This movie is about a successful investigative journalist who is looking for his kidnapped son.
Since this has been going on for three years, the father played by Go Soon, eventually turns to lucid dreams to try to find his son. Will his dreams show him the right path to his son?
Director Joon-Sung Kim presents a beautifully emotional movie weaved with a sci-fi theme and does so incredibly.
16. Decision to Leave – 2022
Director: Park Chan-wook
Duration: 2h 18 min
Main Actors: Tang Wei, Teo Yoo, Hae il Park
It’s hard to categorize this best Korean movie as a romantic movie because it is equally filled with suspense and elements of a thriller.
Follow Hae-jun, a detective who is investigating the death of a mountain climber who has an eye for his grieving widow, Seo-rae, played by Tang Wei.
The problem is the widow becomes the main suspect in his investigation and Hae-jun is so engulfed in this romance that he can’t seem to separate both of them.
Director Park Chan-wook intelligently delivers sadness, love, romance, and suspense with beautiful shots throughout the movie. You will definitely be in a guessing game.
17. Parasite – 2019
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Duration: 2h 12 min
Main Actors: Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Park So-dam
Perhaps even more famous than Train to Busan, Parasite is one of the best Korean movies you must watch.
This movie successfully gave the Korean movie industry the international fame it deserved.
The first non-English movie to win an Oscar, Parasite, is about a family living a parasitic life when their son starts working for a very wealthy family. Slowly, they start to take over the family, and when desires are sky-high, things start to take an ugly turn.
Will the family actually become the ‘elites’ they supposedly aim to be?
18. 20th Century Girl – 2022
Director: Bang Woo-ri
Duration: 1h 59 min
Main Actors: Kim Yoo-jung, Byeon Woo-seok, Roh Yoon-seo
This movie follows Na Bo-ra, a kind and sweet teenager with a whimsical and creative imagination. While helping a friend keep tabs on one of the most popular boys in school, she cannot help but be swept off her feet.
Since the movie is set around year 99, it explores the naive ways in which Na Bo-ra keeps up with love, life, and friendship. It is another best Korean movie that you must watch with a friendship theme.
19. The Truth Beneath – 2018
Director: Lee Kyoung-mi
Duration: 1h 42 min
Main Actors: Son Ye-jin, Kim Joo-hyuk, Kim So-hee
A rising politician, Kim Jong-chan loses his daughter two weeks prior to the election. His wife, Kim Yeon-hong is not completely trusting the police to find her daughter and so embarks on her own investigative journey in order to find her missing child.
Little does she know that the entire situation is almost planned to make sure that her family is constantly kept in the news cycle.
Will she ever find her daughter and break free of this conspiracy? And who is actually behind her daughter’s disappearance?
20. The Handmaiden – 2016
Director: Park Chan-wook
Duration: 2h 24 min
Main Actors: Kim Tae-ri, Kim Min-hee, Ha Jung-woo
An adaptation of the English novel Fingersmith, The Handmaiden is one of the best Korean movies for those who like puzzles.
The movie follows Count Fujiwara, who hatches a grand plan to marry the Japanese heiress and embezzle her fortune. To do so, he hires a pickpocket, played by Kim Tae-ri.
Unfortunately for the count, his plan definitely takes a complete turn when the pickpocket and the heiress start to bond.
Is the count ever going to succeed with his plan? Intelligently directed by Park Chan-wook, this movie presents multiple twists and crosses and will keep you highly entertained.
21. On your Wedding Day – 2018
Director: Lee Seok Geun
Duration: 1h 50 min
Main Actors: Park Bo-young, Kim Young-kwang, Kang Ki-young
A wedding invitation from your high-school sweetheart? That’s what Hwan Seung-hee receives from Woo-yeon. The film then follows him reminiscing all the trouble he goes through to try and win his ex-girlfriend’s heart over the years.
Does Hwan Seung go to the wedding finally? You’ll only find out if you watch it!
The director explores the love and friendship theme beautifully in one of the best Korean movies made about old-time lovers. If you’ve ever fallen in love with a friend, this will be highly relatable.
22. Night in Paradise – 2021
Director: Park Hoon-jung
Duration: 2h 11 min
Main Actors: Jeon Yeo-been, Uhm Tae-goo, Cha Seung-won
This story follows a mobster who loses his entire family after declining the offer to join his rivals, the Bukseong gang.
As revenge, he retaliates and kills all the men responsible for the murder of his family and flees to the beautiful Jeju Island. He then meets Kim Jae-yeon, who is on a time crunch literally thanks to her terminal illness. The two forge a unique bond.
However, he does not know that he is being followed by the gang in Jeju and hunted down. Can he save Kim Jae-yeon, unlike his family?
This is one of the best Korean movies that centers around revenge in the past few years.
23. Space Sweepers – 2021
Director: Jo Sung-hee
Duration: 2h 16 min
Main Actors: Anupam Tripathi, Kim Tae-ri, Carla Fernanda
Another space sci-fi on this list, this time it is set in the year 2092 when Earth is no longer uninhabitable and everyone leaves for different planets to continue living.
A big corporation, however, builds an orbiting structure that will only allow selected citizens to live in the constructed utopia. Of course, this is only open to the wealthy and disregards Space Sweepers, a group of people who make a living by sweeping and selling debris from around the Earth.
The only way these Space sweepers get a chance is after finding a girl highly desired by the corporation. Will they sell the girl to get a chance to live in the utopia? Or will their desire get the better of them?
24. Okja – 2017
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Duration: 2h
Main Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Steven Yeun, Seo-Hyeon Ahn
While Okja is predominantly in English, it definitely has roots in Korean cinema. The story follows a young girl by the name of Mija who care takes of her companion, Okja a huge animal resembling a pig, at her home in the mountains of Korea.
However, conflict arises when a multinational company makes a move to take Okja to New York. This is all for an obsessed CEO who has some plans with Okja.
Mija on the other hand, wants nothing but to save her best friend from any calamity. Can a lone girl do it all?
25. Psychokinesis – 2018
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Duration: 1h 41 min
Main Actors: Jung Yu-mi, Park Jeong-min, Ryu Seung-ryong
Want a Korean superhero movie? Here it is: Psychokinesis is about an ordinary security guard who is probably the last person you’d imagine as a superhero.
Things take a turn, however, when a large meteor shower grants him the power of telekinesis. With his newfound power, he tries to help his daughter save her business, which is threatened by a mob-controlled construction company. Will he be successful with an added advantage?
This movie, directed by the famous Yeon Sang-ho, who made Train to Busan, promises a lot of comedy and action.
But is it one of the best Korean movies with a superhero theme? You be the judge of it!
26. Always – 2011
Director: Song Il-gon
Duration: 1h 48 min
Main Actors: So Ji-sub, Han Hyo-joo, Cheol min Park
A former boxer and a visually impaired woman connect in the most interesting way. The former boxer who is now a parking lot attendant is visited by a blind woman to watch TV.
But above all, it is the woman’s cheerful spirit that smitten the boxer, and soon enough, they form a beautiful relationship. Their happiness, however, is rather short-lived.
What can cause this nonthreatening couple to end their relationship? This movie may sound simple, but it is intense and full of suspense while successfully remaining heartwarming. It is definitely a must-watch, the best Korean movie, although it is slightly older!
27. Wish You – 2021
Director: Do Joon Sung
Duration: 1h 37 min
Main Actors: Kang In-soo, Lee Sang, Park Subin
Yoon San-yi a full-time keyboardist with a major record company discovers a street musician Kang In-soo after stumbling upon his YouTube channel.
San-yi then recommends In-soo to his company, and he gets hired. Upon starting his new career, both of them live together in their company dorm.
They start catching feelings for each other but have to constantly face the ups and downs of a same-gender relationship and love. Will their love stand up to societal expectations?
The director delivers a realistic romantic movie that involves boys and still will tug at your heartstrings. A must-watch if you love the best Korean movies in the romance genre.
28. Love 911 – 2012
Director: Jeong Gi-Hun
Duration: 2h
Main Actors: Go Soo, Han Hyo-joo, Ma Dong-seok
A widowed rescue firefighter is summoned by a doctor in the general hospital when she learns that he can potentially become a character witness for a misdiagnosis she delivered for one of her patients.
Later in the movie, the doctor goes to great lengths to get the firefighter to agree—she even volunteers as a paramedic. However, through their dangerous work, they forge a unique bond.
But can their love be strong enough to break through the firefighters’ grief, or even the doctor’s ulterior motive?
29. The Drug King – 2018
Director: Woo Min-ho
Duration: 2h 19 min
Main Actors: Kang ho Song, Jo Jung-suk, Bae Doona
A star-studded film, The Drug King follows Lee Doo-sam, played by Song Kang-ho, a small-time drug dealer who goes on to become a famous drug kingpin.
Bae, played by Bae Doona, is influential and has many social connections and eventually falls in love with Doo-sam. He goes on to help Doo-sam to gain control and power.
How long will Doo-sam continue his smuggling career, what’s more with a prosecutor on his tail?
Based on a real-life story, director Woo Min-ho delivers the perfect action movie with a wonderful cast.
30. #Alive – 2020
Director: Il Cho
Duration: 1h 38 min
Main Actors: Park Shin-hye, Yoo Ah-in, So Hee-Jung
Will zombie movies ever become too boring? Hell no! #Alive follows the story of Oh Joon-woo and Kim Yoo-bin both survivors of an apocalypse.
Joon-woo a game streamer is stranded in his apartment and connects with Yoo-bin from the apartment building across his home. Together, they help each other navigate the isolation and share whatever hope is left to survive this calamity.
This will hit home with most audiences as each of us spent time during the Covid lockdowns. Delivered beautifully, the movie highlights the human bond and values that we all share.
31. Sweet & Sour – 2021
Director: Lee Gae-byok
Duration: 1h 41 min
Main Actors: Krystal Jung, Jang Ki-yong, Chae Soo-bin
Watch a realistic movie depicting Da-eun and Jang-hyeok, a nurse and engineer, respectively, navigating their relationship while trying to live their lives as young people.
All is well in their relationship until Jang-hyeok starts commuting long hours to a new job, which strains the relationship. He also bonds with a female coworker in the office.
Will their love stand the test of all these real-life pressures?
The director and writer of this movie have been lauded for bringing real-life crises into cinema, showing their audience that this is all part and parcel of life.
