Best Korean Movies
by loopy93 | created - 02 Apr 2012 | updated - 15 Jan 2014 | PublicI'm Korean, and I live in South Korea, and these movies are what I think best Korean made movies.
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1. 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 find his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 632,590 | Gross: $0.71M
2. 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: 85,781 | Gross: $0.21M
3. 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: 74,850 | Gross: $0.05M
4. 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: 68,038
5. 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: 4,709
6. 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: 41,009 | Gross: $1.11M
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: 214,633 | Gross: $0.01M
8. 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: 34,018
9. 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: 8,549 | Gross: $0.10M
10. Tidal Wave (2009)
R | 120 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A woman named Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won) lives in Busan with her boyfriend Man-sik (Sol Kyung-gu) near Haeundae Beach. But, when they find out a tsunami will hit the city, They realize they only have 10 minutes to escape!
Director: JK Youn | Stars: Kim Yoo-jung, Lee Min-ki, Ha Ji-Won, Uhm Junghwa
Votes: 5,137
11. 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: 132,213 | Gross: $2.20M
12. Aimless Bullet (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.
Director: Yu Hyun-mok | Stars: Mu-ryong Choi, Jin Kyu Kim, Jeong-suk Moon, Ae-ja Seo
Votes: 778
13. Sopyonje (1993)
112 min | Drama, Music
Despite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Kim Myung-gon, Jung-hae Oh, Kim Kyu-chul, Sae-kil Shin
Votes: 1,110
14. The Way Home (2002)
PG | 80 min | Drama
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.
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Eul-boon Kim, Hyo-hee Dong, Kyung-hyun Min
Votes: 5,873 | Gross: $0.44M
15. 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: 86,602 | Gross: $2.38M
16. Christmas in August (1998)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Romance
Hahn Suk-Kyu suffers from a fatal disease. He meets Shim Eun-Ha and falls in love with her. Will their love story have a tragic ending?
Director: Hur Jin-ho | Stars: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Eun-ha, Shin Goo, Oh Ji-hye
Votes: 3,901
17. Our Twisted Hero (1992)
119 min | Drama
A fifth-grade classroom takes on a political structure which reflects Korea's history of coups and dictatorial regimes.
Director: Jong-won Park | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Hong Kyoung-in, Shin Goo, Hyeong-gi Ahn
Votes: 255
18. Scandal Makers (2008)
108 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A radio DJ/entertainer in his 30s suddenly learns he may be a grandfather, thanks to a young girl who has a baby son and claims to be his daughter.
Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Park Bo-young, Il-Kwon Ahn, Kim Hye-jin
Votes: 4,369
19. Radio Star (2006)
112 min | Comedy, Drama
Once a superstar with a music award on his belt, rocker CHOI Gon now sings in a run-down café. But an incident with one of the guests at the café has him end up locked behind bars. His ... See full summary »
Director: Joon-ik Lee | Stars: Joong-Hoon Park, Ahn Sung-ki, Choi Jeong-yun, Jang-Su Bae
Votes: 469
20. The King and the Clown (2005)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, History
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.
Director: Joon-ik Lee | Stars: Kam Woo-seong, Jung Jin-young, Kang Seong-yeon, Lee Joon-gi
Votes: 5,964
21. 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: 72,448
22. Peppermint Candy (1999)
Not Rated | 129 min | Drama
Following a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Yeo-jin, Moon So-ri, Se-beom Park
Votes: 10,746
23. 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: 71,319 | Gross: $0.55M
24. 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: 74,604 | Gross: $0.01M
25. 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, Tae-hwa Seo, Un-taek Jeong
Votes: 5,317
26. My Dear Desperado (2010)
105 min | Comedy
An unlikely romance brews between Dong-chu, a tough-acting thug with a tender heart, and his bookish, and recently single, IT consultant neighbor, Se-jin.
Director: Kwang-shik Kim | Stars: Lee Chae-eun, Won-tae Choi, Choi Gwi-hwa, Jeong In-gi
Votes: 584
27. Attack the Gas Station (1999)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Crime
Four disaffected youths rob a gas station but find their plans complicated and sidetracked before the night is through.
Director: Sang-Jin Kim | Stars: Lee Sung-jae, Yu Oh-seong, Kang Seong-jin, Yoo Ji-tae
Votes: 4,536
28. Masquerade (2012)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, History
A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
Director: Chang-min Choo | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 7,414 | Gross: $0.92M
29. Pieta (2012)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Jo Min-soo, Lee Jung-Jin, Woo Ki-hong, Eunjin Kang
Votes: 15,724 | Gross: $0.02M
30. Late Blossom (2011)
118 min | Drama, Romance
The lives of two couples who live in the same neighborhood.
Director: Chang-min Choo | Stars: Lee Soon-jae, So-jeong Yun, Song Jae-ho, Kim Su-Mi
Votes: 561
31. Tazza: The High Rollers (2006)
139 min | Comedy, Crime
A guy with a talent for cards makes his way into the dangerous world of underground gambling in this crime thriller from South Korea. Go-ni (Jo Seung-woo) is a small-town guy with a big ... See full summary »
Director: Dong-hoon Choi | Stars: Cho Seung-woo, Baek Yun-shik, Kim Hye-su, Yoo Hae-jin
Votes: 2,802
32. Breathless (2008)
Not Rated | 130 min | Crime, Drama
A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
Director: Yang Ik-joon | Stars: Kkobbi Kim, Hwan Lee, Yang Ik-joon, Jeong-soon Park
Votes: 5,551
33. Oasis (2002)
133 min | Drama, Romance
An irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Moon So-ri, Ahn Nae-sang, Ryu Seung-wan
Votes: 10,349
34. Marathon (2005)
117 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
An autistic boy discovers he has a talent for running and with the help of the mother participates in a major marathon.
Director: Yoon-Chul Jung | Stars: Cho Seung-woo, Kim Mi-sook, Lee Ki-young, Baek Sung-hyun
Votes: 2,495
35. 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: 7,524
36. Secret Sunshine (2007)
Not Rated | 142 min | Drama
A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Lee Dong-yong, Lee Hee-joon
Votes: 9,507
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