South Korean movies I've seen
by Shmotzy | created - 08 Apr 2014 | updated - 22 Feb 2020 | PublicThis was a request from a friend who wanted to see how many korean films i've seen. I don't think its a large amount. And honestly I think I've only added personal favourites
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1. 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: 74,614 | Gross: $0.01M
Great Action thriller.
2. 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: 145,504 | Gross: $0.13M
Beautifully done Revenge flick.
3. Castaway on the Moon (2009)
PG-13 | 116 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A failed suicide attempt leads a heartbroken man to live a life in the wilderness.
Director: Lee Hae-jun | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Jung Ryeo-won, Yeong-seo Park, Yang Mi-kyeong
Votes: 19,660
One of my favourites in the past decade.
4. Save the Green Planet! (2003)
Not Rated | 118 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Byeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.
Director: Joon-Hwan Jang | Stars: Shin Ha-kyun, Baek Yun-shik, Hwang Jung-min, Lee Jae-yong
Votes: 8,679 | Gross: $0.01M
Korean Wierdness
5. 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: 74,859 | Gross: $0.05M
first part of the thematical Revenge Triology from Chan-Wook Park
6. 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: 632,698 | Gross: $0.71M
7. 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: 85,796 | Gross: $0.21M
8. 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: 68,045
9. Failan (2001)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Romance
A marriage of convenience between a petty gangster and an illegal immigrant he has never met has unforeseen consequences for them both.
Director: Hae-sung Song | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Cecilia Cheung, Son Byung-ho, Kong Hyeong-jin
Votes: 6,205
10. Crying Fist (2005)
134 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Tae Sik, a troubled middle aged man and Sang Hwan, a troubled youth will meet in the ring with their respective mission. To change their life.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-beom, Jeong-ah Bae, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 3,125
11. 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: 86,610 | Gross: $2.38M
12. The Unjust (2010)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the most probable serial killer suspect dies and the case looks like it's reached a dead end, police brass decide to create a killer - and anyone will do.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, Ryu Seung-beom, Yoo Hae-jin, Chun Ho-jin
Votes: 2,537
13. 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: 50,370
14. 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: 10,097
15. Secret Reunion (2010)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
A fired South Korean agent and a deserted North Korean spy meet by chance after six years and start a business partnership, each with the intention of stealing information from the other.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Ko Chang-seok, Yun-seo Choi
Votes: 4,299
16. The City of Violence (2006)
92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After their childhood friend is murdered, a two-man martial arts army beats a path to the perp.
Director: Ryu Seung-wan | Stars: Ryu Seung-wan, Lee Beom-su, Kim Byeong-Ok, Baek Dong-hyeon
Votes: 4,765
17. A Bittersweet Life (2005)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Things go wrong for a high ranking mobster when he doesn't follow his boss's orders.
Directors: Jung Doo Hong, Jee-woon Kim | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Kim Yeong-cheol, Hwang Jung-min
Votes: 42,808
Pure masterclass cinema
18. 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: 37,840 | Gross: $0.13M
19. 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
20. 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: 72,458
21. 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: 214,706 | Gross: $0.01M
22. 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: 51,236 | Gross: $0.30M
23. Bedevilled (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A woman subject to mental, physical and sexual abuse on a remote island seeks a way out.
Director: Cheol-soo Jang | Stars: Seo Yeong-hie, Ji Seong-won, Min-ho Hwang, Min Je
Votes: 16,963
International title to this insane film is Bedevilled
24. 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: 23,854
25. Running Turtle (2009)
117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Jo Pil-seong, a rural detective, is an unhappy husband, often blamed by his older wife for gambling. Despite her being hard on him, he steals money from her to bet on bull butting. ... See full summary »
Director: Yeon-woo Lee | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Seon Woo-seon, Gyeon Mi-ri
Votes: 676
26. 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
27. Seven Days (2007)
Not Rated | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A successful lawyer who, in order to save her daughter, is pressured into defending the innocence of a man slated to receive the death penalty.
Director: Won Shin-yeon | Stars: Yunjin Kim, Kim Mi-sook, Park Hee-soon, Choi Moo-seong
Votes: 2,013
28. Rough Cut (2008)
Not Rated | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A gangster who wants to be an actor; an actor more gangster than anything. Here their paths and lives begin to cross.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: So Ji-seob, Ko Chang-seok, Jang Hie-jin, Kang Ji-hwan
Votes: 2,992
29. Haunters (2010)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Cho-In can control other people's minds when they are within his field of sight.Except one man.
Director: Min-suk Kim | Stars: Gang Dong-won, Go Soo, Jung Eun-chae, Choi Deok-moon
Votes: 1,856
30. A Dirty Carnival (2006)
Not Rated | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A small time thug collecting debts for the local triad is torn between his criminal aspirations and his devotion to family.
Director: Ha Yoo | Stars: Zo In-sung, Chun Ho-jin, Min Nam-koong, Lee Bo-young
Votes: 9,216
31. The Yellow Sea (2010)
R | 136 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the attempt to kill a professor goes wrong, a series of violent events are triggered which force a taxi driver to run for his life.
Director: Na Hong-jin | Stars: Lee Yoo-mi, Ha Jung-woo, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Yoon-seok
Votes: 22,880
32. 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
33. Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)
Not Rated | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
On the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.
Director: Yoon Jong-bin | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ha Jung-woo, Cho Jin-woong, Ma Dong-seok
Votes: 7,257
34. Fighter in the Wind (2004)
Not Rated | 120 min | Action, Biography, Drama
It is a Korean boy who went to Japan and started to learn Karate from his brother.
Director: Yun-ho Yang | Stars: Yang Dong-kun, Aya Hirayama, Masaya Katô, Jeong Tae-woo
Votes: 4,190
35. Guns & Talks (2001)
120 min | Action, Drama, Comedy
Four unlikely assassins genuinely care about their customers and victims, meanwhile a prosecutor is on their trail.
Director: Jin Jang | Stars: Shin Hyeon-jun, Shin Ha-kyun, Won Bin, Jeong Jae-yeong
Votes: 1,899
36. H (2002)
R | 106 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Serial killer Shin-Hyun gives himself up to police and confesses to committing a series of particularly horrifying murders of exclusively female victims. He is imprisoned and awaiting the ... See full summary »
Director: Jong-Hyuk Lee | Stars: Yum Jung-ah, Ji Jin-hee, Sung Ji-ru, Cho Seung-woo
Votes: 1,983
37. Into the Mirror (2003)
Not Rated | 113 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
An ex-cop, now working as a security guard in a shopping mall, tries to uncover the secret behind a series of mysterious deaths linked to mirrors.
Director: Sung-ho Kim | Stars: Yoo Ji-tae, Kim Myung-min, Hye-na Kim, Gi Ju-bong
Votes: 3,608
Weirdly enough this was the movie that got me into korean films
38. A Company Man (2012)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When a change of heart moves a well-trained hitman to tender his resignation to his employers, no good comes of it for anyone.
Directors: Sang-yoon Lim, Im Sang Yoon | Stars: So Ji-seob, Lee Mi-yeon, Kwak Do-won, Kim Dong-jun
Votes: 6,442
39. Bareuge salja (2007)
102 min | Action, Comedy
Things get out of control when Doman, an eager and saintly traffic cop, is asked the play the role of the bank robber in a robbery intervention police training program.
Director: Hee-chan Ra | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Son Byung-ho, Lee Young-eun, Ko Chang-seok
Votes: 2,163
40. 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: 34,022
41. 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: 8,552 | Gross: $0.10M
42. 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: 58,131 | Gross: $0.24M
43. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)
Not Rated | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A girl who thinks she is a combat cyborg checks into a mental hospital, where she encounters other psychotics. Eventually, she falls for a man who thinks he can steal people's souls.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Lim Soo-jung, Rain, Park Byeong-eun, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 25,825
44. 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: 132,225 | Gross: $2.20M
45. 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: 41,012 | Gross: $1.11M
46. 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: 71,325 | Gross: $0.55M
47. New World (2013)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An undercover cop finds it difficult to play both a cop and a goon.
Director: Park Hoon-jung | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Choi Min-sik, Hwang Jung-min, Park Sung-woong
Votes: 26,248 | Gross: $0.46M
48. Cold Eyes (2013)
Not Rated | 119 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A high-tech police surveillance team attempts to take down a gang of ruthless bank robbers.
Directors: Ui-seok Jo, Byung-seo Kim | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Woo-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Jun-ho
Votes: 8,397
49. A Hard Day (2014)
Not Rated | 111 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After trying to cover up a car accident that left a man dead, a crooked homicide detective is stalked by a mysterious man claiming to have witnessed the event.
Directors: Kim Sung Hoon, Kim Seong-hun | Stars: Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong, Jeong Man-sik, Shin Jeong-geun
Votes: 16,522
50. Montage (2013)
Not Rated | 120 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
15 years ago, a mother lost her child in a kidnapping case. A similar crime happens again and she won't let him go this time.
Director: Geun-seop Jeong | Stars: Uhm Junghwa, Kim Sang-kyung, Song Young-chang, Jo Hie-bong
Votes: 8,191
51. 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: 171,420 | Gross: $2.01M
52. 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: 256,474 | Gross: $2.13M
53. The Outlaws (2017)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Based on real events, this crime action film depicts a Seoul detective's attempts to keep peace while two Chinese-Korean gangs battle over turf in the neighborhood.
Director: Yunsung Kang | Stars: Ma Dong-seok, Yoon Kyesang, Jo Jae-yoon, Choi Gwi-hwa
Votes: 12,404
54. Running Turtle (2009)
117 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Jo Pil-seong, a rural detective, is an unhappy husband, often blamed by his older wife for gambling. Despite her being hard on him, he steals money from her to bet on bull butting. ... See full summary »
Director: Yeon-woo Lee | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Jung Kyung-ho, Seon Woo-seon, Gyeon Mi-ri
Votes: 676
55. The Attorney (2013)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama
An ambitious tax attorney decides to represent an old friend in court.
Director: Woo-seok Yang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Kwak Do-won, Im Si-wan, Oh Dal-su
Votes: 7,533 | Gross: $0.56M
56. The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)
Not Rated | 109 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A crime boss teams up with a cop to track down a serial killer.
Director: Won-Tae Lee | Stars: Ma Dong-seok, Jeon Bae-soo, Kim Mu-yeol, Kim Sungkyu
Votes: 22,283 | Gross: $0.22M
57. 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: 950,619 | Gross: $53.37M
58. Midnight Runners (2017)
Not Rated | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two friends who are students at Korean National Police University, find themselves in an endless race against time after they witness a kidnapping and decide to use their knowledge.
Director: Joo-hwan Kim | Stars: Park Seo-joon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Ha-seon, Sung Dong-il
Votes: 9,528
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