When Korean director Bong Joon-ho took the global stage by storm with Parasite, the world finally began to take notice of the brilliance of Korean cinema. While Parasite deserves its acclaim, it's just one standout in a rich and diverse film landscape. Korean cinema offers a treasure trove of powerful storytelling - from gripping thrillers to deeply moving dramas. Here’s a curated selection of some of the greatest Korean films of all time to inspire your next viewing experience.
From the best Korean dramas to the most popular K-pop music, you'll find little to distract you from entertainers' excellent performances. If Parasite and Squid Game are your only forays into South Korean entertainment, you have a lot to look forward to. But first here's a little recap of Korean cinema to date:
1950s–1960s
🕊️ Post-War rebirth
Filmmakers started rebuilding the national film identity. Themes of family, loss, and national division were the most popular during this era. The Hand of Destiny (1954) is a perfect example of Korea’s first post-war films.
1970s–1980s
📽️ Censorship and resistance
All the political censorship ruled limited creativity, yet filmmakers used symbolism to express social critique. For example, the film Aimless Bullet (1961) inspired the generation with its social realism.
1990s
🌅 The Korean new wave
A new generation of directors, such as Park Kwang-su and Jang Sun-woo, innovated the film industry with their storytelling, greater productions, and artistic freedom.
2000s
🚀 Global recognition
The 2000s saw Korean cinema explode onto the international film industry. Films such as A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Save the Green Planet! (2003) and A Bittersweet Life (2005) inspired global audiences.
2010s
🌍 International breakthrough
Korean films gained worldwide recognition for their complexity and craftsmanship. Mother (2009), The Chaser (2008), and The Wailing (2016) captivated global audiences with their balance of artistry, suspense, and humanity.
2020s
🏆Global dominance and the streaming era
The success of the movie Parasite (2019) marked the entry of Korean cinema into the global mainstream. Platforms like Netflix and Viki brought Korean films to international audiences.
Top 10 Must-Watch Korean Films
The biggest challenge when watching Korean films is surely the language barrier. We're not knocking translators or subtitles. In fact, we're pretty grateful for them! Otherwise, how else could we get to enjoy all that Korean cinema has to offer? Discover the 10+ must-watch Korean films!
Several of the Korean films mentioned above have earned major awards. Save the Green Planet! won Best New Director for Jang Joon-hwan and Best Supporting Actor for Baek Yoon-sik at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.1 Midnight Runners' Park Seo-joon won the Best New Actor prize at the Grand Bell Awards.2 And, The Wailing won Best Director at the Blue Dragon Film Awards.3
Genre-Specific Highlights
Korean Action Movies
To truly appreciate cinema, you should know some of the country's history. Many screenwriters commonly weave historical elements or social issues into their storylines. Some of the best Korean action movies are powerful dramatisations of Korea's historic events and present culture.
Escape from Mogadishu (2021)
- Genre: Action, thriller, historical
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Hoopla and Plex
- Cultural significance: The film reflects Korea's diplomatic history and the complex geopolitics of its external relations.
- Plot summary: In 1991, North and South Korea were lobbying for admission into the United Nations. Their ambassadors planned to offer gifts to encourage support from leaders of their host countries and visit Somalia’s leader, Siad Barre. However, what originally started as diplomacy turned into chaos due to the volatile political situation in Somalia.
Both Koreas became UN members in September 1991. And Somalia has long been in turmoil, particularly under Barre's leadership. Director Ryoo Seung-wan and his writing partner, Lee Gi-cheol, wove those two historical facts into this action thriller. Kim Yeon-sok stars as the South Korean ambassador, and Heo Joon-ho represents the North ambassador.
A Bittersweet Life (2005)
- Genre: Crime, action
- Where to watch: Apple TV
- Cultural significance: Director Kim Jee-won wows us again, this time with a crime thriller that combines emotional depth and adrenaline.
- Plot summary: Kim Sun-woo (Lee Byung-hun), the crime boss's right-hand man, is tasked with monitoring the boss's lover. If Kim finds her cheating, he must kill her. Upon discovering her betrayal, Kim refuses to carry out the hit. However, the consequences are severe, since crime bosses have more than one hitman.
The Chaser (2008)
- Genre: Thriller, action
- Where to watch: Apple TV, AMC+
- Cultural significance: Na Hong-jin co-wrote and directed this Korean action movie. The director created intense suspense about crime, policing, and accountability.
- Plot summary: Another thriller from real events and history. This time, the story folds in real-life serial killer Yoo Young-chul. A detective-turned-pimp has two girls missing. But when a regular customer calls to hire a girl, he suddenly realises that this man was the last to see the two missing girls.
Korean Horror Movies
Before delving into this category, let's put out a brief reminder about the sense of restraint in Korean horror movies. Korean horror films tend to build tension through mood and suspense, a great approach in psychological horror rather than relying on explicit violence. Much like Alfred Hitchcock's timeless classic, Psycho, the fear comes from what we imagine. We didn't need to see the knife stabbing the woman in the shower; the implication of the action was just more than enough.
I Saw the Devil (2010)
- Genre: Thriller, horror
- Where to watch: Apple TV
- Cultural significance: This thriller combines violence, morality, and psychological horror to portray vengeance and human nature.
- Plot summary: The best Korean horror movies are just as subtle as they are effective. This thriller investigates a brutal crime against the pregnant fiancée of a police detective, committed by a serial killer. Lee Byung-hun, one of the most famous Korean people engages with Choi Min-sik, his murderous counterpart, in a terrifying cat-and-mouse game.
The Wailing (2016) 🏆
- Genre: Horror, supernatural
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Rakuten Viki, Hoopla
- Cultural significance: The Wailing comes the closest to being of a pure genre. Demons, evil spirits, and even cannibalism feature in this gore-fest written and directed by Na Hong-jin.
- Plot summary: A horror masterpiece, directed by Na Hong-jin, the film delves into the dark human psyche. In a remote village, a policeman becomes involved in investigating a series of mysterious killings and illnesses to save his sick daughter; however, the story delves into demons, evil spirits, and zombies.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
- Genre: Psychological horror
- Where to watch: Apple TV in some regions
- Cultural significance: Director Kim Ji-woon gives the tale a modern twist, and Im Soo-jong and Moon Geung-young headline the small cast. One of the most acclaimed Korean horror films of its era.
- Plot summary: If you're not a fan of blood-and-gore horror, this Korean horror movie is the one for you. This psychological horror film features dissociative identity disorder, hallucinations, and ghosts. Two sisters go back to their family home after their father's marriage and find out what really happened to their mother and sister.
Korean Comedy Movies
Korea's sense of humor, cultural quirks, and social customs, such as Korea's unique ageing system, make Korean comedy movies a treat to watch. At first, their jokes may be superficially funny. But then, once you've peeled the cultural onion a bit, you realize how clever and hilarious these films are.
Save the Green Planet! (2003) 🏆
- Genre: Sci-fi, comedy
- Where to watch: Amazon Canada purchased
- Cultural significance: Cult classic of cinema. Directed by Jang Joon‑hwan, it mixes absurdism, social critique, and pop culture. Leading actor Shin Ha-kyun has a long selection of big and small screen credits to his name. Baek Yon-shik, who plays the CEO, has been entertaining audiences in the Korean film industry for over 50 years.
- Plot summary: Byeong-gu is a gentle beekeeper believing that Kang Man-shik, the CEO of a powerful pharmaceutical company, is an alien from Andromeda and a delegate from an advanced alien party whose ultimate goal is to take over the Earth. He does his part to protect his beloved planet by attempting to extract Mr Kang's antennae. That way, he would no longer communicate with his alien mates.
Midnight Runners (2017) 🏆
- Genre: Action, comedy
- Where to watch: It depends on the region; double-check through Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video
- Cultural significance: Director Kim Ju-hwan puts trainees Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul through their paces. This part-action, part-comedy Korean film perfectly illustrates the underbelly of South Korean life. It also serves as a fantastic introduction to Park Seo-joon's understated comedic talent.
- Plot summary: Ki-joon and Hee-yeol finally got a day off from their police academy training. With nothing more in mind than finding some girls and having some drinks, they go out on the town only to witness an assault and kidnapping. Dutiful cops-in-training that they are, they forsake their good time to pursue the perpetrators. Throughout that long night, they run and discover many not-so-pleasant surprises.
Mother (2009)
- Genre: Thriller, drama
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Hoopla, Plex
- Cultural significance: Family ties are of utmost importance in Korean culture, as exactly shown in Mother. With director Bong Joon-ho at the helm, the film takes many of the same dark turns as Parasite.
- Plot summary: Veteran actress Kim Hye-ha plays an old widow caring for her intellectually disabled son (Won Bin). The family struggles to run an acupuncturist business without a licence. When her son is accused of murder and she cannot afford his defence, she goes on a mission to prove his innocence.
Korean Romantic Movies
By now, it should be clear that Korean films often blur genre lines, and romance films are no exception. Usually, Korean love flicks mix drama, comedy, and even fantasy. Imagine looking for the best romantic film and ending up watching a K-drama disguised as a monster movie. Let yourself be surprised by Korean romance!
Moonlit Winter (2019)
- Genre: Drama, romance
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Tubi
- Cultural significance: The film Moonlit Winter is emotional and subtle, recalling the essence of Korean cinema, where relationships drive the story.
- Plot summary: A mother and daughter (Kim Hee-ae, Kim So-hye) discover their true path to love and connection after many years of emotional distance. The daughter, in a quest to know more about her mother's past, forces the two of them to confront love, memory and identity.
Be With You (2018)
- Genre: Fantasy and romance
- Where to watch: Plex
- Cultural significance: The Be With You film explores love, loss, and hope in a tender, fantastical way.
- Plot summary: Or you might enjoy the slightly supernatural Be With You (So Ji-sub, Son Ye-jin). A young wife, Son Ye-jin, passes away, but promises her husband she will return the next year. But even if she comes back, she has no memory of him.
Double Patty (2021)
- Genre: Romance, drama
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Rakuten Viki, Filmzie
- Cultural significance: The film portrays an optimistic representation of younger generations and everyday love.
- Plot summary: Many Korean films on Netflix involve traditional Korean cuisine, but if you want the romance angle included, search for Double Patty (Shin Seo-ho, Bae Joo-hyun). This film is not about falling in love over food preparation; it's about inspiring one another to achieve one's dreams. But food does play a part.
Korean Movies on Netflix
Dramas, actions, slices of life... You can catch some of the best Korean movies on Rakuten Viki and Apple TV, but did you know you can also find great films on Netflix? Discover the best Korean movies on Netflix available on one of the most popular streaming services in Canada. 4 Happy viewing!
Set in a dystopian era when Earth is almost uninhabitable, a crew of space sweepers discovers a child android named Dorothy, who turns out to hide a deadly weapon. The film explores their moral and ethical journey.
An assassin and mother to a teenager plans to retire and focus on her daughter. However, her final mission takes a twist, and now she must face her co-workers. The movie explores loyalty, family and identity.
During the Korean War, student soldiers undertake a mission to slow the North Korean advance toward the main landing at Incheon. The film explores bravery, the chaos of war and sacrifice.
Korean War Movies
The following films set during the Korean War in 1950-1953 offer a very interesting historical perspective for any viewer who is a fan of this genre, as well as themes of national identity, division, and trauma. Discover the must-see Korean war movies.
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)
- Genre: Drama, war
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Google Play
- Cultural significance: This film explores the human cost of the war and reflects Korea's tradition of war cinema.
- Plot summary: Two brothers are conscripted and sent to the front lines. The older brother volunteers for the most dangerous missions to protect his younger brother, but the horrors of war severely impact their relationship.
Joint Security Area (2000)
- Genre: Thriller, war
- Where to watch: Apple TV, Midnight Pulp
- Cultural significance: Directed by Park Chan-wook, this film reflects on the division of Korea and the human side of military hostilities and politics.
- Plot summary: A shooting in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea triggers an investigation by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission. Two soldiers from opposing sides find themselves embroiled in a complex moral ambiguity.
New Korean Movies in 2025
The film, set during the military coup that took place on December 12, 1979, in South Korea, narrates the political tension and its consequences.
This film follows two roommates in a modern city as they explore the meaning of love, friendship, and urban life together.
Sequel to Veteran (2015). This film follows veteran detective Seo Do-cheol and his rookie partner as they take on a serial killer who uses online videos to mock the public.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025j, October 24). Save the green Planet! Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Save_the_Green_Planet%21
- Midnight Runners (2017) - Awards - IMDB. (n.d.). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7056732/awards/
- The Wailing (2016) - Awards - AsianWiki. https://asianwiki.com/The_Wailing
- LeGardye, Q. (2025, July 21). The 25 best Korean films streaming on Netflix right now. Marie Claire. https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a32236619/best-korean-movies-netflix/
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