The Best South Korean Movies You Need To Watch

A list of outstanding South Korean films wouldn't be complete without mentioning Parasite. Bong Joon Ho's capitalist critique and modern masterpiece is one of the most original and exciting films to hit any theater worldwide in recent memory, so it's no wonder that it surged ahead of a crowded field to take home the coveted Best Picture trophy.

The story of the Kim family — who are played by veteran actor and frequent Bong collaborator Song Kang Ho alongside Choi Woo Shik, Park So Dam, Chang Hyae Jin as his grown children and wife — Parasite casts a stark light on financial inequality, especially when it comes to the struggling Kim clan. When Ki-woo (Shik) gets the chance to work for the wealthy Park family (played by Lee Sun Kyun and Cho Yeo Jeong), the family concocts a plan that could help them trade squalor for luxury.

The twists and turns of Parasite are way too good to spoil here, so if you haven't caught this film yet, we won't spoil it for you. In any case, Parasite, which began its awards run by winning the Palme d'or at Cannes and closed it out by winning Best Picture, certainly earned its spot on the list of best South Korean films.

Parasite made major waves for South Korean cinema on the international stage, but for cinephiles across the world, 2003's Oldboy was a classic long before. Directed by Park Chan-wook and based on a comic book of the same name by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi, what many viewers might not know about Oldboy is that it's also part of the "Vengeance Trilogy," right in the middle of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Lady Vengeance.

The story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a man imprisoned for 15 years before escaping prison only to be drugged and abducted, Oldboy is packed full of twisting, violent turns, especially as Dae-su tries to figure out the identity of his captor, as well as navigate a new romance and escape a group that's still hunting him down. The final twist is as unsettling as anything you've ever seen on the big screen, but thanks to careful direction by Park, Oldboy still stays away from gratuitous shock value and violence to create a gripping tale of vengeance and bloodshed. The film inspired a Spike Lee-helmed remake in 2013, though that version was ultimately much less popular than its predecessor.

Based on "Barn Burning," a short story by prolific and popular writer Haruki Murakami, Burning, or Beoning, was released in 2018 to considerable acclaim and attention across the globe. Directed and co-written by Lee Chang-dong, the film tells the story of Lee Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), a young novelist who reconnects with a woman from his past, Shin Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), who asks him to feed her cat and watch her home while she goes on a trip to Africa. Their relationship grows complicated, and when she returns from Africa with a new boyfriend named Ben (The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun), everything gets a lot stranger and more complex for Jong-su, Hae-mi, and Ben.

Critics across the world praised Burning for its intricate plot and slow build. In 2018, the film was shortlisted for consideration at the 91st Academy Awards, and though it didn't make the cut, it became the first ever South Korean film to ever be considered by the Academy.

Before Snowpiercer and Parasite, Bong Joon Ho's biggest hit internationally was The Host, a 2006 supernatural thriller that kept audiences on the edge of their seats. Inspired by a local news piece about a deformed fish found in a Korean river, Bong crafted a narrative focused around a slow but good-hearted man named Park Gang-du (played by frequent Bong collaborator Song Kang-ho) who runs a modest food stand by the Han River and experiences a horrifying, otherworldly incident on an otherwise uneventful day. One day during work, an enormous monster emerges from the river, and though Gang-du tries to save his daughter Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung) from the monstrosity, he grabs the wrong girl, and his daughter is taken. Alongside the rest of his family, he must try and rescue his daughter and figure out exactly what this monster even is.

The film, which explores a worst-case scenario of government interference with natural resources, received overwhelming acclaim, thanks to Bong's now signature combination of satire, dark comedy and horror. Clearly, this director had much more to offer, but The Host was certainly an excellent indicator of great projects to come.

Long before Parasite, Bong Joon Ho's first big critical splash came with 2003's Memories of Murder, a Se7en-style saga based on a real string of serial murders in South Korea throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bong tells the story through two detectives — Park (Song Kang-ho) and Seo (Kim Sang-kyung) — who must find the person responsible for brutal sexual crimes and murders. Despite their very different methods, Park and Seo have to work together; unfortunately, their hard work takes several disturbing twists and turns that ultimately offer up few conclusions.

With only his second film, Bong caught the attention of directors like Quentin Tarantino — a fact Bong acknowledged during his emotional acceptance speech for the Best Director statue at the 2020 Oscars — and earned international acclaim as well as adoration within South Korea, putting him firmly on the map as a filmmaker to watch.

Sometimes, the simplest stories are the most effective, which is perfectly exemplified by the 2017 South Korean film On the Beach at Night Alone. Directed, written, and produced by prolific filmmaker Hong Sang-soo — who has made over 25 films in South Korea — this gripping narrative is about, well, a woman on the beach at night alone. Young-hee (Kim Min-hee), a beautiful young actress, takes to the beach by herself one evening to muse over her difficult relationship with a married man. As she wonders if he misses her as much as she misses him, Hong explores themes of love, loss, and betrayal.

On the Beach at Night Alone was praised by critics as a departure from Hong's style that still retained his "singular sensibilities," resulting in one of the director's most personal and gorgeous projects.

Released in 1999, Shiri (called Swiri in its native country) is still one of South Korea's standout action films, thanks to the careful direction and vision of director and writer Kang Je-gyu. A loving homage to "high-octane" Hollywood action films, Shiri has a super-fast, breakneck pace and perfectly mimics high-budget action blockbusters, giving South Korea its own versions of films like Die Hard and even eventual successors like the John Wick series. However, this movie also came with a message; beyond its action antics, Shiri also addresses the issue of Korean reunification, making it the first large release in South Korea to tackle this particularly fraught issue and giving the film a larger goal than fight scenes and explosions.

Shiri is also notable for one very different plot device: a devious female villain. The antagonist of the film, Lee Bang-hee, emerges from military training as one of the force's most promising snipers, and years later, the entire country tries to hunt her down to no avail. The detectives in charge , Yu Jong-won (Han Suk-kyu) and Lee Jang-gil (Song Kang-ho) try to keep track of Bang-hee as she sets off bombs across the country, but along the way, they uncover some seriously unsettling secrets. The film, which is counted in some circles among the best action movies of all time, holds up against the most expensive Hollywood blockbusters.

A teen drama created by Kim Sung-su and starring his frequent collaborator Jung Woo-song — who also appeared in Kim's Musa, among others — Beat tells the story of a young teenage boy forced into dangerous gang life. Based on a graphic novel by Huh Young-man and partly based on Jung's own life as a high school dropout, the film focuses on Min, a teenager who drops out of school and must figure out how to support his widowed, alcoholic mother. Meanwhile, Min is also trying to win over Romy, an educated, upper-class college girl who is all set to go to college.

An intimate film that tackles some pretty big issues, Beat is a classic South Korean cinematic effort, and is definitely a must-watch if you're looking for a lesser-known but equally worthy South Korean option. Min's journey through the mob can be pretty intense, but thanks to Kim's careful direction and Jung's scene-stealing performance, the film is never less than incredibly enjoyable.

Throughout the past several decades, films have made enormous strides in inclusivity and diversity, and in 2006, South Korea finally released its first fully LGBTQ+ feature, No Regret. Directed by Leesong Hee-il, an openly gay South Korean director, No Regret made huge strides for the country's queer community with its thoughtful and intensely considered portrayal of two young boys in love.

The love story between Su-min, a teenaged orphan trying to make his way in Seoul, and Jae-min, one of Su-min's clients at the driving service where he works, is tumultuous to say the least as the two men struggle to be together; as the story goes on, they struggle to find their way back to each other in the face of a series of increasingly scary obstacles. A critical and commercial success that drew huge crowds, No Regret is a landmark movie for South Korea, and is still incredibly relevant today.

South Korean cinema has no shortage of thrillers about detectives hunting down dangerous serial killers, but 2008's The Chaser is definitely a worthy addition to this super-specific genre. The directorial debut of Na Hong-jin, The Chaser tells the story of Eom Joong-ho (Kim Yoon-seok), a former police officer who has become a pimp since his disgraced retirement years earlier. Joong-ho is facing financial issues after a few of his girls go missing, and after he sends yet another girl into a dangerous situation, he starts to notice a pattern. After a long and bloodstained trail, he finally tracks down the killer, leading to a gruesome conclusion for both men.

The film earned an impressive 80 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it "classy" despite all the blood and gore, and one big Hollywood star definitely took notice. In 2008, it was reported that Leonardo DiCaprio was eying a remake of The Chaser, and though nothing has materialized since, it's still not out of the question that The Chaser might get an American do-over.

A quiet drama about a grieving widow trying to move on with her life, 2007's Secret Sunshine was directed by one of South Korea's most notable names — Lee Chang-dong, an acclaimed novelist and filmmaker who once served as South Korea's Minister of Culture. Based on a work of short Korean fiction — "The Story of a Bug" by Lee Cheong-jun — Secret Sunshine focuses on Lee Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon), a woman who moves to her late husband's hometown of Miryang to try to start her life over after he passes away. When her car breaks down, Shin-ae meets a local mechanic (The Host and Parasite's Song Kang-ho), and though she's reluctant to make friends, the two connect immediately. However, when her child is kidnapped, Shin-ae must grapple with a new tragedy while still grieving for her husband.

Jeon won Best Actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her work in the starring role, and even though the film's dark and difficult subject matter makes for a difficult watch, it earned entirely positive reviews from critics. Secret Sunshine will put you through a tough emotional journey, but in the end, the film makes it well worth the effort — and if you're a Criterion Collection fan, Secret Sunshine got its own edition in 2011.

South Korea has produced plenty of great horror films, and the 2016 film The Wailing is yet another excellent addition to this already packed genre. Directed by Na Hong-jin, The Wailing focuses on Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won), a policeman whose daughter Hyo-jin becomes sick with a mysterious and unsettling illness after Jong-goo sees a terrifying apparition in the woods. As villagers around him become infected with the same disease as Hyo-jin, Jong-goo tries to figure out which demons could be causing this outbreak, while putting his own life at risk in the process.

The film earned raves for its incredibly inventive story full of twists and turns, with a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and overwhelmingly positive word of mouth from critics who went so far as to say that films like The Wailing make American films look "clunky" by comparison. If you're okay with serious scares, be sure to check out The Wailing, and settle in for a wild ride.

A somber and gripping story of family drama and complicated relationships, the 2018 film Hotel by the River, directed by Hong Sang-soo, takes place in the middle of winter as poet Young-hwan (Ki Joo-bong), in the twilight years of his life, invites his sons (Kwon Hae-hyo and Yu Jun-sang) to a secluded hotel by the Han River, believing that his time on Earth is coming to an end. However, they're not alone; during a walk by the riverside, Young-hwan meets two women (Kim Min-hee and Song Seon-mi), who are also at the hotel to work out some personal issues. During their concurrent stays, the two groups end up coming together, even as they work out their family problems on their own.

All in all, critics praised Hotel By the River for its strong direction and emotional depths, making it one of the country's best recent dramas. If you're in the mood for for a quiet yet stirring story, Hotel by the River is a perfect choice.

A relatively loose adaptation of French writer Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin, the 2009 film Thirst — called Bakjwi, or "bat," in South Korea — is an utterly unique story of love, horror, and gore, and also owns an interesting distinction in South Korean cinema as the first movie in the country's history to contain full frontal male nudity. In the film, which was written and directed by Park Chan-wook, Catholic priest Sang-hyun (played by South Korean staple Sang Kong-ho) experiences a startling realization; he's in love with his friend's wife, and suddenly, being with her by any means necessary seems like the cure for the doubt and depression hidden by his devout exterior. In the midst of this, he volunteers at a local hospital and takes part in an experiment to help cure a blood disease, but as he receives transfusions that seem to cure the virus, he becomes a vampire. Now forced to navigate a life of bloodthirst, Sang-hyun must reckon with his new existence as well as his feelings for Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin).

Despite its bizarre premise, Thirst earned positive reviews from critics, who enjoyed Park's direction as well as Sang's central performance. Vampire movies have been around for generations, but clearly, Thirst is a worthy addition to the pack.