The Korean Films That You Need To Watch Right Away

South Korean cinema is no longer a niche indulgence for cinephiles. If Hollywood has long perfected the art of the blockbuster, Korea has mastered the art of the gut punch—films that leave you stunned, exhilarated, and questioning the very fabric of society. The country’s filmmakers are not afraid to get their hands dirty, tackling class warfare, vengeance, existential dread, and the horrors lurking in human nature with an unmatched visual flair.

While Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was the moment South Korean cinema crashed through the West’s linguistic barriers and into Oscar history, the groundwork was laid decades before. The country’s film industry, shaped by political upheaval and censorship, has evolved into one of the most daring and exciting in the world.

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So, whether you’re diving in for the first time or looking to refine your list, these films are the perfect place to start.

Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan-wook’s neo-noir revenge thriller isn’t just a movie, but a visceral experience. A man is kidnapped, imprisoned for 15 years, and released without explanation. What follows is a brutal, twisted journey into vengeance, identity, and the consequences of obsession. As the protagonist pieces together the mystery of his captivity, the film takes shocking turns, leading to one of the most jaw-dropping revelations in cinema history. The infamous hallway fight scene, shot in a single unbroken take, is a masterclass in action choreography and has influenced countless filmmakers. Dark, violent, and deeply psychological, Oldboy is a must-watch for those who love their thrillers with a side of existential dread.

Silenced (2011)

Based on harrowing true events, Hwang Dong-hyuk's unflinching drama examines systematic abuse at a school for deaf children. When a new teacher discovers the institution's dark secrets, his fight for justice reveals the profound failures of the Korean legal system. Though difficult to watch, the film's social impact extended beyond the screen, directly influencing legislative changes in South Korea. Released years before the global #MeToo movement, it stands as a powerful example of cinema's potential to effect real-world change.

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Burning (2018)

A slow-burning psychological drama that blurs the lines between reality and delusion, Burning follows an aimless young man (Yoo Ah-in) who reconnects with a childhood friend, only to become obsessed with her enigmatic new companion (Steven Yeun). As the tension builds, the film expertly plays with ambiguity, keeping viewers guessing until its haunting final moments. With stunning cinematography and a hypnotic atmosphere, Burning is a mesmerizing puzzle of a movie that lingers in your mind long after it ends.

Handmaiden (2016)

Park Chan-wook delivers a visually stunning, erotically charged thriller that intertwines deception, forbidden love, and betrayal. Set in Japanese-occupied Korea, the film follows a conman’s plot to seduce and swindle a wealthy heiress, only for things to take unexpected turns. This labyrinthine tale of con artists, forbidden desire, and literary pornography unfolds in three distinct parts, each revealing new dimensions to its increasingly complex narrative. Visually sumptuous and morally ambiguous, it's a film that plays with perspective and expectation. Equal parts suspense thriller and sensual drama, it remains one of the most audacious and perfectly executed films of the past decade.

Past Lives (2023)

Celine Song’s Past Lives is a meditation on love, fate, and the lives we almost had. Spanning decades and continents—from Seoul to New York—it follows two childhood friends whose connection lingers long after time and distance have intervened. Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro deliver heartbreakingly nuanced performances, making this one of the most quietly devastating films in recent years. Nostalgic without being sentimental, Past Lives lingers like an unfinished conversation you can’t stop replaying in your head.

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Train to Busan (2016)

A zombie film with heart, Train to Busan is more than just another undead apocalypse thriller. When a workaholic father and his estranged daughter board a train to Busan, they soon find themselves trapped with a horde of ravenous zombies. Set almost entirely on a train during the outbreak of a zombie apocalypse, the film transforms limited geography into its greatest asset. With nowhere to run, passengers must navigate moral dilemmas alongside the more immediate threat of the ravenous undead. The film masterfully balances pulse-pounding action with genuinely emotional moments, making you care deeply about the characters’ fates. Fast-paced, gripping, and packed with social commentary, this is easily one of the best zombie films in recent years.

Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)

Hong Sang-soo’s Right Now, Wrong Then takes a single day—one seemingly ordinary encounter between a filmmaker and a young artist—and plays it twice, with subtle variations that reveal the quiet, often heart-breaking impact of small choices. Minimalist and deeply introspective, this is one of those films where “nothing happens” and yet everything does. Jung Jae-young’s performance is magnetic, and Kim Min-hee (known for The Handmaiden) brings a delicate melancholy. If you like your love stories laced with longing, awkward silences, and a touch of voyeurism, this one’s for you.

Snowpiercer (2014)

Bong Joon-ho's English-language debut loses none of his distinctive vision, transforming a French graphic novel into a propulsive allegory of class warfare. Set entirely aboard a train carrying the last survivors of a climate catastrophe, the film follows a rebellion that moves systematically from the squalid tail section toward the privileged front. Each train car reveals a new social stratum and visual palette, creating a literal journey through inequality. The movie also has a star cast including Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton and Song Kang-ho. 

Minari (2020)

Lee Isaac Chung's semi-autobiographical drama about a Korean family starting a farm in 1980s Arkansas sits at the intersection of the American dream and Korean identity. Through the eyes of seven-year-old David and his grandmother, we witness the strains of immigrant life and the resilience required to pursue a better future. Steven Yeun's portrayal of Jacob, the determined patriarch, captures the complex mix of pride, desperation, and responsibility that defines his generation's immigrant experience. Though technically an American production, its intimate portrayal of Korean family dynamics and cultural displacement makes it an essential part of the broader Korean cinematic conversation.

The Wailing (2016)

Horror films rarely commit to their premise with the unwavering conviction of Na Hong-jin's rural nightmare. When a mysterious illness begins turning villagers into murderous, raving wrecks, a bumbling local policeman finds himself at the centre of an escalating supernatural crisis. Sprawling across 156 minutes, the film methodically dismantles expectations, building a sense of mounting dread that culminates in one of cinema's most disturbing exorcism sequences. It's a film that understands true horror lies not in jump scares but in sustained, creeping uncertainty about what—or who—is truly evil.

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Midnight (2021)

Kwon Oh-seung's debut thriller ingeniously reconfigures the serial killer genre by centering a deaf protagonist. When a deaf woman becomes the target of a methodical murderer, her disability transforms from perceived vulnerability into a unique set of survival skills. The cat-and-mouse dynamics play out across neon-drenched urban landscapes with escalating tension, while Squid Game star Wi Ha-jun brings chilling banality to his portrayal of everyday evil. Its tight 103-minute runtime delivers maximum suspense without a wasted frame.

Decision to Leave (2022)

Park Chan-wook's most mature work to date reimagines the film noir detective romance with meticulous attention to emotional detail. When a detective becomes infatuated with the prime suspect in his murder investigation—the victim's wife—both parties engage in a dance of attraction, deception, and unspoken longing. Unlike Park's earlier, more visceral work, this film finds its power in restraint, building a romance defined as much by what remains unsaid as what's explicitly revealed. Tang Wei's layered performance as the enigmatic widow stands as one of contemporary cinema's most compelling femme fatales.

The Last Princess (2016)

This is a sweeping period drama based on the true story of Princess Deok Hye, the last princess of Korea's Joseon dynasty. Taken to Japan against her will during the occupation, she is stripped of her identity and forced to adapt to a life that isn't her own. But hope flickers in the form of Jang Han, a Korean independence fighter determined to bring her home. With breath-taking cinematography and a powerhouse performance by Son Ye-jin, The Last Princess is a deeply emotional tale of love, loyalty, and a lost kingdom.

Thirst (2009)

Another Park Chan-wook masterpiece. Thirst follows a devout Catholic priest (Parasite’s Song Kang-ho) who, after a failed medical experiment, finds himself cursed with an insatiable thirst for blood—and a very human lust that he can no longer suppress. Gothic, erotic, and darkly funny, this is far from your typical vampire flick. Instead, it’s a fever dream of temptation and tragedy, proving once again that Park Chan-wook's vision is unlike anyone else’s in cinema.

A Taxi Driver (2017)

Before Parasite made him a global sensation, Song Kang-ho delivered one of his most powerful performances in A Taxi Driver, a gripping historical drama based on true events. He plays a cash-strapped Seoul cab driver who unwittingly finds himself in the middle of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising while driving a German journalist to the unrest. What starts as a simple fare turns into a harrowing journey through a nation on the brink, forcing him to confront the cost of truth and resistance. Equal parts thrilling and deeply moving, A Taxi Driver is a must-watch for anyone interested in history.