Must Watch Korean Movies
by samraajr | created - 27 Apr 2012 | updated - 04 May 2012 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 58,256 | Gross: $0.24M
2. 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: 86,806 | Gross: $2.38M
3. Bad Guy (2001)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama, Romance
An unfeeling gangster seeks to ruin the life of a young girl who rejected him. He forces her into prostitution and spies on her regularly, then he soon begins to fall for her.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Cho Jae-hyun, Won Seo, Kim Yun-tae, Choi Deok-moon
Votes: 10,593
4. 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 track down his captor in five days.
Director: Park Chan-wook | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong, Kim Byeong-Ok
Votes: 635,565 | Gross: $0.71M
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: 75,118 | Gross: $0.05M
6. 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: 86,087 | Gross: $0.21M
7. Il Mare (2000)
105 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
In 1999, a voice actor moves from Il Mare, a seaside house, and leaves a Christmas card in its (magical) mailbox. An architecture student receives it in 1997, and a friendship separated by 2 years begins.
Director: Hyun-seung Lee | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, Mu-saeng Kim, Jo Seung-yeon
Votes: 9,457
8. 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: 41,071 | Gross: $1.11M
9. 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: 74,831 | Gross: $0.01M
10. 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: 216,215 | Gross: $0.01M
11. Windstruck (2004)
123 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The heart-warming romance story between Kyungjin and Myungwoo. Even though he has passed away, he will be always with Kyungwoo forever.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Jun Ji-hyun, Jang Hyuk, Kim Soo-ro, Lee Ki-woo
Votes: 7,708
12. 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 Chae-yeon
Votes: 4,387
13. The Bow (2005)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Romance
On a fishing boat at sea, a 60-year old man has been raising a girl since she was a baby. It is agreed that they will get married on her 17th birthday, and she is 16 now. They live a quiet and secluded life, renting the boat to day fishermen and practicing strange divination rites. Their life changes when a teenage student comes aboard...
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Han Yeo-reum, Ji-Seok Seo, Jeon Gook-hwan, Seong-hwan Jeon
Votes: 11,793
14. 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: 4,334
15. Hindsight (2011)
Not Rated | 122 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A young assassin is sent to kill a retired mob boss. But things get complicated when she begins to like him.
Director: Hyun-seung Lee | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Shin Se-Kyung, Cheon Jeong-myeong, Kim Min-joon
Votes: 1,525
16. Sunny (2011)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama
Seven girls become good friends in high school, then events pull them apart for 25 years. When one of the friends lies dying in a hospital, she wishes to see each of them one last time.
Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol | Stars: Yoo Ho-jeong, Shim Eun-kyung, Jin Hee-kyung, Kim Min-yeong
Votes: 6,554
17. A Millionaire's First Love (2006)
116 min | Drama, Romance
Jae-Kyung (Hyun-Bin ) is a tough guy, who is a high school senior,If he turns 19 years means, he could be a millionaire by inheriting his deceased grandfather's wealth. Unfortunately his ... See full summary »
Director: Tae-gyun Kim | Stars: Hyun Bin, Yong-joon Cho, Park Jin-young, Lim Ju-hwan
Votes: 5,390
18. Daisy (2006)
Not Rated | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
About a tragic love triangle story involving young painter Hye-young, Interpol detective Jeong Woo, and professional hitman Park Yi.
Director: Andrew Lau | Stars: Jun Ji-hyun, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-jae, Sara Bernardo Aires
Votes: 6,679
19. Poongsan (2011)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Drama, Romance
A young man crosses over North and South Korea to deliver the pain and longings of separated families.
Director: Jai-hong Juhn | Stars: Yoon Kyesang, Kim Gyu-ri, Kim Jong-soo, Han Gi-Joong
Votes: 921
20. 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: 37,928 | Gross: $0.13M
21. 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: 42,914
22. 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: 146,147 | Gross: $0.13M
23. My Girlfriend Is an Agent (2009)
Not Rated | 112 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
Due to her continual lying, a man breaks up with his girlfriend, unaware that she is a secret agent. A few years later, they meet again without knowing that this time they both have secrets.
Director: Terra Shin | Stars: Kim Ha-neul, Kang Ji-hwan, Ryu Seung-ryong, Jang Young-nam
Votes: 2,504
24. 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant (2004)
95 min | Comedy, Romance
A cute, poor, Korean high school senior's dumped by her boyfriend so she kicks a beer can hitting a handsome driver, who "crashes" his convertible. He insists on 3M won/USD3000 in damages. She can work it off over 100 days. Comedy follows.
Directors: Jo Byung-Suk, Shin Jae Ho, Shin Jai-Ho, Dong-yeob Shin, Shin Dong Yeop | Stars: Kim Jae-won, Ha Ji-Won, Jin Tae-hyun, Min Han
Votes: 3,282
25. A Moment to Remember (2004)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama, Romance
A young couple's enduring love is tested when 27-year-old Su-jin is diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.
Directors: Park Kyung-Jin, John H. Lee, Kim Tae-Won | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Son Ye-jin, Jong-hak Baek, Lee Seon-jin
Votes: 25,558
26. 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: 6,218
27. 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: 34,194
28. 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: 72,748
29. 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: 10,129
30. Marriage is a Crazy Thing (2002)
103 min | Drama, Romance
Jun-young (Kam Woo-seong) is a man in his early thirties who has seen his friends and younger brother get married but has yet to open himself to a serious relationship. Rather he is happy ... See full summary »
Director: Ha Yoo | Stars: Kam Woo-seong, Uhm Junghwa, Park Won-sang, Ryu Hyun-kyung
Votes: 1,201
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