Best of South Korea: Drama Movies
by d_smojver | created - 29 Nov 2012 | updated - 3 weeks ago | PublicSouth Koreans have several great social drama (most of them directed by Lee Chang-dong) and art drama (most of them directed by Kim Ki-duk)! Besides that, they have pretty good history drama: The King and the Clown, Masquerade, Untold Scandal, A Frozen Flower... There are also family drama, crime drama, sport drama and other types of drama on my list.
Kim Ki-duk is the director with the most titles here, which is reasonable, because that's his main genre and he is one of the greatest Korean and Asian filmmakers.
My other lists:
Best of South Korea: Action/Adventure Movies
Best of South Korea: Anime
Best of South Korea: Comedies
Best of South Korea: Crime Movies/Thrillers
Best of South Korea: Horror Movies
Best of South Korea: Romance Movies
Best of South Korea: War/Military Movies
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. 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: 86,809 | Gross: $2.38M
2. 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: 958,979 | Gross: $53.37M
3. 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: 172,640 | Gross: $2.01M
4. Past Lives (2023)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Romance
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
Director: Celine Song | Stars: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah
Votes: 114,362
5. 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: 71,625 | Gross: $0.55M
6. Poetry (2010)
TV-PG | 139 min | Drama
A sixty-something woman, faced with the discovery of a heinous family crime and in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, finds strength and purpose when she enrolls in a poetry class.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Yun Jeong-hie, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-ra, Ahn Nae-sang
Votes: 13,536 | Gross: $0.36M
7. 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: 75,124 | Gross: $0.05M
8. Burning (2018)
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Jong-su bumps into a girl who used to live in the same neighborhood, who asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When back, she introduces Ben, a mysterious guy she met there, who confesses his secret hobby.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Soo-Kyung
Votes: 76,300 | Gross: $0.72M
9. 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: 19,713
10. Silenced (2011)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
Based on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time.
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Stars: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Hyeon-soo, Kim Jee-young
Votes: 21,657
11. Peppermint Candy (1999)
Not Rated | 129 min | Drama
Following a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Kim Yeo-jin, Moon So-ri, Se-beom Park
Votes: 10,819
12. 1987: When the Day Comes (2017)
Not Rated | 129 min | Drama, History, Thriller
In 1987 Korea under an oppressive military regime, the unlawful interrogation and death of a college student ignite ordinary citizens to fight for the truth and bring about justice.
Directors: Jung Sung Ho, Joon-Hwan Jang | Stars: Kim Tae-ri, Yeo Jin-goo, Ha Jung-woo, Gang Dong-won
Votes: 6,822
13. Marathon (2005)
117 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
An autistic boy discovers he has a talent for running and with the help of the mother participates in a major marathon.
Director: Yoon-Chul Jung | Stars: Cho Seung-woo, Kim Mi-sook, Lee Ki-young, Baek Sung-hyun
Votes: 2,499
14. Secret Sunshine (2007)
Not Rated | 142 min | Drama
A woman moves to the town where her dead husband was born. As she tries to fit in, another tragic event overturns her life.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho, Lee Dong-yong, Lee Hee-joon
Votes: 9,569
15. The King and the Clown (2005)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, History
Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Kam Woo-seong, Jung Jin-young, Kang Seong-yeon, Lee Joon-gi
Votes: 5,985
16. 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: 51,399 | Gross: $0.30M
17. The Way Home (2002)
PG | 80 min | Drama
This is the story of a 7-year-old boy, Sang-woo, born and raised in the big city, and his mute grandmother, who has spent her whole life in a small rural village.
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Eul-boon Kim, Hyo-hee Dong, Kyung-hyun Min
Votes: 5,895 | Gross: $0.44M
18. Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (2004)
Not Rated | 116 min | Action, Drama, History
By "Fist of Fury", Kim Hyun-Soo (Sang-Woo Kwone) addicted to Bruce Lee. Year 1978. Hyun-Soo moved to KangNam, Seoul. Hyun-Soo transferred to JungMoon High, Maljuk Street, Kangnam, Seoul. He... See full summary »
Director: Ha Yoo | Stars: Kwon Sang-woo, Lee Jung-Jin, Han Ga-in, Park Hyo-joon
Votes: 2,763
19. Painted Fire (2002)
Unrated | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
In a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ahn Sung-ki, Yoo Ho-jeong, Kim Yeo-jin
Votes: 2,825 | Gross: $0.06M
a.k.a. Drunk on Women and Poetry
20. Hope (2013)
Not Rated | 122 min | Drama
Story of an 8-year-old girl who faces a horrible rape that damages her internally and affects her emotionally, trying to overcome all the obstacles following the incident with the good support of those around her.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Lee Re, Sol Kyung-gu, Uhm Ji-won, Kim Hae-sook
Votes: 9,654
21. A Taxi Driver (2017)
Not Rated | 137 min | Action, Drama, History
A widowed father and taxi driver who drives a German reporter from Seoul to Gwangju to cover the 1980 uprising, soon finds himself regretting his decision after being caught in the violence around him.
Director: Hun Jang | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, Ryu Jun-Yeol
Votes: 31,191 | Gross: $1.53M
22. Masquerade (2012)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, History
A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
Director: Chang-min Choo | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 7,441 | Gross: $0.92M
23. 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
24. Ode to My Father (2014)
Not Rated | 126 min | Drama, War
Amid the time of Korean War, a young boy's vow to take care of his family marked the beginning of a lifelong promise spanning 60 years.
Director: JK Youn | Stars: Hwang Jung-min, Yunjin Kim, Oh Dal-su, Jung Jin-young
Votes: 6,111 | Gross: $2.30M
25. 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: 7,601 | Gross: $0.56M
26. Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (1989)
Not Rated | 137 min | Drama
About three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
Director: Yong-Kyun Bae | Stars: Yi Pan-Yong, Sin Won-Sop, Hae-Jin Huang, Su-Myong Ko
Votes: 1,448
27. Breathless (2008)
Not Rated | 130 min | Crime, Drama
A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
Director: Yang Ik-joon | Stars: Kim Kkobbi, Hwan Lee, Yang Ik-joon, Jeong-soon Park
Votes: 5,560
28. Crossing (2008)
106 min | Drama
About a young boy in North Korea who wants to find his father who is forced to become a refugee in South Korea.
Director: Tae-gyun Kim | Stars: Cha In-pyo, Myeong-cheol Shin, Seo Young-hwa, Jeong In-gi
Votes: 1,295
29. House of Hummingbird (2018)
Not Rated | 138 min | Drama
Seoul 1994, in the year the Seongsu Bridge collapsed, 14-year-old Eunhee wanders the city searching for love.
Director: Bora Kim | Stars: Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byeok, Jeong In-gi, Soo-Yeon Park
Votes: 3,777
30. A Brand New Life (2009)
92 min | Drama
Young Jinhee is taken by her father to an orphanage near Seoul. He leaves her there never to return, and she struggles to come to grips with her fate. Jinhee desperately believes her father will come back for her.
Directors: Lee Jong Eon, Ounie Lecomte | Stars: Kim Sae-ron, Ko Ah-sung, Sol Kyung-gu, Baek Hyun-joo
Votes: 2,533
31. 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, Seo Tae-hwa, Un-taek Jeong
Votes: 5,321
32. 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: 3,133
33. The Net (2016)
114 min | Drama
A North Korean fisherman breaks his boat engine by accident and drifts down to South Korea. After enduring brutal investigations in the South, he eventually gets sent back to North Korea.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Ryu Seung-beom, Lee Won-geun, Kim Young-min, Choi Gwi-hwa
Votes: 4,608
34. Kim Ji-young: Born 1982 (2019)
118 min | Drama
Kim Ji-yeong, an ordinary woman in her 30s, suddenly shows signs of being inhabited by others such as her late mother and older sister, and the stories of the people connected to her.
Director: Kim Do-Young | Stars: Jung Yu-mi, Gong Yoo, Kim Mi-kyung, Kim Sung-cheol
Votes: 4,254
35. On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate (2002)
115 min | Drama
Actor Kyung Soo leaves Seoul to visit an old classmate. The reunion with his friend does not amount to much, but the trip does lead to some romantic encounters. He gets involved with two ... See full summary »
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Choo Sang-mi, Ye Ji-won, George Georgiou, Jeon Guk-hyang
Votes: 1,466
36. Take Care of My Cat (2001)
112 min | Drama
In the port city of Icheon, five female friends struggle to stay close while forging a life for themselves after high school. When one of the group, upwardly-mobile Hae-ju, moves to Seoul, ... See full summary »
Director: Jae-eun Jeong | Stars: Bae Doona, Lee Yo-won, Ok Ji-young, Eung-ju Lee
Votes: 2,593 | Gross: $0.00M
37. Pieta (2012)
Not Rated | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A loan shark is forced to reconsider his violent lifestyle after the arrival of a mysterious woman claiming to be his long-lost mother.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Jo Min-soo, Lee Jung-Jin, Woo Ki-hong, Eunjin Kang
Votes: 15,766 | Gross: $0.02M
38. Broker (2022)
R | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When a young mother reconsiders abandoning her baby, she discovers a scheme selling foundlings for adoption.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, IU
Votes: 16,687
39. The Throne (2015)
125 min | Drama, History
Set in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Yoo Ah-in, Moon Geun-young, Kim Hae-sook
Votes: 3,115
40. The Isle (2000)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama, Thriller
Working at a fishing resort in an idyllic location, but surrounded by various facets of human unpleasantness, a young mute woman falls in love with a man on the run from the law for committing murder.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Jung Suh, Kim Yu-seok, Cho Jae-hyun, Jang Hang-seon
Votes: 14,715 | Gross: $0.02M
41. Tunnel (2016)
TV-14 | 126 min | Drama, Thriller
A man is on his way home when the poorly constructed tunnel he is driving through collapses, leaving him trapped.
Director: Kim Seong-hun | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Bae Doona, Oh Dal-su, Shin Jeong-geun
Votes: 10,440
42. Sea Fog (2014)
Not Rated | 111 min | Drama, Thriller
A fishing-boat crew takes on a dangerous commission to smuggle a group of illegal immigrants from China to Korea.
Director: Sung-bo Shim | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Park Yoo-chun, Han Yeri, Moon Sung-Keun
Votes: 3,920
43. On the Beach at Night Alone (2017)
101 min | Drama
An actress wanders around a seaside town, pondering her relationship with a married man.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Jeong Jae-yeong, Moon Sung-Keun
Votes: 4,772 | Gross: $0.04M
44. 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
45. The Face Reader (2013)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, History
About Nae-kyung who is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his face. Because of his abilities, he gets involved in a power struggle between Prince Sooyang and Kim Jong-Seo.
Director: Han Jae-rim | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Lee Jung-jae, Baek Yun-shik, Jo Jung-Suk
Votes: 2,867 | Gross: $0.52M
46. Alice in Earnestland (2015)
87 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Soonam struggles to pay bills for her vegetative husband. Despite her hard work, there's no hope and her husband never seems to wake up. A cruel fairy tale with LEE's shocking performance.
Director: Gooc-jin Ahn | Stars: Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Hae-yeong, Seo Young-hwa, Park Eun-yeong
Votes: 595
47. The Woman Who Ran (2020)
77 min | Drama
While her husband is on a business trip, Gamhee meets three of her friends on the outskirts of Seoul. They make friendly conversation but there are different currents flowing independently of each other, both above and below the surface.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Kim Min-hee, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Eun-mi, Song Seon-mi
Votes: 3,601
48. The Box (V) (2021)
94 min | Drama, Music, Musical
A music producer fallen from grace finds an artist - Ji Hoon who has everything needed to make it big and discovers the one thing holding him back, paralyzing stage fright.
Director: Yang Jeong-Woong | Stars: Park Chan-yeol, Jo Dal-hwan, Lee Hwa-jung, Rothy
Votes: 3,862
49. Sopyonje (1993)
112 min | Drama, Music
Despite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Kim Myung-gon, Jung-hae Oh, Kim Kyu-chul, Sae-kil Shin
Votes: 1,115
50. Wedding Dress (2010)
109 min | Drama
Single mother Ko-woon is diagnosed with terminal cancer. She then prepares her daughter So-ra to live without her. As her condition worsens, So-ra finds out about the cancer and tries to fulfill her mother's wishes one by one, in secret.
Director: Kwon Hyeong-jin | Stars: Song Yun-ah, Kim Hyang-gi, Kim Myoung-guk, Jeon Mi-seon
Votes: 816
51. Night Flight (2014)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama
Yong-ju, Gi-woong and Gi-taek used to be best friends in middle school, but in high school, Gi-woong becomes a member of the gang that bullies Gi-taek. As Yong-ju tries to fix broken relationship, he realizes his feelings toward Gi-woong.
Director: Hee-il Leesong | Stars: Kwak Si-yang, Jae-Joon Lee, Jun-ha Choi, Chang-hwan Kim
Votes: 1,384
52. Swing Kids (2018)
TV-14 | 133 min | Drama, Musical, War
The story of Ro Gi Soo, a tap dancing North Korean soldier who was held captive in the Geoje prison camp during the Korean War.
Director: Kang Hyeong-cheol | Stars: A.J. Simmons, Oh Jung-se, Do Kyung-soo, Park Jin-joo
Votes: 2,854 | Gross: $0.22M
53. Way Back Home (2013)
131 min | Drama
Jeong Yoon is a caring wife and mother and a sensitive woman who finds herself plunged into a legal ordeal thousands of miles from home. After years of planning, she and her husband Jong ... See full summary »
Director: Pang Eun-jin | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Go Soo, Claudette Lalí, Michèle Raingeval
Votes: 1,461
54. Keys to the Heart (2018)
120 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A washed-up boxer reunites with his estranged brother, a pianist with savant syndrome.
Director: Sung-Hyun Choi | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Park Jeong-min, Han Ji-min, Kim Sung-ryung
Votes: 1,443 | Gross: $0.07M
55. The World of Us (2016)
95 min | Drama, Family
A bullied girl becomes friends with a new kid during a break, but when classes start up again, their new friendship is nearly ruined when the bullying continues.
Director: Yoon Ga-eun | Stars: Choi Soo-in, Hye-in Seol, Seo-Yeon Lee, Kim Chae-yeon
Votes: 1,082
56. Hamoni (2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama
Jeong-hye gives a birth to a baby boy in the prison. Her and other inmates create a women's choir to compete in the national choir contest, to meet and greet their families and loving ones.
Director: Dae-gyu Kang | Stars: Yunjin Kim, Na Moon-hee, Kang Ye-won, Park Joon-myeon
Votes: 870
57. My Lovely Angel (2021)
100 min | Drama
A life-changing story of a man who has lived as a loner his entire life. Jae Shik begins to live together with a child with a hearing-visual disability, as they change each other's lives and try to find a way to communicate.
Directors: Sung-Mo Kwon, Chang-Won Lee | Stars: Jin Goo, Jung Seo-yeon, Alireza Abbas Beygi, Bang Eun-Jung
Votes: 693
58. A Long Visit (2010)
107 min | Drama
Ji-suk's mother has always been proud of Ji-suk and does anything for her.
Directors: Kim Myung-Jong, Yoo Sung-Yup, Sung-Yup Yoo | Stars: Park Jin-hee, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Ah-Ran, Lee Bit-N
Votes: 281
59. Microhabitat (2017)
Not Rated | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Whiskey and cigarettes, the only ways of keeping her dignity in this city.
Director: Jeon Go-Woon | Stars: Esom, Ahn Jae-hong, Jae-Hyun Choi, Choi Deok-moon
Votes: 3,056
60. Canola (2016)
117 min | Drama
12 years after having lost her grand daughter at a market, grandmother and granddaughter become reunited. But things are not as good and perfect as they were 12 years earlier.
Director: Hong-Seung Yoon | Stars: Sin Eun-jeong, Kim Go-eun, Kim Hee-won, Yang Ik-joon
Votes: 1,120
61. My First Client (2019)
114 min | Crime, Drama
A rookie lawyer blinded by success, meets a 10 year old girl as his first client, who insists she killed her younger brother.
Director: Kyu-sung Jang | Stars: Lee Dong-hwi, Seon Yu, Choi Myung-bin, Lee Joo-won
Votes: 1,305
62. Address Unknown (2001)
R | 117 min | Drama, War
Romances end in blood and the frail hopes of individuals are torn apart in a vile karmic continuity of colonialism, civil war and occupation. After surviving Japanese colonization, Korea ... See full summary »
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Yang Dong-kun, Min-jung Ban, Kim Young-min, Pang Eun-jin
Votes: 3,883
63. Han Gong-ju (2013)
R | 112 min | Drama
Han Gong-Ju transfers to a new school to escape her past. It takes a long time for her troubled past to catch up with her but when it does, the revelation is devastating.
Director: Su-jin Lee | Stars: Chun Woo-hee, Jung In-sun, So-young Kim, Yeong-ran Lee
Votes: 2,723
64. Little Forest (2018)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
A young woman grows tired of life in the city and returns to her hometown in the countryside.
Director: Soon-rye Yim | Stars: Kim Tae-ri, Ryu Jun-Yeol, Moon So-ri, Jin Ki-joo
Votes: 3,908
65. Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned (2016)
130 min | Drama, Fantasy
Five children go to the mountains; magically, one comes back a man.
Director: Tae-hwa Eom | Stars: Gang Dong-won, Shin Eun-soo, Lee Hyo-Je, Kim Hee-won
Votes: 2,320
66. 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: 11,795
67. A Frozen Flower (2008)
TV-MA | 133 min | Drama, History, Romance
A historical drama set in the Koryo dynasty and focused on the relationship between a king and his bodyguard.
Directors: Shin Jae Myung, Kim Su-Jin-I, Ha Yoo, Park Young-Sik | Stars: Zo In-sung, Ju Jin-mo, Song Ji-Hyo, Cho Jin-woong
Votes: 5,137
68. Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, Romance
A married film director falls for a young painter - twice.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Jeong Jae-yeong, Kim Min-hee, Youn Yuh-jung, Gi Ju-bong
Votes: 4,966
69. Children... (2011)
Not Rated | 132 min | Mystery, Thriller
The film is based on a true case from the early 1990s that is known among Koreans as the "disappearance of the frog children." In 1991, five elementary school students told their parents ... See full summary »
Director: Kyu-maan Lee | Stars: Park Yong-woo, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sung Dong-il, Sung Ji-ru
Votes: 2,954
70. The Bacchus Lady (2016)
110 min | Drama
The Bacchus Lady looks into the issue of elderly prostitution in South Korea. So-Young, an elderly lady who provides sex services to the male senior citizens using the pretext of selling ... See full summary »
Director: Je-yong Lee | Stars: Youn Yuh-jung, Nash Ang, Hyun-jun Choi, Kim Han-na
Votes: 1,124
71. The Last Princess (2016)
Not Rated | 127 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The last remaining princess of the Joseon Dynasty leaves her home for Japan, under Japanese colonial rule. Her childhood friend makes a vow to retrieve her and help her make her way back to Korea.
Director: Hur Jin-ho | Stars: Son Ye-jin, Park Hae-il, Ra Mi-ran, Jung Sang-hoon
Votes: 2,184 | Gross: $0.03M
72. Treeless Mountain (2008)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
In Seoul, Korea, two sisters must look after each other when their mother leaves them to search for their estranged father.
Director: So Yong Kim | Stars: Chae Gil Byoung, Jung Gil Ja, Shin Hyun Je, Kim Mi Jung
Votes: 1,916 | Gross: $0.06M
73. Samaritan Girl (2004)
R | 97 min | Drama
Jae-Young is an amateur prostitute who sleeps with men while her best friend Yeo-Jin "manages" her, fixing dates, taking care of the money and making sure the coast is clear. When Jae-Young... See full summary »
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Lee Eol, Kwak Ji-min, Han Yeo-reum, Hyun-min Kwon
Votes: 14,076
74. Untold Scandal (2003)
124 min | Drama
In late 1700s Korea, Lady Cho challenges the playboy Lord Jo-won into seducing and sleeping with her husband's coming young, virgin concubine. Lady Cho agrees to sleep with him if he succeeds.
Director: Je-yong Lee | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Mi-sook, Bae Yong-jun, Jo Hyeon-jae
Votes: 2,689 | Gross: $0.06M
75. 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: 4,195
76. Moonlit Winter (2019)
105 min | Drama, Romance
Yoon-Hee lives with her teenage daughter Sae-Bom. On a winter day, Yoon-Hee receives a letter from Otaru, Japan. Sae-Bom accidentally reads the letter and learns about her mother's first love, which she never spoke about before.
Director: Dae Hyung Lim | Stars: Kim Hee-ae, Yûko Nakamura, Kim Sohye, Sung Yoo-bin
Votes: 1,144
77. Yeoja, Jeong-hye (2004)
99 min | Drama
This film is a restrained, yet thoroughly engaging, study of a female post office worker's emotional life.
Director: Yoon-ki Lee | Stars: Kim Ji-Soo, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Kkobbi, Kim Mi-seong
Votes: 602
78. Another Child (2019)
96 min | Drama
Two teenage girls struggle through their dysfunctional parents' affair.
Director: Kim Yoon-seok | Stars: Yum Jung-ah, Kim So-jin, Kim Hye-jun, Se-jin Park
Votes: 452
79. One Day (2017)
TV-14 | 118 min | Drama, Fantasy
A man, who witnessed his wife's suicide, gradually cures his emotional scars through a fateful encounter with a woman in coma...
Director: Yoon-ki Lee | Stars: Kim Nam-gil, Chun Woo-hee, Sang-hee Baek, Won Geun-su
Votes: 648
80. Return to Seoul (2022)
R | 119 min | Drama
A twenty-five-year-old French woman returns to Korea, the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn.
Director: Davy Chou | Stars: Park Ji-min, Oh Gwang-Rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-young
Votes: 8,367
81. The Day He Arrives (2011)
Not Rated | 79 min | Comedy, Drama
A professor in the film department at a provincial university goes to Seoul to meet his senior, who works as a film critic, and stays in a northern Seoul village for three days.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Yoo Joon-sang, Kim Sang-jung, Song Seon-mi, Kim Bo-kyung
Votes: 2,762 | Gross: $0.01M
82. Birdcage Inn (1998)
105 min | Drama
Streetwise Jin-a moves into a boarding house run by a small, close-knit family. But her unacceptable behavior threatens to destroy them all.
Director: Kim Ki-duk | Stars: Ji-eun Lee, Hye Eun Lee, Ahn Jae-mo, Hyeong-gi Jeong
Votes: 2,026
83. Green Fish (1997)
111 min | Drama
Returning home and finding his town drastically changed, a former soldier falls in with gangsters.
Director: Lee Chang-dong | Stars: Han Suk-kyu, Shim Hye-jin, Moon Sung-Keun, Yu-Kyeong Cha
Votes: 2,094
84. The Day After (2017)
92 min | Drama, Romance
The married Bongwan leaves home in the dark morning and sets off to work. The memories of the woman who left weigh down on him. That day Bongwan's wife finds a love note, bursts into the office, and mistakes Areum for the woman who left.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Yunhee Cho, Kwon Hae-hyo, Ki Joabang, Taeu Kang
Votes: 2,508 | Gross: $0.02M
85. A Girl at My Door (2014)
119 min | Drama
A young police officer is sent to work in a small village and takes in a teenager to protect her from her abusive stepfather.
Director: July Jung | Stars: Bae Doona, Kim Sae-ron, Song Sae-byeok, Son Jong-hak
Votes: 3,203
86. Aloners (2021)
91 min | Drama
A solitary woman re-evaluates her isolated existence after her neighbor dies alone in his apartment.
Director: Hong Seong-eun | Stars: Jung Da-eun, Seo Hyun-woo, Park Jeong-hak, Gong Seung-Yeon
Votes: 2,680
87. My Name Is Loh Kiwan (2024)
TV-MA | 131 min | Drama, Romance
After defecting from North Korea, Loh Kiwan struggles to obtain refugee status in Belgium, where he encounters a dejected woman who has lost all hope.
Director: Kim Hee Jin | Stars: Song Joong-ki, Kaan Abdullah, June Angela, Frédéric Clou
Votes: 2,556
88. Soulmate (2023)
124 min | Drama, Romance
Coming-of-age story where two friends first meet at 11 years old and spend the course of 14 years remaining close and sharing experiences in both friendship and romance.
Director: Young-Keun Min | Stars: Kim Da-mi, Jeon So-nee, Byeon Woo-seok, Heo Ji-na
Votes: 1,680
89. Hearty Paws (2006)
97 min | Drama
A young boy steals a puppy for his younger sister's 6th birthday.
Director: Eun-Hyung Park | Stars: Yoo Seung-ho, Kim Hyang-gi, Dal-i, Kim Dong-young
Votes: 598
90. Ahobsal insaeng (2004)
105 min | Drama
A life of nine year old... It ain't an easy life! Yeo-min is a matured and thoughtful 9 year old boy who lives in a small mountain village. Even at his young age, he has too many things to ... See full summary »
Director: In-ho Yun | Stars: Seok Kim, Lee Se-yeong, Myeong-jae Kim, Ah-hyeon Na
Votes: 439
91. Aimless Bullet (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.
Director: Yu Hyun-mok | Stars: Mu-ryong Choi, Jin Kyu Kim, Jeong-suk Moon, Ae-ja Seo
Votes: 787
92. 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: 563
93. Night and Day (2008)
Not Rated | 144 min | Drama
In the summer of 2007 a painter in his forties travels to Paris to escape arrest for smoking marijuana, leaving his wife behind in Korea. While there he meets an ex-girlfriend and is introduced to a small community of Korean artists.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Yeong-ho Kim, Hwang Soo-Jung, Park Eun-hye, Boris Baum
Votes: 1,298
94. The Juror (2019)
114 min | Drama
"The Juror" is about the justification of a court of jurors who discuss an unexpected event.
Director: Seung-wan Hong | Stars: Moon So-ri, Park Hyung-sik, Jo Soo-hyang, Jo Han-chul
Votes: 1,093
95. Miracle: Letters to the President (2021)
117 min | Drama
Dreaming of making a train station for his sister and the villagers, Joon-kyung sends many letters to the president, but with no reply. Ra-hee, who has a crush on Joon-kyung, does everything she can to help him meet the president.
Director: Jang-Hoon Lee | Stars: Park Jeong-min, Lee Sung-min, Im Yoon-ah, Lee Soo-kyung
Votes: 1,170
96. Next Sohee (2022)
13+ | 134 min | Drama, Thriller
High school student Sohee starts training for a job at a call center but the greed of her company leads to her death. Detective Oh Yu-jin, who has something in common with Sohee, starts to probe her demise and finds an unsettling truth.
Director: July Jung | Stars: Kim Si-Eun, Bae Doona, Choi Hee-jin, Kim Woo-kyum
Votes: 1,404
97. As One (2012)
PG-13 | 127 min | Drama, Sport
"As One" is the cinematic retelling of the first ever post-war Unified Korea sports team, hastily formed to participate in the 41st World Table Tennis Championships in 1991. Following the ... See full summary »
Director: Hyun-Sung Moon | Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Bae Doona, Han Yeri, Yoon-young Choi
Votes: 1,322
98. My Brilliant Life (2014)
117 min | Drama
Dae-soo and Mi-ra have Ah-reum when they are 17. Ah-reum is diagnosed with progeria, and as his body rapidly ages, his finds comfort in writing a story about how his young parents fell in love.
Director: Je-yong Lee | Stars: Song Hye-kyo, Gang Dong-won, Seong-mok Cho, Cha Eun-woo
Votes: 987
99. Tale of Cinema (2005)
Not Rated | 89 min | Drama
In Seoul, a suicidal student meets a young woman who decides to join him in his fatal gesture. Tongsu, an unsuccessful filmmaker, spots a beautiful young woman, who happens to be the lead actress in the film he has just seen.
Director: Hong Sang-soo | Stars: Kim Sang-kyung, Uhm Ji-won, Lee Ki-woo, Lee Kyung-jin
Votes: 1,871
100. Punch (2011)
110 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
17-year-old Wan-deuk comes from a poor family and his grades in school are equally poor. He is a rebellious and troubled student, but he never loses in fights. Wan-deuk then meets teacher ... See full summary »
Director: Lee Han | Stars: Kim Yoon-seok, Yoo Ah-in, Park Soo-young, Jasmine
Votes: 1,285
Tell Your Friends