Most Popular Korean Movies, Ever

  • Publish date: since 4 days

a mix of box office hits, international award-winners, and cultural touchstones.

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Here’s a list of the most popular Korean movies — a mix of box office hits, international award-winners, and cultural touchstones. Whether you're a K-cinema newbie or a superfan, these are must-watches:

🎬 1. Parasite (2019)

  • Director: Bong Joon-ho

    فيديو ذات صلة

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  • Why it’s iconic: First non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. A dark, genre-bending satire on class, full of twists.

  • “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles...”

🔪 2. Oldboy (2003)

  • Director: Park Chan-wook

  • Genre: Psychological thriller / Revenge

  • A cult classic with that hallway hammer scene. Brutal, brilliant, and unforgettable. Part of the Vengeance Trilogy.

🚂 3. Train to Busan (2016)

  • Director: Yeon Sang-ho

  • Genre: Zombie / Action / Drama

  • A gripping emotional rollercoaster on a train filled with the undead. One of the most successful Korean films internationally.

🦑 4. Squid Game (technically a series but too massive to ignore)

  • Not a movie, but so globally iconic it’s often mistaken for one. Introduced many viewers to Korean storytelling.

🕵️ 5. The Handmaiden (2016)

  • Director: Park Chan-wook

  • Genre: Erotic thriller / Psychological

  • Inspired by a British novel, it’s stylish, sensual, and layered with deception. A visual and emotional feast.

🎭 6. Memories of Murder (2003)

  • Director: Bong Joon-ho

  • Based on Korea’s first known serial killings. Haunting, atmospheric, and rooted in real history.

  • Fun fact: Solved years later due to DNA evidence.

💥 7. The Host (2006)

  • Director: Bong Joon-ho (again!)

  • Genre-bending monster movie meets social commentary — and still holds up.

🎖️ 8. Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (2004)

  • Genre: War / Historical Drama

  • Epic, emotional, and intense — Korea’s version of Saving Private Ryan, set during the Korean War.

💰 9. Extreme Job (2019)

  • Genre: Action Comedy

  • A team of undercover cops opens a fried chicken shop as cover — and accidentally becomes wildly successful.

  • One of Korea’s top-grossing comedies ever.

🎨 10. Burning (2018)

  • Director: Lee Chang-dong

  • A slow-burn mystery based on a Haruki Murakami short story. Ambiguous, poetic, and full of tension.

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