From Parasite becoming the first non-English-language movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture to filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Kim Jee-woon gaining global recognition, it is not debatable that South Korean movies have made significant advances in the 21st century.
While Park Chan-wook, with his subliminal Hitchcock influences, focuses on creating movies that do not necessarily contain archetypal good characters — Oldboy (2003), The Handmaiden (2016) and Decision to Leave (2022); directors like Kwak Jae-yong solely contribute to mainstream love stories with movies like My Sassy Girl (2001), The Classic (2003) and A Year-End Medley (2021).
With intentional jump cuts and iconic action sequences that challenge conventional storytelling, Oldboy leads our list of the 25 best Korean movies of the 21st century. A cult classic, it follows protagonist Oh Dae-su (played by Choi Min-sik) as he relentlessly hunts down Lee Woo-jin (played by Yoo Ji-tae), a man who held him captive for 15 years. The fifth highest-grossing movie of 2003 in Korea, it made a total of USD 17,592,355 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
Meanwhile, Decision to Leave, a superbly shot and sensuously scored neo-noir mystery thriller about obsessive love, received two nominations at the 76th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), for Best Film Not in the English Language and Best Direction. It grossed USD 22,026,067 from over 1,893,954 ticket admissions.
Additionally, legendary director Bong Joon-ho transformed the Korean film landscape with an array of artistically daring projects that critique social disparities and bring to the forefront the lives of the marginalised. One of the best Korean movies of the 21st century is his 2019 black comedy Parasite, which won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
Parasite was also the first Korean movie to win the Palme d’Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It is inspired by the 1960 classic Korean movie The Housemaid, the Christine and Léa Papin incident in 1930s France and a 2013 play written by Bong himself. Apart from garnering global critical acclaim, the movie also became a box office blockbuster and grossed USD 262,608,117 worldwide on a budget of USD 11.4 million.
A look at the 25 most iconic Korean movies of the 21st century
1 /25
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Choi Min-shik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung
IMDb rating: 8.3
Synopsis: After getting abducted, businessman Oh Dae-soo (Choi) gets locked up and tortured in a tiny room for 15 years. Once released, he vows to find his mysterious captors. What happens when he unleashes truths that change his life forever in his quest for revenge?
Writer’s favourite scene: The 3.34-minute-long brutal corridor hammer fight, shot in a single take. The scene has influenced the fight choreographies of many subsequent action movies, including Daredevil (2015), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), and Animal (2023). Additionally, video games like Sifu have also drawn inspiration.
Awards won: Best Actor for Choi Min-sik at the 40th Baeksang Arts Awards and Best Director for Park Chan-wook at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival.
Directed by: Lee Hwan-kyung
Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won, Park Shin-hye
IMDb rating: 8.1
Synopsis: Lee Yong-gu (Ryu) is an intellectually-stunted man who gets wrongfully imprisoned for rape and murder. As Yong-gu navigates life in confinement, he manages to build friendships with his hardened criminal cellmates. Moved by his affection, they join forces to reunite Yong-su with his daughter Lee Ye-sung (Kal) by smuggling her into the prison.
Writer’s favourite scene: The movie’s ending when an adult Ye-sung (Park) spots a yellow balloon in the sky and is reminded of a memory from her childhood when she rode a yellow hot air balloon with her father Yong-gu.
Awards won: Most Popular Film at the 30th Blue Dragon Film Awards and Best Supporting Actress for Park Shin-hye at the 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.
3 /25
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-sik, Park Seo-joon
IMDb rating: 8.5
Synopsis: The poverty-stricken Kim family smartly place themselves in the service of the wealthy Parks to make their ends meet. What they are unaware of is that the obscenely rich household has been harbouring dark secrets in their basement for years.
Writer’s favourite scene: When Ki-woo’s (Choi) friend Min (Park) drops by his house, he brings along a scholar’s rock and gifts it to his family for good fortune. Following this, Min offers Ki-woo the opportunity to tutor at the Park household, an invitation that sparks the events of the movie. The rock, which is also a metaphor for the burden of social mobility, appears in many key scenes throughout.
4 /25
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Kim Min-hee, Kim Tae-ri, Cho Jin-woong
IMDb rating: 8.1
Synopsis: Con woman Sook-hee (Tae-ri) enters the life of young Japanese heiress Hideko (Min-hee) to steal her fortune. She poses as a handmaiden and starts cosying up to Hideko (Min-hee). However, Sook-hee soon starts developing genuine feelings for Hideko, making the task difficult.
Writer’s favourite scene: Spoiler alert! The heartbreaking and symbolic climax where lovers Sook-hee and Hideko destroy the library together — the same room where Hideko was forced by her Uncle Kouzuki (Cho) to read out violent erotic fiction for rich perverted men.
5 /25
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il,
IMDb rating: 7.3
Synopsis: Detective Jang Hae-jun (Park) is assigned the case of a retired immigration worker’s murder. As the investigation begins, Hae-jun starts falling for his lead suspect, the late worker’s Chinese immigrant wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei). His growing obsession with Seo-rae makes it difficult for Hae-jun to stay focused on his mission.
Writer’s favourite scene: When Seo-rae, assuming Hae-jun fell out of love after discovering her true nature, plans her death in a way he won’t be able to unravel, knowing his fixation with unresolved mysteries.
Awards won: Decision to Leave competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook won Best Director.
6 /25
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha
IMDb rating: 8.1
Synopsis: When a series of murders and rapes threaten the peace of Gyunggi province, detective Park Doo-man (Song) and his team leave no stone unturned to put the criminals behind bars.
Writer’s favourite scene: In the final moments of the movie, protagonist Park Doo-man breaks the fourth wall and looks directly into the camera, as if staring at the real murderer Lee Choon-jae to remind him that the law would never stop looking for him.
In September 2019, Lee Choon-jae confessed to 14 murders, out of which only 10 were known by authorities. He admitted he was aware of Memories of Murder and had seen it upon its initial release. Later, Bong Joon-ho revealed in a press conference that he was confident that the killer would watch the movie.
Awards won: Best Film, Best Director for Bong Joon-ho, Best Actor for Song Kang-ho and Best Cinematography for Kim Hyung-koo at the 2003 Korean Film Awards.
7 /25
Directed by: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Choi Min-shik, Jeon Gook-hwan
IMDb rating: 7.8
Synopsis: When the pregnant fiancé of Kim Soo-hyun (Lee), an active agent in the National Intelligence Service, is brutally murdered, Soo-hyun sets off on a mission to find the killer, Jang Kyung-chul. (Choi).
Writer’s favourite scene: Spoilers ahead! Soo-hyun, after tracking Kyung-chul’s bus, finds him in a greenhouse, about to violate a school student. What follows is a gore-fest where Soo-hyun shoves a tracking device down Kyung-chul’s throat. Before leaving, Soo-hyun places an envelope of money next to an unconscious Kyung-chul, thus opting for a brutal cat-and-mouse chase with the sadistic killer.
Awards won: Grand Prize (Daesang) for Lee Byung-hun at the 2011 Baeksang Arts Awards and Best Foreign Language Film at the Houston Film Critics Society Awards.
8 /25
Directed by: Lee Chang-dong
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo
IMDb rating: 7.4
Synopsis: During one of his part-time delivery jobs, aspiring writer Lee Jong-su (Yoo) stumbles upon Shin Hae-mi (Jeon), his childhood neighbour and classmate. As they reunite, Jong-suk finds himself getting caught in a mysterious love triangle with Hae-mi and her rich friend Ben (Steven).
About the movie: This postmodernist psychological thriller was selected as South Korea’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. While it didn’t get a nomination, Burning became the first Korean film to make it to the final nine-film shortlist for the awards.
Awards won: Burning competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and received the FIPRESCI International Critics’ Prize at the festival.
9 /25
Directed by: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Baek Seung-hwan, Kim Hyeon-soo
IMDb rating: 8
Synopsis: Gang In-ho (Gong) is a teacher at Gwangju Inhwa — a school for hearing-impaired children. When he discovers the abuse of students at the hands of the principal, In-ho teams up with human rights activist Seo Yu-jin (Jung) to bring the heinous crime to public attention. But, with corrupt police and business leaders of Korea backing the school, will In-ho be able to expose the culprits?
About the movie: Inspired by real-life events, it is based on the 2009 Korean roman à clef The Crucible by Gong Ji-young. Actor Gong Yoo received the book as a gift from his commander in the military and pushed for it to be adapted into a movie. The Korean celebrity said in a press conference, “I felt this sense of resentment and anger with myself, thinking, ‘It took me this long to realize that things like that happen in the world we live in?”
The movie’s release led to multiple necessary changes in child safety laws. The National Assembly of South Korea passed the Dogani Bill to abolish the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and disabled people, in October 2011. Meanwhile, Gwangju City officially shut down the real school in November 2011.
10 /25
Directed by: Cho Hyun-hoon
Cast: Koo Kyo-hwan, Lee Min-ji, Lee Joo-young
IMDb rating: 6
Synopsis: So-hyun (Lee), who is fed up with herself, decides to take her own life in a motel. However, when she is saved by a transgender woman, Jane (Koo), So-hyun’s fate changes forever.
Awards won: CGV Arthouse Award, Actor of the Year for Koo Kyo-hwan and Actress of the Year for Lee Min-ji at the 21st Busan International Film Festival in 2016.
11 /25
Directed by: Lee Eon-hee
Cast: Kim Go-eun, Steve Noh
IMDb rating: 7.8
Synopsis: A young gay man Heung-soo (Steve), who lives with HIV, struggles to navigate life and love in Seoul. Supporting him on his journey of self-discovery is his best friend, Jae-hee (Kim).
About the movie: It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Booker Prize nominee Park Sang-young.
Writer’s favourite scene: Heung-soo’s congratulatory performance for Jae-hee at her wedding. He sings former South Korean girl group miss A’s hit song “Bad Girl Good Girl” as a tribute to Jae-hee’s bold personality.
Awards won: Best New Actor award for Steve Noh at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
12 /25
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Young-ae, Kim Tae-woo, Shin Ha-kyun
IMDb rating: 7.7
Synopsis: When two North Korean soldiers are killed at a border house in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), South Korean Sgt Lee Soo-hyeok (Lee Byung-hun) is held responsible. Brought in to investigate the case is a Swiss Korean Army Major, Sophie E Jean (Lee Young-ae), a neutral party intent on learning the truth.
About the movie: Lead actor Lee Byung-hun was so overwhelmed by the success of the movie that he watched it 40 times in the cinemas to see the audience’s reactions.
Writer’s favourite scene: When South Korean Sgt Lee Soo-hyeok mistakenly steps into Northern territory during a night patrol and nearly triggers the tripwire on a landmine, North Korean Sgt Oh Kyung-pil (Choi) and Pvt Jung Woo-jin (Shin) stumble upon him and disarm the mine. This marks the start of an unlikely friendship.
Awards won: Best Film and Best Cinematography at the Blue Dragon Film Awards; and Best Film, Best Actor for Song, Best Art Direction and Best Sound Effects at the Grand Bell Awards.
13 /25
Directed by: Kim Jee-woon
Cast: Lim Soo-jung, Moon Geun-young, Yum Jung-ah
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: When a disturbed Soo-mi (Lim) is released from a mental hospital, she returns to her country home along with her sister Su-yeon (Moon). There, the duo are forced to co-exist with their scheming stepmother (Yum). Adding to their woes are ghosts who unveil shocking truths related to their family.
About the movie: This Korean horror classic is inspired by the famous Joseon folktale Janghwa Hongryeon jeon.
Awards won: Best New Actress for Im Soo-jung, Best Cinematography for Lee Mo-gae and Special Jury Prize for Kim Jee-woon at the 2003 Busan Film Critics Awards.
(Image credit: Prime Video)
14 /25
Directed by: Jang Jae-hyun
Cast: Lee Do-hyun, Choi Min-shik, Kim Go-eun
IMDb rating: 6.9
Synopsis: A family in Los Angeles experiences a series of paranormal events and seeks the help of shamans Hwa-rim (Kim) and Bong-gil (Lee). What follows is an intense investigation that leads the duo to a mysterious grave in a village in South Korea. When Hwa-rim and Bong-gil dig up the grave, they end up unleashing even darker evil.
Writer’s favourite scene: The daesal gut event — a type of ritual with animal sacrifice to chase away evil spirits — which takes place during the first exhumation.
Lead actor Kim Go-eun shared in a press conference that she felt something supernatural after attending one such ritual as a part of her research. She said, “They say that you hear a ringing in your ears when a ghost approaches. When I went to see a ritual, there were people playing drums and gongs nearby. They were close by, but they played the gongs loudly. It sounded like my ears were going to burst. Then, when I went home and it was time to sleep, I heard a ringing in my ears… I even put on earplugs, but I got goosebumps because it was tinnitus.”
Awards won: Best Actress for Kim Go-eun at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards and the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards; and Best New Actor for Lee Do-hyun and Best Director for Jang Jae-hyun at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards.
15 /25
Directed by: Kore-eda Hirokazu
Cast: Kang Dong-won, IU, Song Kang-ho
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: Sang Hyun (Song) and Dong Soo (Kang) are two brokers who carry out illegal adoptions. When a mother, So-Young (IU), joins them on a journey to ensure that her daughter gets a safe new home, the duo learn the importance of a loving family in life.
Awards won: Ecumenical Jury Award and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival; and Best International Film at the 2022 Munich International Film Festival.
16 /25
Directed by: Na Hong-jin
Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Jun Kunimura, Chun Woo-hee, Kim Hwan-hee
IMDb rating: 7.4
Synopsis: Gokseong village gets affected by an unidentified disease after the arrival of a mysterious Japanese man (Kunimura). After his daughter’s (Kim) disappearance, police officer Jong Goo (Kwak) vows to solve the mystery behind the outbreak. Helping him in his mission is a mysterious young woman from the village, Moo-myeong (Chun).
Awards won: Best Director for Na Hong-jin, Popularity Award and Best Supporting Actor for Jun Kunimura, and Best Editing for Kim Sun-min at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
17 /25
Directed by: Kim Han-min
Cast: Choi Min-sik, Ryoo Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Jin Goo
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: It’s 1597 Korea and the threat of the Japanese invasion is looming large. To win the impending war, Admiral Yi Sun-sin (Choi) has to ensure the safety of 12 ships under his command. Will the heavily outnumbered Korean army defeat the hundred ships of the Japanese navy?
About the movie: Based on the historical Battle of Myeongnyang, this highest-grossing Korean movie is the first instalment in director Kim’s trilogy based on Admiral Yi Sun-shin’s three great battles. The other two are Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) and Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023).
Awards won: Best Film and Best Art Direction for Jang Choon-seob at the 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and Best Actor for Choi Min-sik at the 51st Grand Bell Awards.
18 /25
Directed by: Lee Jeong-beom
Cast: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Thanayong Wongtrakul
IMDb rating: 7.7
Synopsis: The owner of a pawnshop in a high-rise building, Cha Tae-sik (Won Bin) leads an isolated life. In the flat next door, lives his only friend, the 10-year-old Jung So-mi (Kim). When a local mafia’s men kidnap her, brutally killing the mother, Tae-sik vows to save So-mi.
Writer’s favourite scene: The knife fight between Tae-sik and Vietnamese killer Lum Ramrowan (Wongtrakul). American director Chad Stahelski has stated that this sequence, along with multiple other action scenes from The Man from Nowhere, was a major influence on the John Wick franchise.
19 /25
Directed by: Kim Ki-duk
Cast: O Yeong-su, Kim Young-min, Park Ji-a, Ha Yeo-jin
IMDb rating: 8
Synopsis: A Buddhist monk (Oh) and his apprentice navigate life across Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. As the duo follow the path towards enlightenment, they understand the true meaning of Samsara — the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
About the movie: In a 2016 international critics’ poll conducted by the BBC, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring was voted as one of the 100 greatest motion pictures since 2000.
(Image credit: © 2003 Sony Pictures Classics. All Rights Reserved. via IMDb)
20 /25
Directed by: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Ok-bin, Kim Hae-sook, Shin Ha-kyun
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: Devout priest Sang-hyun (Song) transforms into a vampire after a failed experiment. He fights his new nature until an affair with Tae-ju (Kim), his childhood friend’s wife, unleashes his darkest desires.
Writer’s favourite scene: In one of the quiet moments between Sang-hyun and Tae-ju, the latter, clad in a beautiful white dress, runs barefoot through the empty streets at night in an attempt to break free from her trapped existence and seemingly abusive husband Kang Woo (Shin). However, Sang-hyun is instantly behind her. As Cho Young-muk’s “Under a Streetlight” plays in the background, Sang-hyun lifts Tae-ju off the ground effortlessly, slips off his shoes and places her into them.
Awards won: Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Best Music for Cho Young-muk and Best Supporting Actress for Kim Hae-sook at the 2009 Blue Dragon Film Awards.
21 /25
Directed by: Jang Hoon
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Ryu Jun-yeol, Yoo Hae-jin, Thomas Kretschmann
IMDb rating: 7.9
Synopsis: Taxi driver Kim Man-sub (Song) is offered a huge sum of money by a foreigner (Kretschmann) to drive him from Seoul to Gwangju City and back. However, Man-sub is unaware that the foreigner is a German journalist, interested in the 1980s Gwangju Uprising. Faced with riots and political unrest, he must drive the two back to safety.
About the movie: It is inspired by the true story of German journalist Jürgen Hinzpeter and his interactions with Korean driver Kim Sa-bok.
22 /25
Directed by: Hong Sang-soo
Cast: Jung Jae-young, Kim Min-hee, Youn Yuh-jung, Gi Ju-bong
IMDb rating: 7.1
Synopsis: Seoul-based art-house director Ham Chun-su (Jung) and painter Yoon Hee-jung (Kim) meet on the streets of Suwon and fall in love. Chun-su wishes to marry Hee-jung but can’t because he is married with two children. This leaves the two devastated.
Awards won: Golden Leopard and Best Actor for Jung Jae-young at the 68th Locarno International Film Festival.
23 /25
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an
IMDb rating: 7.6
Synopsis: Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) is on his way to Busan along with his daughter Soo-an (Kim) aboard Seoul’s KTX train. As their journey begins, a deadly virus starts to spread in Seoul. When an infected person gets on the train, she ends up turning into a zombie and infecting others. With the entire train at risk, will Seok-woo make it out to safety with his daughter?
Writer’s favourite scene: Spoilers ahead! When Seok-woo gets bitten while trying to save Soo-an and Seong-kyeong (Jung), Soo-an is petrified to realise that her father must leave her alone. As his daughter pleads for Seok-woo to stay with them, he fulfils his duty as a father and jumps off the train. He recalls Soo-an as a newborn infant, safe in his arms, and lets her go with a smile on his face.
Awards won: Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film at the 2016 Blue Dragon Film Awards and Best Director for Yeon Sang-ho at the 2016 Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain and the 2017 Baeksang Arts Awards.
24 /25
Directed by: Lee Yoon-ki
Cast: Gong Yoo, Jeon Do-yeon
IMDb rating: 6.7
Synopsis: Sang-min (Jeon) comes to Finland to send her autistic son to a special camp and meets Korean architect Ki-hong (Gong). As the duo get to know each other, they feel a connection but go their separate ways the next morning. Later, Sang-min tracks Ki-hong down only to find him happy with his wife and daughter. Will she confess her feelings for Ki-hong or move on?
Awards won: Achievement Award and Grand Prize (Daesang) for Gong Yoo at the 2016 Korean Film Actor’s Association Awards.
25 /25
Directed by: Kwak Jae-yong
Cast: Jun Ji-hyun, Cha Tae-hyun
IMDb rating: 7.9
Synopsis: A meek and passive Kyun-woo (Cha) saves the life of a sassy and oddly behaved girl (Jun). Despite finding the girl annoying, Kyun-woo starts spending time with her and ends up falling in love.
About the movie: My Sassy Girl is inspired by the true story of an anonymous Korean man’s online blog detailing his relationship with his girlfriend. One of the highest-grossing Korean films ever, it became a blockbuster after its release across East Asia. So much so that its success drew comparisons to James Cameron’s Titanic (1997). A timeless classic, My Sassy Girl also played a key role in the international breakthrough of Korean cinema and the spread of the Hallyu Wave.
(Image credit: IMDb)