1Unlocked (2023)
Studio N Commenting on modern ethical controversies around technology and surveillance, this film begins when a young woman loses her smartphone during a fun night of partying. After the phone is picked up by a skilled hacker who implants spyware that tracks her every move before returning the device to her, the woman’s professional and personal life unravels rapidly.
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2The Housemaid (1960)
Seki Trading Co. This classic by controversial director Kim Ki Young has been hailed by film curators and scholars as one of the most important films in Korean cinematic history. The melodrama centers around the violent and dramatic downfall of a middle-class Korean family when they hire a young woman to help with housework.
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3Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
Studio Box This heart-wrenching revenge film is the first installment of Park Chan Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy from the early 2000s, which also includes Oldboy (2003) and Lady Vengeance (2005). In a desperate attempt to raise money for his sister’s kidney transplant, Ryu, a disabled factory worker, kidnaps the daughter of the factory president. The heist goes wrong in many ways, leading to tragic endings for all.
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4High Society (2018)
Netflix The higher up the social ladder you go, the more you have to climb to protect your place. In this enticing drama about the ultimate power couple, an economics professor husband and his gallery-curator wife embark on an adventure to do whatever it takes to achieve upward mobility and stay there.
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5Love and Leashes (2022)
netflix A different take on BDSM than 50 Shades of Grey, this romantic comedy treats the beginning of a dom-sub relationship between co-workers with innocence, curiosity and some giggles. Reviewers have called the workplace romantic comedy a refreshing and wholesome take on kink that focuses on boundaries, without pathologizing BDSM.
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6Midnight (2021)
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7Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... And Spring (2003)
Sony Pictures Classics For those who prefer a more sentimental and emotional watch, you won't regret trying out this beautifully meditative film from 2003. It follows the life of a Buddhist monk living in an isolated floating temple, as each passing season symbolizes a stage in his life.
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8Peppermint Candy (1999)
Shindo Films/Cineclick Asia Directed by acclaimed Korean director Lee Chang-Dong, Peppermint Candy is a powerful, moving drama that explores themes of fate, time and memory using a unique and intriguing storytelling feature. The story is told in reverse, taking viewers backward through 20 years of a doomed man's life.
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9Little Forest (2018)
Megabox Plus M If you ever find yourself in need of something soothing and relaxing, just turn on Little Forest. With a heartwarming story of a young woman who escapes the city to return to her hometown in the countryside, it's truly a simple and quiet film with lots of heart.
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10The Villainess (2017)
Next Entertainment World 11The Good, The Bad, The Weird (2008)
CJ Entertainment Inspired by Italian director Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, this Korean spaghetti western film is about a bounty hunter, gangster and train robber who embark on an epic crusade to uncover buried treasure. Prepare for a lot of laughs, adventure, and genre-specific tropes in this action-packed film.
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12Right Now, Wrong Then (2015)
Next Entertainment World Right Now, Wrong Then is a great pick if you're in the mood for a more quiet, contemplative drama. This highly acclaimed film from celebrated director Hong Sang-Soo tells the story of a chance encounter between a celebrated art film director and a young painter.
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13Train to Busan (2016)
Next Entertainment World A must-watch Korean thriller film, Train to Busan presents a fresh and original take on one of the most classic film genres — the zombie apocalypse flick — as it follows a man fighting for survival on a speeding train that's overtaken by a zombie outbreak. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat the entire time while watching this one!
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RELATED: The 17 Best Zombie Movies to Watch Right Now
14Peninsula (2020)
Next Entertainment World After watching Train to Busan, you'll definitely want to follow it up with Peninsula, its highly anticipated sequel. Set four years after the events of the first film, a former soldier and his team battle zombies to retrieve a truck full of money from the wastelands of the Korean peninsula.
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15Minari (2020)
A24 A tender and stirring drama about a family of South Korean immigrants who take on the American dream in 1980s rural Arkansas, this highly acclaimed film from Korean-American director Lee Isaac Chung received six Academy Award nominations (including for Best Picture!). You'll probably want to keep a box of tissues handy for this one.
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16My Sassy Girl (2001)
Cinema Service My Sassy Girl is perhaps one of the most well-known Korean romantic comedy films of all time — in fact, it was the highest-grossing comedy in Korea at the time of release. With a delightful love story about a college student who meets a trouble-making partner, it's easy to see why this gem became such a widely successful blockbuster hit.
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RELATED: The 60 Best Romantic Comedy Movies of All Time
17Parasite (2019)
CJ Entertainment There's a reason why this black comedy thriller has earned so much international acclaim and achieved Oscar-winning history. With an engrossing and genre-bending plot, Parasite captivates with suspenseful storytelling all throughout the film and delivers a truly intriguing take on the themes of class, violence and social inequality.
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RELATED: Here's What Parasite Is Really About
18Memories of Murder (2003)
CJ Entertainment/Sidus Pictures If you loved Parasite and want to explore more of director Bong Joon Ho's works, Memories of Murder is a great place to start. Combining the crime-thriller genre with social satire and absurdist comedy, this film follows two detectives investigating a series of murders (loosely based on the true story of Korea's first confirmed serial murders that took place in the 1980s).
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19The Beauty Inside (2015)
Next Entertainment World If you're looking for a good romantic Korean movie to watch, this 2015 fantasy rom-com — which is based on the 2012 American social film of the same name — tells the story of a man who wakes up in a different body every day. Plus, there's also a K-drama adaptation of the film you can watch afterward!
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20The Wailing (2016)
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