Best Korean Movies on Netflix (August 2023)

Run Time: 1 hr 58 min | Genre: Romance Comedy | Director: Park Hyun-jin

Cast: Seohyun, Lee Jun-young

When you think rom-com, BDSM isn’t exactly what springs to mind. And yet this is the topic explored in Park Hyun-jin’s Love and Leashes. This 2022 romantic comedy tells the story of Ji-woo (Seohyun), who becomes inducted into the world of BDSM by her colleague Ji-hoo (Lee Jun-young). The film has been praised as having a refreshing and accurate representation of kink and is surprisingly sweet and wholesome. It makes an effort to erase the stigma behind BDSM on top of being genuinely informative. Besides the effort it makes to be accurate and respectful, Love and Leashes also differentiates itself from films such as 50 Shades of Gray by having Ji-woo be the dominant one in her and Ji-hoo’s contractual relationship. Additionally, Lee and Seohyun have a palpable chemistry that makes it difficult not to root for them and their relationship. Looking for a feel-good office romance with a bit of a twist? Love and Leashes is sure to satisfy. – Olenka Wellisz

Run Time: 1 hr 39 min | Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Cast: Kang Soo-youn, Kim Hyun-joo, Ryu Kyung-soo

From brilliant writer and visionary director Yeon Sang-ho, Jung_E is a bold science-fiction drama with a thought-provoking premise that is as fascinating as it is moving. Serving as her final movie role before her death, Jung_E stars Kang Soo-yeon who, alongside co-stars Kim Hyun-joo and Ryu Kyung-soo, presents unsettling questions of morality within technology, greed, and how these impact the planet. Highlighted by both the acting and action, as well as the beautiful technical design, Jung_E delicately tackles an approachable story about grief and perseverance through a sci-fi narrative heavily focused on artificial intelligence. – Yael Tygiel

Run Time: 2 hr 17 min | Genre: Action, Thriller | Director: Sung-hyun Byun

Cast: Willis Chung, Esom, Jeon Do-yeon

Kill Boksoon is a South Korean action film about a secret organization of assassins that would feel quite at home in the John Wick universe. Jeon Do-yeon (The Housemaid) punches, kicks, and stabs her way through the lead role as the titular character, Gil Bok-soon, a.k.a. Kill Boksoon. She’s a crack assassin who’s never missed a target, but as a single mother, she finds herself looking over her shoulder more and more afraid she’ll lose the one thing that she loves above all else. Unfortunately, that fear comes to fruition as the organization she works for turns on her, and she has to kill or be killed. Kill Boksoon has some of the best fight choreography, camera work, and stylized action in the game and is a fantastic watch with a lot of heart.

Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Director: Joon-Sung Kim

Cast: Sol Kyung-gu, Go Soo, Kang Hye-jeong, Yu Chun Park

Written and directed by Joon-Sung Kim in his acclaimed directorial debut and starring Go Soo (Money Game) as a successful investigative journalist searching for his abducted son, Lucid Dream is a heartbreaking sci-fi drama with themes of personal strength and the love of a father. Praised for the incredible acting and creative foundation of the film, Lucid Dream is a rich mystery that plays with Inception-type concepts. Although featuring interesting cinematic techniques and stylish dream effects, Lucid Dream relies on mystery and narrative to draw in the audience. – Yael Tygiel

Run Time: 1 hr 59 min | Genre: Romance Drama | Director: Woo-ri Bang

Cast: Kim Yoo-jeong, Woo-Seok Byeon, Park Jung-woo

20th Century Girl is a charming, beautifully shot film written and directed by Woo-ri Bang. Taking place before the new millennium in 1999, 20th Century Girl follows a sweet and kind teenager, Na Bo-Ra (Kim Yoo-jeong), who has a whimsical imagination. When her best friend asks her to keep an eye on a popular boy in her class, Na Bo-Ra finds herself swept away by an unexpected romance. By emphasizing the use of outdated technology from the late 1990s, 20th Century Girl plays with modern tropes through a nostalgic lens, allowing audiences to reminisce about simpler times, both in terms of society and reliving that first crush. – Yael Tygiel

Run Time: 1 hr 59 min | Genre: Drama | Director: Byun Hyuk

Cast: Park Hae-il, Soo Ae

High Society revolves around Jang Tae-joon (Park Hae-il) and Oh Soo-yeon (Soo Ae), a husband and wife who will do anything to enter society’s elite. A beloved professor of economics, Jae becomes a hero after saving the life of a burning man on TV. To capitalize on his popularity, he decides to go into politics. His wife Oh is based in the art world and does everything in her power to take the place of her female manager – including entering an affair with a high-powered photographer. Tense and glamorous, High Society is sure to please fans of shows like Succession and Elite. – Taylor Gates

Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Genre: Romantic Comedy | Director: Kae-Byeok Lee

Cast: Jang Ki-Yong, Krystal Jung, Chae Soo-bin

Sweet & Sour is an adorable Korean rom-com exploring the universal struggles and celebrations of dating. With an attractive young cast consisting of Jang Ki-Yong, Krystal Jung, and Chae Soo-bin, Sweet & Sour draws on the classic romantic comedy tropes while implementing them into a modern Korean setting. Even with cultural differences, this film is approachable to a global audience. Follow this cute couple on their journey attempting to stay together through a long-distance relationship and the challenges they face, including flirtatious co-workers. Sweet & Sour is exactly that: a delightful tribute to love. – Yael Tygiel

Run Time: 2 hr 3 min | Genre: Action Crime | Director: Ryoo Seung-wan

Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in

The setup of Veteran is a familiar concept: tough police detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) is determined to bring arrogant millionaire Jo Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in), who runs his own crime syndicate and tried to murder Hwang’s friend, to justice despite overwhelming odds. However, Veteran doesn’t feel derivative, instead, it mixes its own unique characters with a heady mixture of action and suspense. A bare-knuckled face-off between Hwang and Jo in one of the final scenes of the film is especially exciting. Veteran also has a deeply moral core, exploring social divisions and abuses of power within Korean society. Despite the serious topics the film deals with, however, it’s also genuinely funny, seamlessly switching between comedy and drama. The cast too is excellent: Yoo Ah-in in particular is deliciously evil as Jo, and Seo Do-cheol provides a powerful performance as the unrelenting policeman intent on taking him down. Overall, Veteran is a thoroughly enjoyable action flick that will pair especially well with a large bowl of popcorn. – Olenka Wellisz

Run Time: 2 hr 11 min | Genre: Drama | Director: Park Hoon-jung

Cast: Uhm Tae-goo, Jeon Yeo-been, Cha Seung-wo

If you are looking for a classic crime thriller, the likes of which South Korean filmmakers are known for, then the Netflix Original movie Night in Paradise is a great choice. Directed by Park Hoon-jung, the dark drama stars Uhm Tae-goo as Park Tae-goo, a mobster who denies an offer to join the rival Bukseong gang, resulting in the murder of his entire family. Tae-goo then retaliates by killing the men responsible before fleeing to the picturesque Jeju Island. There he meets a woman named Kim Jae-yeon, played by Jeon Yeo-been, who suffers from a terminal illness and has little time left to live, and the two form a connection. Unfortunately, Tae-goo’s troubles follow him to the island as the Bukseong gang hunts him down. South Korea has a talent for creating complex and exciting revenge stories with fascinating antiheroes. Tae-goo is a skilled assassin whose life gets turned upside down by his loyalty, and the one thing he cares about — his family — is taken away from him. In Jae-yeon, Tae-goo finds someone who has gone through a similar situation and ends up alone, but doesn’t want to be, and so they begin to form a life together. Their relationship becomes the emotional centerpiece of an action-packed, violent story of vengeance.

Run Time: 2 hr 14 min | Genre: Crime Drama | Director: Yoon Sung-hyun

Cast: Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Choi Woo-shik, Park Jung-min

Another Netflix Original, Time to Hunt is a thriller set in a dystopian near-future in which poverty is even more widespread and destructive. A group of friends, desperate to get out of the city and start a better life, decide to commit one last heist together to get the cash they need, with a popular gambling house their target. While they successfully pull off the heist, stealing a large sum of money and the security hard drives, the owners of the gambling house decide to retaliate, hiring a ruthless assassin to hunt down the four friends and get back what they stole. Directed by Yoon Sung-hyun, the movie stars Choi Woo-shik, who you might recognize as the son from Parasite, Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Park Jung-min, and Park Hae-soo. The thriller Time to Hunt is perfect for people who like heist films or action-filled dramas, and the movie is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat as the four friends fight for their lives.

Run Time: 2 hr 16 min | Genre: Sci-Fi Space Opera | Director: Jo Sung-hee

Cast: Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, Yoo Hae-jin

Korean movies cover all genres, including sci-fi. This 2021 film, Space Sweepers, is set in the year 2092, after Earth has become nearly unlivable, when everyone who is able to has gone out to space to live. A big corporation called UTS has started building an orbiting structure that would bring selected citizens to live in the constructed utopia. But those without riches or privilege are pretty much out of luck, and that includes the many who work as “space sweepers,” or people who collect debris from the space around Earth to sell in order to survive. Space Sweepers focuses on a close-knit crew of these workers who must face off against UTS when they find a stowaway little girl known as Dorothy (Park Ye-rin) who is highly desired by the corporation. UTS claims that she is actually a robot weapon, but the crew can’t help but fall in love with the girl, so they continue to debate whether they should sell her for riches or protect her from UTS. The film stars Song Joong-ki as Kim Tae-ho, a former soldier who now works with Captain Jang, played by Kim Tae-ri of The Handmaiden, on her ship, alongside Jin Seon-kyu as Tiger Park and their robot friend Bubs, voiced by Yoo Hae-jin. Also in the film is Richard Armitage, who plays the greedy, controlling CEO of UTS, James Sullivan.

Run Time: 2 hr 2 min | Genre: Romance Drama | Director: Jung Ji-woo

Cast: Kim Go-eun, Jung Hae-in

Starring Jung Hae-in as Hyun-woo and Kim Go-eun, who some might know from the popular Korean drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, as Mi-soo, Tune in for Love is a sweet love story that takes place over years, following star-crossed lovers Hyun-woo and Mi-soo through the many ups and downs of their relationship. First meeting at a bakery where Mi-soo works in 1994, the two grow close, but strange situations seem to always drag them apart. Whether it’s a lost email password, a broken phone, or even jail time, the two can’t seem to catch a break. Despite that, Mi-soo and Hyun-woo continue to search for one another over the years, determined to be with the other person no matter what obstacles of life stand in the way. If you are in the mood for a heartfelt, subtle romance, Tune in for Love is the perfect choice.

Run Time: 2 hr | Genre: Adventure Drama | Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong

While a majority of this film is in English, it is still very much a South Korean film. Directed by Bong Joon Ho and co-written by him and Jon Ronson, Okja is the story of a young girl named Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) who makes it her mission to rescue the “super pig” she raised, named “Okja.” The animal is part of a major experiment for the meat industry, led by a power-hungry American company, with the end goal being Okja’s consumption. It’s definitely a commentary on capitalism in America, along with the brutal treatment of animals in the food industry, most notably pigs. The film is star-studded, featuring longtime Bong collaborator Tilda Swinton, along with Paul Dano, Byun Hee-bong, Jake Gyllenhaal, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, and more. The movie is Bong’s second English-language film after 2013’s Snowpiercer, and although he will definitely continue to focus on Korean films like the Oscar-winning Parasite, Okja represents his increasing presence in Hollywood and the American film industry. The story of Okja is heart-wrenching, funny, and beautiful, and it definitely forces you to think about what sort of food we consume and how it gets from the farm to the stomach. After seeing Okja, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Gyllenhaal, Dano, and Yeun all team up with Bong again in the future.

Run Time: 1 hr 49 min | Genre: Thriller Mystery | Director: Jang Hang-jun

Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol, Moon Sung-keun, Na Young-hee

The psychological thriller Forgotten focuses on a young man named Jin-seok, played by Kang Ha-neul, who lives a humble life with his parents and older brother Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-yeol). One night, Jin-seok sees his brother kidnapped by men on the street, but 19 days later, Yoo-seok returns, seemingly fine and acting like nothing even happened. While everything returns to normal, Jin-seok notices stark differences in the way his brother is acting, and soon enough he’s convinced that it’s a different person. As other strange things start happening, Jin-seok works to uncover the truth of what really happened the night of his brother’s kidnapping, but his search leads him down a deep rabbit hole that digs up more revelations about himself than Yoo-seok. Overall, Forgotten is a bit hard to explain, because if I were to get any deeper than this, I might just reveal some of the shocking twists and turns of this puzzling thriller. Written and directed by Jang Hang-jun, Forgotten is a truly unpredictable story that anyone who loves movies like Memento or I Saw the Devil should immediately add to their Netflix watchlist.

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min | Genre: Comedy | Director: Chang You-jeong

Cast: Ma Dong-seok, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Hanee

The Bros is a hilarious misadventure of two very different, estranged brothers who are forced to work together after their father dies as they go through all of the traditions of a Korean funeral. The film is directed by Chang You-jeong and stars Ma Dong-seok, who Marvel fans will see as Gilgamesh in Eternals, as Lee Seok-bong and Lee Dong-hwi as Lee Joo-bong, the two brothers in question. Seok-bong is the older, more immature brother, a history teacher whose one big dream is to discover secret treasure on the family’s land, while Joo-bong is the meticulous, ambitious younger brother who attempts to use the funeral to convince his family to sell the land. The two haven’t seen or talked to one another since their mother’s funeral, so there’s a lot to work through, and to make matters worse, the brothers hit a woman named Oh Ro-ra, played by Lee Hanee, on the way to their father’s funeral, causing her amnesia. The Bros is a dramedy that focuses on the brothers as they rebuild their relationship amidst this crazy situation. It’s extremely funny, and after their whole story is revealed, you can’t help but root for these meddlesome siblings and the woman who brings them back together.

Run Time: 1 hr 41 min | Genre: Action Adventure | Director: Yeon Sang-ho

Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim Eun-kyung, Park Jung-min, Kim Min-jae, Jung Yu-mi

Written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho, who also directed the 2016 hit zombie film Train to Busan, Psychokinesis is one of Korea’s first superhero movies. The film stars Ryu Seung-ryong as Shin Seok-heon, a down-on-his-luck security guard who isn’t exactly the type of person who you’d think would become a hero. But after a strange meteor grants him the power of telekinesis, Seok-heon attempts to turn his life around and help his estranged daughter Shin Roo-mi, played by Shim Eun-kyung, save her business from a mob-controlled construction company trying to kick her out. Psychokinesis is filled with plenty of action and comedy as Seok-heon bumbles his way through both becoming a hero for the city and a better father for Roo-mi. The 2018 movie is an underrated and thoroughly entertaining alternative superhero story, and it’s certainly one of Netflix’s current hidden gems.

Run Time: 1 hr 40 min | Genre: Documentary Thriller | Director: Jin-sung Choi

The only documentary on the list, The Reservoir Game is the story of journalist Joo Jin-woo’s investigation into the whereabouts of a rumored stash of funds held by the former South Korea president, Lee Myung-bak. In 2013, a major development deal was made between a big Korean bank called Nonghyup Bank and a bunch of investors, but it “fell through” before the project could be constructed, and the investors lost huge amounts of money overnight. As president from 2008 to 2013, Lee was directly involved in the scheme and suspected of squirrelling away a huge sum of money. While the former president was recently sentenced to jail time for his corrupt, illegal activities, the question of the missing money remained on reporter Joo’s mind, and so he began a deep investigation that led him and director Choi Jin-seong to travel all the way to Canada to follow a tip they received. The documentary presents a deep dive into the case and how the scam was created and put in motion. The true story of The Reservoir Game is interesting and complex, and it’s a great look at another instance of political and financial corruption of those in high positions of power, along with a group of people who are determined to not let them get away with it.

Run Time: 2 hr 19 min | Genre: Action Crime | Director: Woo Min-ho

Cast: Song Kang-ho, Jo Jung-suk, Bae Doona

The Netflix Original crime drama The Drug King stars two of Korea’s best actors, Song Kang-ho, Bong Joon Ho’s most frequent collaborator who appears in hits like Snowpiercer and Parasite, and Bae Doona, who starred in Netflix hit shows Sense8 and Kingdom. Written and directed by Woo Min-ho, the film depicts the life of Lee Doo-sam, played by Song, a low-level drug dealer who rises up to become an infamous drug kingpin. The character is based on a real man of the same name who built a drug empire in the 1970s, basing his operations in Busan. Bae plays a lobbyist with influential social connections who falls in love with Doo-sam and helps him gain power and control. The Drug King is an intense, stylistic movie, really embracing the 1970s setting in Korea, while never falling short on action and drama as Doo-sam fights to maintain his position of power. If you’re looking for something exciting and gritty, The Drug King is the movie to watch.

Run Time: 1 hr 52 min | Genre: Thriller | Director: Lee Chung-hyun

Cast: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo

If you want to watch a truly mind-melting mystery thriller, The Call is it. The 2020 film is directed by Lee Chung-hyeon, starring Park Shin-hye as a young woman named Kim Seo-yeon who finds an old phone at her childhood home that she starts getting calls on. The strange thing is, the woman on the other line is named Oh Young-sook, played by Jeon Jong-seo, and claims that she’s calling from 20 years in the past. Both women live difficult and distressing lives, and so they find comfort and support while talking to one another. But when Seo-yeon tries to help Young-sook through her knowledge of the future, Seo-yeon finds out that the consequential changes to her own life are much worse than she could’ve ever imagined, and the woman on the other end of the line isn’t quite who she thought she was. With a story that revolves around the complicated concept of time manipulation, The Call is a thrilling worst-case scenario about what might happen if we could change the past. The film is led by two fantastically complex main characters, with constant twists that you honestly will not see coming.

Run Time: 1 hr 42 min | Genre: Romance Drama LGBTQ+ | Director: Do Joon Sung

Cast: Sang Lee, Kang Ye Na, Subin Park, Baek Seo-Bin, Kang In Soo, Jung Ji Yeon

Another romance on the list, Wish You follows a shy, music-obsessed keyboardist named Yoon Sang-yi (Lee Sang) who works at a major record label. One day he sees a man named Kang In-soo (Kang In-soo, a singer playing a fictionalized version of himself) singing on the street, and he falls in love at first sight. Luckily for In-soo, who is on the verge of giving up on his music career, Sang-yi introduces In-soo’s music to his boss, giving him a huge opportunity. In order to work on his music, In-soo moves into his new label’s employee housing, with Sang-yi as a manager of sorts. As they spend more and more time together, romantic feelings start to develop, and Sang-yi discovers that his love might not be as one-sided as he thought. Written and directed by Seong Do-joon, Wish You is a straightforward movie, but the love story between Sang-yi and In-soo is very charming and cute, and it’s a great film to watch if you need a quick pick-me-up. Wish You is a part of the slow progress of Korea becoming more open to queer people and relationships. While it was almost impossible to find any LGBTQ+ stories in Korean entertainment just a few years ago, it is slowly growing more mainstream and accepted, and Wish You is evidence of that.