If you’re not watching Korean movies, you’re seriously missing out. Korean movies like Oldboy (2003), Train To Busan (2016) and Parasite (2019) gained international popularity, bringing attention to the diverse range of movies from the country.
Whether you’re in the mood for a thriller or a romantic comedy, there’s a Korean movie for every mood. Thankfully, Netflix has a well-stocked library of some of the best K-movie titles out there, giving us a chance to explore the rich and varied cinema of the country.
Korean Movies on Netflix
To make the selection process easier for you, we’ve rounded up our best recommendations of Korean movies for different moods. Happy watching!
If you loved Parasite, watch Okja
Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho has been making social satires long before he shook the world with his phenomenal movie Parasite. His 2017 movie Okja is about a big corporation that creates gigantic super pigs and sends them all over the world to be raised by farmers. The story follows the quest of a young Korean girl as she goes on a rescue mission to bring back her super pig Okja that has been taken back by the corporation to show off and parade around the world.
Watch it here
If you love slow-burn romances, watch Tune In For Love
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’s Kim Go-eun stars in this romance about two starcrossed lovers whose timing never gets right. The story begins with the couple meeting in the early 90s as teenagers and spans several years where they keep reuniting and parting because of circumstances. There’s also a secret that one of them is harbouring that could change the trajectory of their love story. This movie is guaranteed to make you cry and smile.
Watch it here
If you love sci-fi movies, watch Space Sweepers
This one was billed as South Korea’s first full-fledged space movie. The story is set in a dystopic future where humans have left a dilapidated Earth behind in favour of Utopian space colonies. A debt-ridden group of scavengers, known as ‘Space Sweepers’, have to survive by scouring the outerspace for debris that could be sold for money to corporations. On one of their trips, they come across a 7-year-old human-like robot who is highly coveted by the big corporations. But before they could sell her to the highest bidder, they start warming up to the girl, leading them to reconsider their decision.
Watch it here
If you love gangster films, watch Night in Paradise
In this crime-thriller, a mobster finds himself hiding out on an island after a devastating tragedy. With the people who killed his family hot on his trail, he meets a terminally-ill woman who is hiding secrets of her own. The film boasts of one of the best executed shootout scenes in recent memories.
Watch it here
If you love superhero movies, watch Psychokinesis
South Korea’s first superhero movie has a security guard gaining superpowers after drinking water from a meteor-struck mountain spring. He decides to use his new-found powers to save his estranged daughter and her neighbourhood from an evil construction company. Will he succeed? You’ll just have to watch and find out.
Watch it here
If you love a good rom-com with a twist, watch Love and Leashes
This movie offers a surprisingly progressive and sex-positive take on BDSM, a refreshing change from movies like 50 Shades of Grey. In the film, Ji-woo finds herself developing a crush on her new co-worker Ji-hoo. One day, a package intended for Ji-hoo gets accidentally delivered to Ji-woo, who opens it to find a human-sized dog collar. This leads her to get involved in the BDSM community and a dominant-submissive relationship.
Watch it here
If you love satirical dramas, watch High Society
This satire on society is sure to please fans of shows like Succession. In the movie, a middle-class couple pull out all the stops to move up on the societal ladder to fulfill their high-flying ambitions.
Watch it here
If you love zombie movies, watch #Alive
In the sea of zombie content, this one stands out for being as innovative as it is thrilling. The movie follows a house-bound video game streamer who finds himself stuck in his house after the world around him descends into chaos following a zombie outbreak. As he succumbs to hunger and depression, he discovers another survivor in his neigbouring building. The two partner together to figure out a way to survive the zombie apocalypse.
Watch it here
If you love comedies, watch Miss Granny
This hilarious movie has been directed by Squid Game director Hwang Dong-hyuk and was one of the most popular movies of 2014 in the country. The story follows a cantankerous 74-year-old who finds herself magically transformed back into her 20-year-old self after an encounter with a mysterious photobooth.
Watch it here
- Quick links
- Korean movies
- Netflix
