Along with Japan, South Korea is probably the most important Asian country when it comes to movies. From Kim Ki Duk’s strange art house to big budget monster movies; South Korea has it all.
South-Korea has arguably produced some of the most interesting filmmakers of this decade. Sadly, other lists on the web claim to list the best Korean films, but actually only mention a lot of commercially successful films. These films are like Hollywood films with a Korean flavor. But the art house scene in Korea is also flourishing. The Vore would like to give you a clearer look at which original and meaningful films came out of Korean cinema these past few years.
- New South Korean movies in 2018
- Best South Korean movies of 2017
- 2010-2018: Must-watch South Korean movies on Netflix or DVD
New South Korean movies in 2018
Top movies up for release in 2018Burning
DIRECTOR: Chang-dong Lee CAST: Ah-in Yoo, Jong-seo Jeon, Steven Yeun
After an eight year absence, South-Korean auteur Chang-dong Lee ('Poetry', 'Oasis') returns with a new film. An adaptation of a Haruki Murakami short story, this psychological thriller evolves around the encounter of a young couple and a man who claims to be an arsonist. Read more
RATING: 77/100
Netflix | 
Amazon | All Release dates Psychokinesis
DIRECTOR: Sang-ho Yeon CAST: Seung-ryong Ryu, Eun-kyung Shim, Jung-min Park, Yu-mi Jung
'Train to Busan' was easily our favorite South Korean movie of 2016. And our favorite zombie movie for that matter. Now director Sang-ho Yeon is back with another extravagant movie. 'Psychokinesis' evolves around a somewhat clumsy, ordinary guy who finds out he has super powers. Which comes in handy, as his troubled daughter in is great danger. But things do not go smoothly... Read more
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade
DIRECTOR: Jee-woon Kim CAST: Woo-sung Jung, Dong-won Gang, Hyo-ju Han
Directed by Jee-woon Kim ('I Saw the Devil', 'A Tale of Two Sisters') and written by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell), this sci-fi evolves around the unification of South and North Korea. Read more
RATING: 80/100 Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates
Netflix 
Amazon Best South Korean movies of 2017
Top rated 2017 South Korean moviesA Taxi Driver
DIRECTOR: Hun Jang CAST: Kang-ho Song Thomas Kretschmann Hae-jin Yoo
It's 1980. Man-seob is a poor cab driver who has to take care of his daughter after his wife passed away. When a German journalist offers him a lot of money to take him to Gwangju, where a bloody uprising is taking place, he does not hesitate. 'A Taxi Driver' starts out as a comedy, but slowly evolves into a gripping drama film. Based on a true story! Read more
RATING: 77/100
RELEASE DATE: August 2nd, 2017
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates The Day After
DIRECTOR: Sang-soo Hong CAST: Yunhee Cho Ki Joabang Min-hee Kim
Bongwan is a publisher in Seoul. He has just ended an affair with a co-worker that has left the publishing company. When a new colleague arrives, Bongwan's wife mistakes her for his secret lover. A new film by prolific South-Korean filmmaker Sang-soo Hong, whose work is often similar to the late Eric Rohmer's romantic dramas from the 70's/80's. Read more
RATING: 80/100
RELEASE DATE: June 7th, 2017
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Okja
DIRECTOR: Joon-ho Bong CAST: Lily Collins Jake Gyllenhaal Tilda Swinton
Okja deals with the meat industry by portraying it as a thing only evil movie characters can come up with, making it extra to painful to fathom it is the actual harsh reality. Read more
RATING: 83/100
RELEASE DATE: June 28th, 2017
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Best South Korean movies on Netflix or DVD in 2018
2010's best rated South Korean movies out on DVD, Bluray or streaming on VOD (Netflix, Amazon).Night Flight
DIRECTOR: Hee-il Leesong CAST: LLurvance Bass, Si-Yang Kwak Yong-hwa Ryu
Not quite as good as Leesong Hee-il’s White Night below, but Ya-gan-bi-haeng or Night Flight is a rather interesting film, continuing to establish Hee-il as a poetic yet coldish filmmaker. Like 2012’s White Night it is yet again a very unromantic film about gay men, oppressing social structures, and the loneliness of being human. It might sound like a bit of a drag, but the little hint of hope underneath the surface makes it an enjoyable watch. Read more
RATING: 77/100
RELEASE DATE: August 28th, 2014
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates The Wailing
DIRECTOR: Hong-jin Na CAST: Jun Kunimura Jung-min Hwang Do-won Kwak
The Wailing is unlike anything you have seen this year; a wildly entertaining, funny and creepy film about a detective trying to resolve a murder (and many other strange things) in rural South Korea. What starts out as a fairly conventional whodunnit quickly turns into a rollercoaster of black humor, exorcism and gore. Read more
RATING: 76/100
RELEASE DATE: February 12th, 2016
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Snowpiercer
DIRECTOR: Joon-ho Bong CAST: Chris Evans Jamie Bell Tilda Swinton
The story is set in a time of future where the life on earth has been decimated barring a few lucky passengers who travel on a train 'Snowpiercer' that goes... Read more
RATING: 70/100
RELEASE DATE: July 11th, 2014
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates U ri sunhi
DIRECTOR: Sang-soo Hong CAST: Yu-mi Jung Sun-kyun Lee Jae-yeong Jeong |
Still the best South-Korean film of the 2010’s, Our Sunhi. Sunhi goes back to the film school she graduated from. There she encounters old friends. Read more
RATING: 69/100
RELEASE DATE: September 12th, 2013
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Baek-ya
DIRECTOR: Hee-il Leesong CAST: Hyun-sung Kim Yi-Kyeong Lee Tae-hee Won
After a prolonged interval of time, a man returns to korea from abroad; the events unfold as he meets his lover whom he had left behind at a cafe. Read more
RATING: 66/100
RELEASE DATE: November 15th, 2012
Netflix | Amazon | All Release dates Moebius
DIRECTOR: Ki-duk Kim CAST: Jae-hyeon Jo Yeong-ju Seo Eun-woo Lee
Dark and almost devoid of dialogue, Moebius. A truly haunting and disturbing film. It was first banned in South-Korea but was later accepted. The film is difficult to sum up, but in its essence it is about a father who goes after his desires, and a about a son who wants what his father has. Read more
RATING: 65/100
RELEASE DATE: August 16th, 2018
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