Best Korean Movies of All Time: 7 Must-Watch Korean Films

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here. Today, Korean movies you must watch at least once in your life.

Number one. Parasite, by director Bong Joon-ho. A poor family slowly gets into the life of a rich family. In 2020 it became the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Watch it, then watch it again.

Number two. Train to Busan. Zombies on a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. Scary, fast, and surprisingly emotional.

Number three. Oldboy, by Park Chan-wook. A man is locked in a room for fifteen years, and nobody tells him why. Famous for its hallway fight scene.

Number four. Memories of Murder. Also by Bong Joon-ho, based on real unsolved murders in the 1980s. Dark, but brilliant.

Number five. Decision to Leave. A detective falls for a mysterious woman suspected of a crime. Park Chan-wook won Best Director at Cannes for it.

Number six. A Taxi Driver. A Seoul taxi driver takes a German journalist to Gwangju in May 1980, during the democracy uprising. Based on a true story.

Number seven. The Handmaiden. A thriller set in 1930s Korea, full of twists. Beautiful, but it's for adults only.

Yul's tip! Korean films love mixing genres. A comedy can turn into a tragedy in five minutes. So always keep tissues close. And if you liked A Taxi Driver, listen to my audio guide for the May 18th National Cemetery in Gwangju.