The 12 Best Korean Movies On Netflix

When Western audiences think of popular Korean entertainment, they probably think of TV hits like "Squid Game," which took the world by storm in 2022 and earned six Primetime Emmy Awards, including a win for star Lee Jung-Jae that made Emmy history. But Korean films have been celebrated in the West for decades, most recently earning major attention when Bong Joon-Ho's "Parasite" nabbed Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards. And, like "Squid Game," many of the best Korean import flicks are available on Netflix.

Since 2010, Netflix has become the best place to find a wide array of foreign films on streaming, and their library of Korean films doesn't disappoint. From blockbuster popcorn flicks to award-winning dramas, nail-biting thrillers, heartfelt romance stories, and even sci-fi adventures, the list of great Korean movies on Netflix is a long one. Though the streamer often rotates its selections, many of the Korean films the service boasts are exclusive to the platform. If you've watched a recent Korean classic and want to know what to watch next — or maybe you've never even dipped your toe into the world of Korean cinema before, our list of the best Korean movies on Netflix is the perfect guide to send you in the right direction.

Perhaps the most famous and influential film to come out of Korea in recent memory, 2003's "Oldboy" is directed by Park Chan-Wook, who was coming off the success of his stylish crime thriller "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" a few years earlier. Adapted from a popular '90s manga of the same title, the film (the second installment in Chan-Wook's "Vengeance Trilogy") tells the story of a revenge quest undertaken by Oh Dae-su, a man who's been incarcerated for more than a decade in what seems to be a nondescript hotel room. He doesn't know who has held him captive nor why he was kept imprisoned, but when Dae-su suddenly finds himself released with no explanation, he makes it his personal mission to find those responsible and deliver his own brand of justice.

Visceral and bloody at a time when such graphic violence in film wasn't as common as it is now, "Oldboy" rattled audiences with its fast-paced story and gut-bursting intensity. Directed with flair and panache, the film boasts one of the best hallway fight scenes ever put to film, an extended sequence where Dae-su fights off an army of thugs single-handedly in a single-shot take that has him bludgeon dozens of men with a hammer. The scene proved so memorable that it inspired numerous copycats, including a few that became famous in their own right, including Netflix's "Daredevil." But "Oldboy" is more than that one scene and may be, for our money, one of the best thrillers of all time, not just out of Korea.

Produced by Park Chan-Wook, "Snowpiercer" is written and directed by Bong Joon-Ho, who later won an Oscar for his 2019 film "Parasite." Like his award-winning masterpiece, "Snowpiercer" is brimming with social allegory, but rather than a contemporary drama, "Snowpiercer" is a dystopian science fiction action movie. Featuring a multi-national cast that includes superstar Chris Evans, British icons John Hurt and Tilda Swinton, and up-and-comers Olivia Spencer and Jamie Bell, the film also features Chan-Wook's "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" star Song Kang-ho.

It's a dismal future in "Snowpiercer," where the world is a frozen wasteland from pole to pole. Most of humanity has died off, and what little remains lives aboard a massive train that continually circles the globe. The world aboard the train, however, isn't a free and just mobile society; the transient civilization is segregated in train cars by class. The rich occupy the cars at the front of the train, and the poor live in the back, where conditions are worst.

When those at the tail end finally get fed up with the inhumane conditions they're forced to endure, a group of insurrectionists band together to fight their way to the front of the train to mete out justice to their wealthy oppressors. A simple story of class warfare and economic inequality, "Snowpiercer" presses home the unfortunate reality that when fascism rises, the only way out might be violent revolution.

Four years after "Snowpiercer," writer-director Bong Joon-Ho delivered another stark tale of social injustice with 2017's "Okja." A twisted sci-fi tale, it begins with the mysterious Miranda Corporation creating a new breed of genetically modified hogs that are distributed around the world with the hopes of creating the perfect pig. One such super-sized swine is sent to a farm in South Korea, where it is named Okja by a young girl named Mija, who lives on a farm with her grandfather.

Meija is distraught, however, when the Mirando Corporation returns after a decade and takes Okja away, claiming the animal has been crowned the best pig ever. What follows is Meija's quest to track down Okja and bring her home, but matters are complicated by an international activist group called the Animal Liberation Front. It soon becomes clear that the Miranda Corporation has sinister plans for Okja, and even with the help of ALF, it will be a tall order to save Okja from captivity.

Another Korean sci-fi film with a message, "Okja" — like "Snowpiercer" before it — features an international cast led by Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Byun Hee-bong, Ahn Seo-Hyun, and Stephen Yeun. Lily Collins, Yoon Je-moon, Devon Bostick, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal round out the stellar ensemble.

Not all of the best Korean films on Netflix are dark dramas or science fiction, as "21st Century Girl" proves. A story of heartwarming romance, the film is a coming-of-age story set in 1999. It revolves around a high schooler named Na Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung), whose best friend Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo) must leave for America for a critical surgical procedure. Before she leaves, Yeon-du tells Bo-ra that she's in love with fellow student Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo). To ease her friend's mind, Bo-ra agrees to follow Hyin-jin during her friend's absence to learn as much information about him as possible.

Unfortunately, a case of mistaken identity ensues; Bo-ra follows the wrong person and falls in love with the real Hyun-jin, who she believes is actually his friend, Poong Woon-Ho (Byeon Woo-seok). When Yeon-du returns from her trip abroad and Bo-ra realizes who she's really with, the two friends must find a way to keep their friendship alive while caught in a heartbreaking love triangle.

Praised for capturing the bittersweet reality of teenage romance, the film's late '90s setting helps it stand out. It earned plenty of acclaim, too, with Variety calling the film "a moving examination of what makes certain moments — and certain people — unforgettable." The film also landed star Byeon Woo-seok two nominations for Best New Actor in separate Korean film awards ceremonies.

Writer, director, and producer Lee Jeong-beom hasn't done a lot in his nearly 20-year career, but his 2010 neo-noir crime thriller "The Man From Nowhere" stands out. A classic tale of a quiet loner with a dark past who gets pushed too far, Won Bin stars as Cha Tae-sik, owner of a small pawnshop and a solitary man with few friends. His one bond is with So-mi (Kim Sang-bum), a small girl from his neighborhood whose deadbeat mother Hyo-jeong stashes a stolen bag of drugs at Tae-sik's shop.

When Oh Myung-gyu, the head of the crime syndicate that Hyo-jeong stole from, comes looking for his drugs, Tae-sik finds himself mixed up in a deadly game as thugs torture Hyo-jeong. And when the syndicate takes So-mi hostage, Tae-sik must confront his own past and rediscover old skills to rescue her. It's a simple, straightforward revenge flick — the kind of movie to watch if you love "John Wick."

A stylish thriller bleeding with intense, over-the-top violence, "The Man From Nowhere" was acclaimed by critics on its release and retains a stellar 90% audience score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. In their review, "Film School Rejects" raved about the film, calling it "brutal, fast, and determined," while favorably comparing it to English-language action classics like "The Professional" and "Taken."

A different "Uprising" set in the Pacific Rim, our next film was released on Netflix in late 2024. Instead of a war between robots and giant monsters, it's a story of historical fiction that takes place amidst the Imjin War of the late 16th century. It was during this conflict that Japan invaded Korea, and the film puts the focus on a pair of friends who become bitter enemies on opposing sides of a slave revolt. Directed by Kim Sang-man, "Uprising" was written by Sang-Man and "Oldboy" filmmaker Park Chan-wook.

Within the turmoil of war we meet Lee Jong-ryeo (Park Jeong-min) and Cheon Yeong (Gang Dong-won), who are close friends despite being from very different rungs on the social ladder — Yeong is a slave and Jong-ryeo is a master. Their bond, however, can't last, as Yeong repeatedly attempts to gain his freedom, and, after a successful slave uprising, the two former friends find themselves at each other's throats.

Lauded for both its high drama and strong characters, the film starts slow before becoming a breakneck action film. Fast-paced swordplay, severed limbs, and extreme bloodshed punctuate the story in a way that serves it well, yet that's not what makes it so engaging. At its heart, it's the friendship between Jong-ryeo and Yeong that carries the film, with moving performances that will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as any violent action scene.

The 2020 science fiction drama "The Call" might be one of the best Korean thrillers of this decade. Making it all the more impressive, it's the feature-length debut film from writer and director Lee Chung-hyun. Somewhat ironically, the movie is only a Netflix original because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced it out of a theatrical release and allowed the streaming giant to snatch it up.

"The Call" introduces us to two women who live in different eras, but they somehow find a way of communicating across time thanks to a mysterious phone that allows them to speak across a gulf of 20 years. In 2019, we meet Kim Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye), who has returned home to care for her ailing mother. There, she finds a cordless phone that begins receiving calls from Oh Young-sook, who tells Seo-yeon she is being tormented by her abusive mother and needs her help. But Young-sook claims to be living in the year 1999, in the same house where Seo-yeon currently lives.

Like a movie-length episode of "The Twilight Zone," the film weaves a time-twisted mystery that defies expectations while presenting the audience with riveting tension and escalating stakes that deliver in spades. Following the success of the film, Netflix didn't wait for another pandemic to score a film from Chung-hun; the streamer scooped up distribution rights for his 2023 follow-up, "Ballerina," which just narrowly missed making this list.

Celebrated Japanese author Haruki Murakami has had many of his works adapted for the screen, and in 2018 it was "Burning," based on his short story "Barn Burning," published as part of the collection "The Elephant Vanishes." The film stars Yu Ah-in and Jeon Jong-seo as childhood friends who reconnect after a chance encounter. Ah-in plays delivery boy Jong Su, and Jong-seo is Hae-mi, a young woman with whom he'd been classmates in primary school, years before.

When Hai-me takes a trip and returns with another man named Ben (Stephen Yeun of "The Walking Dead"), things take a dark turn. Ben is involved in some unscrupulous business, and when Hae-mi suddenly disappears after a troubling phone call, Jong-seo begins to believe that this new, enigmatic stranger may have something to do with it. After some odd clues at Ben's home seem to confirm his worst fears, Jong-seo plots to find out what's really going on.

Critically acclaimed, "Burning" is a powerful mystery that will have you questioning every little detail and wondering who anyone really is. The film was met with rave reviews, with Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times citing it as the best movie of 2018, bar none, calling it "exquisitely unnerving."

Writer, director, and actor Jang Hang-jun filled the first two of those roles for the making of the 2017 mystery thriller "Forgotten." The film stars Kang Ha-neul and Kim Mu-yeol as Jin and Yoon-seok, a pair of brothers who find themselves dragged into a decades-old murder mystery. The story begins when their father tells them of a forbidden room in their house, and when Yoon-seok is abducted under cover of darkness, it's up to Jin to find out what's really going on.

What follows is a winding story with more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller. The Seok family realizes there may be a murderer in their midst, but even the person they believe is responsible may not know that they are the killer. A mind-bending and taut exploration of memory and trauma, "Forgotten" weaves multiple stories set in different time periods together flawlessly. The drama successfully ratchets up as new revelations are made through flashbacks when doctors delve into Jin-seok's past through a psychological experiment.

Released to Netflix, "Forgotten" is a complex story that isn't for the faint of heart. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced joyride or a Holmesian mystery, look someplace else, because what this film gives you is a thriller that may seem overly confusing at first, but comes together in the final act to deliver one of the most jaw-dropping endings of any movie on this list.

A romance from 2019, "Tune in for Love" may have something of a silly title, but it belies a darker, more dramatic story than one might expect from its whimsical name. It's a tale of star-crossed romance as a pair of young lovers fight to rekindle a budding romance over the course of several years, despite numerous setbacks and personal struggles. It begins with Cha Hyun-woo (Jung Hae-in), a troubled young man who has just gotten out of prison and is trying to get his life back on track when he meets Kim Mi-soo (Kim Go-eun), who works at a local bakery.

Unfortunately, after a drunken brawl, Hyun-woo winds up back behind bars, and he and Mi-soo lose touch. They reconnect upon his release but don't have much time to spend together because Hyun-woo has just signed up for military service and is soon reporting for duty. Over the course of about a decade, the two re-encounter one another on multiple occasions and try to stay in touch, but mistakes and mishaps repeatedly prevent them from being together.

More than just a beloved film — and one of the best Korean entries on Netflix — "Tune in for Love" was a massive success at the box office. The film topped the charts in its opening weekend and went on to become the highest-grossing romance film in the history of Korean cinema.

Similar to "28 Days Later" and "Dawn of the Dead," the 2020 action/horror movie "#Alive" is a movie about a dark reality where the living dead roam the Earth. And like those Western films, it's one of the best entries in the zombie apocalypse sub-genre. Somewhat oddly, the film is actually based on a script by screenwriter Matt Naylor, which itself became the little-seen 2020 Lionsgate film, "Alone." In fact, Naylor himself helped co-write this Korean adaptation.

In this version, we follow Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in, star of "Burning"), who is an online video game streamer and something of a minor influencer who is caught in the middle of the chaos when a zombie outbreak hits the city. As hordes of mindless flesh-eaters take over and create havoc all around him, Joon-woo decides the best course of action is to hunker down inside his small, solitary apartment. As the devastation continues, he becomes increasingly isolated from the outside world, and when he tries to escape following a desperate call for help, Joon-woo begins to fear that there is no hope at all of staying alive.

Released the same year as the Covid-19 pandemic — hitting theaters in late June, just after theaters began seeing an uptick in business — the film was an eerie parallel to real-world events. Critics didn't miss the coincidence either, with Cinema Escapist noting the similarities and calling it "a perfect zombie movie for the Coronavirus Era."

"The Wailing" is a 2016 film from writer and director Na Hong-jin and another horror movie masquerading as a viral outbreak film. This time, it's a bit more like "World War Z," as a deadly "infection" causes victims to become crazed, violent killers, with many slaughtering members of their own family in inexplicable homicidal rages. At the center of the film is Jong-goo (Kwak Do-won), a police officer in the village of Gokseong whose daughter, Hyo-jin (Kim Hwan-hee), is seemingly infected with the virus.

Things take a bizarre turn, however, when a mysterious man who recently arrived in the village is believed to be an ancient, evil spirit who is there to prey on the villagers. Getting help from a local deacon (Kim Do-yoon), Jong-woo goes looking for this strange visitor and uncovers evidence that he may indeed be otherworldly, and could in fact be responsible for a spate of bizarre and disturbing occurrences around the village — as well as the source of the infection itself, which may not be a disease at all.

With a stunning 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Wailing" might be the most acclaimed film to come out of Korea in the last decade. Its shocking story and forceful brutality helped make it an instant horror classic, and it remains among the finest — and most underrated — zombie-adjacent films, even if it doesn't quite qualify for our list of the best zombie films of the 21st century.