South Korean culture has become part of global culture in the last few decades in part due to the efforts of the South Korean government and part due to changes in how we consume media and how foreign cultural exports have become more accessible to audiences around the world. The Korean Wave (Hallyu) has brought Korean music (K-pop), Korean TV shows (K-dramas, in particular), and Korean cinema to audiences all over the world.
But why does South Korean cinema have such a global appeal and what is behind its success?
In this article, we'll look at the factors driving Korean cinema's global popularity and point you in the direction of some of Korean cinema's most popular movies.
The Factors Behind Korean Cinema's Success
There's no single factor behind Korean cinema's success but rather a multitude of factors that are all helping Korean movies gain international recognition and popularity.
We're certainly not going to be able to cover all the factors behind it such as the geopolitics of Asia, the government of South Korea and all its economic and cultural policies, or how it uses culture to exert soft power in the area, but we still think these factors are among the most important and interesting.
Critical Acclaim and Awards
Nothing helps a movie become popular like critical acclaim or winning movie awards. The South Korean movie Parasite, for example, was definitely helped by becoming the first Korean movie to win the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, winning 4 Oscars, and the first non-English-language movie to win Best Picture!
While not everybody will automatically watch a movie because it wins an Academy Award, as critics and awards shows start paying more attention to Korean cinema, more people will naturally find Korean movies.
Cultural Exchange
It isn't by accident that Korean movies are being discovered by audiences and award shows. South Korea has actively promoted its cultural exports for decades as part of the Korean Wave and makes a concerted effort to ensure that music, cinema, TV, and many other aspects of Korean culture are enjoyed and experienced by audiences all over the world.
This not only helps these industries, but it helps South Korea politically, especially when it comes to fostering interest in Korean culture, gaining international investment, or even getting political deals done.
Diverse Genres
Korean cinema is far from being a singular genre and while there are trends and aspects of Korean cinema that occur quite commonly, Korean cinema doesn't stick to a singular genre.
One of the main appeals of Korean cinema is that there's something for everyone from romantic comedies to action movies, dramas, and thought-provoking social commentaries.
Even if you didn't really enjoy the last Korean movie you saw, that doesn't mean you won't be able to find a movie that you do like.
Diverse Storytelling
Much like the range of genres Korean cinema is famous for, Korean cinema is also famed for how it tells stories, often in ways that are quintessentially Korean while also being accessible to international audiences.
The relatability of Korean storytelling while also being a product of the country and culture from where it hails is what so many viewers enjoy about Korean cinema.
The same is also true of Korean television and K-dramas, which also cover a large number of different genres and are famed for their incredible storytelling and character development.
Influential Filmmakers
As the popularity of Korean cinema increases, so does the number of influential filmmakers and big names that can help promote it.
In the same way that American audiences look forward to new works from their favorite Hollywood directors, names like Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, and Kim Ki-duk (to name but a few) are becoming more well-known.
Streaming and Social Media
Technological advances, social media, and streaming have all played a huge role in the Korean Wave and helped make not just Korean cinema, but also Korean music, particularly K-pop, and TV shows more popular all over the world.
Not only do audiences have a broader range of movies that they can watch through popular streaming platforms, but they can also watch to their hearts' content and then immediately take to social media to tell all their friends and other fans of Korean cinema about it.
Social media buzz can both promote upcoming movies or drive new audiences to older Korean movies that are available to be watched on-demand through streaming services.
Western Adaptations
The popularity of Korean cinema has led to Western filmmakers becoming interested in making their own adaptations of the movies. It's difficult for a remake to be better than the original, but audiences that see the remakes are far more likely to discover the original.
The Most Popular South Korean Films
Now that you know why South Korean cinema is so popular, you might be interested in watching a Korean movie. While we can't cater to everybody's tastes, here are some of the most popular Korean movies, and hopefully, there'll be something that you'd be interested in watching.
All of the movies we've picked are from the 21st century and while it's definitely worth looking into traditional Korean cinema, too, we think that some of these more recent movies provide a better starting point for people wanting to learn more about contemporary Korean culture and the Korean language, especially since they were all made in the period after the Korean government had started actively promoting their cultural exports around the world.
My Sassy Girl (2001)
My Sassy Girl is a romantic comedy and Korea's highest-grossing comedy at the time. The 2008 American remake featuring Elisha Cuthbert and Jesse Bradford went straight to DVD, but the original Korean version remains a must-see for fans of the genre looking to discover Korean cinema.
Release Date
July 27, 2001
Director
Kwak Jae-yong
Oldboy (2003)
Oldboy is a revenge thriller that was loosely adapted from the Japanese manga “Old Boy”. The story follows a man who's abducted and imprisoned in a windowless hotel room for 15 years.
The movie was critically acclaimed, though it is a somewhat violent movie and something you might want to avoid if you're not into that kind of thing.
Release Date
August 16, 2023
Director
Park Chan-wook
The Host (2006)
The Host is a Korean movie about a monster that starts attacking people from Seoul's Han River. When the film was released in 2006, it performed really well at the box office and has been lauded by critics.
Release Date
March 9, 2007
Director
Bong Joon-ho
Ode to My Father (2014)
Ode to My Father is an emotional drama film about an everyday man and covers South Korean history from the 1950s to the present. Though the movie was released nearly a decade ago, it's still one of the country's highest-grossing titles.
If you're interested in Korean history, this could be an excellent Korean movie to start with.
Release Date
December 31, 2014
Director
Yoon Je-kyoon
Veteran (2015)
Veteran is an action comedy movie about a police detective against a rich boy trying to use his wealth to get away with committing crimes. It's a fun movie but you can also gain a better understanding of Korean culture through it, because nothing explains people better than their sense of humor.
Release Date
September 18, 2015
Director
Ryoo Seung-wan
The Handmaiden (2016)
The Handmaiden is another movie by Park Chan-wook, the director of Old Boy. The movie takes place in 1930s Korea with an intriguing plot that includes crime, drama, and romance.
Release Date
September 27, 2016
Director
Park Chan-wook
Train to Busan (2016)
Train to Busan is a zombie thriller with incredible storytelling and excellent action sequences. Because of the massive success of this movie, there was also an animated prequel and a standalone sequel, neither of which was able to match the success of the first installment.
Release Date
July 22, 2016
Director
Yeon Sang-ho
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017) and Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018)
This fantasy action movie and its sequel are both hugely popular in Korea and around the world. It's about a firefighter who dies and has to be guided through the afterlife by three guardians.
If he can pass seven trials within 49 days, he'll be reincarnated.
Release Dates
December 20, 2017 & August 1, 2018
Director
Yong-hwa Kim
Extreme Job (2019)
Extreme Job is an action comedy about detectives trying to save their jobs by hiding out in a chicken restaurant to bust a criminal gang.
The twist comes when their new recipe turns the failing eatery into one of the most popular places to eat, leaving them to manage the restaurant and try and catch the criminals.
It's the highest-grossing movie in Korea but the title of highest-grossing Korean movie worldwide belongs to our next movie.
Release Date
February 1, 2019
Director
Lee Byeong-heon
Parasite (2019)
The 2019 Korean movie Parasite is probably the one that most people have heard of and not just because we mentioned it earlier in this article.
The movie made history because of the awards it won but it's also Korea's highest-grossing film of all time.
The movie's dark humor and social commentary resonated with audiences all over the world and at the time of writing, there's a TV series in development.
Release Date
October 11, 2019
Director
Bong Joon-ho
Learn More About Korean Cinema with Korean Lessons
To really get the most out of Korean cinema, we'd recommend learning to speak Korean. It isn't an easy language to learn for English speakers, but you can always get help from private Korean tutors!
You can learn Korean with a face-to-face private tutor who'll tailor every session to you, what you like to learn, and what you need to know.
You could even learn Korean from a native Korean speaker in South Korea with online tutoring.
Many Korean tutors on Superprof offer their first lesson for free so you can always try out a few different tutors before deciding which one is right for you and how you want to learn. Learning to speak any language, especially Korean, can take years of study so it's important you use the right resources and teachers.
As you learn the Korean language, you'll naturally learn more about Korean history and cultural practices and it should be noted that while Korean culture is certainly fascinating, it's multifaceted. Like anywhere else in the world, Koreans are individuals and while there are certainly cultural practices that will be shared by Koreans across the country, it's also important that you remember that the best way to learn about any culture is from the people who are part of it.
If you're a bit of a foodie, don't forget that you could also learn more about Korean culture through Korean cuisine by learning how to cook Korean food with a tutor!
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good information, I’m enjoying the Korean movies and enjoy their unique acted ways of humour.. a Canadian fan.
Thank you for your comment, Jackie!