Writer Korb

15 Award-Winning Korean Movies That You Should Watch On Netflix

Here are 15 award-winning Korean films that are available to watch on Netflix:

A Bittersweet Life (2005)

Genre: Neo-noir, Action, Drama
Synopsis: A hitman becomes targeted by his boss after he spares the latter’s cheating mistress. 
Running time: 119 minutes
Starring: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yeong-cheol, Shin Min-ah, Hwang Jung-min, Kim Roi-ha, Lee Ki-young
Writer–Director: Kim Jee-woon
Cinematographer: Kim Ji-yong
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Release Date: April 1, 2005
Gross: $10,080,094
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

12 wins out of 30 nominations:

The King And The Clown (2005)

Genre: Historical, Drama
Synopsis: Arrested for satirizing the king, two clowns can have a reprieve if they can make him laugh; Based on the 2000 stage play, Yi by Kim Tae-woong.
Running time: 119 minutes
Starring: Kam Woo-sung, Lee Joon-gi, Jung Jin-young
Writer: Choi Seok-hwan
Director: Lee Joon-ik
Cinematographer: Ji Kil-woong
Distributor: CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service
Release Date: December 29, 2005
Gross: $74,466,867

14 wins out of 38 nominations;

The Host (2006)

Genre: Horror, Action
Synopsis: The film concerns a monster kidnapping a man’s daughter, and his attempts to rescue her. 
Running time: 119 minutes
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Byun Hee-bong, Park Hae-il, Bae Doona, Go Ah-sung
Writers: Bong Joon-ho, Ha Won-jun, Baek Chul-hyun
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Cinematographer: Kim Hyung-koo
Distributor: Showbox, Magnolia Pictures
Release Date: July 27, 2006
Gross: $89,431,890
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

25 wins out of 47 nominations:

The Thieves (2012)

Genre: Action, Heist, Comedy
Synopsis: A cat burglar and his gang are hired by a devious former partner to steal a $20 million diamond from a Chinese gangster’s mistress.
Running time: 136 minutes
Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-soo, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun
Writers: Choi Dong-hoon, Lee Ki-cheol
Director: Choi Dong-hoon
Cinematographer: Choi Young-hwan
Distributor: Showbox
Release Date: July 25, 2012
Gross: $70,266,336

13 wins out of 30 nominations:

The Last Princess (2016)

Genre: Drama, Historical
Synopsis: The last remaining princess of the Joseon Dynasty leaves her home for Japan, under Japanese colonial rule. Her childhood friend makes a vow to retrieve her and help her make her way back to Korea. Based on the best-selling novel, Princess Deokhye by Kwon Bi-young.
Running time: 127 minutes
Starring: Son Ye-jin, Park Hae-il
Writers: Hur, Lee Han-eol, Seo Yoo-min
Director: Hur Jin-ho
Cinematographer: Choi Young-hwan
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment
Release Date: August 3, 2016
Gross: $39,258,608

10 wins out of 19 nominations:

Train To Busan (2016)

Genre: Horror, Action
Synopsis: A man, his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.
Running time: 118 minutes
Starring: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Kim Eui-sung
Writer: Park Joo-suk
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Cinematographer: Choi Young-hwan
Distributor: Next Entertainment World
Release Date: July 2016
Gross: $95,699,643
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

10 wins out of 33 nominations:

Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)

Genre: Action, Fantasy
Synopsis: Three grim reapers escorts a man to the afterlife and will decide his fate based on what he had done when he was alive. Based on the webtoon “Along With The Gods” by Joo Ho-min.
Running time: 140 minutes
Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Cha Tae-hyun, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
Director: Yong-hwa Kim
Cinematographer: Kim Byung-seo
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment
Release Date: December 2017
Gross: $109,383,972

15 wins out of 32 nominations:

The Spy Gone North (2018)

Genre: Drama, Spy
Synopsis: In 1993, a South Korean army major goes undercover as a businessman to infiltrate a North Korean nuclear facility; loosely based on the true story of Park Chae-seo, a former South Korean agent who infiltrated North Korea’s nuclear facilities.
Running time: 137 minutes
Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, Ju Ji-hoon
Writer: Kwon Sung-hwi, Yoon Jong-bin
Director: Yoon Jong-bin
Cinematographer: Choi Chan-min
Distributor: CJ ENM
Release Date: August 8, 2018
Gross: $31,688,775
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

26 wins out of 49 nominations:

Burning (2018)

Genre: Psychological, Thriller
Synopsis: A young deliveryman runs into his childhood friend. They soon meet an enigmatic young man named Ben (Yeun), whom Jong-su becomes suspicious of and begins to believe Hae-mi is in danger; based on the short story “Barn Burning” from The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami, with elements inspired by William Faulkner’s story of the same name. 
Running time: 148 minutes
Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun, Jeon Jong-seo
Writer: Oh Jung-mi, Lee Chang-dong
Director: Lee Chang-dong
Cinematographer: Hong Kyung-pyo
Distributor: CJ CGV, Camera Film
Release Date: May 17, 2018
Gross: $8,127,489
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

83 wins out of 191 nominations, local and international: (source)

Parasite (2019)

Genre: Black comedy, Family, Thriller
Synopsis: Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.
Running time: 132 minutes
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Jang Hye-jin
Writers: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Cinematographer: Hong Kyung-pyo
Distributor: CJ Entertainment
Release Date: May 30, 2019
Gross: $263,185,989
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%

197 wins out of 330 nominations, local and international: (source)

The Call (2020)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis: Connected by phone in the same home but 20 years apart, a serial killer puts another woman’s past — and life — on the line to change her own fate; based on “The Caller” by Sergio Casci
Running time: 112 minutes
Starring: Park Shin-hye, Jeon Jong-seo, Kim Sung-ryung, Lee El, Oh Jung-se, Lee Dong-hwi, Park Ho-san
Writer: Lee Chung-hyun
Director: Lee Chung-hyun
Cinematographer: Jo Young-jik
Distributor: Netflix, Next Entertainment World
Release Date: November 27, 2020
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

3 wins out of 12 nominations:

Samjin Company English Class (2020)

Genre: Drama, Comedy
Synopsis: In 1995, three female employees at Samjin Company investigate polluted waste water leaking from a factory and what illegal activities their company might be involved in.
Running time: 110 minutes
Starring: Go Ah-sung, Esom, Park Hye-su
Writer: Lee Jong-pil
Director: Lee Jong-pil
Cinematographer: Park Se-seung
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment
Release Date: October 21, 2020
Gross: $10,380,249

7 wins out of 21 nominations:

Voice Of Silence (2020)

Genre: Crime, Drama
Synopsis: The unexpected events that happen to two men who aid criminal organizations.
Running time: 99 minutes
Starring: Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Jae-myung, Moon Seung-ah
Writer: Hong Eui-jeong
Director: Hong Eui-jeong
Cinematographer: Park Jung-hoon
Distributor: Acemaker Movieworks
Release Date: October 15, 2020
Gross: $2,640,922

21 wins out of 41 nominations:

Space Sweepers (2021)

Genre: Sci-fi, Space Western
Synopsis: Set in 2092, it tells the story of a crew on board of The Victory trying to escape the destruction of Earth.
Running time: 136 minutes
Starring: Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu, Yoo Hae-jin
Writers: Yoon Seung-min, Yoo-kang Seo-ae, Jo Sung-hee
Director: Jo Sung-hee
Cinematographer: Byun Bong-sun
Distributor: Netflix
Release Date: February 5, 2021

7 wins out of 18 nominations:

Escape From Mogadishu (2021)

Genre: Action, Drama
Synopsis: It depicts details of a perilous escape attempt made by North and South Korean embassy workers stranded during the conflict; based on real events and set during the Somali Civil War and the two Koreas’ efforts to be admitted to the United Nations in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Running time: 121 minutes
Starring: Kim Yoon-seok, Jo In-sung, Heo Joon-ho, Kim So-jin
Writers: Ryoo Seung-wan, Lee Gi-cheol
Director: Ryoo Seung-wan
Cinematographer: Choi Young-hwan
Distributor: Lotte Entertainment
Release Date: July 28, 2021
Gross: $25,636,707
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

25 wins out of 46 nominations:

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