The best Korean movies to stream on Netflix encompass nearly every existing genre in modern film. Like Hollywood in the West, South Korea’s movie industry has grown global, not just through theatrical releases, but also streaming platforms like Netflix. Over the past couple of years, Netflix has broadened its horizons to include movies and K-dramas from South Korea, creating an even bigger fanbase. While certain Korean movies have become cult classics, like Oldboy and Train to Busan, there are still plenty more to add to any must-watch list.
Indeed, while Korea’s entertainment industry is mostly known for its K-dramas, this is just one piece of the pie. Korean movies are just as renowned as South Korea’s globally-dominating TV shows, and many have found their way to international acclaim (with notable frequency considering how few are dubbed into English). From romance and comedy to historical drama, action, sci-fi, and horror, Netflix offers a wide range of movies to stream from South Korea. Here are the 15 best Korean movies to stream on Netflix today
15 Space Sweepers (2021)
The sci-fi/space opera movie Space Sweepers tells the story of a dystopian future in which the Earth is no longer inhabitable, and the government allows citizens to live in spacecraft as space sweepers. The Spaceship Victory collects some debris that comes with an unexpected surprise. Inside is a child named Dorothy (Park Ye-rin) who is actually a robot made to be a mass weapon of destruction. As the crew grows attached to her, the morality of the group and their mission is examined in a surprisingly heartfelt way in what is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix.
14 Tune In For Love (2019)
Not everyone is a fan of time jumps in K-dramas. However, with its plot unfolding across the space of many years, Tune in For Love is a charming romance that puts the technique to great use. The story centers on two characters who meet each other again and again over time as their lives slowly change, somehow always finding their way back to each other. As their lives change and time moves forward, it’s easy for viewers to be swept away in its simple but beautiful story. Tune in For Love is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for being a compelling use of typical K-drama tropes.
13 The Fortress (2017)
Before Hwang Dong-hyuk captured the attention of the entire world with the phenomenal survival drama Squid Game, the director’s career took an interesting detour with this historical movie based on the novel Namhansanseong by Kim Hoon. Set during the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1636, The Fortress takes on a defining moment in Korea’s history as well as the controversial figure of King Injo. With the nation caught between making peace with the Qing dynasty and attempting to make a last stand to maintain their pride, stand-out performances from Lee Byung-hun, who also played the Front Man in Squid Game, and Park Hae-il as the tortured Injo elevate the movie.
12 Pandora (2016)
In Pandora, Jae-hyeok (Kim Nam-Gil) is a worker at a local power plant who is forced into action after an earthquake causes the reactor to overheat. With the town in jeopardy and a nation in panic, the movie follows his attempts to prevent further catastrophe as things rapidly spiral out of control. True to its title, Pandora is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for its depiction of a town being beset by a nuclear meltdown, and poignant examination of sacrifice.
11 Veteran (2015)
Some of the best Korean movies manage to seamlessly blend genres together, and Veteran is a great example of this. Starring Hwang Jung-min as Seo Do-cheol, a tenacious police detective determined to take down the sadistic heir to a powerful conglomerate, the movie has a typical noir plotline and plenty of violent action. Despite that, it’s also an action-comedy with plenty of jokes too. The intense plot never slows down for the sake of the comedy though, which turned out to be a winning move for a hugely successful movie with no shortage of fans. Undoubtedly one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix, Veteran won Best Film at the Sitges Film Festival.
10 Sweet & Sour (2021)
There are a ton of steamy K-dramas about the struggle of falling in love with the wrong person, but Sweet & Sour is unique in the way it portrays the relatable themes of long-distance romance and falling out of love. It follows Jang-hyuk (Jang Ki-yong), a man who finds himself drawn to an attractive co-worker while his long hours and tiring commutes cause him to drift apart from his frustrated partner (Chae Soo-bin). Sweet & Sour is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for viewers looking for a decidedly different K-drama – with a truly unexpected twist.
9 The Call (2020)
A phone call has never been scarier than in Korean horror movie The Call — a mix of frights, thrills, and a hint of fantasy. The movie was actually inspired by the British and Puerto Rican movie, The Caller, and it takes its audience through the brutal reality of what changing one’s fate can lead to. The movie is centered on the premise that two women, Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) and Young-sook (Jeon Jong-seo), living in the same house 20 years apart are connected by the titular phone call. That’s just scratching the surface of a movie full of dark twists that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end.
8 Steel Rain (2017)
Based on the webtoon of the same name, Steel Rain is among the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for any action buff. The film has a delightfully tension-filled atmosphere as its North Korean special agent main character suddenly becomes responsible for preventing an all-out nuclear war after rescuing the supreme leader from a planned coup. Things get worse as the agent, played by Jung Woo-sung, tries to keep the gravely wounded leader alive while trying to stop international tensions from spiraling out of control. With a rapidly escalating plot, Steel Rain makes for an engrossing action thriller.
7 Blackpink: Light Up the Sky (2020)
For K-pop fans in need of inspiration, Blackpink: Light Up the Sky is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix, as it is a fascinating glimpse into the rise of the massive girl group Blackpink. Directed by Korean-American filmmaker Caroline Suh, the documentary also gives an insight into each of the group’s four members during their meteoric journey. Though clearly made for fans of Blackpink, less invested viewers will nonetheless find this inside look into the K-pop machine a truly mesmerizing affair. In fact, the movie won Best Documentary at the SEC Awards in 2021.
6 Miss Granny (2014)
For fans who only know the director Hwang Dong-hyuk from violent dramas like Squid Game, the inclusion of Miss Granny in Netflix’s Korean movie library is the perfect opportunity to see his lighter side. A comedy-drama about a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self, the movie has a sense of fantastical fun from the beginning. Shim Eun-kyung delivers a compelling performance as the title character as she tries to adjust to her sudden change in circumstances. Funny, sweet, and constantly entertaining, it’s easy to see why Miss Granny is considered by many to be one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix.
5 Forgotten (2017)
A fascinating mystery that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end, Forgotten takes stories about not being able to determine reality from lies to whole a new level. Centered on a young man who moves into a new home with his parents and older brother, his life gets turned on his head after he sees his brother getting abducted only to return as a completely different person. He soon begins to discover that everything he thought he knew about his own life may have been entirely wrong. Forgotten is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for viewers in search of a sharp Korean psychological thriller.
4 Okja (2017)
Bong Joon-ho’s Okja is a Korean-American co-production that features a mix of Hollywood stars and Korean talent. The movie is centered on Mija, a young farm girl who raised a genetically modified “super pig” named Okja and goes on a mission to rescue her from the meat industry in the US. Filled with imaginative and thought-provoking moments, Okja is a damning and heartwrenching critique of humanity’s relationship with animals and showcases the director at his very best. Decidedly one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix, Okja was nominated for the Palmes d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
3 Parasite (2019)
Parasite is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for viewers in search of thrillers that achieve genuine horror through social commentary. In a nutshell, Parasite is simply about socioeconomic class and hierarchy in modern Korean culture, and how the systems in place bring out the very worst in people of all social classes. The movie is largely considered to be the masterpiece of South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, as Parasite is the first non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, which is just one of the movie’s four Academy Awards.
2 Silenced (2011)
Gong Yoo may be best known for his starring role as Seok-woo in Train to Busan, but the actor gives an underrated performance in this drama from Hwang Dong-hyuk. He plays the newly appointed art teacher at Benevolence Academy, a school for the hearing impaired, that is secretly the center of a sexual abuse scandal that has been kept buried by the community. Silenced doesn’t shy away from the bleak nature of its subject, as well as the horror of how the abuses suffered by vulnerable children are cast aside. Not for the faint of heart, Silenced is one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix for viewers unafraid to face grim realities.
1 Train to Busan (2016)
South Korean superstar Gong Yoo plays a divorced father who relents to his estranged daughter’s request to see her mother in Busan. However, while on the Train to Busan, the two soon find themselves caught in the middle of a viral zombie outbreak that’s quickly overtaking the world. Train to Busan is not only one of the best Korean movies to stream on Netflix, but possibly the greatest zombie movie of the 21st century. While Train to Busan doesn’t stray too far from classic zombie movie conventions, its overarching plot, character development, sharply-written drama, gripping action, and underlying social commentary put it well above most modern movies or shows in the genre.
