entertainment

15 Korean Movies To Binge-Watch On Netflix Over The Weekend Because Who Needs Sleep Anyway

Time for a K-movie marathon!

Cover image via Soompi & Han Cinema / Pinterest

1. Forgotten

Image via EonTalk

When Jin Seok's older brother returns home 19 days after being abducted, he seems like a completely different person and has no memory of the past 19 days. Jin Seok sets out to discover the truth behind the kidnapping.

Main cast: Kang Ha Neul, Kim Mu Yeol, Moon Sung Geun, and Na Young Hee

Watch it if you like:
- Mystery
- Psychological thrillers
- Investigations

2. Time to Hunt

Image via Netflix

Driven by the desire to leave their dystopian world behind and start a new life, a group of friends execute a reckless heist, only to end up being pursued by a mysterious man.

Main cast: Lee Je Hoon, Ahn Jae Hong, Choi Woo Shik, Park Jung Min, and Park Hae Soo

Watch it if you like:
- Dystopian settings
- Action thrillers
- Heist plots
- Friendship
- Suspense

3. Tune in for Love

Image via The Korea Times

Set in the 90s, a chance meeting while exchanging stories via a radio programme leads two youngsters to fall in love. Over the years, their paths continue to cross but timing never seems to be in their favour.

Main cast: Kim Go Eun and Jung Hae In

Watch it if you like:
- Romance
- Melodramas
- Nostalgia

4. Revenger

Hell-bent on avenging the brutal murder of his family, a former detective goes undercover to infiltrate a remote island that serves as a prison for only the most dangerous and vicious criminals.

Main cast: Bruce Khan, Park Hee Soon, Yoon Jin Seo, and Kim In Kwon

Watch it if you like:
- Action thrillers
- Revenge
- Crime

5. The Chase

Image via The Movie Beat

A former detective and a grumpy landlord team up to solve a string of murders, which could be linked to an unsolved serial murder case from 30 years ago.

Main cast: Baek Yoon Sik and Sung Dong Il

Watch it if you like:
- Crime and crime-solving
- Mystery and suspense
- Drama
- Thrillers

6. The Drug King

Image via EonTalk

Set in Busan in the 1970s, a small-time drug smuggler rises to become an infamous drug lord with the help of a lobbyist with powerful connections. Meanwhile, a public prosecutor is intent on bringing him down.

Main cast: Song Kang Ho, Jo Jung Suk, and Bae Doo Na

Watch it if you like:
- Action
- Crime
- Drama

7. The Bros

Image via HanCinema

Two estranged brothers are reunited after their father passes away. On their way to their hometown for the funeral, they meet a mysterious woman who will turn their lives upside down with her big secret about their family.

Main cast: Ma Dong Seok, Lee Dong Hwi, and Lee Ha Nui

Watch it if you like:
- Comedy
- Drama
- Family

8. Svaha: The Sixth Finger

Image via JustWatch

A pastor who exposes suspicious religious groups is hired to look into a new cult called Deer Mount. At the same time, a police officer's murder investigation also brings him into contact with the Deer Mount cult.

Main cast: Lee Jung Jae, Park Jeong Min, Lee Jae In, and Jung Jin Young

Watch it if you like:
- Crime and crime-solving
- Cults
- Mystery
- Thrillers
- Horror / Supernatural

9. Psychokinesis

After drinking contaminated water from a mountain spring, a man gains telekinetic superpowers. He becomes a superhero, and tries to use his powers to save his estranged daughter and her neighbourhood from an evil construction company.

Main cast: Ryu Seung Ryong, Shim Eun Kyung, Park Jung Min, Kim Min Jae, and Jung Yu Mi

Watch it if you like:
- Superpowers / Superheroes
- Action
- Adventure
- Comedy

10. Steel Rain

Image via easternkicks

When a coup takes place in North Korea, a North Korean agent is forced to escape to the South, bringing along the wounded North Korean leader. To prevent an all-out Korean war, both sides will have to work together.

Main cast: Jung Woo Sung and Kwak Do Won

Watch it if you like:
- Military
- North/South tensions
- Political drama
- Action thrillers
- Suspense

11. Seoul Searching

Image via Wired

Set in 1986, a group of foreign-born Koreans attend a summer camp in South Korea to learn more about their motherland and cultural heritage. Based on a true story.

Main cast: Cha In Pyo, Justin Chon, Jessika Van, and Teo Yoo

Watch it if you like:
- Comedy
- Drama
- Romance
- Coming-of-age stories

12. Illang: The Wolf Brigade

In the year 2029, South and North Korea are finally ready to re-unify and set up a unified government after years of preparation. But a terrorist group opposing the unification rises up. In response, the South Korean police launches a special unit to stop them.

Main cast: Gang Dong Won, Han Hyo Joo, and Jung Woo Sung

Watch it if you like:
- Military
- North/South tensions
- Action thrillers
- Sci-Fi
- Political drama

13. Lucid Dream

After three years of searching in vain for his abducted son, an investigative journalist works with detective and a psychiatrist friend to retrace his memory of the incident through lucid dreaming.

Main cast:
Go Soo, Sol Kyung Gu, Kang Hye Jung, and Park Yoo Chun

Watch it if you like:
- Crime and crime solving
- Sci-Fi / Fantasy
- Action
- Drama
- Thrillers
- Mystery

14. 26 Years

Image via MyDramaList

In 1980, a massacre took place in Gwangju, South Korea, in which state troops were ordered to open fire on civilians who were demonstrating as part of a democratic movement. 26 years later, five people affected by the massacre plot a top-secret project to take exact revenge on the man responsible.

Main cast: Jin Goo, Han Hye Jin, Im Seul Ong, Bae Soo Bin, Lee Kyung Young, and Jang Gwang

Watch it if you like:
- Revenge
- Action thrillers
- Drama
- Political elements

15. Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage

While on the run from an internal affairs agent, a corrupt cop reluctantly teams up with a defiant teenage girl to unravel a corporate conspiracy before it's too late.

Main cast: Lee Sun Kyun, Jeon So Nee, and Park Hae Joon

Watch it if you like:
- Action thrillers
- Crime
- Drama

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