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1980s – today

Korean New Wave

From the social dramas of the 1980s to the global success of Parasite, a cinema that mixes genre, sharp class comedy and bold style, with Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Chang-dong and Hong Sang-soo.

In the late 1980s, after censorship eased, Korean directors such as Park Kwang-su, Jang Sun-woo and Lee Myung-se began making films about politics, class and history. By the late 1990s a new generation led by Lee Chang-dong, Hong Sang-soo, Kim Ki-duk, Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho built a cinema that mixed genre, social comedy and bold style. Park's Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, and Bong's Parasite won the Palme d'Or and the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. Korean film also gained a large audience at home and a strong state-supported film industry.

Where
South Korea
When
About 1980 to today
Key figures
Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Chang-dong, Hong Sang-soo, Kim Ki-duk, Kim Jee-woon, Im Kwon-taek, Na Hong-jin
Landmark films
Peppermint Candy (1999), Memories of Murder (2003), Oldboy (2003), The Host (2006), Burning (2018), Parasite (2019)
Legacy
One of the strongest film cultures in the world, and the first Korean film to win the Best Picture Oscar

What to look for

  • Sudden changes of tone, from comedy to horror or tragedy inside one scene
  • Class and money shown through space, such as stairs, basements and houses
  • Bold, precise style: carefully built shots, bright color and sharp music

If you are new to Korean New Wave, take a look at our guide to start.

SopyonjeKorean New Wave · 10 filmsKorean New Wave in 10 filmsKorean cinema grew from censored dramas in the 1980s into one of the boldest in the world.START

Famous Directors

Bong Joon-hoSouth KoreaPark Chan-wookSouth KoreaLee Chang-dongSouth KoreaHong Sang-sooSouth KoreaKim Ki-dukSouth KoreaKim Jee-woonSouth KoreaIm Kwon-taekSouth KoreaJang Sun-wooSouth KoreaPark Kwang-suSouth KoreaNa Hong-jinSouth KoreaRyoo Seung-wanSouth KoreaJang Joon-hwanSouth KoreaLee Myung-seSouth KoreaHur Jin-hoSouth KoreaYoon Jong-binSouth KoreaLee Doo-yongSouth KoreaBae Chang-hoSouth KoreaYeon Sang-hoSouth KoreaKim Tae-yongSouth KoreaJuly JungSouth KoreaE J-yongSouth KoreaKim Sung-suSouth KoreaKKim Dong-wonSouth KoreaKim Jong-kwanJapanKim Kyung-mookSouth KoreaJung Byung-gilSouth KoreaKKim Hong-joonSouth Korea

Top 100 rated films

  1. Parasite 2019 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 8.5
  2. Oldboy 2003 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 8.3
  3. Memories of Murder 2003 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 8.1
  4. The Handmaiden 2016 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 8.1
  5. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring 2003 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 8.0
  6. 3-Iron 2004 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.9
  7. I Saw the Devil 2010 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 7.8
  8. The Chaser 2008 · Na Hong-jin · IMDb 7.8
  9. Poetry 2010 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 7.8
  10. Oasis 2002 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 7.8
  11. Mother 2009 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.7
  12. Joint Security Area 2000 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.7
  13. 1987: When the Day Comes 2018 · Jang Joon-hwan · IMDb 7.7
  14. Train to Busan 2016 · Yeon Sang-ho · IMDb 7.6
  15. Peppermint Candy 1999 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 7.6
  16. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance 2005 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.5
  17. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance 2002 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.5
  18. No Other Choice 2025 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.5
  19. Secret Sunshine 2007 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 7.5
  20. Christmas in August 1998 · Hur Jin-ho · IMDb 7.5
  21. Sopyonje 1993 · Im Kwon-taek · IMDb 7.5
  22. The Wailing 2016 · Na Hong-jin · IMDb 7.4
  23. Burning 2018 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 7.4
  24. A Bittersweet Life 2005 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 7.4
  25. The Spy Gone North 2018 · Yoon Jong-bin · IMDb 7.4
  26. The Net 2016 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.4
  27. Okja 2017 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.3
  28. The Yellow Sea 2010 · Na Hong-jin · IMDb 7.3
  29. On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate 2002 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 7.3
  30. Decision to Leave 2022 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.2
  31. The Good, the Bad, the Weird 2008 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 7.2
  32. Address Unknown 2001 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.2
  33. Crying Fist 2005 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 7.2
  34. Snowpiercer 2013 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.1
  35. The Host 2006 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 7.1
  36. A Tale of Two Sisters 2003 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 7.1
  37. Thirst (2009) 2009 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.1
  38. Pietà 2012 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.1
  39. Time 2006 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.1
  40. The Age of Shadows 2016 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 7.1
  41. Save the Green Planet! 2003 · Jang Joon-hwan · IMDb 7.1
  42. The Battleship Island 2017 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 7.1
  43. Right Now, Wrong Then 2015 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 7.1
  44. A Normal Family 2023 · Hur Jin-ho · IMDb 7.1
  45. Chihwaseon 2002 · Im Kwon-taek · IMDb 7.1
  46. The Last Princess 2016 · Hur Jin-ho · IMDb 7.1
  47. Chunhyang 2000 · Im Kwon-taek · IMDb 7.1
  48. Night and Day 2008 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 7.1
  49. Samaritan Girl 2004 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.0
  50. Confession of Murder 2012 · Jung Byung-gil · IMDb 7.0
  51. The Bow 2005 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.0
  52. Veteran 2015 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 7.0
  53. Escape from Mogadishu 2021 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 7.0
  54. Nameless Gangster 2012 · Yoon Jong-bin · IMDb 7.0
  55. Hwayi: A Monster Boy 2013 · Jang Joon-hwan · IMDb 7.0
  56. The Day He Arrives 2011 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 7.0
  57. Birdcage Inn 1998 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 7.0
  58. One Fine Spring Day 2001 · Hur Jin-ho · IMDb 7.0
  59. Judgement 1999 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 7.0
  60. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK 2006 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 6.9
  61. The Isle 2000 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 6.9
  62. Barking Dogs Never Bite 2000 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 6.9
  63. The Quiet Family 1998 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 6.9
  64. Breath 2007 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 6.9
  65. A Girl at My Door 2014 · July Jung · IMDb 6.9
  66. Green Fish 1997 · Lee Chang-dong · IMDb 6.9
  67. The Day After 2017 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  68. The Foul King 2000 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 6.9
  69. Tale of Cinema 2005 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  70. Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors 2000 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  71. In Front of Your Face 2021 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  72. Hill of Freedom 2014 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  73. The Power of Kangwon Province 1998 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.9
  74. Hope 2026 · Na Hong-jin · IMDb 6.8
  75. On the Beach at Night Alone 2017 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  76. Untold Scandal 2003 · E J-yong · IMDb 6.8
  77. Late Autumn (2011) 2011 · Kim Tae-yong · IMDb 6.8
  78. Nobody's Daughter Haewon 2013 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  79. The Novelist's Film 2022 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  80. Yourself and Yours 2016 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  81. Hahaha 2010 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  82. Woman on the Beach 2006 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  83. Oki's Movie 2010 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.8
  84. Arirang 2011 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 6.8
  85. Stoker 2013 · Park Chan-wook · IMDb 6.7
  86. The Woman Who Ran 2020 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.7
  87. The King of Pigs 2011 · Yeon Sang-ho · IMDb 6.7
  88. Hotel by the River 2018 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.7
  89. Incoherence 2025 · Bong Joon-ho · IMDb 6.7
  90. Grass 2018 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.7
  91. Our Sunhi 2013 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.7
  92. The Villainess 2017 · Jung Byung-gil · IMDb 6.6
  93. Bad Guy 2001 · Kim Ki-duk · IMDb 6.6
  94. The Berlin File 2013 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 6.6
  95. The City of Violence 2006 · Ryoo Seung-wan · IMDb 6.6
  96. Cobweb 2023 · Kim Jee-woon · IMDb 6.6
  97. April Snow 2005 · Hur Jin-ho · IMDb 6.6
  98. The Ugly 2025 · Yeon Sang-ho · IMDb 6.6
  99. The Day a Pig Fell into the Well 1996 · Hong Sang-soo · IMDb 6.6
  100. Colony 2026 · Yeon Sang-ho · IMDb 6.5