Want to discover the Best Korean Movies of 2024?
Look no further: Cinema Escapist has compiled this list of the top 11 Korean films from 2024. Across genres like horror, crime, action, romance, and more, this list includes both independent and blockbuster K-movies which offer a diverse range of options for all tastes.
For those who choose films based on their cast, these 11 Korean movies feature top stars like Kim Go-eun, Hyun Bin, Hwang Jung-min, and more. When available (region dependent), we’ve also tried including links to stream these films on platforms like Netflix and Viki.
Let’s take a look through 2024’s best Korean movies!
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11. The Plot
Korean Title: 더 플롯 | Director: Lee Yo-sup | Starring: Gang Dong-won, Lee Moo-saeng, Lee Mi-sook | Genre(s): Thriller, Crime, Mystery
The Plot is a crime thriller that became 2024’s fourth-highest grossing Korean movie. This film follows a hitman named Yeong-il (played by Gang Dong-won) who always orchestrates murders to appear as accidents. However, when Yeong-il gets assigned to kill a high-profile politician, unexpected issues arise and evoke some of Yeong-il’s past dramas. With themes of betrayal and paranoia amidst numerous plot twists and action sequences, The Plot provides solid entertainment whilst keeping viewers on their toes.
10. Following
Korean Title: 그녀가 죽었다 | Director: Kim Se-hwi | Starring: Byun Yo-han, Shin Hye-sun, Lee El | Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller
Following centers on a real estate agent named Gu Jeong-tae (Byun Yo-han) who has a penchant for sneaking into the homes of his clients in order to observe their lives. Gu’s stalking activities lead him to an influencer named Han So-ra (Shin Hye-sun)—who one day he finds dead in her home. Soon after, Gu begins receiving threats from someone who knows he’s entered Han’s home, and a detective named Oh Young-joo (Lee El) begins to suspect him as Han’s murder.
With numerous twists and a fast-paced plot, Following keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. It’s also socially significant with how it explores the intersection of obsession and social media, as well as the boundaries between public versus private life.
9. Citizen of a Kind
Korean Title: 시민덕희 | Director: Park Yong-ju | Starring: Ra Mi-ran, Gong Myung, Yeom Hye-ran | Genre(s): Drama, Crime
Based on a true story, Citizen of a Kind stars Ra Mi-ran as a woman named Kim Deok-hee who loses her life savings to a voice phishing scam after her laundromat suffers a fire. However, she discovers that the man who scammed her, Jae-min, is also a victim as a criminal organization has kidnapped him and forced him to work at a scam center in China.
Despite the somewhat serious subject matter of scams, Citizen of a Kind offers humor and warmth in its story as well. The movie is a relatable and rousing story of how an ordinary person can make a difference, and might resonate quite a bit given the prevalence of phone scams in East Asia and beyond lately.
8. Escape
Korean Title: 탈주 | Director: Lee Jong-pil | Starring: Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan, Hong Xa-bin | Genre(s): Action, Thriller
Blending existential musings and action Escape is another recommendation for 2024’s best Korean movies. This film features Lee Je-hoon as Lim Gyu-nam, a North Korean soldier who’s nearing the end of his 10 year mandatory military service whilst serving in a unit near the DMZ. Because he’s from an unfavorable family background and has limited prospects for life advancement in the North, Lim decides to defect. However, his attempt does not go as planned, and a deranged state security officer named Lee Hyeon-sang (played by Koo Kyo-hwan) tries to capture him at all costs.
While Escape is technically set in North Korea, Escape explores existential themes—like whether individuals can self-actualize amidst conformist societal pressures—that feel like a commentary on the pressure-cooker life that many South Koreans have. This makes Escape rather different from other South Korean movies about North Korea, and worth paying attention to. Plus, the movie also has some great action scenes featuring minefields, car chases, and more.
Learn more about Escape in our full-length review
7. Hijack 1971
Korean Title: 하이재킹 | Director: Kim Seong-han | Starring: Ha Jung-woo, Yeo Jin-goo, Sung Dong-il, Chae Soo-bin | Genre(s): Thriller, Historical
In January 1971 during the Cold War, a hijacker armed with grenades tried commandeering a flight from Sokcho to Seoul, two years after another hijacker forced a Korean Air Lines YS-11 passenger plane to land in North Korea in 1969. Hijack 1971 is loosely inspired by these incidents.
The movie starts by introducing Tae-in (Ha Jung-woo), a fighter pilot in the South Korean air force who we see get dismissed for refusing to shoot down a fictionalized version of the 1969 YS-11 hijacked aircraft before it crosses into North Korea. After his dismissal, Tae-in becomes an airline pilot, only to have a hijacking incident of his own during a flight from Sokcho to Seoul. With the trauma of his past experience as a fighter pilot in mind, Tae-in tries at all costs to save the lives of his passengers and crew.
With its historical authenticity, character development, and tight pacing, Hijack 1971 is a thriller that will not just entertain you, but also give a portal into some lesser-known events of recent South Korean history.
6. Love in the Big City
Korean Title: 대도시의 사랑법 | Director: E.oni | Starring: Kim Go-eun, Noh Sang-hyun | Genre(s): Romance, Drama
Despite its title, Love in the Big City is not some saccharine stereotypical romance movie. Instead, it is a nuanced exploration of modern relationships, whether romantic or not. Adapted from an eponymous award-winning novel (which has an English translation), Love in the Big City centers on two opposite gender roommates, Heung-soo (Noh Sang-hyun) and Jae-hee (Kim Go-eun). While Jae-hee is a free spirit who’s not afraid to express herself, Heung-soo has a more reserved personality that’s influenced by the fact that he’s a closeted gay man. Together, Heung-soo and Jae-hee explore what love, friendship, and building connections means in a modern urban setting.
Love in the Big City’s depiction of different living arrangements and lifestyles garners special resonance thanks to the chemistry between Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun as its leads. The two actors bring a high degree of authenticity to their characters’ respective struggles, and Love in the Big City contains both narrative depth and emotional impact. Love in the Big City also garnered a decent degree of international attention, especially with its premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
5. A Traveler’s Needs
Korean Title: 여행자의 필요 | Director: Hong Sang-soo | Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Lee, Hye-young Kwon Hae-hyo | Genre(s): Drama
Art house director Hong Sang-soo remains as prolific as ever, and yet another one of his films has ended up on yet another one our year-end best Korean movie lists. This time, Hong features for A Traveler’s Needs, which follows a French woman (Isabelle Huppert) who tries to find her footing in Seoul after losing her job.
As expected for Hong Sang-soo movies, A Traveler’s Needs has patient pacing and meditative sensibilities. Blending humor and poignance, the film explores themes of communication and identity with a magnetism and nuance. Those looking for a reliable art house choice among this year’s top Korean films should check out A Traveler’s Needs.
4. I, the Executioner
Korean Title: 베테랑2| Director: Ryoo Seung-wan | Starring: Hwang Jung-min, Jung Hae-in | Genre(s): Crime, Drama
In 2015, audiences and critics alike appreciated the action comedy movie Veteran, which starred Hwang Jung-min as a ruthless police detective named Seo Do-cheol. I, the Executioner is the long-awaited sequel to Veteran, with Hwang Jung-min reprising his role as Seo Do-cheol. In I, the Executioner, Seo pairs with a rookie named Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to pursue a serial killer who taunts the detectives and broader populace through online videos.
With a premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and other screenings at top festivals like Toronto, I, The Executioner quickly became a worthy followup to Veteran with strong action sequences and approachable commentary on vigilantism. The film racked up over US$53 million at the Korean box office, making it one of the highest grossing Korean films of the entire year.
3. Harbin
Korean Title: 하얼빈 | Director: Woo Min-ho | Starring: Hyun Bin, Park Jeong-min, Jeon Yeo-been | Genre(s): Historical, Action
Korean independence activist An Jung-geun has featured in numerous South and North Korean movies; Harbin is the latest member of this category. In Harbin, top heartthrob actor Hyun Bin stars as Ahn, with the film’s plot following him as he prepares to assassinate Ito Hirobumi, the former Resident General of Japanese-colonized Korea, in 1909.
With well-choreographed action sequences and well-crafted character relationships, Harbin both entertains and educates audiences about a significant figure in Korea’s modern history. Those especially interested in examining the nuances of South Korean historical memory of An Jung-guen might want to compare Harbin to the 2022 musical film Hero, which also dramatized An’s life.
2. The Roundup: Punishment
Korean Title: 범죄도시4 | Director: Heo Myeong-haeng | Starring: Ma Dong-seok, Kim Mu-yeol, Park Ji-hwan | Genre(s): Action, Crime
Beefy action star Ma Dong-seok returned for a fourth member of The Roundup franchise in 2024, specifically The Roundup: Punishment. Like its three predecessors, The Roundup: Punishment proved to be a crowd-pleasure, garnering critical praise alongside US$83.5 million worldwide in ticket sales.
In The Roundup: Punishment, Ma Dong-seok reprises his role as detective Ma Seok-do. This time, Ma ends up investigating an online money laundering and gambling operation run by Koreans based in the Philippines. As expected for The Roundup franchise, The Roundup: Punishment features highly physical action scenes, and comedic hijinks that keep the plot from getting too dark.
Stream this Korean movie on Amazon Prime
1. Exhuma
Korean Title: 귀문 | Director: Jang Jae-hyun | Starring: Choi Min-sik, Kim Go-eun, Lee Do-hyun, Yoo Hae-jin | Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Topping our list of 2024’s best Korean movies is Exhuma. This movie features a group of shamans who get hired by a wealthy Korean American family to deal with an ancestral curse that seems to be making their newborn son ill. A star-studded list of actors plays this coterie of shamans: Choi Min-sik (Oldboy), Kim Go-eun (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), Lee Do-hyun (Hotel Del Luna), and Yoo Hae-jin (Confidential Assignment).
Without giving too much away, Exhuma carefully blends Korean culture with excellently executed horror genre thrills. The film’s cinematography and special effects create a brooding atmosphere, and it offers shockingly realistic portrayals of traditional Korean shaman practices. Furthermore, Exhuma offers some memorable commentary on the history of Japanese colonialism in Korea, allowing audiences to get enlightened while getting frightened.
Exhuma had a strong run not just at festivals like the 2024 Berlinale, but also at the box office—where it became the #1 grossing Korean film of the year.
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Want more Korean movies? Check out our lists of 2022 and 2023’s top Korean films! Or, check out our list of 2024’s best Korean dramas.
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