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Gone are the days when only cinephiles admired Korean movies, with the Korean wave (or Hallyu) having well and truly taken over. Slowly permeating through media with K-pop, K-dramas, and indeed, K-cinema, Hallyu offers an alternative to the Western dominance on culture. The recent success of KPop Demon Hunters (celebrating Korean folklore and history), now the most-watched title on Netflix, is a testament to the same.
Presenting the five highest-rated Korean films, per their IMDb rating in descending order, and where you can watch them as of 2025.
1. Parasite (2019)
- IMDb Score: 8.5/10
- Streaming On: Netflix
- Director: Bong Joon-ho
Plot: The first non-English film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, along with the Cannes highest prize, Palme d’Or, and many other accolades, Parasite takes a critical look at inequality, labor, and brings forth a very interesting question— who is actually leaching off the other? With interesting use of levels and spaces, the cinematography, crisp screenplay, and an unimaginable twist, it is obvious why this Bong Joon-ho movie takes the top spot.
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2. Oldboy (2003)
- IMDb Score: 8.3/10
- Streaming On: Apple TV
- Director: Park Chan-wook
Plot: Vengeance is rarely straightforward. For the protagonist Oh Dae-Su, it means going after the person who kept him in solitary confinement for 15 years before he is caught himself. With goosebump-inducing sequences, gory bits, and an underlying mystery that will crush viewers with its resolution, Oldboy is widely considered among the best Korean films ever made, a title that it continues to hold over two decades since its release.
3. Hope (2013)
- IMDb Score: 8.2/10
- Streaming On: OnDemandKorea & Amazon Video (Rent)
- Director: Lee Joon-ik
Plot: A surprise Best Film winner at the 2013 Blue Dragon Film Awards, Hope is the heartbreaking story of So-won (wish in Korean), who is abducted and brutally molested by a drunk man on her way back from school. Focusing on the aftermath of the attack, Hope touches upon the toll that an unimaginable incident takes on the victim, and by extension, their family.
4. The Handmaiden (2016)
- IMDb Score: 8.1/10
- Streaming On: Prime Video & FilmBox+
- Director: Park Chan-wook
Plot: Another masterpiece by Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden is a remarkably crafted tale of mystery, betrayal, sex, and many twists. Hired by Count Fujiwara to be Lady Hideko’s maid, Sook-hee is roped into the distorted world of rare book collecting. With perverse reading of erotica as a regular activity by the Lady for her uncle and his friends, The Handmaiden offers contrasting explicit and delicate sequences, weaving together a masterful visual treat for viewers.
5. Memories of Murder (2003)
- IMDb Score: 8.1/10
- Streaming On: Apple TV (rent)
- Director: Bong Joon-ho
Plot: Ending this list with another Bong Joon-ho directorial seems fitting, and it is easy to see why Memories of Murder is in the top five of the best Korean movies, per IMDb ratings. Two policemen band together to find a rapist and killer targeting women in Hwaseong, a town in Gyeonggi-do. Set in the 1980s with limited equipment and a sharp opponent, the policemen use their own methods to try to apprehend the suspect, while the town reels in the impact of the murders.
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