FILM2.0's Top 37 Korean Films (2002)
List source
In a 2002 survey, FILM2.0 magazine asked 74 critics to vote for the greatest Korean films. #1 Obaltan received 28 votes. All of these films received at least 2 votes. At the list source you can see an extended list and the top directors.
In a 2002 survey, FILM2.0 magazine asked 74 critics to vote for the greatest Korean films. #1 Obaltan received 28 votes. All of these films received at least 2 votes. At the list source you can see an extended list and the top directors.
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37 titles
- DirectorYu Hyun-mokStarsMu-ryong ChoiKim Jin-kyuJeong-suk MoonA pressured accountant, his war veteran brother and their dysfunctional family struggle with integrating into post-War Korean society.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsKim Jin-kyuJeung-nyeo JuEun-shim LeeA composer and his wife are thrown into turmoil when a housemaid becomes more than they bargained for.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsAhn Sung-kiJeon Moo-songMichelle Okkyung LeeA story that follows the lives and interactions of two Buddhist monks living in South Korea.
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guKim Yeo-jinMoon So-riFollowing a man's suicide, time traverses back to reveal six chapters of his life on why he committed suicide.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsPark Choong-seonKim Eui-sungJo Eun SookAbout desires and lives of four characters in diverse circumstances. A poor novelist, a cheating wife, a mysophobic husband and a ticket girl.
- DirectorJang Sun-wooStarsPark Joong-hoonSeo Kap-sookDae-kun LeeSituated in the small poverty stricken town of Woomukbaemi, South Korea, this film centers on a clothes factory manager and the triangular relationship between himself, his insatiably jealous and violent wife, and one of his employees.
- DirectorHur Jin-hoStarsHan Suk-kyuShim Eun-haShin GooHahn Suk-Kyu suffers from a fatal disease. He meets Shim Eun-Ha and falls in love with her. Will their love story have a tragic ending?
- DirectorLee Jang-hoStarsAhn Sung-kiSeong-chan KimYeong-ho LeeThis is a film about the coming of age of three men.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsKim Myung-gonJung-hae OhKim Kyu-chulDespite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
- DirectorLee Chang-dongStarsSol Kyung-guMoon So-riAhn Nae-sangAn irresponsible and childish ex-con befriends a girl with cerebral palsy and develops a progressively stronger bond with her.
- DirectorLee Myung-seStarsPark Joong-hoonAhn Sung-kiJang Dong-gunDetective Woo is on the trail of the mysterious gangster Sungmin, a master of disguise who always manages to elude his pursuers. Eventually, the cop tracks down and confronts the master-criminal in the suburbs of a coal-mining town.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsChoi Min-sikAhn Sung-kiYoo Ho-jeongIn a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
- DirectorLee Man-heeStarsBaek Il-seobKim Jin-kyuSuk MunGoing through a jail and a site of construction, a young laborer Young-Dal meets middle aged Mr. Jeong on his way to his hometown Sampo after ten years' absence. They become to know a waitress Baek-Hwa who runs away from a restaurant and then, they travel together. Arriving at the destination Kangcheon Station, Mr. Jeong is disappointed at the changes of the old village by building a hotel. Young-Datl and Mr. Jeong stay at Sampo not as the hometown but as the site of living. Baek-Hwa leaves Sampo with a ticket Young-Dal buys her with his last money.
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsJong-hak BaekOh Yun-hongKim Yu-seokHelmed by one of Korea's leading directors, Hong Sang-soo, Jisook joins two of her girlfriends for a holiday in Korea's Kangwon Province. But in an eerie twist of fate, her former lover, Sangkwon, plans a getaway for the same destination, where tragedy brings them together once again.
- DirectorPark Chan-wookStarsLee Yeong-aeLee Byung-hunSong Kang-hoAfter a shooting incident at the North-South Korean border DMZ leaves two North Korean soldiers dead, a neutral Swiss and Swedish team investigates what actually happened.
- DirectorLee Man-heeStarsKim Jin-kyuJeong-suk MoonGye-hyeon JeonA writer who was disabled during the Korean War (1950-1953) is now contributing a serial to a newspaper. His wife, who once adored him, is tempted by a young man she happens to know. But he overlooks her affair thanking her for her utmost care up until that time. Then the young man asks her to leave with him for a faraway place.
- DirectorYong-Kyun BaeStarsYi Pan-YongSin Won-SopHae-Jin HuangAbout three monks in a remote monastery; an aging master, a small orphan and a young man who left his city life to seek Enlightenment.
- DirectorKang Dae-jinStarsSeung-ho KimYeong-gyun ShinJeong-sun HwangA man tries to raise his two sons and two daughters under some of the most adverse conditions known to man. The father operates a horse-drawn cart, but in a city that is modernizing after the destruction of the Korean War, automobiles are making carts obsolete. The children are experiencing difficulties as well. The eldest son has flunked the bar exam twice and is not hopeful of passing it a third time to become a lawyer. The eldest daughter is mute and married to an abusive husband. The younger daughter tries to pose as a rich university student to move up in life. The youngest son has a penchant for petty theft.
- DirectorLee Jang-hoStarsLee Bo-heeKim Myung-gonHie-seong LeeThis is a film which ridicules the weaknesses of South Korean society.
- DirectorWoon-gyu NaStarsWoon-gyu NaIl-seon ShinTae-jin KimA man comes to stay at a friend's house in the country. The household consists of a father, daughter, and a mentally disturbed son. The man falls in love with the daughter. One day she is attacked, but her attacker is slain. At first her boyfriend stands accused of murder, but in a moment of lucidity, her brother steps forward and claims responsibility. He is led away to prison.
- DirectorKim Soo-yongStarsShin Seong-ilYun Jeong-hieBin-hwa LeeA married man who moved to live in Seoul for a better life visits the small town where he grew up and falls in love with a local girl.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsKim Hee-raYun-seok ChoiHie BangTwo ruined, old adversaries meet in a rehab center and reassess the conflict that dominated their lives since the Korean War. One man is a former cop and the other is a former communist guerrilla. The film flashes back to their tragic pasts to explain how they arrived where they are.
- DirectorHa Gil-jongStarsNam-hyeon ChoiKim Hee-raHa Jae-YoungThe story is set in the 1970s during the period of military dictatorship. Schools were frequently closed down and society seemed to face bleak prospects on all fronts. Nonetheless, Byung Tae, a college student, enjoys pursuing romance at group "meetings" or blins dates. It is during one of these ventures that he meets Young-ja, a French Literature student.
- DirectorKang Je-kyuStarsHan Suk-kyuChoi Min-sikYunjin KimSouth Korean agents Ryu and Lee are tracking a female assassin from North Korea who has mysteriously disappeared. With new killings and the theft of a deadly bomb, time is running out to catch her.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsHyo-jeong LeeCho Seung-wooSeong-nyeo KimA governor's son falls in love and marries a beautiful girl, the daughter of a courtesan. Their marriage is kept a secret from the governor who would immediately disown him if he found that his son married beneath him.
- DirectorJae-eun JeongStarsBae DoonaLee Yo-wonOk Ji-youngIn the port city of Icheon, five female friends struggle to stay close while forging a life for themselves after high school. When one of the group, upwardly-mobile Hae-ju, moves to Seoul, the other girls deal with the loss in different ways. Feeling most rejected, shy Ji-yeong finds comfort in her new friendship with rebel Tae-hee.
- DirectorIm Kwon-taekStarsJi-mee KimShin Seong-ilJi-il HanA historical drama that incorporates real footage from the 1983 KBS campaign to reunite families divided by the Korean War with the fictional story of Hwa-yeong, a woman who leaves her middle-class life in Busan to search for the son she lost in Gilsotteum during the war.
- DirectorBae Chang-hoStarsAhn Sung-kiChang Mi-heeYu-yeong JinBaek Ho-bin jumps into an arranged marriage with Jane for a green card and a chance to succeed in America. Because she felt like an isolated foreigner, his love is a beacon of hope. When Ho-bin finally gets through the immigration process, his ambition runs up against Jane's love. When the pretense is over, his aspirations nearly destroy her. The two decide to take a farewell trip to the desert, but will they find passion or death?
- DirectorNeung-han SongStarsBang Eun-heeSong Kang-hoSeong-ho LeeTae Ju, number 3 man in his gangster organization, he wants to be the number one. Can he realize his ambition?
- DirectorHong Sang-sooStarsChoo Sang-miYe Ji-wonGeorge GeorgiouActor Kyung Soo leaves Seoul to visit an old classmate. The reunion with his friend does not amount to much, but the trip does lead to some romantic encounters. He gets involved with two women, first a young college student whom he leaves without a moment's thought and then a woman whom he deems his fated partner. As Kyung Soo becomes increasingly invested in this second relationship, he begins to notice certain coincidences and similarities that recall past pairings, blurring his conception of exactly which woman, which relationship, he is so desperately holding on to.
- DirectorPark Kwang-suPark Kwang SooStarsKim Bo-KyeongKim Bo-kyungYoo Byeong-SeokThe film intercuts two stories, one in black and white, one in color. From 1965 to 1970.
- DirectorKim Ki-youngStarsHwa-shi LeeJeong-cheol KimYun-seok ChoiAn investor planning on developing a tourist resort begins an investigation into the legends of the mysterious Io Island in the hope of exploiting its unspoiled beauty.
- DirectorHyeong-mo HanStarsAm ParkJeong-rim KimKyeong-hie NoOh starts working at a boutique to help her make a living. Professor Jang begins dating the typist Miss Park, but decides to break up with her to protect her family. Han's wife anonymously sends a letter to Jang to reveal Oh's affair.
- DirectorJoon-Hwan JangStarsShin Ha-kyunBaek Yun-shikHwang Jung-minByeong-gu believes that the world is on the verge of an alien invasion, and sets out to save the world.
- DirectorDong-hong JangYun-hyeon JangEun LeeThere are 200 miserably impoverished people working in the Dongseong Metalworks Factory. JU Wan-ik is introduced to the forging team as a new member of the team and they all go drinking together to welcome him.
- DirectorHa Gil-jongStarsJi-hie ChoiWon NamkungA wealthy businessman brings his handsome male secretary/secret lover to his home, who leads the family into a maelstrom of jealousy and desire.