Korean dramas, be it movies or tv series have been a popular source of entertainment for a while now. They’re well-written and unpredictable, not to mention visually appealing and emotionally compelling as well. While K-dramas are already trending everywhere, here are some of the best Korean movie releases of 2022, that are well worth a watch.
20th Century Girl
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
A classic romantic comedy, 20th Century Girl tells the story of a beautiful friendship between four teenagers, Bo-Ra, Woon-Ho, Yeon-Doo and Hyun-Jin. The movie follows the four youngsters’ journey through their teenage years as they discover the meaning of friendship and love. 17-year-old Bo-Ra is a bright, energetic and caring teenager who excels at many things including taekwondo. Her best friend is Yeon-Doo who is smitten by a fellow student named Hyun-Jin. Having to travel to the US for heart surgery, Yeon-Doo asks Bo-Ra to keep an eye on and find out as much as she can about Hyun-Jin. Being the good friend she is, Bo-Ra does just that until she finds herself falling for her best friend’s crush.
Watch online on Netflix
Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
Retelling one of Noth Korea’s most horrifying events, Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horrorchronicles the investigation into the perpetrators behind the infamous Nth Room case. The crime involved blackmail, cybersex trafficking, and the spread of sexually exploitative videos using the Telegram app during the years between 2018 and 2020. The perpetrators were said to use methods like phishing, fake model recruitment and other means to get a hold of young women who were then forced to do as demanded to avoid the release of damaging content to their families and the general public. In the movie, a group of cyber-police officers work together they with the aim of taking down the world of blackmail and cybersex trafficking that haunts the Korean web.
Watch online on Netflix
Emergency Declaration
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
A star-studded disaster thriller, Emergency Declaration follows the story of passengers facing a potential terrorist attack. While investigating a terrorist threat that goes online, Korean authorities discover that one of the suspects Jin Seok, a disgruntled biologist, has already boarded a flight bound for the United States. Once the flight has taken off, Seol releases a deadly virus which instantly kills a healthy passenger on the plane, which causes chaos both on the flight as well as on the ground. With steadily decreasing fuel and international refusals to offer aid, the captain and crew take unprecedented emergency measures to save the lives of all on board. Among the cast are Parasite‘s Song Kang-ho, Squid Game‘s Lee Byung-hun, and Run On‘s Im Si-wan.
Watch online on Amazon Prime
Love and Leashes
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
A Korean variant of 50 Shades of Grey, Love and Leashesfollows two co-workers who enter a contractual relationship as partners in a consensual physical relationship. Directed by Park Hyun Jin, ‘Love Leashes’ is based on a webtoon called ‘Moral Sense’ by Gyeoul. Ji-woo develops a crush on her new colleague Ji-hoo when she accidentally receives his package, containing a human-sized dog collar. Instead of freaking out, she becomes interested in BDSM, post which she and Ji-hoo get into a three-month contractual relationship.
Watch online on Netflix
The Roundup
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
A sequel to 2017’s action hit The Outlaws, The Roundup brings back the beast cop Ma Dong-seok. Taking place four years after its prequel, the movie traces Detective Ma and Captain Jeon Il-man who are sent to Vietnam to extradite a suspect. However, when they get there, the duo are shocked by the number of crimes that go unnoticed. A crime involving the murder of tourists, in particular, catches Ma Dong-seok’s attention, who decides to stay back and investigate the sadist who first kidnaps and then murders innocent victims.
Watch online on Amazon Prime
Yaksha: Ruthless Operations
Photo Courtesy: IMDb
Directed by Na Hyeon, Yaksha: Ruthless Operations is an entertaining spy/action thriller set in Shenyang, China. It focuses on the leader of a black ops team Yaksha and a prosecutor Han Ji Hoon. A former lead prosecutor, Han Ji-hoon (Park) was recently demoted to a legal aid position with Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) after he fails to arrest the chairman of a high-profile company. While working near the North Korean border, he gets wrapped up in a world where spies from the north, south, China, Japan, Russia, and even the US wage war over government secrets. Tired of his meaningless job, Ji-hoon joins forces with the titular Yaksha, who brings Ji-hoon onto his team.
