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Asian cinema: Korean films

Asian cinema: Korean films

From the stylish blockbusters of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho to art-house gems by Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from South Korea.

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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications

Yoo Hae-jin in a still from The King’s Warden, which has revitalised a sluggish Korean film industry.

How The King’s Warden sold 16 million tickets and saved the Korean box office

Producer Lim Eun-jung, director Jang Hang-jun and actor Yoo Hae-jin explain why the historical drama struck a chord with Korean audiences.

12 May 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

Fame and celebrity

Meet Seoyeon Jang, who plays Eunice in Netflix’s Beef Season 2

24 Apr 2026 - 6:00PM

Profile | Who is Byeon Woo-seok, IU’s co-star in romance K-drama Perfect Crown?

11 Apr 2026 - 3:15PM

Review | Humint: dynamic Korean spy thriller from Ryoo Seung-wan on Netflix

Starring Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min and Park Hae-joon, Humint rewards patient viewers with some of the best heroic bloodshed in recent times.

31 Mar 2026 - 11:46PMvideocam

Zo In-sung (right) in a still from Humint, a Korean spy movie from director Ryoo Seung-wan that is now streaming on Netflix.

The 10 most-watched Korean films of all time, including The King’s Warden

Can The King’s Warden overtake The Admiral: Roaring Currents and Extreme Job to become the most-viewed South Korean film of all time?

24 Mar 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

Profile | Who is Seo In-guk, star of Netflix K-drama Boyfriend on Demand?

From his musical beginnings to his breakout role in Reply 1997 to his turn in Boyfriend on Demand, Seo In-guk stands out for his versatility.

14 Mar 2026 - 4:15PM

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Profile | Who is Shin Hye-sun, star of Netflix K-drama The Art of Sarah?

Breaking out in 2016’s Five Enough, Shin Hye-sun has gone on to make her mark in series including Mr. Queen and Welcome to Samdal-ri.

14 Feb 2026 - 5:15PM

Korean actress Shin Hye-sun is currently starring in the K-drama series The Art of Sarah. We examine Shin’s rise from audition rejections to K-drama stardom. Photo: Netflix

What is it like to win the lottery? These 10 Asian movies have the answers

Winning the lottery can change your life forever, for good or bad. These 10 films from across Asia explore luck, wealth and greed.

11 Feb 2026 - 6:15PMvideocam

The 10 most successful Korean art-house films of all time

As Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love hits Hong Kong cinemas, we look at Korean indie films that conquered the box office as well as festivals.

27 Jan 2026 - 4:15PMvideocam

Why M+ and Chanel are bringing rare Asian avant-garde films to Mubi

Streaming platform Mubi teams up with Hong Kong’s M+ museum and Chanel to put the spotlight on 10 films, including a John Woo short.

22 Jan 2026 - 4:51PM

John Woo in a still from “Dead Knot” (1969), which is streaming on Mubi as part of its partnership with M+ and Chanel.

Profile | Who is Go Youn-jung, rising star of Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated?

After starting out as a model, Go rose to K-drama stardom in series such as Alchemy of Souls and Moving. Now she leads her first romcom.

17 Jan 2026 - 5:15PM

Go Youn-jung in a still from Can This Love Be Translated?. Photo: No Ju-han/Netflix.

Loved Back to the Past? 10 Asian time travel gems you may also enjoy

After the success of Louis Koo’s Back to the Past, here are 10 other Asian time-travelling movies that are well worth checking out.

15 Jan 2026 - 7:15PMvideocam

Korean film icon Ahn Sung-ki remembered: 5 of his best films

Known affectionately as ‘The Nation’s Actor’, South Korea’s Ahn Sung-ki starred in more than 100 feature films during his long career.

5 Jan 2026 - 7:45PMvideocam

South Korean ‘nation’s actor’ Ahn Sung-ki dies at 74

Ahn collected over 40 major movie awards in his lifetime, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times.

5 Jan 2026 - 3:58PM

South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends the 11th Busan International Film Festival in 2006. Photo: AP

The 12 best Asian films of 2025: Ne Zha 2, Kokuho and more

Our pick of the best Asian films of the past year includes a record-breaking animation and a movie that is nothing short of breathtaking.

30 Dec 2025 - 4:15PMvideocam

Ryo Yoshizawa in a still from Kokuho, one of the Post’s best Asian films of the past year. Photo: Shuichi Yoshida/ASP

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Two Seasons, Two Strangers: a hypnotic ode to writing and travel

Starring Shim Eun-kyung and Yuumi Kawai, Japanese drama Two Seasons, Two Strangers is both fascinating and beautiful.

15 Dec 2025 - 8:15PMvideocam

Profile | Who is Kim Woo-bin, star of K-dramas Our Blues and Genie, Make a Wish?

Kim Woo-bin, who is marrying fellow K-drama star Shin Min-a this month, has proved he has the acting chops to match his good looks.

13 Dec 2025 - 12:15PM

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Want to find solace in film? 10 movies that may offer catharsis and hope

Following last week’s tragic fire at a Tai Po estate in Hong Kong, we look at films in which humanity endures through the darkest of hours.

1 Dec 2025 - 6:15PMvideocam

Arata Iura (left) and Ryo in a still from Distance (2001), which was conceived in the aftermath of the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, carried out in March 1995 by the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult.

Profile | Who is Ahn Eun-jin, the late-blooming star of K-drama Dynamite Kiss?

Korean actress Ahn Eun-jin made the big time in Hospital Playlist and with her role in romantic drama My Dearest. We look back at her career.

15 Nov 2025 - 8:30PM

No Other Choice? Why Park Chan-wook and Lee Byung-hun made a comedy

Park Chan-wook’s film reunites the director with Lee Byung-hun after more than 20 years for a darkly funny tale with social commentary.

14 Oct 2025 - 7:15PMvideocam

Profile | Who is Choi Woo-shik, the handsome star of Parasite and romance K-dramas?

Appearing now in Would You Marry Me, the young-looking, goofy Choi Woo-shik is best known for his roles in Parasite and Train to Busan.

11 Oct 2025 - 5:15PM

Korean actor Choi Woo-shik recently starred in the Netflix series A Killer Paradox and Melo Movie, and found fame in Parasite and Train to Busan. Photo: Netflix

12 of the best movies at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2025

Highlights of the 22nd HKAFF include local film Another World, Japanese period epic Kokuho and South Korea’s The World of Love.

1 Oct 2025 - 12:45PMvideocam

A still from Another World, the opening film of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2025. The festival runs from October 22 to November 9.

Review | The People Upstairs: cheeky sex comedy directed by and starring Ha Jung-woo

Ha shows skill on both sides of the camera in his movie with Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook as a prim couple seduced by swinging neighbours.

23 Sep 2025 - 11:29AMvideocam

Can the Busan International Film Festival help Korean cinema stay on top?

BIFF’s new director sees the festival as an antidote to shrinking cinema audiences and a beacon for where Asian cinema is headed.

22 Sep 2025 - 6:22PM

Review | The Great Flood: Kim Da-mi can’t save bewildering Netflix sci-fi fantasy

Kim Da-mi stars in what begins as a disaster movie then spins off into science fiction, a move that will surely leave viewers floundering.

22 Sep 2025 - 4:15PMvideocam

Kim Da-mi (left) and Kwon Eun-seong in a still from The Great Flood. Photo: Netflix

Review | Good News: hilarious Korean farce based on a real-life 1970s hijacking

Byun Sung-hyun’s riotously entertaining black comedy coming to Netflix features a whip-smart script and deftly judged humour.

19 Sep 2025 - 12:15PMvideocam

Sul Kyung-gu in a still from Good News, directed by Byun Sung-hyun. Hong Kyung and Ryoo Seung-bum co-star. Photo: Song Kyoung-sub/Netflix

Review | The Ugly: Yeon Sang-ho’s dark mystery is both intriguing and frustrating

Park Jeong-min, Kwon Hae-hyo and Han Ji-hyeon star in Train to Busan director Yeon’s first cinematic release in five years.

15 Sep 2025 - 7:05PMvideocam

Profile | Who is Kim Da-mi, the enigmatic star of Itaewon Class and Nine Puzzles?

The reserved Kim, who this year appears in Nine Puzzles, A Hundred Memories and The Great Flood, is a role model for aspiring actors.

20 Sep 2025 - 11:21AM

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