Korean biopics are mostly based on heroic people and their stories so that the recent generation do not forget about the real-life heroes of their country and the valuable lessons they have taught others. Korean biopics are mostly lessons from the past and a good entertainment value to it.
1. Beyond That Mountain
It is a biographical movie released in 2020, starring Lee Kyung-hoon, Ahn Nae-sang and Lee Hang-na amongst others. The movie is based on the novel of the same name, “Beyond that Mountain,” by Jung Chae-bong. The movie is about Stephen Kim’s childhood, who is the former Archbishop of Seoul.
2. Blue Swallow
It is a 2005 movie which is based on the story of Park Kyung-won, who was an earlier Korean female pilot, the movie found itself amidst controversies, after Park was allegedly involved in Pro-Japanese activities. The movie actually underperformed at the box office, even after a good performance by the actors.
3. Champion
The biopic Champion covers the life of Duk Koo Kim who is known to be one of the most famous boxers of Korea who rose to international fame but faced some really disturbing fate when during one of his most awaited matches, in Nevada, Las Vegas he lost a match of fourteen rounds and dropped into a coma due to match and didn’t recover.
4. Anarchist From Colony
The 2017 release South Korean biography is a revolving around the life of independence activist Park Yeol, it is a period drama film and how he led the anarchist group named Bulryeongsa, and his character is of an easy- going, disobedient yet courageous man, who never troubled others.
5. As One
As One is a 2012 release movie of the sports drama genre. It is a movie starring Bae Doona and Ha Ji-won and the story is a retelling of the first ever post-war sports team of unified Korea who in 1991 won the women’s World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan. The story focusses on the painful history of the place.
6. The Book Of Fish
The awaited movie Book of Fish is a 2021 release in black and white theme, starring Byun Yo-han and Sol Kyung-gu. The movie is a period drama film talking about an exiled scholar of the Joseon era and a fisherman and how they interact and exchange knowledge on writing a book. The film won the Grand Prize at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards in May 2021.
7. The Drug King
The 2018 crime drama stars Song kang-ho as an ordinary small-time narcotic dealer who goes on to become an infamous drug lord in the 1907s in Korea. True life story of a smuggler who built his entire empire in Busan. With increased crime rate ,and he was a member of Chilsung faction in Busan.
8. National Security
It is a 2012 South Korean movie that based on memoir by Kim Geun-tae, who was a democratic activist who was kidnapped and tortured at the national police by the inspector Lee Geun-an for about twenty-two days back in 1985 in the regime of Chun Doo-hwan. The prison drama was a painful experience for the director.
9. Race To Freedom- Um Bok Dong
2019 South Korean biographical film which stars the famous Rain as the legendary cyclist Uhm Bok-dong. The movie was a commercial failure and was also considered one of the worst movies made in South Korea, and it failed the critique opinions as well, the work was not well received. Bok-Dong won the bicycle race against Japanese cyclists.
10. The Sound Of A Flower
The Sound of a Flower is a 2015 South Korean period drama film based on the life of Jin Chae-Seon who was the first female singer. Famous actors like Bae Suzy, play the role of Jin Chae- seon, and Ryu Seung-ryong plays her teacher named Shin Jae-hyo. Jin Chae-seon is an orphan who gets raised by a gisaeng in the Joseon period era.
