South Korean entertainment industry is a rapidly emerging industry. The number of good movies and dramas produced each year is also at rise. They can connect with the audience worldwide which is making them so popular. South Koreans have been producing movies in many genres. The one genre that’s interesting and is equally loved by the audience is the action crime genre. Everyone loves an excellent action-packed crime movie. With powerful moves to heart-wrenching crime, these movies are the powerhouse of entertainment that never fails to grab the audience’s attention. There are many excellent Korean action crime movies that you can watch. So, here is a compilation of the best action crime Korean films of all time.
1. The Childe
The Childe is an action crime movie released in 2023. The film revolves around a man named Marco. Marco was a kid of a Korean father and a Filipino mother who currently resides in the Philippines. Now, he engages in illegal street battles to secure funds for his mother’s surgery. He constantly sought for his estranged father’s whereabouts. One day, he got into fight with a gang and ended up in hospital and suddenly a lawyer came, claiming that he represented his long-lost father. He then grabs the opportunity and flew to South Korea to find his father but only lands in more trouble and danger.
2. Special Delivery
Special Delivery was released in 2022. The movie revolves around a girl named Jang Eun Ha. Eun Ha is a North Korean defector, currently working as a particular delivery clerk in Busan. She receives an instruction to pick up former basketball player Kim Doo Sik. When she reached the pick-up destination, she found Kim Seo Won, Doo Sik’s son. They were then chased by Kyeong Pil, a corrupt police officer. Doo Sik was involved in illegal gambling trade and Kyeong Pil is chasing them as Seo Won has the key to the bank account with $30 million US dollar and Doo Sik was killed while saving Seo Won.
3. The Swindlers
The Swindlers was released in 2017. The story is about a prosecutor and a group of Swindlers trying to catch another swindler. Jang Doo Chil is a con artist who was reported as dead after a fraud case, rumored to be alive. Park Hee Soo is a prosecutor whose objective is to track down Doo Chil to avoid a corruption scandal. She paired up with a fraudster, Ji Sung, who has personal revenge on Doo Chil, to find him. They also take the help of a few other swindlers.
4. The Outlaws
The Outlaws was released in 2017. The film’s story revolves around the turf war between local gangs. Jang Chen is from China and works as a loan shark in Chinatown area of Seoul. He is accompanied by his henchman, Wei Sung Rak, and Yang Tae. Ma Suk Do is a detective in the same location and tries to maintain peace while the two Korean-Chinese gangs fight to take over the area.
5. Midnight Runners
Midnight Runners was released in 2017. The movie revolves around two best friends, Ki Joon and Hee Yeol. Ki Joon and Hee Yeol are best friends and study at the Korean National Police University. One day, they were out drinking at night and witnessed the kidnapping of a girl. They immediately reported it into the police but, the personals prioritized a high-profile case than the kidnapped girl. Realizing the importance of the initial hours for kidnapping cases, they took the matter into their own hands and started their journey to rescue the girl. They had no idea of they are going to find out. They realized, this is not any simple case of kidnaping, the kidnapers run an unfertilized egg harvesting ring and many girls are locked inside.
6. Extreme Job
Extreme Job was released in 2019. The movie tells the story of a group of detectives. Detective Squad Chief Go, Detective Jang, Detective Ma, Detective Young Ho, and Detective Jae Hoon are the members of the drug squad. The teams go on a mission to take down a criminal organization, for which they must go undercover. They open a chicken restaurant to disguise themselves and catch the criminals. But things turned weirdly when the restaurant became popular among the locals.
7. The Negotiation
The Negotiation was released in 2018. The movie tells the story of Ha Chae Youn and Ahn Hyuk Su. Ha Che Youn is a crisis negotiator in Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, she was urgently summoned by her colleague, Ahn Hyuk Su, to deal with a hostage crisis. She is ordered to negotiate with the kidnapper, Min Tae Gu, a n international arms dealer, who had kidnapped many Koreans from Bangkok. The story progresses as they find the reasons and solutions behind the kidnappings.
8. The Merciless
The Merciless was released in 2017. Jae Ho is a prisoner who is the rule maker for the other prisoners in the jail and considered as the most powerful among the inmates. In the outside world, he is in the 2nd position in his criminal gang but has an ambition and determination to reach the first place. One day, Hyun Soo, a new prisoner enters the jail, he was a rebel among the rebels. He did not follow any rules, and in reality, he was an undercover cop.
9. New World
New World was released in 2013. The movie tells the story of a man, Lee Ja Sung. Ja Sung is an undercover cop who enters a criminal gang, the gang is considered as the most prominent criminal gang in South Korea. It took him ten years to reach the top position of the gang by gaining the trust of the gang leader. When the head of the organization was killed, there was chaos among the gang members for the position. Jung Chung, Ja Sung’s boss, consider him as a brother. Now Ja Sung is stuck in between his duty as a cop and his loyalty towards Jung Chung.
10. Believer
Believer was released in 2018. Won Ho is an ambitious police detective who wanted to bring down Asia’s biggest drug cartel, run by a man named Mr. Lee. The problem is, no one has ever seen Mr. Lee, so many criminals disguise as him to carry out illegal drug trade. He then meets Rak who wanted to take revenge from Mr. Lee as he had killed Rak’s mother. The two team up to take down Mr. Lee.
