Article: Top 10 Korean Thriller Movies Of This Decade

A lot of Korean content draws people from around the world, from Kpop lessons to well-known K-dramas. Additionally, nothing beats thrillers in the cinema! We also recognize South Korean movies for frank, gory, and explicit depictions of violence and gloomy themes. Some of us may feel uncomfortable watching them. However, it is a means for them to demonstrate how genuine the tale is and how the societal issue is real and is not simply something made up for the movie's sake. They make us happy by letting us lose ourselves in their complex and tightly woven stories. It is astounding due to the top-notch sights, fantastic setting, and brilliant ideas.

10. The Yellow Sea, 2012

The Yellow Sea, directed by Na Hong-jin, is a bloody, violent, and thrilling movie. A desperate cab driver who promises to destroy South Korea gets drawn into a sinister scheme in the action-packed suspense thriller The Yellow Sea. Gu-Nam operates a cab business in Yanji City. However, some unexpected things happen as he gets to kill his victim. Then nothing happened as expected, and everything went dreadfully wrong. He is utterly helpless to find a way out of it all. He had to now flee for his life. The climax is the most shocking part. Watch it to know more!

9. I Saw the Devil, 2010

This action thriller, written and directed by Park Hoon-Jung and Kim Jee-Woon, will keep us engaged until the end. It tells the story of a psychotic killer who receives severe retaliation for killing a lady. Soo Hyun decides to go on a personal hunt for the serial murderer with the help of her fiance and a secret agent. He played a cruel game of capturing the killer and torturing him rather than killing him. Only to let him free and then continue the cycle. The movie first seems to be a battle between good and evil. However, the distinction between the two becomes hazier as the revenge goes on. The viewer is left to wonder who the evil one is. The last scenes will have us wondering who won.

8. A Hard Day, 2014

In the movie A Hard Day, a guy tries to figure out the mystery surrounding a call he gets. From drama to suspense to mystery, it has it all. In this movie, a detective hits and kills a man on the highway when he was heading to his mother's funeral. Then, out of dread of the repercussions, he tries to dispose of the body by placing it in his mother's coffin on the day of her burial. He gets a call threatening him, saying that an unidentified individual had seen his acts. The film's intriguing hero-villain roles and grey characters make it entertaining to watch.

7. Train To Busan, 2016

The South Korean film Train to Busan leans more towards horror, but it is a must-see for fans of zombies. In the narrative, Sok-woo, a divorced father, seeks to arrange for his daughter to meet her mother. However, they are stranded in a zombie apocalypse aboard the train from Seoul to Busan. An infected lady who has transformed into a zombie rushes into the train as it departs, and havoc ensues. The father makes every effort to board the train and travel to the safe area at the other end of the nation with a few other survivors. Passengers engage in combat with one another during this outbreak to live. One of the finest Korean zombie thrillers, it will keep you entertained and frightened until the very end.

6. Memories Of Murder, 2003

The first proven serial killings in South Korea are the basis for the movie. Up until recently, the Hwaseong serial killings remained unsolved. Park, Kim Roi-ha, and Seo, three detectives, are looking for the rapist and sadist killer. In the 1980s, the victims of this unidentified attacker lived in a small Korean area. To understand the violent psyche, the three investigators became more desperate. The investigation was a useless endeavor. The movie depicts the inept government authorities that allowed such atrocities to go unpunished. It was a failure against the darkness of the crime committed. This film blends aspects of the criminal genre with dark humor, thrilling thrills, and annoying jump scares.

5. The Handmaiden, 2016

The romance, sexual sequences, vengeance, camaraderie, and surprising turns are all there in this Park Chan Wook-directed movie. The story revolves around a Korean con artist who employs a criminal to serve as a maid for an affluent Japanese heiress. The con man wants to cheat the heiress and take her entire estate. The main twist comes when the maid and the heiress fall in love.

4. The King, 2017

The King is a political thriller starring Ryu Jun-Yeol, Jo In-sung, Jung Woo-sung, and Bae Seong-woo. The story is dramatic and powerful. In the movie, a young prosecutor gets involved in politics and organized crime and learns about their dark sides. Tae Soo chooses to study law and pursues a career as a prosecutor. But as he prepares to enter the world as a formidable prosecutor eager to fight the good fight, he learns that the top 1% of Korean prosecutors are in charge of everything in the nation. A fall gets more hazardous the higher one goes. This entertaining movie has drama, thriller, humor, and twisted stories.

3. Parasite, 2019

The Parasite is the first non-English film to take home the 92nd Academy Awards' best picture trophy. The film depicts the division of two separate groups of people living in Seoul. It centers on a needy family and victims of class prejudice. Ki-Woo finds out from her acquaintance that she teaches English in Korea. It may enable her to make a respectable sum of money. So, out of greed, the Kim family as a whole takes advantage of a wealthy family. The unfolding implications have a significant impact on both families. This movie's honest and truthful depiction of society will upset us in a good way. Who is the real parasite? The cunning Kims or the clever Parks? Watch the movie to know!

2. Old Boy, 2003

The film Oldboy is a masterpiece. It is a spine-tingling thriller based on a popular Japanese manga of the same name. Oh Dae-tale Su's tale is told in it. He was kidnapped and kept in a hotel room without windows for fifteen years. After years in captivity, he was abruptly freed, with no explanation provided by his captor for his confinement or eventual release. In addition, his kidnappers allow him five days to discover his whereabouts. If you want to see a thrilling mystery-themed movie, you shouldn't miss this.

1. Forgotten, 2017

2017's Forgotten is a psychological thriller and mystery directed by Jang Hang-jun. The film keeps us guessing and engaged right up to the end when the whole secret is out. The protagonist is Jin Seok, who is distraught after witnessing his older brother's kidnapping. However, his brother doesn't remember what happened to him when he returns 19 days later. Now that his brother has vanished, Jin Seok is on a quest to discover what happened.