The Korean wave has undoubtedly made strides in recent years as K-dramas, K-pop, and even K-cuisine have swept nations worldwide into a fascination for anything and everything Korean. 

In the Philippines, many of us might remember tuning in to local primetime television to catch the Tagalog-dubbed versions of popular K-dramas like Jewel in the Palace, Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven, Full House… the list goes on. While K-pop and K-drama seem to be Korea’s big frontrunners in the market, its film industry has also made quite a name for itself over the years. Here are some of Korea’s most iconic films you must see.

My Sassy Girl (2001)

We start off this list with a romantic comedy film based on the blog posts of Kim Ho-Sik, who would later adapt it into a novel. My Sassy Girl centers around male engineering college student Gyeon-woo and his encounter with a drunken girl on a train. Although he initially didn’t want anything to do with the mystery girl, he gives into his conscience and decides to check her with him in a hotel so that she can be safe overnight. Their peaceful night is interrupted when Gyeon-woo answers a phone call for her and ends up getting in trouble with the police after it is assumed he has abducted her. She reconnects with him the next day to recollect her thoughts. From then on, hijinks ensue as the unlikely duo try to navigate around their feelings.

Oldboy (2003)

Action film aficionados are no stranger to the work of Park Chan-wook, especially his 2003 classic Oldboy. His cinematic techniques have been praised by Hollywood icons such as Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. The latter would even go on to direct the American version of the Korean classic. One of its iconic fight scenes taking place in a corridor has also gone on to be used as inspiration for several other fight sequences in movies and series such as Daredevil, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem, to name a few. 

Oldboy centers around the story of Oh Dae-su, a man who finds himself imprisoned in a cell for over 15 years without knowing why or who would do such a thing. As soon as he is set free, he finds himself on a quest for vengeance but not before finding himself falling for a young sushi chef, Mi-do. It’s a brilliant action flick packed with non-stop adrenaline.

Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013)

It’s hard not to think about the impact Miracle in Cell No. 7 left on viewers when it made waves in 2013. Miracle in Cell No. 7 follows the story of six-year-old Ye-sung and her father Yong-go, who suffers from a developmental disability. After a misunderstanding, Yong-go finds himself arrested for a falsely accused crime that in reality was only an unfortunate accident. He is sent to prison and finds himself sharing his cell with five other inmates. While his fellow inmates despise him at first, they slowly form a bond, which leads his cellmates to help smuggle his daughter into prison so they could be together. To this day it remains one of Korea’s highest-grossing films. It proved to be so popular that a Philippine adaptation was later made with Aga Muhlach taking the lead role.

Train to Busan (2016)

By 2016, Korean films had taken a backseat in the global scene, as K-dramas and K-pop started to rise in popularity. Train to Busan launched the Korean film scene into a worldwide phenomenon once again. The plot is simple, a zombie apocalypse breaks out just as its titular characters are riding a high-speed train from Seoul to Busan. It’s an adrenaline-filled adventure that leaves you on the edge of your seat as you hope for your favorite characters to make it through the apocalyptic scenario.

Parasite (2019)

Finally, we end this list with none other than Bong Joon-ho’s black comedy thriller Parasite. If you’ve been living under a rock these past few years, Parasite is now a staple in film history after becoming the first non-English film to win Best Picture in the Acadamy Awards. It also brought home the Best Director, Best International Feature Film, and Best Original Screenplay awards that night. Its story centers around the Kim family, a poor family that struggles for money through low-income jobs. An opportunity opens up after the Kims’ son, Ki-Woo, becomes an English tutor for a daughter from the rich Park family. He would later bring in the rest of his family through an elaborate scheme. But not all bodes well after they discover a secret hidden by the Park family’s former maid.

Certainly, these are just a few of the many films Korea has put out for audiences worldwide to enjoy. This is why it’s a joy to know then that until Sept. 26, you too can expose yourself to Korean films and enjoy its wonderfully made films as part of the 2023 Korean Film Festival, which began on Sept. 21. Even better is knowing that this is all for free as part of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines’ grand finale for Korea Tourism Promotion Month. The program is also made possible by the Korean Film Council, Film Development Council of the Philippines, SM Cinema, and the Korea Tourism Organization Manila Office. 

This year’s theme is “Ka-ja: Korea Through Films” as the films being presented focus on the country’s iconic destinations. On the festival’s opening night at SM Mall of Asia, Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Sang-Hwa shared his excitement, “After a long hiatus brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is heartwarming to see all of us returning to the theaters finally to enjoy movies on big screens.” The festival’s opening film, Life is Beautiful, left many viewers touched based on its premise of a husband trying to find the first love of his terminally ill wife as a birthday present. It’s an exciting start to a lineup of films that you certainly wouldn’t want to miss.

Admission to the Korean Film Festival is free but on a first-come, first-served basis. For details on screenings, follow the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines’ social media pages.