Welcome! First launched by Darcy Paquet in 1999, this site has grown with the help of many volunteers to provide a comprehensive introduction to Korean cinema.

Now Screening in Korea:

12.12: The Day
dir. Kim Sung-soo

Veteran director Kim Sung-soo (Beat, Musa, Asura) depicts the events leading up to Chun Doo-hwan's intra-military coup on December 12, 1979, which effectively crushed the country's hopes for a transition to democracy. Featuring inspired performances by Jung Woo-sung and Hwang Jung-min, 12.12: The Day (literally, "Seoul Spring") opened on November 22, and enthusiastic word of mouth has turned it into a rare bit of good news for the local box office.

Upcoming Film Festivals

49th Seoul Independent Film Festival
(Nov 30-Dec 8)

Subtitled Screenings in Korea

Screenings with English Subtitles
(run by KOFIC)

"All in Korean" Facebook Page
(run by volunteers)

Read more about this site and its creators
at the About Koreanfilm.org page

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Inactive Pages

Site contact: darcy@koreanfilm.org

Personal blogs of our contributors:
Kyu Hyun · Tom

Navigating this Site

Keep up with new reviews and updates to the site on our What's New page

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Film Reviews

Browse by year at the links below, or check
our Review Index sorted by title

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Documentaries  ·  "The Korean Connection"
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Special Pages

    Our Film Festival Reports contain impressions of films, retrospectives, and other issues from festivals in Korea and elsewhere. Our most recent report is from the 2022 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.


    If you're searching for Books About Korean Cinema, this page will provide information, summaries and tables of contents for all the major book releases.


    We've done a number of Interviews with Korean Filmmakers over the years. Our most recent interview is Melissa Kim's 2018 talk with director/actor Moon So-ri.


    At the end of each year our Top Ten Lists bring together our thoughts and picks for the best Korean films of the year.


    Visit our Directors' Pages for detailed introductions to the work of a few specific filmmakers.

Highlighted Essays

Still Waiting For Good News: Korean Cinema in 2021
(from the Far East Film Festival)
by Darcy Paquet

Park Chul-soo: South Korea's Neglected Auteur
by Adam Hartzell

Taking in a Few South Korean Baseball Films
by Adam Hartzell

A Short History of Korean Film
by Darcy Paquet

A History of Korean Animation
by Tom Giammarco

Best Films of the 21st Century's First Decade
by various contributors

Click for the Complete List of Essays
at Koreanfilm.org