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‘Squid Game’ -

The show made history at the 2022 Emmys, as in addition to winning six of its impressive 14 nominations, 'Squid Game' became the first Korean series, and the first TV series not in English, to win a major Primetime Emmy Award. Series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk took home the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, also becoming the first Asian and first native Korean to win the award. The show's star Lee Jung-jae also became the first Asian and first native Korean actor to ever win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

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‘Squid Game’ -

It follows a group of desperate people who agree to take part in a mysterious game in the hopes of winning money to pay off their debts and change their lives. It turns out that they must play deadly versions of popular games from their childhoods, and their chances of making it out alive are very slim.

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‘Parasite’ (2019) -

Director Bong Joon-ho made history with his 2019 movie ‘Parasite,’ which was the first ever non-English language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. His masterpiece follows a struggling family as, one-by-one, they insert themselves into the life of a wealthy family under false pretenses.

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‘Memories of Murder’ (2003) -

‘Memories of Murder’ is the movie that shot director Bong Joon-ho to fame in Korea. It’s considered one of the best thrillers in the history of Korean cinema.

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‘Oldboy ’(2003) -

‘Oldboy’ from Park Chan-wook was one of the best-known Korean movies for international audiences prior to ‘Parasite’ (2019). The main character is held captive in solitary confinement by a mysterious stranger for 15 years. When he is suddenly released, he is given five days to hunt down his captor.

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'Train to Busan’ (2016) -

This 2016 horror movie truly captures the terror of this nightmare scenario. A father is taking his daughter on the train to Busan to see his wife, when a zombie outbreak suddenly overwhelms South Korea. The passengers struggle to survive on the moving train.

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‘Snowpiercer’ (2013) -

Another train-related film released a few years earlier was Bong Joon-ho's ‘Snowpiercer.’ In a dystopian world following the Earth’s second ice age, the survivors live in luxury on an ever-moving train that can cut through the snow and ice. However, the class system on the train leaves the poorest survivors starving and living in squalor at the back of the train. The movie follows them as they plan an uprising.

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‘Snowpiercer’ -

An America TV series based on the original Korean movie was released in 2020 starring Jennifer Connelly, Sean Bean, and Daveed Diggs.

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‘The Handmaiden’ (2016) -

Another hit from the director of ‘Oldboy’ (2003), this period drama follows an orphaned girl who becomes a pawn in the scheme of a conman. He sends her to work for a wealthy lady in order to help him scam her.

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‘Stranger’ -

The critically-acclaimed series ‘Stranger’ follows a detective who has lost almost all capacity for empathy after brain surgery as he tries to solve a murder wrapped in political corruption.

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‘Mother’ (2009) -

This tense thriller from the director of ‘Parasite’ (2019) follows a poor mother and her intellectually disabled son living in a small town. Her life descends into chaos when a girl is murdered and circumstantial evidence points to her son.

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‘#Alive’ (2020) -

This zombie thriller follows a young gamer, home alone in his apartment while his parents are out of town. He’s trapped there when a virus outbreak occurs and the flesh-eating monsters start to close in.

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‘The Host’ (2006) -

'The Host’ is another Bong Joon-ho thriller that experienced widespread international success. It stars Song Kang‑Ho from ‘Parasite’ (2019) as a desperate father whose daughter is taken by a monster that suddenly emerges from the Han River in Seoul, killing hundreds of innocent bystanders.

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‘Sweet Home’ -

‘Sweet Home’ is a truly terrifying drama series released in 2020. A young man moves into an apartment following the death of his family, where he lives alone and depressed. He starts to observe strange things happening, and soon he’s fighting just to survive the night.

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‘Time to Hunt’ (2020) -

This dystopian thriller takes place in the future after Korea suffers financial collapse. A group of friends rob an illegal gambling house, but the owners send a hitman to kill them one by one.

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'Save Me' -

A grieving family join a religious cult following the death of their son in this 2017 drama series. This choice has terrible consequences for their daughter, as the true nature of the organization becomes clear and she struggles to escape their clutches.

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‘I Saw the Devil’ (2010) -

An intelligence officer hunts down the serial killer who murdered his fiancée in this dark crime drama. The performances given by Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik, the officer and the killer, are truly exceptional.

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‘Signal’ -

This 2016 TV series is somewhat exceptional for weaving a logical and comprehensible storyline around time travel and its implications. A young criminal profiler makes contact with a detective from the past to solve a mystery from 1989. It’s one of the most-watched K-dramas of all time. Pictured is the star of the series, Lee Jae-Hoon.

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'Svaha: The Sixth Finger’ (2019) -

This supernatural detective thriller stars ‘Squid Game’ lead actor Lee Jung-Jae as an eccentric pastor who is hired to help investigate a mysterious cult.

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‘The Wailing’ (2016) -

‘The Wailing’ is a supernatural horror-thriller directed by the talented Na Hong-jin (pictured). A police officer in a small village struggles to deal with a sudden outbreak of mysterious deaths and illnesses. The townspeople focus their blame on a Japanese stranger the local shaman believes to be demon.

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‘The Drug King’ (2019) -

This 2019 gangster flick tells the story of a real-life gangster called Lee Doo, played by Song Kang-ho from ‘Parasite’ (2019). Lee Doo-sam became a drug lord in Busan in the 1970s and the film shows him building his empire, along with the intelligence officers trying to take him down.

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‘Vagabond’ -

The 2019 series ‘Vagabond’ follows a stuntman who fights to uncover the truth about a plane crash that killed his nephew. Prepare for high-stakes and conspiracy theories! Pictured is lead actor Lee Seung‑gi.

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‘The Call’ (2019) -

This 2019 movie focuses on a time warp discovered by a young woman when she begins to receive phone calls from a woman who lived in her mother’s house 20 years prior. They are burdened with a great responsibility when they discover a murderer is using the same time warp to kill without getting caught.

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‘Steel Rain’ -

‘Steel Rain’ is a political thriller based around an attempted coup in North Korea. Two unlikely heroes help the leader escape the attack and try to keep him safe from the coup leaders.

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‘26 Years’ (2012) -

This drama centers around a real-life massacre that occurred in South Korea in 1980, when state troops killed hundreds of citizens in Gwanju. The movie follows the relatives of five of the victims who team up 26 years later to take revenge. Pictured is starring actress Han Hee‑jin.

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‘Lucid Dream’ (2017) -

‘Lucid Dream’ follows a journalist whose son hasn’t been found three years after his kidnapping. In the hopes of making some progress in the case, he undergoes a new therapy that allows him to unlock old memories through lucid dreaming. Pictured is lead actress Kang Hye‑jung.

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‘Forgotten’ (2017) -

In this 2017 film, the protagonist searches for answers after his brother is kidnapped and returns a totally different person 19 days later. Pictured is lead actor Kang Ha‑neul.

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'Pandora’ (2016) -

‘Pandora’ centers around an earthquake that strikes a small town, causing a disaster at their local power plant. A surviving plant worker struggles to prevent a meltdown and evacuate as many residents as possible. Pictured is lead actor Kim Nam-Gil. 

Sources: (Lifestyle Asia) (Marie Claire) 

See also: Horror films based on real events

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