20 Best Korean Movies For Learning Korean [2025 List]

Today, the popularity of Hallyu has reached every nook and cranny of the world.

The Korean wave refers to South Korea’s pop culture, music, TV dramas, Korean movies, and other entertainment varieties.

From studying in Korea to new career options to cultural appreciation, there are many motives to pick Korean.

And if that is not enough, you have an exciting world of K-movie.

Korean films have earned a lot of love and global recognition. This has become enough reason for many people to want to learn Korean.

If you’re looking for Korean movies to learn Korean, this article is a perfect fit. Let’s get the ball rolling.

How does watching films help you learn Korean?
Where to see Korean movies?
20 Outstanding Movies for Learning Korean in 2025
Final Words

How does watching films help you learn Korean?

There are several advantages of learning Korean with films.

First, there is a clear relation between culture and language.

The cinema is the best way to dive deep into it. You will acknowledge diverse cultural and traditional aspects — a powerful way to immerse yourself.

Second comes the repetition of the dialogue or the scenes you like the most.

Following the shadowing technique, speaking precisely as the actors talk helps with memorization.

After practicing the method many times, it will fix the dialogues in your mind.

So what is output, you may ask?

Well, it’s the fluency that you are gifting yourself with. Sure, you won’t be able to say those dialogues to your Korean friends.

But now you know you have those vocabularies and sentences fixed on your tongue.

Third, you are allowing yourself to listen more. If anything, that gets stronger by watching flicks, drama, or listening to songs; It’s the listening skills you are targeting. Other things come later.

Many language lovers totally ignore this; it is such a fun way of language learning prospect.

You won’t realize what you are missing unless you start consuming media in your target language.

If a Korean language school promises you to teach the language in 3 years, cut that period short to 2 years if you learn Korean with films.

Where to see Korean movies?

Several websites and online streaming have an extensive collection of films, dramas, music, and video shows to get you started!

These films are on paid platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and HBO, as well as free platforms like Vimeo, Viu, and YouTube.

You can also see through Korean online streaming channels to experience Korean movies in your comfort.

There’s something for everybody, thanks to easy access to the internet and plenty of OTT platforms.

20 Outstanding Movies for Learning Korean in 2025

This article presents 20 must-watch Korean movies for Korean learners working hard to learn the language.

You need a deserved yet entertaining break, which is another way of learning.

1. My Little Bride (어린 신부), 2005

This adorable Kim Ho-joon-directed movie should be on your list of Korean watch-worthy Rom-Com movies.

Viewers will get to witness a cute arranged love story.

This is a tale of two individuals with a significant age difference forced into marrying each other.

Seo Bo-eun, a 15-year-old high school girl played by Moon Geun-young, has to marry Park Sang-min. He is a 20-year-old college-going student, played by Kim Rae-won.

This happens because Bo-Eun’s grandfather wishes to see her get married before he dies.

Bo-Eun’s and Sang-Min’s grandfathers were best friends who had promised each other they would marry their children. But both of them had sons. Hence, those “strongly exchanged words” between the two grandpas were passed on to the next generation.

If you are an intermediate learner of Korean, this motion picture is for you.

2. Call (콜), 2020

Call is a recent 2020 release directed by Lee Chung-hyeon, starring legendary young actress Park Shin-hye.

She portrays 28-year-old Kim Seo-yeon and Jeon Jong-seo, who play the character of Oh Yeong-suk.

These women are of the same age and live in the same house. Yet, the years they exist are different.

Seo-yeon was present in 2019, whereas Yeong-suk was present in 1999. A phone links both of them.

The story revolves around interesting and does not let you get up from your couch. The Call is a worthwhile thriller movie.

A lot of conversations over phone calls will be a help to language learners.

After receiving the call, some phrases, like “Hello” and “Who is it?” “How can I help you?” and “How can I tackle the wrong numbers?” will be recited naturally, benefiting you in learning.

Besides that, they also show some old pop culture in the movie, exciting senior K-pop fans.

3. Miss Granny (수상한 그년), 2014

You can’t afford to miss this comedy, drama, heartfelt, and sweet movie in Miss Granny.

They remade into 6 different languages: Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Telugu, and Thai.

The story focuses on an older woman who regains her youthful beauty after visiting a photo studio. She is sad about her life because she knows her family doesn’t need her.

From the learners’ perspective, it is a kind of musical movie. Thus, it will have many old-age songs. These songs are always healthy for learning new vocabulary and even sentence patterns.

Shim Eun-Kyung plays the youth version of Grandma, who calls herself Oh Doo-ri. The older version of Oh Mal-soon, Na Moon-hee, portrays the grandmother.

For K-drama fans, hold on to your seats; you will witness a fascinating cameo.

It teaches divergent cultural points of knowledge from a South Korean view and perception of society.

4. Scandal Makers (과속 스캔들), 2008

What if you are 36 and have a 22-year-old daughter you didn’t know existed?

And the shocking fun doesn’t stop here. She has a 6-year-old son, too.

That’s the situation of Nam Heon-soo, played by Cha Tae-hyun, a famous idol in his younger days. Now he is in his mid-30s, a popular Radio D.J. Hence, this film will have songs which are again suitable for learners.

One day, his apartment bell rings, and a girl, Hwang Jeong Nam, played by Park Bo-young, who looks like she is in her early 20s, enters with her son.

Hwang Ki Dong, portrayed by Wang Seok Hyun, stated that she is his daughter.

He can’t reveal he has a daughter because he is a famous personality, and doing so would ruin his image in front of the media.

So what should he do? That’s what they base the storyline on.

It will also be a good listening practice for honorifics.

This is because the child often speaks in honorifics with his grandfather. Ki Dong steals the show with his cuteness.

5. My Sassy Girl (엽기적인 그녀), 2001

This isn’t just a romantic movie; it’s a complete entertainment-packed comedy with weirdness and twists over twists.

Considering the movie’s literal translation to be ‘That Bizarre Girl,’ one can guess that it would contain quite unusual yet funny elements.

My Sassy Girl stars Jun Ji-hyun as the girl opposite Cha Tae-hyun, who portrays Kyun-Woo’s character, a male college-going student.

Kyun-woo sees a girl in a drunk condition he saves from falling on the tracks of a metro station in Seoul.

While he keeps her safe, she repeatedly drags him into trouble. This fun movie is a delight to watch.

The movie’s writer, Kim Ho-sik, used to publish real-life events with his girlfriend in a series of blog posts. Later, he adapted the same into a fictional novel. Last, he converted it into a flick.

If you’re a fan of Romantic cinema or looking to use some Korean expression to impress someone, this is for you.

6. Friend (친구), 2001

This story revolves around four friends who came, regardless of coming from different backgrounds, raised in an irksome era of the 70s.

Over the years, all my friends have gone their separate ways in life.

After enrolling in college, Sang-take and Joong-ho returned to meet Dong-Su (Jang Dong-gun) and Joon-Suk (Yoo Oh-sung).

However, to their shock, one of their friends was jailed while the other was on drugs.

These two friends become foes in the criminal world after a few events.

The movie is a saga of friendship, betrayal, and many complications as the story progresses.

“Friend” is one of the best Korean movies for advanced learners interested in taking a higher level of TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean).

7. Forgotten (기억의 밤), 2017

This Jang Hang-jun-directed cinema almost covers every dark genre. From sci-fi and horror to psychological thrillers and mystery, you have everything.

The film features well-known actors from the drama industry, especially Kang Ha Neul. His visuals are no secret to Korean content-consuming fans. Plus, he falters each time with his acting skills.

The plot revolves around Jin Seok, played by Kang Ha Neul. It also includes his family, including his mother, father, and older brother, Yoo-seok.

After moving into the new house, he realizes some things odd with his family.

While he was in that hustling period, his brother was abducted on a rainy night in front of his eyes.

After 19 days, he suddenly returns. However, Jin Seok feels his brother seems strange and decides to find out why.

Many words are context-clear, meaning you can learn new vocabulary quicker than you imagine.

8. The Dude in Me (내안의 그놈), 2019

The film’s genre is fantasy and comedy, which shows a plump high-school reserved-scared boy, Dong-hyun. Jin-young often gets bullied by his classmates, portraying the role.

In one such episode of bullying, he falls from the rooftop.

He then crashes into Pan-soo, played by Park Sung-Woong, a criminal organization leader.

Both men soon reached the hospital. Pan-soo then wakes up soon but in Dong-Hyun’s body.

Like that, the two individuals’ bodies’ switches create confusion in the lives of the people surrounding them.

Viewers will again witness Jeong Jin-young, a former member of the K-pop group B1A4, ’s bold acting skills.

There is plenty of metaphor in “The Dude in Me.” You can gain many verbs in this movie, which is suitable for someone who just started learning Korean.

9. My Annoying Brother (형), 2016

It’s a comedy genre film which revolves around two stepbrothers. The older brother, Doo-sik (Cho Jung-seok), is serving in jail for a fraud he had committed.

His younger stepbrother Doo-young (Do Kyung-soo) is a hardworking judo athlete. He loses his eyesight because of an injury that happens in a match.

Taking advantage of his younger brother’s condition, Doo-sik is released from jail.

These two brothers, who hate each other, start living together, and that’s when things start getting interesting.

The flick is a delight for K-poppers, considering it casts Do Kyung-soo (D.O. of EXO), one of the most prominent K-pop groups.

D.O. has been showcasing his acting skills in several dramas and movies he has worked in.

The speaking and pattern of the sentence make it possible to understand the various roles portrayed to showcase Korean humor.

10. Parasite (기생충), 2019

The Parasite needs no introduction, becoming the first non-English film to bag several awards, including an Oscar. This has put Korean movie production in the international spotlight.

Parasite focuses on the divergence between two groups of people living in Seoul. The rich reside in a charming house in the capital, while the poor live in a semi-basement house.

Ki-Taek (Song Kang-ho) is a poor and unemployed father. He lives with his wife, Choong-Sook (Jang Hye-jin), daughter Ki-Jung (Park So-dam), and son Ki-Woo (Choi Woo-sik).

They live in a Banjiha, a dark and tiny semi-basement house.

While talking with his friend (Park Seo-Joon), Ki-Woo discovers he has an English teaching job in Korea that pays well.

Grabbing this opportunity, he tries to bring his entire family to work in the vast house.

The simple dialogues and not-so-tricky vocabulary make this cinema suitable for all Korean students.

11. Sunny (써니), 2011

Sunny is the story of seven girls who were best friends in school. However, destiny and a life-changing incident drift them apart. This flick shows how life can take full swing and how we can enjoy the moments while at it.

Na-mi, played by Shim Eun-kyung, transfers to a school in Seoul from a small town in Jeolla Province.

Coming from a small town, she speaks a southern dialect. She shakes out of nervousness and gets bullied by some classmates on her first day, not letting it out.

Later, a group of girls saves her, and she slowly gets comfortable with them, becoming part of them. They call the group of seven girls “Sunny.”

It casts some well-renowned faces in the Korean entertainment industry, including Kang So-ra, Kim Min-young, Park Joo, Nam Bo-ra, Kom Bo-mi, and Min Hyo-ri.

The movie provides ample possibility to understand everyday speech.

12. Burning (버닝), 2018

The cinema is based on an original short story, “Barn Burning,” from The Elephant Vanishes, written by Haruki Murakami, a famous literary writer.

We know him for some mind-blogging novels of all time, such as Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood, and more.

It’s a psychological thriller mystery drama that presents the story of a girl and her childhood friend.

Jong-soo (Yoo Ah-in) aspires to become a writer. However, he works part-time as a delivery man in a distribution company.

One day, while working, he runs into Hae-mi (Jeon Jang-seo), his childhood friend. They moved together, and Hae-mi asked Jon-Soo to care for her cat while traveling to Africa.

She returns with Ben (Steven Yeun), whom she met on her trip. As the story continues, Ben reveals his hobby to Jong-Soo, and the plot keeps surprising you with many twists.

It complicates the speech pattern and language. If you already have a decent command of the language, check out this movie to learn Korean and take it to the next level.

13. Exit (엑시트), 2019

Exit is the answer if a genre like ‘disaster and action’ combined with ‘comedy’ exists. The cinema makes you laugh. And at the same time, it scares you by showcasing the city getting destroyed.

Yong-Nam, played by Cho Jung-seok, is a young and jobless who graduated from a university a few years ago. He is unemployed and looking for that “right” job.

Yong-Nam throws a party for his mother, Hyun-Ok (Ko Du-shim), on his 70th birthday at a convention hall. He sees his university crush, Ui-Joo (Yoona), as she works there as an assistant manager.

He tries to get close to her yet again, while in the process, a lethal gas explosion takes place, completely twisting the film’s plot.

The dialogue is fast, though well-controlled. It runs at a pace that you will comprehend with some difficulty.

14. Hello Ghost (헬로우 고스트), 2010

“Hello Ghost” is yet another remarkable film for learning Korean.

Kang Sang-Man (Cha Tae-Hyun) tries to commit suicide by swallowing many pills in a rented room. But he fails.

After that, he again tries to end his life by jumping into a river. This time, too, cops were on patrol duty, and they saved him.

As the story progresses, he realizes he can see ghosts roaming in his house.

He wants them to leave, but they keep a condition: They want him to fulfill their wishes.

This Kim Young-tak-directed film stars an actor we can trust to make us laugh. You can see Cha Tae-Hyun, the same fantastic actor in “My Sassy Girl,” “Scandal Makers,” and many more.

The vocabulary and phrases are impressive and straightforward to grasp the Korean language flow.

15. Miracle in Cell No. 7 (번벙의 선물), 2013

Keep your tissues ready while viewing this heartfelt comedy film.

A mentally ill father is wrongly accused and, hence, imprisoned for murder. When he enters the jail, he befriends some real criminals.

They decided to help him see his daughter, so they made a deal to bring her to the cell and have her be with her father.

A real-life incident took place in Chuncheon, Korea.

The police tortured a man inside a jail under the charges of rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl. This incident occurred on September 27, 1972, and they acquitted him in November 2008.

The movie offers a great way to learn colloquialisms in Korean. This can encourage you to gain an upper-intermediate level of Korean.

16. How to Steal a Dog (개를 훔치는 완변한 방법), 2014

This film will steal your heart with the combination of cute dogs and adorable kids as the main cast. Ji So (Lee Re), a young girl whose father went bankrupt, now has nowhere else to go and has lost shelter.

One day, a poster in front of her says the owner will reward $500 for their missing dog.

Witnessing the amount on the notice, Ji So borrows or kidnaps dogs belonging to wealthy families to earn rewards from them.

The filmmaker took the story from Barbara O’Connor’s novel of the same name. The cast includes many more child actors, which makes it even more endearing to watch.

The words and syntax are easy to grasp and suit the comprehensive skills of elementary students.

17. Old Boy (올드보이), 2003

Old Boy is an epic film that has come forward from the Korean film industry. Even 17 years after its release, people still talk about this masterpiece.

It’s beyond an action thriller film. It revolves around a man, Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-Sik), who was held captive in a cell for 15 long years for no known reason.

Now he has been released. However, he has five days to take his revenge. But he finds himself trapped in a different conspiracy after coming out. He also falls in love with a young Sushi chef, Mi-do.

The film is based on Garon Tsuchiya’s Japanese manga of the same name. Some scenes require a strong stomach.

This is one of my favorite and best Korean movies for learning Korean.

18. Be With You (지금 만나러 갑니다), 2018

This romantic film features Son Ye-jin, the “Crash Landing On You” actress, who kept you hooked to the screens with her visuals and fabulous acting.

So Ji-sub, a prominent Korean name in the entertainment industry, has come together to make this beautiful film a reality.

Soo-ah (Son Ye-jin) promises her husband, Woo-Jin (So Ji-sub), to return to him one year later on the first rainy day before she dies.

Her husband finds the promise unbelievable. When she makes it happen for real, he is shocked.

She has no memories of her life with Woo-jin, and he tries to return them.

It’s a remake of a 2004 Japanese film of the same name, which was also an adaptation of Takuji Ichikawa’s novel of the same name.

This will also help you develop Korean sounds, accents, rhythm, and pronunciation.

19. Gonjinam: Haunted Asylum (곤지암), 2018

This Jung Bum-shik-directed found-footage horror film is based on an actual event in a psychiatric hospital of the same name.

The story showcases a web series crew who entered an abandoned asylum for a live broadcast only because they wanted more views. But things started turning fishy and scarier as they kept entering the horrified old building more and more.

As AsianWiki states, Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital was one of the 7 freakiest places globally by CNN.

The alleged incident took place in 1972. Forty-two patients killed themselves in the hospital while the hospital director went missing.

And in all that, the broadcasters entered the hospital and began a live stream.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum will challenge your Korean abilities while leaving you on the constant edge of your seat.

20. Little Forest (리틀 포레스트), 2018

The filmmaker bases the movie on a manga series written by Daisuke Igarashi by the same name in 2002.

This Yim Soon-rye-directed film is a story that will bless your mind. When you feel your life is overwhelming and sometimes looking back and returning to your roots helps, watch this film.

The hustle of the big city seems never-ending, especially for the ones who belong to the small towns.

Tackling with living issues and struggling with work is already intimidating.

How can one handle not passing the national qualification exam to become a teacher?

That’s the story of Hye-won (Kim Tae-ri), who failed to pass the exam for which she worked hard.

Frustrated, she dumps her part-time job in Seoul, returns to her hometown, and reconnects with her people.

If you’re at an advanced level, you can understand it better. This movie will help you prepare for the higher level of the Korean language exam, i.e., the TOPIK, EPS-TOPIK, or KLAT exam.

Final Words

We tried to keep our horizons open and compile various movie genres to make this article unique.

We did this to bring in front of you as viewers and learners such comedy, romance, thriller, action, horror, drama, and many more altogether.

You get to watch your favorite Korean movies, dramas, documentaries, and many more, and, with the icing on the cake, you get to learn an awful lot from them.

These movies will entertain you if they match your taste. If you listen effectively, you will learn culture, reality, vocabulary, and sentence drills.

Some of these methods will work if you wish to practice speaking Korean through these films.

It’s no secret that your listening skills will grow the most if you watch them without subtitles. You can start with small-length movies, easier, and watch in small clips.

So, don’t forget to take benefit of it and tell us in the comments which film you liked the most or any recommendations you may have for us!

20 Good movies to Learn Korean

Table of Contents

How does watching films help you learn Korean?

Where to see Korean movies?