The long read · Korean cinema
The Korean Wave on Screen: Korean Cinema and Its Global Stars
In a single generation Korean cinema went from a local industry to the most talked-about in the world, crowned when Parasite won the Palme d’Or and the Oscar. Here is the story, and where to watch in Seoul.
Updated October 2026
From The Housemaid to Parasite
The 1960s were Korean cinema’s first golden age, with Kim Ki-young’s feverish The Housemaid (1960) and Yu Hyun-mok’s Aimless Bullet (1961). A new wave arrived in the late 1990s: the Busan International Film Festival opened in 1996, and the thriller Shiri (1999) beat Hollywood at the Korean box office.
Then came a run of masterpieces. Park Chan-wook’s Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2004, Lee Chang-dong’s Secret Sunshine and Poetry won prizes there too, and Bong Joon-ho moved from Memories of Murder and The Host to Parasite, winner of the Palme d’Or in 2019 and, in 2020, the first film not in English to win the Oscar for best picture.
Must-watch films
To understand Korean cinema, start with these, and see our Seoul on film page for the city’s own films.
- The Housemaid (1960): Kim Ki-young’s gothic thriller, restored by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.
- Oldboy (2003): Park Chan-wook’s revenge thriller, winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes.
- Memories of Murder (2003): Bong Joon-ho’s haunting detective story.
- Poetry (2010): Lee Chang-dong’s gentle drama, best screenplay at Cannes.
- Burning (2018): Lee Chang-dong’s mystery, after a story by Haruki Murakami.
- Parasite (2019): Bong Joon-ho’s winner of the Palme d’Or and the best picture Oscar.
The stars
Korea’s stars are now known worldwide.
- Song Kang-ho: Bong Joon-ho’s leading man, best actor at Cannes in 2022 for Broker.
- Jeon Do-yeon: best actress at Cannes in 2007 for Secret Sunshine.
- Youn Yuh-jung: winner of the Oscar for Minari in 2021.
- Choi Min-sik: the unforgettable star of Oldboy.
- Lee Byung-hun and Bae Doona: stars at home and in Hollywood.
Where to watch in Seoul
The Korean Film Archive in Sangam-dong houses the Korean Film Museum, free to visit, and its Cinematheque KOFA screens restored classics. Seoul’s multiplexes are among the most advanced in the world, and each autumn the Busan International Film Festival, a fast train ride away, is Asia’s great film gathering.
Our advice: watch Parasite before you come, then take the KTX to Busan in festival week.
Seoul on film Seoul’s arts: the back story Busan
Korea in Hollywood
Korean talent now crosses freely to Hollywood: Bong Joon-ho made Snowpiercer and Mickey 17, Park Chan-wook made Stoker, Youn Yuh-jung won her Oscar for the American film Minari, and Lee Byung-hun and Bae Doona star in Hollywood and on streaming. Korean-born film-makers abroad, such as Celine Song, director of Past Lives, carry the story on.
Questions and answers
Which Korean film won the best picture Oscar?
Parasite, by Bong Joon-ho, in 2020: the first film not in English to win best picture. It also won the Palme d’Or in 2019.
Is there a film museum in Seoul?
Yes. The Korean Film Museum is inside the Korean Film Archive in Sangam-dong, and entry is free.
Join the conversation
Which Korean film or star do you love most? Share your favourite scenes and the films we should add.
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Sources: the Korean Film Archive, the Busan International Film Festival, the Festival de Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, checked on 6 November 2026. The trailers are from NEON’s and Well Go USA’s official channels.