Cinema of Korea
Encyclopedia
Korean cinema encompasses the motion picture industries of North
and South Korea
. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from the late Joseon dynasty
to the Korean War
to domestic governmental interference. While both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide international acclaim. North Korean films tend to portray their communist or revolutionary themes.
South Korean films enjoyed a "Golden age" during the late 1950s, and 1960s, but by the 1970s had become generally considered to be of low quality. Nonetheless, by 2005 South Korea had become one of few nations to watch more domestic than imported films in theatres due largely to laws placing limits on the number of foreign films able to be shown per theatre per year. In the theaters, Korean films must be played for 73 days per year since 2006. On cable TV 25% domestic film quota will be reduced to 20% after KOR-US FTA.
According to the October 19, 1897 issue of The Times
, "Motion pictures have finally been introduced into Joseon, a country located in the Far East. At the beginning of October 1897, motion pictures were screened for the public in Jingogae, Bukchon, in a shabby barrack that was borrowed from its Chinese owner for three days. The works screened included short films and actuality films produced by France's Pathe Pictures
". There are reports of another showing of a film to the public in 1898 near Namdaemun in Seoul
.
American traveler and lecturer Burton Holmes
was the first to film in Korea as part of his travelogue programs. In addition to displaying his films abroad, he showed them to the Korean royal family in 1899. An announcement in the contemporary newspaper, Hwangseong sinmun (The Imperial), names another early public screening on June 23, 1903. Advertised by the Dongdaemun Electric Company, the price for admission to the viewing of scenic photography was 10 jeon (coin).
Korea's first movie theater, Dongdaemun Motion Picture Studio, was opened in 1903. The Dansung-sa Theater opened in Seoul in November 1907. Before the creation of a domestic film industry, films imported from Europe and the United States were shown in Korean theaters. Some of the imported films of the era most popular with Korean audiences were D. W. Griffith
's Broken Blossoms
(1919) and Way Down East
(1920), Douglas Fairbanks
in Robin Hood
(1922), and Fritz Lang
's Nibelungen films, Siegfried and Kriemhilds Rache (both 1924).
Not merely a theater-operator, as the first film producer in Korea, Dansung-sa's owner, Pak Sung-pil, took an active part in supporting early Korean cinema. He financed the first Korean domestic film, Loyal Revenge , as well as the first Korean documentary film, Scenes of Kyongsong City and showed both at his theater on October 27, 1919. Uirijeok Guto was used as a kino drama, a live theatrical production against the backdrop of film projected on stage.
For the next few years, film production in Korea consisted of the kino dramas and documentaries. As with the first showing of a film in Korea, the first feature film produced in Korea also appears to be unclear. Some name a filming of Chunhyang-Jeon in 1921 (released in 1922) as the first Korean feature film. The traditional story, Chunhyang, was to become Korea's most-filmed story later. It was possibly the first Korean feature film, and was certainly the first Korean sound film
, color film and widescreen
film. Im Kwon-taek
's 2000 pansori
version of Chunhyang brought the number of films based on Chunyang to 14. Other sources, however, name Yun Baek-nam's Ulha ui Mengse ("Plighted Love Under the Moon"), released in April, 1923, as the first Korean feature film.
, the young actor, Na Woon-gyu
, was given a chance to write, direct and star in his own film. Though the release of Na's film, Arirang
(1926) is generally considered the film which started the era of silent film in Korea.
Like the folksong "Arirang
", on which its title was based, Na Woon-gyu's Arirang did not have an overtly political theme. However hidden or subtle messages could be magnified through the common use of a live narrator at the theater. A newspaper article of 1908 shows that this tradition of "byeonsa
" appeared in Korea almost from the beginning of the showing of film in the country. As in Japan, this became an integral part to the showing of silent films, especially for imported films, where the byeonsa provided an economical and entertaining alternative to translating intertitle
s. One interesting aspect of the byeonsa tradition in Korea is that, when Japanese authorities were not present, they could inject satire and criticism of the occupation into the film narrative, giving the film a political subtext invisible to Japanese government censors. Some of the more popular byeonsa were better-paid than the film actors.
The success of Arirang inspired a burst of activity in the Korean film industry in the late 1920s, causing this period to be known as "The Golden Era of Silent Films". More than seventy films were produced at this time, and the quality of film improved as well as the quantity.
Na Un-gyu followed Arirang with popular and critically respected films like Punguna
(풍운아, Person of destiny) (1926) and Deuljwi
(들쥐, Vole) (1927). He formed Na Un-gyu Productions with Park Sung-pil for the purpose of producing films by Koreans for Koreans. Though this company was short-lived, it produced important films like Jalitgeola
(잘 있거라, Good bye) (1927), Beongeoli Sam-ryong
(벙어리 삼룡, Mute Samryong) (1929), and Salangeul chajaseo
(사랑을 찾아서, Finding Love) (1929).
Another important director of this period was Shim Hun
, who directed only one film, Mondongi Tultte (먼동이 틀 때) (At Daybreak). Though the reviews for this film were as strong as those for Arirang, Shim died at the age of 35 while directing his second film, based on his own novel, Sangroksu (상록수) (The Evergreens). The novel was later filmed by director Shin Sang-ok in 1961 and by Im Kwon-taek
in 1978.
Perhaps the most important film of this era is Imjaeobtneun naleutbae
(Ferryboat with no Ferryman) (1932), directed by Lee Gyu-hwan (1904–1981), and starring Na Woon-gyu. Because of increasing governmental censorship, this has been called the last pre-liberation film to present a significant nationalistic message.
The number of films produced increased during the latter part of the decade. Na Woon-gyu began making a larger number of films again with significant works like Kanggeonneo maeul
(1935), and Oh Mong-nyeo
(1937), before his premature death in 1937.
Coming as they did during the mid- to late-1930s, sound films in Korea faced much harsher censorship from the Japanese government-General than did the silent films before them. Also, the loss of the byeonsa narrators with the coming of sound film meant that anti-authority messages could no longer be sneaked around the censors in this way.
The showing of American and European films decreased, and were replaced by Japanese films. Korean-made films became a propaganda tool for the government of the Japanese occupation. Starting in 1938, all film-making in Korea was done by the Japanese, and by 1942 the use of Korean language in film was banned.
, about Korean freedom-fighters during the waning days of the colonial period, is considered the major film of this era.
During the Korean War
, film production slowed; only five or six films were produced each year from 1950 to 1953.
made an effort to help rejuvenate the local film industry by making it exempt from taxation. The rebirth that almost occurred after 1945 can be said to have begun with director Lee Kyu-hwan's successful remake of Chunhyang-jeon in 1955. Within two months 10% of Seoul's population—over 200,000 people—had seen the movie, giving the re-establishment of the film industry further impetus.
1955 also saw the release of Yang san Province
by the renowned director, Kim Ki-young
, marking the beginning of a career that would remain productive until his death in 1998.
The quality and quantity of film-making in South Korea had increased by the end of the 1950s. In contrast to the beginning of the 1950s, when only 5 movies were made per year, 111 films were produced in South Korea in 1959.,
Korean cinema enjoyed a brief period of freedom during the 1960-1961 year interval between the administrations of Rhee and Park Chung Hee. This year saw the production of Kim Ki-young's The Housemaid
, and Yu Hyun-mok
's Aimless Bullet
, both of which have been listed among the best Korean films ever made.
With the ascension of Park Chung Hee to the presidency in 1962, government control over the film industry increased substantially. Under the Motion Picture Law of 1963, a series of increasingly restrictive measures were placed on the film industry. The number of films produced and imported were limited under a strict quota
system. The new regulations dropped the number of domestic film-production companies from 71 to 16 within a year. Government censorship at this time also became very strict, focusing mainly on any hint of pro-communist messages or obscenity.
Despite these governmental policies, however, a consistently large and devoted theater-going audience, and many films continued to give South Korea cinematic culture throughout the 1960s. Also, the Grand Bell Awards
were established in 1962.
The "Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation" (영화진흥위원회) was created in April 1973. It took the place of the Union of Korean Film Promotion. The authoritarian government of Korea said that the MPPC was created to support the domestic films and promote Korean film industry. However, this organization was primarily created to control the film industry and promote the "politically correct" films in order to support censorship and the government ideals.
These propaganda-laden movies (or "policy films") proved unpopular with audiences who had become accustomed to seeing real-life social issues in the quality films of the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to dealing with government interference in the making of their films, Korean filmmakers began losing their audience to television ownership, which grew suddenly beginning in the late 1960s. Movie-theater attendance dropped by about a third, from 173,043,272 in 1969 to 65,518,581 in 1979. Nevertheless, talented filmmakers like Im Kwon-taek
and Kim Ki-young
were able to survive this era and occasionally even produce works of value.
, and the Gwangju massacre
, South Korea had experienced political confusion. Though theater attendance remained low throughout the 1980s, the government's relaxation of censorship and control over the film industry enabled the production of more adventurous and interesting movies. During this decade, however, South Korean film began reaching an international audience for the first time, in large part through the recognition of director Im Kwon-taek
's work. After his 1981 film, Mandala
won the Grand Prix at the Hawaii Film Festival, Im became the first Korean director in years to have his films shown at European film festivals.
In 1988, president Roh Tae-woo
began the gradual elimination of the government censorship of political expression in films. Directors were quick to begin re-exploring social and political themes in their films. During this period, producer Lee Tae-won made domestic films just to get an import quote. This import quota system controlled the films and restricted the directors to produce films that would supplement the government. Because the import quota system was controlled by the MPPC and because the government mainly controlled the MPPC, the government basically had all the control to display whichever film they want and cut out all the films that would go against their views. Filmmakers were instructed to reveal the bright side and good of social reality and they focused mainly on cultural traditions to school and public based on traditional virtues.
However, the audience for domestic films reached a low point, due partly to the opening of the market to films from overseas, especially the United States and Hong Kong. By 1993, only 16% of the films seen by South Korean audiences were made domestically. The local film industry persevered through this lean period.
for the Free Trade Agreement, the Korean government cut the screen quota for domestic films in half, thus allowing more foreign films to enter the market. In February 2006, South Korean movie workers staged mass rallies to protest a quota cut resulting from a deal with the United States
. Today, according to Kim Hyun, "South Korea’s movie industry, like that of most countries, is grossly overshadowed by Hollywood. The nation exported US$2 million-worth of movies to the United States last year and imported $35.9 million-worth"
The 1999 film Shiri
about a North Korea
n spy preparing a coup in Seoul was the first in Korean history to sell more than 2 million tickets in Seoul
alone. The movie's popularity, coupled with the screen quota, helped Shiri to surpass Hollywood box office hits such as Titanic
, The Matrix
and Star Wars
in South Korean theaters. The success of Shiri motivated other Korean films with large budgets for Korean circumstances.
In 2000 the film JSA (Joint Security Area
) was a huge success and even surpassed the benchmark set by Shiri. One year later, the film Friend managed the same. The romantic comedy My Sassy Girl
outsold The Lord of the Rings
and Harry Potter
which ran at the same time in South Korea. As of 2004, new films continue to outperform older releases, and some Korean productions are more popular than Hollywood films in South Korea. Films such as Silmido
and Taegukgi
were watched by over 10 million people per film, which is a quarter of the South Korean population. Silmido is a film based on a true story about a secret task force in 1970s. The other blockbuster movie, Taegukgi, was described about two brothers in the Korean War
.
Films such as Shiri have been distributed in the USA
. In 2001, Miramax even bought the rights to an Americanized remake of the successful Korean action comedy movie, My Wife is a Gangster
. Recently, popular Korean movies such as Il Mare
(remade as The Lake House
), Oldboy
, My Sassy Girl
, and Joint Security Area have also been bought by Hollywood firms for remake as well.
The 2003 psychological horror A Tale of Two Sisters was successful as well, leading Dreamworks
to pay $2 million (US) for the rights to a remake, topping the $1 million (US) paid for the Japanese movie The Ring.
, where the film Oasis
won the second prize award. In the story an isolated young woman with cerebral palsy
falls in love with a simple minded man who has recently completed a term in prison for the hit and run accident that killed her father.
Oldboy
was another Korean film to achieve international recognition when it came in second place in the Cannes Film Festival
, second to Fahrenheit 9/11
. The story traces the life of a man who is put into solitary confinement by someone he does not know. He lives there for 15 years until he is released and given 5 days to discover the bizarre reason for his cruel entrapment. Dark and gloomy, Oldboy experiments with the themes of psychological madness and sexual distortions.
In February 2004, Kim Ki Duk won the award for best director at the 54th annual Berlin Film Festival, for a film about a teenage prostitute, Samaritan Girl
. In addition, he won the Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival for his 2004 movie, 3-Iron
.
was financed by Samsung, marking the first non-government funded film. In 1999, Shiri
was released and led to Korean films taking over 50% of the local market. Ultimately, My Sassy Girl
became the most popular and exportable Korean film in history.
The number of films produced in North Korea is difficult to determine. In 1992, Asiaweek
reported that the country produced about 80 films annually, and a BBC report in 2001 indicated that North Korea was then producing about 60 films a year. In spite of these claims, Johannes Schönherr, an attendee of the 2000 Pyongyang Film Festival of Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, found little evidence for actual films or titles. He notes that the country offered only one domestic feature and one documentary at their most high-profile film festival, and suggests that the high number of reported films includes short films, cartoons, and short installments of long-running series. He also cites a 1998 North Korean pamphlet containing a list of films which had been made in the country up to 1998. This gives a total of 259 titles, and indicates that the 1980s were the most prolific decade with about 15 to 20 films made yearly.
North Korea's principal producer of feature films is the Korean Film Studio, a state-run studio of about 10 million square feet (930,000 m²) founded in 1947 and located outside of Pyongyang
. Other North Korean film studios include the Korean Documentary Film Studio (founded in 1946), the April 25 Film Studio of the Korean People's Army (founded in 1959 and previously known as the February 8 Cinema Studio) and the Korean Science and Educational Film Studio
(founded in 1953 and also known as the April 26 Children's Film Production House, and Science Educational Korea, or SEK.) These studios produce feature films, documentaries, animated films, children's films and science films. According to a report from 1992, the Korean Feature Film Studio produced about forty films per year, while the other studios together accounted for another forty.
In addition to animation for the North Korean domestic market, SEK has become a resource for international animation, including some well-known American animated films. Production costs in North Korea are very low, and the quality of animators is well perceived. SEK has done work on such productions as Mondo TV
's animated series The Lion King and Pocahontas , the science fiction epic Light Years
, and Empress Chung
.
North Korean leader Kim Il-sung
believed in Lenin
's maxim
: "Cinema is the most important of all arts." Accordingly, since the country's division, North Korean films have often been used as vehicles for instilling government ideology into the people. A common theme is martyrdom for the nation. The film Fate of a Self-defence Corps Member, based on a novel written by Kim Il-sung
during the fight against the Japanese occupation reflects this theme, as does the highly regarded film, Sea of Blood
(1969). The latter film comes from a novel telling the story of a woman farmer who becomes a national heroine by fighting the Japanese.
Another favorite theme is the happiness of the current society. This theme can be seen reflected in titles of feature films like A Family of Workers, A Flowering Village, Rolling Mill Workers, When Apples Are Picked and Girls at a Port. All of these films were awarded the People's Prize before 1974.
Judging from the IMDB's entries, the 1950s were a relatively productive time for North Korean cinema. 10 of the 41 films listed for the country were produced during this decade. Post war titles seem to reflect a toning down in the militaristic themes, and a turning to more optimistic stories. Titles like The Road of Happiness (1956) and Love the Future (1959) indicate that films were being used to rally the country into rebuilding after the devastation of the war.
supervising the production of this film. This is a two-part, black and white film. The first part is 125 minutes in duration, and the second is 126 minutes.
Kim Il-sung made a famous call for juche
art in 1966, saying, "Our art should develop in a revolutionary way, reflecting the Socialist content with the national form". In a 1973 treatise on film entitled Theory of Cinematic Art, Kim Jong-il further developed this idea of juche art into the cinema, claiming that it is cinema's duty to help develop the people into "true communists", and as a means "to completely eradicate capitalist elements". The ideology-heavy nature of North Korean cinema during the 1970s can be seen in titles such as The People Sing of the Fatherly Leader and The Rays of Juche Spread All Over the World.
Part of this ideological usage of the arts was a treating of the same subjects repeatedly through various art forms. Consequently, the most prominent films of the era took their stories and titles from pre-existing novels, ballets or operas. The film Sea of Blood was also an opera and a symphony, as well as the name of an opera company. Future Minister of Culture, Choe Ik-kyu's The Flower Girl
(1972, 130 min.) later was remade as a dance. This film won a special prize and special medal at the 18th International Film Festival, and is one of the more well-known North Korean films of the 1970s.
Unsung Heroes
, a 20-part spy film about the Korean War
, was released between 1978 and 1981; it achieved notice outside of North Korea two decades later mainly because United States Forces Korea
defector Charles Robert Jenkins
played a role as a villain and the husband of one of the main characters.
(1985), directed by kidnapped South Korean director Shin Sang-ok. Multi-part films promoting the Juche ideology, including Star of Korea and The Sun of the Nation were also produced in the 1980s. North Korean animation
produced for domestic consumption is reportedly less politically dogmatic during this period, resulting in a large adult audience. At least one international co-production has been filmed in North Korea, Ten Zan - Ultimate Mission, directed by Italian director Ferdinando Baldi
and starring American Frank Zagarino
.
IMDB lists only four North Korean films made in the 1990s. The Nation and Destiny is a 56-part series of movies produced from 1992–1999, on Korean subjects and people like General Choi Duk Shin (parts 1-4) and composer Yun I-sang (parts 5, 14-16).
The 2000s appear to be reasonably productive for North Korean cinema, having five listings so far. In a sign of thawing relations, the animated film, Empress Chung
(2005), is a co-production of South and North Korea. This film is said to be the first released simultaneously in both countries. Another recent North/South co-production is the 3-D animated television series Lazy Cat Dinga.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, from the late Joseon dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
to domestic governmental interference. While both countries have relatively robust film industries today, only South Korean films have achieved wide international acclaim. North Korean films tend to portray their communist or revolutionary themes.
South Korean films enjoyed a "Golden age" during the late 1950s, and 1960s, but by the 1970s had become generally considered to be of low quality. Nonetheless, by 2005 South Korea had become one of few nations to watch more domestic than imported films in theatres due largely to laws placing limits on the number of foreign films able to be shown per theatre per year. In the theaters, Korean films must be played for 73 days per year since 2006. On cable TV 25% domestic film quota will be reduced to 20% after KOR-US FTA.
Early period (until 1926)
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, "Motion pictures have finally been introduced into Joseon, a country located in the Far East. At the beginning of October 1897, motion pictures were screened for the public in Jingogae, Bukchon, in a shabby barrack that was borrowed from its Chinese owner for three days. The works screened included short films and actuality films produced by France's Pathe Pictures
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
". There are reports of another showing of a film to the public in 1898 near Namdaemun in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
.
American traveler and lecturer Burton Holmes
Burton Holmes
Burton Holmes was an American traveler, photographer and filmmaker, who coined the term "travelogue".Travel stories, slide shows, and motion pictures were all in existence before Holmes began his career, as was the profession of travel lecturer; but Holmes was the first person to put all of these...
was the first to film in Korea as part of his travelogue programs. In addition to displaying his films abroad, he showed them to the Korean royal family in 1899. An announcement in the contemporary newspaper, Hwangseong sinmun (The Imperial), names another early public screening on June 23, 1903. Advertised by the Dongdaemun Electric Company, the price for admission to the viewing of scenic photography was 10 jeon (coin).
Korea's first movie theater, Dongdaemun Motion Picture Studio, was opened in 1903. The Dansung-sa Theater opened in Seoul in November 1907. Before the creation of a domestic film industry, films imported from Europe and the United States were shown in Korean theaters. Some of the imported films of the era most popular with Korean audiences were D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
's Broken Blossoms
Broken Blossoms
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl is a 1919 silent film directed by D.W. Griffith. It was distributed by United Artists and premiered on May 13, 1919...
(1919) and Way Down East
Way Down East
Way Down East is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is the best known of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play Way Down East by Lottie Blair Parker...
(1920), Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
in Robin Hood
Robin Hood (1922 film)
Robin Hood is the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922. The movie's full title, under which it was copyrighted, is Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood, as shown in the illustration at right...
(1922), and Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's Nibelungen films, Siegfried and Kriemhilds Rache (both 1924).
Not merely a theater-operator, as the first film producer in Korea, Dansung-sa's owner, Pak Sung-pil, took an active part in supporting early Korean cinema. He financed the first Korean domestic film, Loyal Revenge , as well as the first Korean documentary film, Scenes of Kyongsong City and showed both at his theater on October 27, 1919. Uirijeok Guto was used as a kino drama, a live theatrical production against the backdrop of film projected on stage.
For the next few years, film production in Korea consisted of the kino dramas and documentaries. As with the first showing of a film in Korea, the first feature film produced in Korea also appears to be unclear. Some name a filming of Chunhyang-Jeon in 1921 (released in 1922) as the first Korean feature film. The traditional story, Chunhyang, was to become Korea's most-filmed story later. It was possibly the first Korean feature film, and was certainly the first Korean sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
, color film and widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
film. Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
's 2000 pansori
Pansori
Pansori is a genre of Korean traditional music. It is a vocal and percussional music performed by one sorikkun and one gosu . The term pansori is derived from pan , and sori .- Overview :...
version of Chunhyang brought the number of films based on Chunyang to 14. Other sources, however, name Yun Baek-nam's Ulha ui Mengse ("Plighted Love Under the Moon"), released in April, 1923, as the first Korean feature film.
The Golden Era of Silent Films (1926-1930)
Korean film studios at this time were Japanese-operated. A hat merchant known as Yodo Orajo established a film company called Choson Kinema Productions. After appearing in the Choson Kinema's 1926 production NongjungjoNongjungjo
NongJungJo is a 1926 Korean film. Future writing/directing/acting star Na Woon-gyu appeared in this film just before his breakthrough in Arirang .-Plot summary:...
, the young actor, Na Woon-gyu
Na Woon-gyu
Na Woon-gyu was a Korean actor, screenwriter and director. He is widely considered the most important filmmaker in early Korean cinema, and possibly Korea's first true movie star...
, was given a chance to write, direct and star in his own film. Though the release of Na's film, Arirang
Arirang (1926 film)
Arirang is a 1926 Korean film. One of the earliest feature films to be made in the country, it is named after the traditional song Arirang, which audiences were said to sing at the conclusion of the film. The silent, black and white film was written and directed by Na Un'gyu , and stars Na Un'gyu,...
(1926) is generally considered the film which started the era of silent film in Korea.
Like the folksong "Arirang
Arirang
"Arirang" is a Korean folk song, sometimes considered the unofficial national anthem of Korea. Arirang is an ancient native Korean word with no direct modern meaning.- Variations :...
", on which its title was based, Na Woon-gyu's Arirang did not have an overtly political theme. However hidden or subtle messages could be magnified through the common use of a live narrator at the theater. A newspaper article of 1908 shows that this tradition of "byeonsa
Benshi
were Japanese performers who provided live narration for silent films . Benshi are sometimes also called or .-Role of the benshi:...
" appeared in Korea almost from the beginning of the showing of film in the country. As in Japan, this became an integral part to the showing of silent films, especially for imported films, where the byeonsa provided an economical and entertaining alternative to translating intertitle
Intertitle
In motion pictures, an intertitle is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of the photographed action, at various points, generally to convey character dialogue, or descriptive narrative material related to, but not necessarily covered by, the material photographed.Intertitles...
s. One interesting aspect of the byeonsa tradition in Korea is that, when Japanese authorities were not present, they could inject satire and criticism of the occupation into the film narrative, giving the film a political subtext invisible to Japanese government censors. Some of the more popular byeonsa were better-paid than the film actors.
The success of Arirang inspired a burst of activity in the Korean film industry in the late 1920s, causing this period to be known as "The Golden Era of Silent Films". More than seventy films were produced at this time, and the quality of film improved as well as the quantity.
Na Un-gyu followed Arirang with popular and critically respected films like Punguna
Punguna
Punguna is a 1926 Korean film. The silent, black-and-white film was written, directed, edited by and starred Na Woon-gyu . It premiered at the Choseon Theater in December 1926.-Plot summary:...
(풍운아, Person of destiny) (1926) and Deuljwi
Deuljwi
Deuljwi is a 1927 Korean film written, directed, edited by and starring Na Woon-gyu . It premiered at the Danseongsa Theater in Seoul.-Plot summary:...
(들쥐, Vole) (1927). He formed Na Un-gyu Productions with Park Sung-pil for the purpose of producing films by Koreans for Koreans. Though this company was short-lived, it produced important films like Jalitgeola
Jalitgeola
Jalitgeola is a 1927 Korean film. The silent, black and white film was written, directed, produced, edited by and starred Na Woon-gyu . This was the first film from Na's own production company, Na Woon-gyu Productions, financed by Park Seung-pil, owner of the Danseongsa theater in Seoul...
(잘 있거라, Good bye) (1927), Beongeoli Sam-ryong
Beongeoli Sam-ryong
Beongeoli Sam-ryong is a 1929 Korean film written, directed, produced by and starring Na Woon-gyu . It premiered at the Choseon Theater in January 1929...
(벙어리 삼룡, Mute Samryong) (1929), and Salangeul chajaseo
Salangeul chajaseo
Salangeul chajaseo is a 1929 Korean film written, directed, produced, edited by and starring Na Woon-gyu . The film premiered at the Choseon Theater in April, 1929...
(사랑을 찾아서, Finding Love) (1929).
Another important director of this period was Shim Hun
Shim Hun
Shim Dae-Seop , more commonly known by his pen name Shim Hun, was a Korean novelist, poet, playwright and patriot.-Biography:...
, who directed only one film, Mondongi Tultte (먼동이 틀 때) (At Daybreak). Though the reviews for this film were as strong as those for Arirang, Shim died at the age of 35 while directing his second film, based on his own novel, Sangroksu (상록수) (The Evergreens). The novel was later filmed by director Shin Sang-ok in 1961 and by Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
in 1978.
The later silent era (1930-1935)
The first half of the 1930s saw a decline in the domestic film industry in Korea. Due largely to censorship and oppression from the occupying authorities, the number of films produced at this time dropped down to only two or three per year, and some filmmakers fled Korea for the more robust film industry in Shanghai at this time.Perhaps the most important film of this era is Imjaeobtneun naleutbae
Imjaeobtneun naleutbae
Imjaeopneun nareutbae is a 1932 Korean film starring Na Woon-gyu. It premiered at Dan Sung Sa theater in downtown Seoul. This was director Lee Gyu-hwan's first film...
(Ferryboat with no Ferryman) (1932), directed by Lee Gyu-hwan (1904–1981), and starring Na Woon-gyu. Because of increasing governmental censorship, this has been called the last pre-liberation film to present a significant nationalistic message.
Early sound era (1935-1945)
Korea's first sound film was Lee Myeong-woo's 1935 Chunhyang-jeon. The sound technique was reportedly poor, but Korean audiences appreciated hearing their own language in the cinema.The number of films produced increased during the latter part of the decade. Na Woon-gyu began making a larger number of films again with significant works like Kanggeonneo maeul
Kanggeonneo maeul
Kanggeonneo maeul is a 1935 Korean film directed by Na Woon-gyu. It premiered at the DanSungSa theater in downtown Seoul.-Plot summary:...
(1935), and Oh Mong-nyeo
Oh Mong-nyeo
Oh Mong-nyeo is a 1937 Korean film, the last film directed by Na Woon-gyu. It premiered at the DanSungSa theater in downtown Seoul.-Plot summary:...
(1937), before his premature death in 1937.
Coming as they did during the mid- to late-1930s, sound films in Korea faced much harsher censorship from the Japanese government-General than did the silent films before them. Also, the loss of the byeonsa narrators with the coming of sound film meant that anti-authority messages could no longer be sneaked around the censors in this way.
The showing of American and European films decreased, and were replaced by Japanese films. Korean-made films became a propaganda tool for the government of the Japanese occupation. Starting in 1938, all film-making in Korea was done by the Japanese, and by 1942 the use of Korean language in film was banned.
Divided Korea ― South Korea
Liberty (1945-1950) and War (1950-1953) eras
With the surrender of Japan in 1945, Korean cinema enjoyed a burst of liberty—and liberty itself, understandably, became the major theme of films at this time. Choi In-gyu's Viva Freedom!Viva Freedom!
Viva Freedom! is a 1946 Korean film directed by Choi In-kyu. It was the first film made in the country after achieving independence from Japan...
, about Korean freedom-fighters during the waning days of the colonial period, is considered the major film of this era.
During the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, film production slowed; only five or six films were produced each year from 1950 to 1953.
Golden Age (1953-1973)
With the armistice of 1953, South Korean president Syngman RheeSyngman Rhee
Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...
made an effort to help rejuvenate the local film industry by making it exempt from taxation. The rebirth that almost occurred after 1945 can be said to have begun with director Lee Kyu-hwan's successful remake of Chunhyang-jeon in 1955. Within two months 10% of Seoul's population—over 200,000 people—had seen the movie, giving the re-establishment of the film industry further impetus.
1955 also saw the release of Yang san Province
Yangsan Province (film)
Yangsan Province aka The Sunlit Path is a 1955 South Korean film directed by Kim Ki-young.-Synopsis:The film is a historical melodrama about a high government official who wants to marry a woman who is engaged to marry another man.-Cast:* Kim Sam-hwa... Ok-rang* Cho Yong-soo... Su-dong* Kim...
by the renowned director, Kim Ki-young
Kim Ki-young
Kim Ki-young was a South Korean film director, known for his intensely psychosexual and melodramatic horror films, often focusing on the psychology of their female characters. Kim was born in Seoul during the Japanese occupation, raised in Pyongyang and spent time in Japan, where he became...
, marking the beginning of a career that would remain productive until his death in 1998.
The quality and quantity of film-making in South Korea had increased by the end of the 1950s. In contrast to the beginning of the 1950s, when only 5 movies were made per year, 111 films were produced in South Korea in 1959.,
Korean cinema enjoyed a brief period of freedom during the 1960-1961 year interval between the administrations of Rhee and Park Chung Hee. This year saw the production of Kim Ki-young's The Housemaid
The Housemaid
The Housemaid is a 1960 black-and-white Korean film. It was directed by Kim Ki-young and starred Lee Eun-shim, Ju Jeung-nyeo and Kim Jin Kyu. It has been described in Koreanfilm.org as a "consensus pick as one of the top three Korean films of all time". This was the first film in Kim's Housemaid...
, and Yu Hyun-mok
Yu Hyun-mok
Yu Hyun-mok was a South Korean film director. Born in Sariwon, North Hwanghae, Korea , he made his film debut in 1956 with Gyocharo...
's Aimless Bullet
Obaltan
Obaltan , also known as The Aimless Bullet and Stray Bullet, is a 1960 Korean film directed by Yu Hyun-mok. The plot is based on the same titled short novel written by Yi Beomseon. It has often been called the best Korean movie ever made.-Plot:...
, both of which have been listed among the best Korean films ever made.
With the ascension of Park Chung Hee to the presidency in 1962, government control over the film industry increased substantially. Under the Motion Picture Law of 1963, a series of increasingly restrictive measures were placed on the film industry. The number of films produced and imported were limited under a strict quota
Screen quotas
Screen quotas are a legislated policy that enforces a minimum number of screening days of domestic films in the theater each year to protect the nation’s films. The screen quota system is enforced to prevent foreign markets from making inroads into the domestic film market. The screen quota system...
system. The new regulations dropped the number of domestic film-production companies from 71 to 16 within a year. Government censorship at this time also became very strict, focusing mainly on any hint of pro-communist messages or obscenity.
Despite these governmental policies, however, a consistently large and devoted theater-going audience, and many films continued to give South Korea cinematic culture throughout the 1960s. Also, the Grand Bell Awards
Grand Bell Awards
The Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea....
were established in 1962.
"Revitalizing Government" era (1973-1979)
Governmental control over the film industry reached its height in the mid- and late-1970s, nearly destroying the vibrant film culture that had been established in the preceding decade and a half. This time period can also be called as "the winter of the sixty years in Korean film". This was due to the fact that South Korean had a very authoritarian political system that was led by Park Chung-hee. His program of Yusin Restoration (Revitalizing Reforms) caused Korea Cinema to come into a depression period with oppression through censorship. Because the government feared that cinema would disrupt the good taste or customs, harm the pride and dignity of South Korea, praise or support North Korea and Communism, or criticize the political and government politics, filmmakers were wary of this censorship and they were not allowed to produce films that they wanted. Writing in 1981, the International Film Guide said of South Korean cinema, "No country has a stricter code of film censorship than South Korea-- with the possible exception of the North Koreans and some other Communist bloc countries."The "Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation" (영화진흥위원회) was created in April 1973. It took the place of the Union of Korean Film Promotion. The authoritarian government of Korea said that the MPPC was created to support the domestic films and promote Korean film industry. However, this organization was primarily created to control the film industry and promote the "politically correct" films in order to support censorship and the government ideals.
These propaganda-laden movies (or "policy films") proved unpopular with audiences who had become accustomed to seeing real-life social issues in the quality films of the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to dealing with government interference in the making of their films, Korean filmmakers began losing their audience to television ownership, which grew suddenly beginning in the late 1960s. Movie-theater attendance dropped by about a third, from 173,043,272 in 1969 to 65,518,581 in 1979. Nevertheless, talented filmmakers like Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
and Kim Ki-young
Kim Ki-young
Kim Ki-young was a South Korean film director, known for his intensely psychosexual and melodramatic horror films, often focusing on the psychology of their female characters. Kim was born in Seoul during the Japanese occupation, raised in Pyongyang and spent time in Japan, where he became...
were able to survive this era and occasionally even produce works of value.
Recovery (1980-1996)
After a turbulent year from 1979–1980, which included the assassination of president Park Chung Hee, the Coup d'état of December TwelfthCoup d'état of December Twelfth
The Coup d'état of December Twelfth or the "12.12 Military Insurrection" was a military coup d'état which took place on December 12, 1979 in South Korea....
, and the Gwangju massacre
Gwangju massacre
The Gwangju Democratization Movement refers to a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. During this period, citizens rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship and took control of the city...
, South Korea had experienced political confusion. Though theater attendance remained low throughout the 1980s, the government's relaxation of censorship and control over the film industry enabled the production of more adventurous and interesting movies. During this decade, however, South Korean film began reaching an international audience for the first time, in large part through the recognition of director Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek
Im Kwon-taek is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and helped bring international attention to the Korean film industry.- Early life...
's work. After his 1981 film, Mandala
Mandala (film)
Mandala is a 1981 South Korean film about Buddhist monks in Korea. This is considered by many critics to be director Im Kwon-taek's breakthrough film as a cinematic artist.- Plot :The film follows the differing lives of two Buddhist monks in Korea...
won the Grand Prix at the Hawaii Film Festival, Im became the first Korean director in years to have his films shown at European film festivals.
In 1988, president Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo
Roh Tae-woo , is a former ROK Army general and politician. He was the 13th president of South Korea .Roh befriended Chun Doo-hwan while in high school in Daegu. In his younger life, Roh was a keen rugby union player....
began the gradual elimination of the government censorship of political expression in films. Directors were quick to begin re-exploring social and political themes in their films. During this period, producer Lee Tae-won made domestic films just to get an import quote. This import quota system controlled the films and restricted the directors to produce films that would supplement the government. Because the import quota system was controlled by the MPPC and because the government mainly controlled the MPPC, the government basically had all the control to display whichever film they want and cut out all the films that would go against their views. Filmmakers were instructed to reveal the bright side and good of social reality and they focused mainly on cultural traditions to school and public based on traditional virtues.
However, the audience for domestic films reached a low point, due partly to the opening of the market to films from overseas, especially the United States and Hong Kong. By 1993, only 16% of the films seen by South Korean audiences were made domestically. The local film industry persevered through this lean period.
Current (1997 through present)
From the late 1990s, South Korean cinema managed to attain domestic box office success exceeding that of Hollywood blockbuster movies due largely to laws placing limits on the number of foreign films able to be shown per theatre per year. This government-enforced screen quota system has stood since 1967, and limits the number of days per year non-domestic movies can be shown on any one movie screen in South Korea. This practice has come under fire from non-Korean film distributors as unfair. As a prerequisite to open negotiations with the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the Free Trade Agreement, the Korean government cut the screen quota for domestic films in half, thus allowing more foreign films to enter the market. In February 2006, South Korean movie workers staged mass rallies to protest a quota cut resulting from a deal with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Today, according to Kim Hyun, "South Korea’s movie industry, like that of most countries, is grossly overshadowed by Hollywood. The nation exported US$2 million-worth of movies to the United States last year and imported $35.9 million-worth"
The 1999 film Shiri
Shiri (film)
Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
about a North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n spy preparing a coup in Seoul was the first in Korean history to sell more than 2 million tickets in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
alone. The movie's popularity, coupled with the screen quota, helped Shiri to surpass Hollywood box office hits such as Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, The Matrix
The Matrix
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
in South Korean theaters. The success of Shiri motivated other Korean films with large budgets for Korean circumstances.
In 2000 the film JSA (Joint Security Area
Joint Security Area (film)
Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon...
) was a huge success and even surpassed the benchmark set by Shiri. One year later, the film Friend managed the same. The romantic comedy My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life...
outsold The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
and Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
which ran at the same time in South Korea. As of 2004, new films continue to outperform older releases, and some Korean productions are more popular than Hollywood films in South Korea. Films such as Silmido
Silmido (film)
Silmido is a 2003 South Korean film, directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the...
and Taegukgi
Taegukgi (film)
Taegukgi Hwinallimyo is a 2004 South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. It tells the story about the effect of the Korean War on two brothers. The film's title is the name of the pre-war Flag of Korea as well as the postwar Flag of South Korea...
were watched by over 10 million people per film, which is a quarter of the South Korean population. Silmido is a film based on a true story about a secret task force in 1970s. The other blockbuster movie, Taegukgi, was described about two brothers in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Films such as Shiri have been distributed in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2001, Miramax even bought the rights to an Americanized remake of the successful Korean action comedy movie, My Wife is a Gangster
My Wife is a Gangster
My Wife is a Gangster is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Cho Jin-gyu; it's about a female gang boss who needs to get married to fulfill her dying sister's wishes...
. Recently, popular Korean movies such as Il Mare
Il Mare
Il Mare is a 2000 South Korean film, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae. The title, Il Mare, means "The Sea" in Italian, and is the name of the seaside house which is the setting of the story. The Korean title, Siworae is the Korean pronunciation of Hanja characters "時越愛", which means...
(remade as The Lake House
The Lake House (film)
The Lake House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 2006.# "This Never Happened Before" - Paul McCartney# " Make You Mine" - The Clientele# "Time Has Told Me" - Nick Drake# "Ant Farm" - Eels...
), Oldboy
Oldboy
Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook. It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. Oldboy is the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr...
, My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life...
, and Joint Security Area have also been bought by Hollywood firms for remake as well.
The 2003 psychological horror A Tale of Two Sisters was successful as well, leading Dreamworks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
to pay $2 million (US) for the rights to a remake, topping the $1 million (US) paid for the Japanese movie The Ring.
Festival success
Korean film first garnered serious international recognition in 2002 at the Venice Film FestivalVenice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, where the film Oasis
Oasis (film)
Oasis is South Korea Lee Chang-dong's third feature film, and the last one he directed before his stint as South Korea's Minister of Culture...
won the second prize award. In the story an isolated young woman with cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
falls in love with a simple minded man who has recently completed a term in prison for the hit and run accident that killed her father.
Oldboy
Oldboy
Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook. It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. Oldboy is the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr...
was another Korean film to achieve international recognition when it came in second place in the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, second to Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a 2004 documentary film by American filmmaker and political commentator Michael Moore. The film takes a critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, the War on Terror, and its coverage in the news media...
. The story traces the life of a man who is put into solitary confinement by someone he does not know. He lives there for 15 years until he is released and given 5 days to discover the bizarre reason for his cruel entrapment. Dark and gloomy, Oldboy experiments with the themes of psychological madness and sexual distortions.
In February 2004, Kim Ki Duk won the award for best director at the 54th annual Berlin Film Festival, for a film about a teenage prostitute, Samaritan Girl
Samaritan Girl
Samaritan Girl is a 2004 South Korean film written and directed by Kim Ki-duk.-Synopsis:Yeo-jin and Jae-yeong are two teenage girls who are trying to earn money for a trip to Europe. To reach this end, Jae-yeong is prostituting herself while Yeo-jin acts as her pimp, setting her up with the...
. In addition, he won the Silver Lion award at the Venice Film Festival for his 2004 movie, 3-Iron
3-Iron
3-Iron is a 2004 Korean film directed by Kim Ki-duk. The plot revolves around the relationship between a young drifter and an abused housewife...
.
New wave films
There are three important dates in new wave Korean films: first in 1992, Marriage StoryMarriage Story
Marriage Story is a 1992 South Korean film. It was the fourth most highly-attended Korean film between 1990 and 1995.-Synopsis:...
was financed by Samsung, marking the first non-government funded film. In 1999, Shiri
Shiri (film)
Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
was released and led to Korean films taking over 50% of the local market. Ultimately, My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life...
became the most popular and exportable Korean film in history.
Divided Korea ― North Korea
Because of the isolated country, information—particularly unbiased information—on North Korean cinema is difficult to find. Outsider appraisal of North Korean cinema is often condescending, while statements from official North Korean sources include claims like, "In recent years our film art has created an unprecedented sensation in the world's filmdom... The revolutionary people of the world are unstinting in their praise of this feature film and other monumental works, calling them 'the first-class films by international standards', 'the most wonderful movies ever produced' and 'immortal revolutionary and popular films'."The number of films produced in North Korea is difficult to determine. In 1992, Asiaweek
Asiaweek
Asiaweek, the English edition, was a news magazine focusing on Asia, published weekly by Asiaweek Limited, a subsidiary of Time Inc. Based in Hong Kong, it was established in 1975, and ceased publication with its December 7, 2001 issue due to a "downturn in the advertising market," according to...
reported that the country produced about 80 films annually, and a BBC report in 2001 indicated that North Korea was then producing about 60 films a year. In spite of these claims, Johannes Schönherr, an attendee of the 2000 Pyongyang Film Festival of Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries, found little evidence for actual films or titles. He notes that the country offered only one domestic feature and one documentary at their most high-profile film festival, and suggests that the high number of reported films includes short films, cartoons, and short installments of long-running series. He also cites a 1998 North Korean pamphlet containing a list of films which had been made in the country up to 1998. This gives a total of 259 titles, and indicates that the 1980s were the most prolific decade with about 15 to 20 films made yearly.
North Korea's principal producer of feature films is the Korean Film Studio, a state-run studio of about 10 million square feet (930,000 m²) founded in 1947 and located outside of Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. Other North Korean film studios include the Korean Documentary Film Studio (founded in 1946), the April 25 Film Studio of the Korean People's Army (founded in 1959 and previously known as the February 8 Cinema Studio) and the Korean Science and Educational Film Studio
SEK Studio
SEK Studio is a North Korean animation studio, based in Pyongyang. It was registered in 1997 in order to take part at a festival of animated film in France...
(founded in 1953 and also known as the April 26 Children's Film Production House, and Science Educational Korea, or SEK.) These studios produce feature films, documentaries, animated films, children's films and science films. According to a report from 1992, the Korean Feature Film Studio produced about forty films per year, while the other studios together accounted for another forty.
In addition to animation for the North Korean domestic market, SEK has become a resource for international animation, including some well-known American animated films. Production costs in North Korea are very low, and the quality of animators is well perceived. SEK has done work on such productions as Mondo TV
Mondo TV
Mondo TV is one of the major production and distribution animation companies in Europe. Founded by Orlando Corradi in 1985 and based in Rome, Mondo TV is a public company, quoted on the STAR segment of the Italian main stock exchange, Borsa Italiana, a part of the London Stock Exchange Group since...
's animated series The Lion King and Pocahontas , the science fiction epic Light Years
Light Years (film)
Light Years is a 1988 French animated science fiction and fantasy film. The original version was directed by René Laloux, and was based on Jean-Pierre Andrevon's novel Les Hommes-machines contre Gandahar .An English version was directed by Harvey Weinstein and produced by Bob Weinstein, while noted...
, and Empress Chung
Empress Chung
Empress Chung is a 2005 North and South Korean animated film directed by Nelson Shin. As a personal project, Shin spent eight years getting the project off the ground, including three and a half years of pre-production...
.
North Korean leader Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
believed in Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
's maxim
Maxim (philosophy)
A maxim is a ground rule or subjective principle of action; in that sense, a maxim is a thought that can motivate individuals.- Deontological ethics :...
: "Cinema is the most important of all arts." Accordingly, since the country's division, North Korean films have often been used as vehicles for instilling government ideology into the people. A common theme is martyrdom for the nation. The film Fate of a Self-defence Corps Member, based on a novel written by Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
during the fight against the Japanese occupation reflects this theme, as does the highly regarded film, Sea of Blood
Sea of Blood
Sea of Blood is a revolutionary novel, film, and opera created in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea about the mass killings during the Japanese occupation...
(1969). The latter film comes from a novel telling the story of a woman farmer who becomes a national heroine by fighting the Japanese.
Another favorite theme is the happiness of the current society. This theme can be seen reflected in titles of feature films like A Family of Workers, A Flowering Village, Rolling Mill Workers, When Apples Are Picked and Girls at a Port. All of these films were awarded the People's Prize before 1974.
1940s and 1950s
IMDB lists only 41 films produced in North Korea. Two of these were released in the years between the liberation from Japan and the outbreak of the Korean War, Our Construction (Uri Geonseol) (1946) and My Homeland (1949). Five were released during the war, including Righteous War (1950), Boy Partisans (1951) and Again to the Front (1952). These titles suggest that film was used for ideological purposes from the beginning of North Korea's existence as a separate entity.Judging from the IMDB's entries, the 1950s were a relatively productive time for North Korean cinema. 10 of the 41 films listed for the country were produced during this decade. Post war titles seem to reflect a toning down in the militaristic themes, and a turning to more optimistic stories. Titles like The Road of Happiness (1956) and Love the Future (1959) indicate that films were being used to rally the country into rebuilding after the devastation of the war.
1960s and 1970s
IMDB lists only two films for North Korea for the entire decade of the 1960s: A Spinner (1964) and Boidchi annun dchonson (1965). One of the most highly regarded films in North Korea, Sea of Blood, was produced in 1969. The entrance hall to the Korean Feature Film Studio contains a mural of current "Dear Leader", Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
supervising the production of this film. This is a two-part, black and white film. The first part is 125 minutes in duration, and the second is 126 minutes.
Kim Il-sung made a famous call for juche
Juche
Juche or Chuch'e is a Korean word usually translated as "self-reliance." In the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , "Juche" refers specifically to a political thesis of Kim Il-sung, the Juche Idea, that identifies the Korean masses as the masters of the country's development...
art in 1966, saying, "Our art should develop in a revolutionary way, reflecting the Socialist content with the national form". In a 1973 treatise on film entitled Theory of Cinematic Art, Kim Jong-il further developed this idea of juche art into the cinema, claiming that it is cinema's duty to help develop the people into "true communists", and as a means "to completely eradicate capitalist elements". The ideology-heavy nature of North Korean cinema during the 1970s can be seen in titles such as The People Sing of the Fatherly Leader and The Rays of Juche Spread All Over the World.
Part of this ideological usage of the arts was a treating of the same subjects repeatedly through various art forms. Consequently, the most prominent films of the era took their stories and titles from pre-existing novels, ballets or operas. The film Sea of Blood was also an opera and a symphony, as well as the name of an opera company. Future Minister of Culture, Choe Ik-kyu's The Flower Girl
The Flower Girl
The Flower Girl is a North Korean revolutionary genre theatrical performance, supposedly written by Kim Il-Sung himself according to official North Korean sources...
(1972, 130 min.) later was remade as a dance. This film won a special prize and special medal at the 18th International Film Festival, and is one of the more well-known North Korean films of the 1970s.
Unsung Heroes
Unsung Heroes (film)
Unsung Heroes, also known as Unknown Heroes or more literally as Nameless Heroes, is a North Korean propaganda film series about a spy in Seoul during the Korean War. Over twenty hours long, it was filmed and released in multiple parts between 1978 and 1981...
, a 20-part spy film about the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, was released between 1978 and 1981; it achieved notice outside of North Korea two decades later mainly because United States Forces Korea
United States Forces Korea
United States Forces Korea refers to the ground, air and naval divisions of the United States armed forces stationed in South Korea....
defector Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins
Charles Robert Jenkins is a former United States Army soldier who lived in North Korea from 1965 to 2004 after deserting his unit and crossing the Korean Demilitarized Zone.-Military service and desertion:...
played a role as a villain and the husband of one of the main characters.
1980 - Present
With 14 listings, the 1980s is the best-represented decade for North Korea at IMDB. A possible turning to less didactic subjects is indicated with a 1986 production of the popular stories like Chunhyang-jon (1980 - 155 min.) and Hong kil dong (1986 - 115 min.). Probably the most well-known North Korean film internationally is the science-fiction giant-monster epic, PulgasariPulgasari
Pulgasari is a North Korean feature film produced in 1985, a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese Godzilla series. It was produced by South Korean director Shin Sang-ok, who had been kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean intelligence on the orders of Kim Jong-il, son of the then-ruling Kim...
(1985), directed by kidnapped South Korean director Shin Sang-ok. Multi-part films promoting the Juche ideology, including Star of Korea and The Sun of the Nation were also produced in the 1980s. North Korean animation
Korean animation
The art of Korean animation, or Han-guk Manhwa Aenimeisyeon , has gone from hand-held flip books in early times to studios that produce most of the work for major American and Japanese animation companies...
produced for domestic consumption is reportedly less politically dogmatic during this period, resulting in a large adult audience. At least one international co-production has been filmed in North Korea, Ten Zan - Ultimate Mission, directed by Italian director Ferdinando Baldi
Ferdinando Baldi
Ferdinando Baldi was an Italian film director, film producer and screenwriter. He was born on 19 May 1927 in Cava dei Tirreni, in the Province of Salerno.-Career:...
and starring American Frank Zagarino
Frank Zagarino
Frank Zagarino is an American actor, star of low budget action movies.One of his early roles was in the movie Barbarian Queen in which he played opposite Lana Clarkson. Like several other American B movie stars he made many of his movies in Europe, especially in Italy...
.
IMDB lists only four North Korean films made in the 1990s. The Nation and Destiny is a 56-part series of movies produced from 1992–1999, on Korean subjects and people like General Choi Duk Shin (parts 1-4) and composer Yun I-sang (parts 5, 14-16).
The 2000s appear to be reasonably productive for North Korean cinema, having five listings so far. In a sign of thawing relations, the animated film, Empress Chung
Empress Chung
Empress Chung is a 2005 North and South Korean animated film directed by Nelson Shin. As a personal project, Shin spent eight years getting the project off the ground, including three and a half years of pre-production...
(2005), is a co-production of South and North Korea. This film is said to be the first released simultaneously in both countries. Another recent North/South co-production is the 3-D animated television series Lazy Cat Dinga.
All-time box office records
The numbers indicate amount of tickets sold, not financial gross (as of November 13, 2011). Data from Korean Film Council.| Rank | English title | Korean title | Director | Admissions | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 괴물 | Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born in Daegu in 1969 and decided to become a filmmaker while in middle school, perhaps influenced by an artistic family He majored in sociology in Yonsei University in the late 1980s and was a member of the film club... |
13,019,740 | 2006 | |
| 2 | 왕의 남자 | Lee Jun-ik Lee Jun-ik Lee Jun-ik is a South Korean movie director, producer and actor specialising in commercial historic movies and responsible for The King and the Clown; the highest grossing Korean film of 2005.-Director:... |
12,302,831 | 2005 | |
| 3 | Taegukgi Taegukgi (film) Taegukgi Hwinallimyo is a 2004 South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. It tells the story about the effect of the Korean War on two brothers. The film's title is the name of the pre-war Flag of Korea as well as the postwar Flag of South Korea... |
태극기 휘날리며 | Kang Je-gyu Kang Je-gyu Kang Je-gyu is a South Korean film director. He studied in Chungang University.He firstly got his prize in Korea Youth Film festival and Korea Scenario Awards in 1991.-Career:... |
11,746,135 | 2004 |
| 4 | Tidal Wave | 해운대 | Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyoon is a South Korean film director . His debut My Boss, My Hero is about a gangster who is sent back to school, while Sex Is Zero has been compared with American Pie.... |
11,397,749 | 2009 |
| 5 | Silmido Silmido (film) Silmido is a 2003 South Korean film, directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is loosely based on a military uprising from the island of Silmido in the 1970s. At the end of its run, the film was the most watched film ever in South Korea, and the first film to attract an audience of 10 million viewers in the... |
실미도 | Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films... |
11,081,000 | 2003 |
| 6 | D-War D-War D-War , is a 2007 South Korean fantasy action film released in North America as Dragon Wars: D-War, War of the Dragons in Malaysia, and sometimes referred to colloquially and in some marketing materials as Dragon Wars. It is written and directed by Shim Hyung-rae... |
디 워 | Shim Hyung-rae Shim Hyung-rae Shim Hyung-rae is a South Korean former-comedian and filmmaker best known for directing the 1999 re-make of Yonggary and D-War , by far the most expensive Korean movie in history... |
8,426,973 | 2007 |
| 7 | Speedy Scandal Speedy Scandal Speedy Scandal is a 2008 South Korean film written and directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol and starring Cha Tae-hyun in the lead role. This was Director Kang's first film before Sunny and the highest grossing Korean film of the year.- Plot :... |
과속 스캔들 | Kang Hyeong-cheol Kang Hyeong-cheol Kang Hyeong-cheol is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His first two films have been the highest grossing Korean films of their respective years both being in the top 15 highest grossing Korean films. He was awarded the Best New Director at The 30th Blue Dragon Film... |
8,280,308 | 2008 |
| 8 | Friend | 친구 | Kwak Kyung-taek Kwak Kyung-taek Kwak Kyung-taek is a South Korean film director best known for his 2001 record-breaking film Friend.- Career :Friend, a drama where conflicting criminal alliances turn old friends into enemies, set a new Korean box office record with an audience of 8 million, and he received the Holden Award for... |
8,134,500 | 2001 |
| 9 | Take Off | 국가 대표 | Kim Yong-hwa | 8,092,676 | 2009 |
| 10 | Welcome to Dongmakgol Welcome to Dongmakgol Welcome to Dongmakgol is a 2005 South Korean film set during the Korean War. It was South Korea's official entry for the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards in 2005, and as of 2005 it was the fourth-highest grossing South Korean film of all time... |
웰컴 투 동막골 | Park Kwang-hyun Park Kwang-hyun Park Kwang-hyun is a South Korean movie director.His first feature film Welcome to Dongmakgol pulled more than 8 million viewers in 2005, making it the second highest grossing movie that year after record-breaking The King and the Clown... |
8,008,622 | 2005 |
| 11 | Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon | 최종병기 활 | Kim Han-min | 7,457,634 | 2011 |
| 12 | Sunny Sunny (2011 film) Sunny is a 2011 South Korean film about a group of female high school friends who gradually drift apart and then seek each other out again. It is the second film by director - screenwriter Kang Hyeong-cheol and is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2011.-Plot:Na-mi is the new girl at... |
써니 | Kang Hyeong-cheol Kang Hyeong-cheol Kang Hyeong-cheol is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His first two films have been the highest grossing Korean films of their respective years both being in the top 15 highest grossing Korean films. He was awarded the Best New Director at The 30th Blue Dragon Film... |
7,366,450 | 2011 |
| 13 | May 18 May 18 (film) May 18 is a South Korean film released in 2007.-Synopsis:The film is based on the massacre at Gwangju on May 18... |
화려한 휴가 | Kim Ji-hoon Kim Ji-Hoon Kim Ji-Hoon is a South Korean gymnast. Kim was part of the South Korean team that won the bronze medal in the team event at the 2006 Asian Games. He also competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics-External links:... |
7,307,993 | 2007 |
| 14 | Tazza: The High Rollers Tazza: The High Rollers Tazza: The High Rollers is a 2006 South Korean film based on Huh Young-man's manhwa . The story involves a group of grifters involved in the Korean card game called Hwatu .... |
타짜 | Choi Dong-hun Choi Dong-hun Choi Dong-hun is a South Korean film director, best known for his gambling film, Tazza: The High Rollers. And his most recent film, Jeon Woo Chi has sold over 6 million tickets domestically... |
6,847,777 | 2006 |
| 15 | 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 | Kim Ji-woon Kim Ji-Woon Kim Ji-woon is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Kim Ji-woon has a history of successfully tackling a wide range of film genres, garnering a cult following among Asian films fans all over the world.-Career:... |
6,719,000 | 2008 | |
| 16 | 200 Pounds Beauty 200 Pounds Beauty 200 Pounds Beauty is a 2006 South Korean comedy film based on a Japanese manga, Kanna-San, Daiseikou Desu by Yumiko Suzuki... |
미녀는 괴로워 | Kim Yong-hwa | 6,619,498 | 2006 |
| 17 | The Man from Nowhere | 아저씨 | Lee Jeong-beom | 6,226,886 | 2010 |
| 18 | Shiri Shiri (film) Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry... |
쉬리 | Kang Je-gyu Kang Je-gyu Kang Je-gyu is a South Korean film director. He studied in Chungang University.He firstly got his prize in Korea Youth Film festival and Korea Scenario Awards in 1991.-Career:... |
6,210,000 | 1999 |
| 19 | My Boss, My Teacher My Boss, My Teacher My Boss, My Teacher is a 2006 South Korean film and sequel to the 2001 film My Boss, My Hero. It was followed by The Mafia, The Salesman in 2007.- Plot :... |
투사부일체 | Kim Dong-won | 6,105,431 | 2006 |
| 20 | Jeon Woo Chi Jeon Woo Chi Jeon Woo Chi is a 2009 fantasy action blockbuster. Writer-director Choi Dong-hun departs from his popular heist films Tazza: The High Rollers and The Big Swindle for this big-budget, special effects-filled action romp that was equally popular with the Korean audience, earning over six million... |
전우치 | Choi Dong-hoon | 6,100,490 | 2009 |
| 21 | Joint Security Area Joint Security Area (film) Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon... |
공동경비구역 JSA | Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of... |
5,830,000 | 2000 |
| 22 | Marrying the Mafia II Marrying the Mafia II Marrying the Mafia II is a 2005 South Korean film, the sequel to 2002's hugely popular Marrying the Mafia. It was the most successful comedy film in South Korea the year of its release; its over 5 million tickets sold represented more than 10% of the population and contributed to the third straight... |
가문의 위기 | Jeong Yong-ki | 5,635,266 | 2005 |
| 23 | Secret Reunion Secret Reunion Secret Reunion is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyu of the National Intelligence Service who falls from grace after failing to stop the assassination of a North Korean dissident... |
의형제 | Jang Hun Jang Hun (director) Jang Hun is a South Korean film director. He has worked primarily with director Kim Ki-duk first with the production department, then as an assistant director, to getting a script from Mr. Kim; Rough Cut. In 2010 he directed Secret Reunion selling over 5,000,000 tickets making it the second... |
5,460,035 | 2010 |
| 24 | Memories of Murder Memories of Murder Memories of Murder is a 2003 South Korean crime-drama film directed by Bong Joon-ho. It is based on the true story of the country's first known serial murders, which took place between 1986 and 1991 in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province... |
살인의 추억 | Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director and screenwriter.-Biography:He was born in Daegu in 1969 and decided to become a filmmaker while in middle school, perhaps influenced by an artistic family He majored in sociology in Yonsei University in the late 1980s and was a member of the film club... |
5,255,376 | 2003 |
| 25 | My Wife is a Gangster My Wife is a Gangster My Wife is a Gangster is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Cho Jin-gyu; it's about a female gang boss who needs to get married to fulfill her dying sister's wishes... |
조폭 마누라 | Jeong Heung-soon | 5,180,900 | 2001 |
| 26 | Marathon Marathon (2005 film) Marathon is a South Korean movie based on the true story of Bae Hyeong-jin, a runner who happens to have autism.... |
말아톤 | Jeong Yoon-chul Jeong Yoon-chul - Career :Jeong graduated from School of Film and Theater at Hanyang University. After his successful directorial debut with short film Memorial Picture, he was selected as a member of MAMPIST and studied film editing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School... |
5,148,022 | 2005 |
| 27 | 추격자 | Na Hong-jin Na Hong-jin Na Hong-jin is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. For his debut film The Chaser , Na won Best Director at the 45th Grand Bell Awards in 2008. The film also won the award for Best Film.... |
5,071,619 | 2008 | |
| 28 | Marrying the Mafia Marrying the Mafia Marrying the Mafia is a 2002 South Korea film released on September 13, 2002. It was an instant hit, beating out other 2002 film competitors such as Jail Breakers, The Way Home and Sex is Zero.... |
가문의 영광 | Jeong Heung-soon | 5,021,001 | 2002 |
| 29 | My Tutor Friend My Tutor Friend My Tutor Friend is a 2003 South Korean film released on January 30, 2003. It is about a touching story of two completely different students from two completely different worlds... |
동갑내기 과외하기 | Kim Kyeong-hyeong | 4,937,573 | 2003 |
| 30 | My Sassy Girl My Sassy Girl My Sassy Girl is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong. It tells the story of a man's chance meeting with a drunk girl on the train which changes his life... |
엽기적인 그녀 | Kwak Jae-yong Kwak Jae-yong Kwak Jae-yong is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyunghee University. He achieved success with his debut film Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day in 1989, but the failure of his next two movies led to eight years of unemployment before a comeback with the... |
4,852,845 | 2001 |
| 31 | Detective K | 조선 명탐정 | Kim Seok-yoon | 4,778,512 | 2011 |
| 32 | The Crucible The Crucible (2011 film) The Crucible is a South Korean film based on the novel of the same name by Gong Ji-young, starring Gong Yoo and Jung Yoo Mi. It is based on a true story of mass sexual abuse of Deaf students at Gwangju Inhwa School, Gwangju in the early 2000's... |
도가니 | Hwang Dong-hyeok | 4,669,498 | 2011 |
| 33 | Kick the Moon Kick the Moon Kick the Moon is a 2001 South Korean film directed by Kim Sang-Jin.-Plot:Kick the Moon is about two high school students from a seoul city high-school... |
신라의 달밤 | Kim Sang-jin | 4,353,800 | 2001 |
| 34 | Public Enemy Returns Public Enemy Returns Public Enemy Returns is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is the sequel to 2002's Public Enemy, and 2005's Another Public Enemy, also directed by Kang.... |
강철중: 공공의 적 1-1 | Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films... |
4,337,983 | 2008 |
| 35 | Typhoon Typhoon (2005 film) Typhoon is a 2005 South Korean action film directed by Kwak Kyung-taek and starring Jang Dong-gun, Lee Jung-jae and Lee Mi-yeon.-Plot:... |
태풍 | Kwak Kyung-taek Kwak Kyung-taek Kwak Kyung-taek is a South Korean film director best known for his 2001 record-breaking film Friend.- Career :Friend, a drama where conflicting criminal alliances turn old friends into enemies, set a new Korean box office record with an audience of 8 million, and he received the Holden Award for... |
4,094,395 | 2005 |
| 36 | 집으로 | Lee Jeong-hyang | 4,091,000 | 2002 | |
| 37 | Sex Is Zero Sex is Zero Sex Is Zero is a 2002 South Korean film written and directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, starring Lim Chang-jung, Ha Ji-won and Yoo Chae-yeong. In the style of American gross-out comedies like American Pie, it follows the exploits of a group of college students, which eventually takes a serious turn... |
색즉시공 | Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyoon Yoon Je-kyoon is a South Korean film director . His debut My Boss, My Hero is about a gangster who is sent back to school, while Sex Is Zero has been compared with American Pie.... |
4,082,797 | 2002 |
| 38 | My Girlfriend Is An Agent My Girlfriend Is An Agent My Girlfriend Is An Agent is a 2009 South Korean romantic action comedy film directed by Shin Tae-Ra and starring Kim Ha-Neul and Kang Ji-hwan.-Synopsis :... |
7급 공무원 | Sin Tae-ra | 4,078,293 | 2009 |
| 39 | Forever the Moment Forever the Moment Forever the Moment is a 2008 South Korean film. It is a fictionalised account of the South Korea women's handball team which competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics... |
우리 생애 최고의 순간 | Yim Soon-rye | 4,044,582 | 2008 |
| 40 | Another Public Enemy Another Public Enemy Another Public Enemy is a 2005 South Korean film and the sequel to Public Enemy.-See also:*List of Korean language films*Cinema of Korea*Contemporary culture of South Korea*List of Korea-related topics... |
공공의 적 2 | Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films... |
3,911,356 | 2005 |
| 41 | Hanbando | 한반도 | Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films... |
3,880,308 | 2006 |
| 42 | 쌍화점 | Yoo Ha | 3,772,976 | 2008 | |
| 43 | Hi, Dharma Hi, Dharma Hi! Dharma! is a 2001 South Korean comedy about gangsters who hide out in a monastery. It was released on DVD to region 1 on January 21, 2002, in Korean with English subtitles... |
달마야 놀자 | Park Cheol-kwan | 3,746,000 | 2001 |
| 44 | 신기전 | Kim Yoo-jin Kim Yoo-Jin Kim Yoo-jin , professionally known in English as Eugene, is a singer, actress, and emcee. She was a former member of a Korean female idol group called S.E.S., popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s... |
3,751,588 | 2008 | |
| 45 | Sympathy for Lady Vengeance Sympathy for Lady Vengeance Sympathy for Lady Vengeance is a 2008 South Korean film by director Park Chan-wook. In North America and parts of Europe, the film has been screened under the title Lady Vengeance. The film is the third installment in Park's The Vengeance Trilogy, following Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy... |
친절한 금자씨 | Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of... |
3,650,000 | 2005 |
| 46 | Punch Punch (2011 film) Punch is 2011 South Korean coming of age film is based of novel by Kim Ryeo-Ryeong is about the story of a teacher who become a trainer of a poor and troubled student after he discovered his talent of boxing... |
완득이 | Lee Han | 3,562,502 | 2011 |
| 47 | Untold Scandal Untold Scandal Untold Scandal, originally titled Joseon namnyeo sangyeoljisa, is an award-winning South Korean film released in 2003. Adapted from the novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, which takes place in late 18th century France, the film is set in late 18th century Korea, during the Joseon dynasty... |
스캔들 - 조선남녀상열지사 | Lee Je-yong | 3,522,747 | 2003 |
| 48 | Marrying the Mafia III Marrying the Mafia III Marrying the Mafia III is a 2006 South Korean film.-Synopsis:This gangster comedy chronicles the White Tiger Family of Jeolla Province. Hong Deok-ja, head of the crime family, quits the syndicate to open a kimchi business after her son marries a prosecutor... |
가문의 부활 | Jeong Yong-ki | 3,464,516 | 2006 |
| 49 | Moss | 이끼 | Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk is a South Korean film producer and director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful Men in Korean Cinema' for seven consecutive years from 1998 to 2004.Kang started as a director of successful comedy films... |
3,375,213 | 2010 |
| 50 | 71: Into the Fire | 포화 속으로 | Lee Jae-han | 3,359,012 | 2010 |
See also
- Cinema of the world
- List of Korean language films
- List of North Korean films
- List of South Korean films
- Korean waveKorean waveThe Korean Wave, also known as the Hallyu , refers to spread of South Korean culture around the world. The term was coined in China in mid-1999 by Beijing journalists surprised by the fast growing popularity of Korean entertainment and culture in China...
- Korean animationKorean animationThe art of Korean animation, or Han-guk Manhwa Aenimeisyeon , has gone from hand-held flip books in early times to studios that produce most of the work for major American and Japanese animation companies...
- K-HorrorK-HorrorKorean horror, sometimes referred to as K-Horror, is the term given to horror films made as part of the cinema of Korea. Korean horror features many of the same motifs, themes, and imagery as Japanese horror. Korean horror has been around since the early years of Korean cinema; however, it wasn't...
- Korean Film ArchiveKorean Film ArchiveThe Korean Film Archive or called Korean Federation of Film Archives and KOFA is the sole film archive in South Korea with nationwide coverage. It was founded in Seoul in 1974 as a non-profit organization...
- Korean Movie DatabaseKorean Movie DatabaseThe Korean Movie Database is a South Korean online database of information related to Korean movies, animation, actors, television shows, production crew personnel and other film-related information. KMDb launched on February 2006 by Korean Film Archive...
- East Asian cinemaEast Asian cinemaEast Asian cinema is a term used to refer to the film industry and films produced in and/or by natives of East Asia. It can be seen as a sub-section of Asian cinema, which in turn is a sub-section of world cinema, a catchall term used in the English-speaking world to refer to all foreign language...
- Asian cinemaAsian cinemaAsian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia, and is also sometimes known as Eastern cinema. More commonly however, it is used to refer to the cinema of Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia. West Asian cinema is sometimes classified as part of Middle...
Pre-Divided Korea & South Korea
- Pok Hwan-mo On Korean Documentary Film
External links
- General Information
- KOFIC Korean Film Council
- Koreanfilm.org - Movie reviews, news, actor info and more from Korea
- KoreanMovieDB.com - Korean movies, actor and actress database
- HanCinema - The Korean Movie and Drama Database
- Tracking the Blue Dragon Dumplings - The Korea Society Film Journal
- A History of Korean Film - Seoul City Official Tourism
- Film Festivals
- Movie Reviews & Commentaries