From heart-pounding action thrillers to complex romances and war stories, here is a look at the highest-rated Korean movies of 2024 that deserve to be on your watch list.
At the forefront is director Lee Eon-hee’s romance Love in the Big City. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Booker Prize nominee Park Sang-young, the movie stars Kim Go-eun and Steve Noh in leading roles. A love story between a free-spirited woman and a secretive man, Love in the Big City enjoyed a special premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. One of the highest-rated romantic Korean movies, it also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September 2024. Not just that. Pachinko fame Steve Noh, who plays protagonist Heung-soo in Love in the Big City, won the Best New Actor award at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Meanwhile, drawing star power to the 2024 sci-fi movie Wonderland are popular actors Bae Suzy and Park Bo-gum. The movie is about a virtual domain called ‘Wonderland’ that uses artificial intelligence to reconnect individuals with a beloved deceased. After its release on 5 June 2024, Wonderland topped the weekend box office and amassed USD 3.21 million over the first five days of its opening run. One of the highest-rated Korean movies of 2024, it recorded a total of 468,802 viewers, according to the Korean Film Council.
Another notable title that makes it to the highest-rated list is the Song Joong-ki starrer My Name is Loh Kiwan. A Kim Hee-jin directorial, this family drama focuses on a Korean man’s journey of survival in a foreign land. The story is an adaptation of Cho Hae-jin’s novel I Met Loh Kiwan, the 2013 Shin Dong-yup Prize for Literature in South Korea winner.
According to the streaming giant, My Name is Loh Kiwan recorded 5.1 million views between 4 to 10 March 2024 and topped Netflix’s Non-English movies category in over 31 countries, including South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Portugal.
These highest-rated 2024 Korean movies will keep you glued to your seats
Jump To / Table of Contents
- 1 Love in the Big City
- 2 You Are the Apple of My Eye
- 3 Exhuma
- 4 Officer Black Belt
- 5 My Name Is Loh Kiwan
- 6 Citizen of a Kind
- 7 Uprising
- 8 Alienoid: Return to the Future
- 9 I, the Executioner
- 10 Wonderland
1 /10
Love in the Big City
IMDb rating: 7.6
Directed by: Lee Eon-hee
Cast: Kim Go-eun, Steve Noh
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 58 min.
Synopsis: Heung-soo (Steve), a gay man living with HIV, struggles to navigate life and love in Seoul. Supporting him in his journey of self-discovery is his best friend, Jae-hee (Kim).
2 /10
You Are the Apple of My Eye
IMDb rating: 7.6
Directed by: Cho Young-myoung
Cast: Kim Da-hyun, Jung Jin-young, Shin Jun-chul
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 48 min.
Synopsis: Jin-u (Jung) is head over heels for high school sweetheart Seon-a (Kim). When a chance encounter makes the duo cross paths, Jin-u and Seon-a grow closer and navigate their youth together.
About the movie: It is a Korean adaptation of the semi-autobiographical novel The Girl We Chased Together in Those Years by Taiwanese author Giddens Ko, aka Jiu Ba Dao.
3 /10
Exhuma
IMDb rating: 6.9
Directed by: Jang Jae-hyun
Cast: Lee Do-hyun, Choi Min-shik, Kim Go-eun, Yoo Hae-ji
Approx. duration: 2 hr. 14 min.
Synopsis: A family in Los Angeles experiences a series of paranormal events and seeks the help of shamans Hwa-rim (Kim) and Bong-gil (Lee). What follows is an intense investigation that leads the duo to a mysterious grave in a village in South Korea. When Hwa-rim and Bong-gil dig up the grave and attempt an exhumation, they end up unleashing even darker evil.
4 /10
Officer Black Belt
IMDb rating: 6.8
Directed by: Jason Kim
Cast: Kim Woo-bin, Kim Sung-kyun
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 48 min.
Synopsis: When skilled martial artist Jung-do (Woo-bin) saves probation officer Sung-min (Sung-kyun) from a criminal assault, the latter is impressed. The duo soon ally to stop child abuse in Seoul and decide to work together as martial arts officers.
Also read: ‘Officer Black Belt’ ending explained: What happens to Kim Woo-bin’s Jung-do at the end?
5 /10
My Name Is Loh Kiwan
IMDb rating: 6.7
Directed by: Kim Hee-jin
Cast: Song Joong-ki, Choi Sung-eun, Jo Han-chul
Approx. duration: 2 hr. 13 min.
Synopsis: North Korean defector Loh Kiwan (Song) moves to Belgium with his mother and struggles to make a home in the unfamiliar world. Over time, he decides to acquire refugee status from the Belgium government. Helping him in the process is a former resident of South Korea, Mari (Choi).
6 /10
Citizen of a Kind
IMDb rating: 6.7
Directed by: Park Young-ju
Cast: Ra Mi-ran, Gong Myung, Yeom Hye-ran, Park Byung-eun
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 54min.
Synopsis: Desperate for money after losing her laundromat to a fire, single mother Deok Hee (Ra) gets involved with loan sharks and falls victim to a voice phishing scam. Enraged, she vows to expose the culprits and teams up with secret informant Kwon Jae-min (Gong).
About the movie: It is based on the true story of laundromat owner Kim Seong-ja of Gyeonggi Province who caught the head of a voice phishing organisation in 2016.
7 /10
Uprising
IMDb rating: 6.6
Directed by: Kim Sang-man
Cast: Kang Dong-won, Park Jeong-min, Cha Seung-won, Kim Shin-rok
Approx. duration: 2 hr. 6 min.
Synopsis: Amid the Japanese invasions of Korea, childhood friends Cheon Yeong (Kang) and Jong-ryeo turn adversaries. Cheon, now a slave with remarkable martial prowess, struggles to seek freedom from unjust servitude. Meanwhile, Jong-ryeo (Park) becomes Joseon King Seonjo’s closest military officer.
8 /10
Alienoid: Return to the Future
IMDb rating: 6.5
Directed by: Choi Dong-hoon
Cast: Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin
Approx. duration: 2 hr. 2 min.
Synopsis: After locating the divine sword, Lee Ahn (Kim) and Mureuk (Ryu) race through time to battle Haava (an alien substance) detonation that has the power to destroy mankind.
9 /10
I, the Executioner
IMDb rating: 6.4
Directed by: Ryu Seung-wan
Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Jung Hae-in, Jin Kyung
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 58 min.
Synopsis: Rookie detective Park Sun-woo (Jung) is assigned to the Violent Crimes Investigation Division team. However, the leader of the team, veteran Seo Do-Cheol (Hwang), is yet to trust his skills. Soon, the chase of a serial killer brings the duo closer.
About the movie: It is the sequel to his hit 2015 action comedy Veteran.
10 /10
Wonderland
IMDb rating: 6.2
Directed by: Kim Tae-yong
Cast: Bae Suzy, Park Bo-gum, Choi Woo-shik
Approx. duration: 1 hr. 52 min.
Synopsis: Jeong-in’s (Bae) life changes forever when her young lover Tae-ju (Park) falls into a coma. Desperate to see him again, Jeong-in turns to Wonderland — a virtual domain that uses AI to help individuals reconnect with a deceased close one. Soon, the new technology allows her to rekindle her bond with Tae-ju once again.
(Hero image credit: Kim go-eun/@ggonekim via Instagram; Featured image credit: IMDb)
Note:
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Korean movie has the highest rating?
Some of the highest-rated Korean movies are 'Parasite', 'A Taxi Driver', 'The Wailing, 'Train to Busan', 'Silenced', 'Love in the Big City' and 'Exhuma'.
Which is the most-viewed Korean movie?
According to ticket sales data, some of the most-viewed Korean movies are '12.12: The Day', 'Parasite', 'Decision to Leave', 'The Wailing', 'Train to Busan', 'Memories of Murder' and 'Oldboy'.
Which Korean movie won the Best picture award recently?
'12.12: The Day' won the Best Picture title at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards in November 2024.
Tags
South Korean Movies Bae Suzy Korean Movies Song Joong-ki Korean movies 2024 Highest-rated movies highest-rated Korean movies