Cinema of South Korea
Movie theater in Sincheon
No. ofscreens	3475 (2024)[1]
• Per capita	5.3 per 100,000 (2015)[1]
Main distributors	CJ E&M (21%) NEW (18%) Lotte (15%)[2]
Produced feature films (2015)[3]
Total	269
Number of admissions (2015)[4]
Total	217,300,000
National films	113,430,600 (52%)
Gross box office (2015)[4]
Total	₩1.59 trillion
National films	₩830 billion (52%)

South Korean films have been heavily influenced by such events and forces as theKorea under Japanese rule, theKorean War,government censorship, the business sector, globalization, and thedemocratization of South Korea.^[5][6]

Thegolden age of South Korean cinema in the mid-20th century produced what are considered two of the best South Korean films of all time,The Housemaid (1960) andObaltan (1961),^[7] while the industry's revival with the Korean New Wave from the late 1990s to the present produced both ofthe country's highest-grossing films,The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) andExtreme Job (2019), as well as prize winners on the festival circuit includingGolden Lion recipientPietà (2012) andPalme d'Or recipient andAcademy Award winnerParasite (2019) and internationalcult classics includingOldboy (2003),^[8]Snowpiercer (2013),^[9] andTrain to Busan (2016).^[10]

With the increasing global success and globalization of the Korean film industry, the past two decades have seen Korean actors likeLee Byung-hun andBae Doona star in American films, Korean auteurs such asPark Chan-wook andBong Joon-ho direct English-language works, Korean American actors crossover to star in Korean films as withSteven Yeun andMa Dong-seok, and Korean films be remade in the United States, China, and other markets. TheBusan International Film Festival has also grown to become Asia's largest and most important film festival.

American film studios have also set up local subsidiaries likeWarner Bros. Korea and20th Century Fox Korea to finance Korean films likeThe Age of Shadows (2016) andThe Wailing (2016), putting them in direct competition with Korea's Big Four vertically integrated domestic film production and distribution companies:Lotte Cultureworks (formerly Lotte Entertainment),CJ Entertainment,Next Entertainment World (NEW), andShowbox.Netflix has also entered Korea as a film producer and distributor as part of both its international growth strategy in search of new markets and its drive to find new content for consumers in the U.S. market amid the "streaming wars" withDisney, which has a Korean subsidiary, and other competitors.

The earliestmovie theaters in the country opened during the lateJoseon toKorean Empire periods. The first wasAe Kwan Theater,^[11] followed byDansungsa.^[12]

With thesurrender of Japan in 1945 and the subsequent liberation ofKorea, freedom became the predominant theme in South Korean cinema in the late 1940s and early 1950s.^[5] One of the most significant films from this era is director Choi In-gyu'sViva Freedom! (1946), which is notable for depicting theKorean independence movement. The film was a major commercial success because it tapped into the public's excitement about the country's recent liberation.^[13]

However, during theKorean War, the South Korean film industry stagnated, and only 14 films were produced from 1950 to 1953. All of the films from that era have since beenlost.^[14] Following theKorean War armistice in 1953, South Korean presidentSyngman Rhee attempted to rejuvenate the film industry by exempting it from taxation. Additionally foreign aid arrived in the country after the war that provided South Korean filmmakers with equipment and technology to begin producing more films.^[15]

Though filmmakers were still subject to government censorship, South Korea experienced agolden age of cinema, mostly consisting ofmelodramas, starting in the mid-1950s.^[5] The number of films made in South Korea increased from only 15 in 1954 to 111 in 1959.^[16]

One of the most popular films of the era, director Lee Kyu-hwan's now lost remake ofChunhyangjeon [ko] (1955), drew 10 percent ofSeoul's population to movie theaters^[15] However, whileChunhyang-jeon re-told atraditional Korean story, another popular film of the era, Han Hyung-mo'sMadame Freedom (1956), told a modern story about female sexuality and Western values.^[17]

South Korean filmmakers enjoyed a brief freedom from censorship in the early 1960s, between the administrations of Syngman Rhee andPark Chung Hee.^[18]Kim Ki-young'sThe Housemaid (1960) andYu Hyun-mok'sObaltan (1960), now considered among the best South Korean films ever made, were produced during this time.^[7] Kang Dae-jin'sThe Coachman (1961) became the first South Korean film to win an award at an international film festival when it took home the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the1961 Berlin International Film Festival.^[19][20]

When Park Chung Hee became acting president in 1962, government control over the film industry increased substantially. Under the Motion Picture Law of 1962, a series of increasingly restrictive measures was enacted that limited imported films under aquota system. The new regulations also reduced the number of domestic film-production companies from 71 to 16 within a year. Government censorship targeted obscenity,communism, and unpatriotic themes in films.^[21][22]Nonetheless, the Motion Picture Law's limit on imported films resulted in a boom of domestic films. South Korean filmmakers had to work quickly to meet public demand, and many films were shot in only a few weeks. During the 1960s, the most popular South Korean filmmakers released six to eight films per year. Notably, directorKim Soo-yong released ten films in 1967, includingMist, which is considered to be his greatest work.^[19]

In 1967, South Korea's firstanimated feature film,Hong Kil-dong, was released. A handful of animated films followed includingGolden Iron Man (1968), South Korea's firstscience-fiction animated film.^[19]

Government control of South Korea's film industry reached its height during the 1970s under President Park Chung Hee's authoritarian "Yusin System." The Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation was created in 1973, ostensibly to support and promote the South Korean film industry, but its primary purpose was to control the film industry and promote "politically correct" support for censorship and government ideals.^[23] According to the 1981International Film Guide, "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."^[24]

Only filmmakers who had previously produced "ideologically sound" films and who were considered to be loyal to the government were allowed to release new films. Members of the film industry who tried to bypass censorship laws were blacklisted and sometimes imprisoned.^[25] One such blacklisted filmmaker, the prolific directorShin Sang-ok, was kidnapped by the North Korean government in 1978 after the South Korean government revoked his film-making license in 1975.^[26]

The propaganda-laden movies (or "policy films") produced in the 1970s were unpopular with audiences who had become accustomed to seeing real-life social issues onscreen during the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to government interference, South Korean filmmakers began losing their audience to television, and movie-theater attendance dropped by over 60 percent from 1969 to 1979.^[27]

Films that were popular among audiences during this era includeYeong-ja's Heydays (1975) andWinter Woman (1977), both box office hits directed byKim Ho-sun.^[26]Yeong-ja's Heydays andWinter Women are classified as "hostess films," which are movies aboutprostitutes andbargirls. Despite their overt sexual content, the government allowed the films to be released, and the genre was extremely popular during the 1970s and 1980s.^[22]

In the 1980s, the South Korean government began to relax its censorship and control of the film industry. The Motion Picture Law of 1984 allowed independent filmmakers to begin producing films, and the 1986 revision of the law allowed more films to be imported into South Korea.^[21]

Meanwhile, South Korean films began reaching international audiences for the first time in a significant way. DirectorIm Kwon-taek'sMandala (1981) won the Grand Prix at the 1981Hawaii Film Festival, and he soon became the first Korean director in years to have his films screened at European film festivals. His filmGilsoddeum (1986) was shown at the36th Berlin International Film Festival, and actressKang Soo-yeon won Best Actress at the1987 Venice International Film Festival for her role in Im's film,The Surrogate Woman.^[28]

In 1988, the South Korean government lifted all restrictions on foreign films, and American film companies began to set up offices in South Korea. In order for domestic films to compete, the government once again enforced ascreen quota that required movie theaters to show domestic films for at least 146 days per year. However, despite the quota, the market share of domestic films was only 16 percent by 1993.^[21]

The South Korean film industry was once again changed in 1992 withKim Ui-seok's hit filmMarriage Story, released bySamsung. It was the first South Korean movie to be released by business conglomerate known as achaebol, and it paved the way for otherchaebols to enter the film industry, using an integrated system of financing, producing, and distributing films.^[29]

It is important to note that until 1996, when the Film Promotion Law was passed,^[30] the film industry was still subject to censorship. Censoring of scripts in pre-production was officially dismissed in the late 1980s, still producers wereunofficially expected to present two copies to the Public Performance Ethics Committee,^[31] who had the power to modify by completely cutting scenes.^[6]

As a result of the1997 Asian financial crisis, manychaebols began to scale back their involvement in the film industry. However, they had already laid the groundwork for a renaissance in South Korean film-making by supporting young directors and introducing good business practices into the industry.^[29] "New Korean Cinema," including glossyblockbusters and creative genre films, began to emerge in the late 1990s and 2000s.^[6] At the same time, representation of women in visual media drastically declined in the aftermath of the 1997 IMF Crisis.^[32]

South Korean cinema saw domestic box-office success exceeding that of Hollywood films in the late 1990s largely due toscreen quota laws that limited the public showing foreign films.^[33] First enacted in 1967, South Korea'sscreen quota placed restrictions on the number of days per year that foreign films could be shown at any given theater—garnering criticism from film distributors outside South Korea as unfair. As a prerequisite for negotiations with theUnited States for afree-trade agreement, the Korean government cut its annual screen quota for domestic films from 146 days to 73 (allowing more foreign films to enter the market).^[34] In February 2006, South Korean movie workers responded to the reduction by staging mass rallies in protest.^[35] 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 [2005] and imported $35.9 million-worth".^[36]

One of the first blockbusters wasKang Je-gyu'sShiri (1999), a film about a North Korean spy inSeoul. It was the first film in South Korean history to sell more than two million tickets in Seoul alone.^[37]Shiri was followed by other blockbusters includingPark Chan-wook'sJoint Security Area (2000),Kwak Jae-yong'sMy Sassy Girl (2001),Kwak Kyung-taek'sFriend (2001),Kang Woo-suk'sSilmido (2003), andKang Je-gyu'sTaegukgi (2004). In fact, bothSilmido andTaegukgi were seen by 10 million people domestically—about one-quarter of South Korea's entire population.^[38]

South Korean films began attracting significant international attention in the 2000s, due in part to filmmakerPark Chan-wook, whose movieOldboy (2003) won theGrand Prix at the2004 Cannes Film Festival and was praised by American directors includingQuentin Tarantino andSpike Lee, the latter of whom directed the remakeOldboy (2013).^[8][39]

DirectorBong Joon-ho'sThe Host (2006) and later the English-language filmSnowpiercer (2013), are among the highest-grossing films of all time in South Korea and were praised by foreign film critics.^[40][9][41]Yeon Sang-ho'sTrain to Busan (2016), also one of the highest-grossing films of all time in South Korea, became the second highest-grossing film inHong Kong in 2016.^[42]

In 2019, Bong Joon-ho'sParasite became the first film from South Korea to win the prestigiousPalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival.^[43] At the92nd Academy Awards,Parasite became the first South Korean film to receive any sort ofAcademy Awards recognition, receiving six nominations. It wonBest Picture,Best Director,Best International Feature Film andBest Original Screenplay, becoming the first film produced entirely by anAsian country to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture sinceCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, as well as thefirst non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.^{[note 1]}

Park Chan-wook'sDecision to Leave andHirokazu Kore-eda'sBroker each won an award at the2022 Cannes Film Festival.^[46][47] WhileSong Kang-ho became the first South Korean actor to winBest Actor at the same festival.^[48]

TheKorean Film Council has published box office data on South Korean films since 2004. As of March 2025, the top ten highest-grossing domestic films in South Korea since 2004 are as follows.^[40]

1. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
2. Extreme Job (2019)
3. Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
4. Ode to My Father (2014)
5. Veteran (2015)
6. 12.12: The Day (2023)
7. The Host (2006)
8. The Thieves (2012)
9. Miracle in Cell No.7 (2013)
10. Assassination (2015)

• Aeni
• Sageuk
• Korean horror has entered its first fertile period in the 1960s.^[49] Modern South Korean horror films are typically distinguished by stylish directing, themes of social commentary, and genre blending.^[50] Horror films are designed to 'cool' the audience; traditionally, horror films are screened domestically during the summer months, as they are thought to be effective at lowering body temperature by providing 'chills'.^[49]
• Korean science fiction
• Zainichi cinema
• South Korean Queer Cinema

South Korea's first film awards ceremonies were established in the 1950s, but have since been discontinued. The longest-running and most popular film awards ceremonies are theGrand Bell Awards, which were established in 1962, and theBlue Dragon Film Awards, which were established in 1963. Other awards ceremonies include theBaeksang Arts Awards, theKorean Association of Film Critics Awards, and theBusan Film Critics Awards.^[51]

Founded in 1996, theBusan International Film Festival is South Korea's major film festival and has grown to become one of the largest and most prestigious film events in Asia.^[52]

The first South Korean film to win an award at an international film festival was Kang Dae-jin'sThe Coachman (1961), which was awarded the Silver Bear Jury Prize at the1961 Berlin International Film Festival.^[19][20] The tables below list South Korean films that have since won major international film festival prizes.

• Cinema of Korea
• Cinema of North Korea
• List of South Korean Academy Award winners and nominees

• Bowyer, Justin (2004).The Cinema of Japan and Korea. London: Wallflower Press.ISBN 1-904764-11-8.
• Min, Eungjun; Joo Jinsook; Kwak HanJu (2003).Korean Film : History, Resistance, and Democratic Imagination. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers.ISBN 0-275-95811-6.
• New Korean Cinema (2005), ed. by Chi-Yun Shin and Julian Stringer. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.ISBN 978-0814740309

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCinema of South Korea.

• Korean Film Council
• Korean Film Archive
• Korean Movie Database (in Korean)

• Cinema of South Korea

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