Netflix’s Best Original Korean Movies From Teen Love to Contract Killers – Ranked
While Netflix has ventured heavily into K-dramas and K-content, they have also struck gold with original Korean movies. Over the past few years, fans have gotten Seoul Vibes, the zombie thriller #Alive, and others that have become widely popular. From the teen romance 20th Century Love to a killer mother assassin, Netflix has given fans plenty to watch.
6. ‘Time to Hunt’ has a group of thieves being hunted by an assassin
For the 2020 dystopian action thriller, not only was the storyline gold but so was its leading cast. Time to Hunt is a perfect watch for fans of heist films with a dramatic twist. The Netflix Korean movie starred Taxi Driver actor Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Parasite actor Choi Woo-shik, Park Jung-min, and Squid Game actor Park Hae-soo.
The movie is set in a dystopian South Korea, where Jun-seok (Lee) is released from prison due to another botched heist. When their money is worthless after the won crashed, Jun-seok proposes one final heist to his friends. Time to Hunt gets right into it as they are successful in the heist of a gambling den and steal the hard drives.
But Time to Hunt has an even bigger crime at stake. The hard drives have secret meetings between the gambling house and criminals. When learning who took them, they send a cop-turned-contract-killer after them. The movie is a gunfight and battle for the characters to survive with a cliffhanger ending. Time to Hunt is available to stream on Netflix.
5. ‘Sweet & Sour’ is a Netflix original Korean movie about the truth of relationships
K-dramas often glorify romances, first encounters, and true love. More often than not, they do not end other than what fans suspect. But the Netflix Korean movie Sweet & Sour tells a realistic story of a couple whose romance is in jeopardy. The 2021 romantic comedy focuses on the couple Da-eun (Chae Soo-bin) and Hyuk (Jang Ki-yong).
Da-eun is a nurse caring for a stocky patient, and they grow close. But the movie shifts to Da-eun’s relationship with Hyuk and their downfall as he begins to neglect her. Fans watch as Hyuk starts to pay more attention to his new co-worker, and his home life begins to crack. But Sweet & Sour will surprise fans with its ending and the reality of romance that looks beyond the physical.
Sweet & Sour is available to stream on Netflix.
4. ‘Unlocked’ will have fans fearing phone repair shops
There is nothing like a good Korean murder thriller. While many crime K-dramas do the trick, Netflix’s 2022 original Korean movie Unlocked will give fans the creeps. Lee Na-mi (Chun Woo-hee) is an everyday employee as a marketing agent for a company. She also works part-time at her father’s cafe. But fans feel the eeriness of someone watching her.
On the bus, Na-mi leaves her phone behind and is taken by an unknown male stranger named Oh Jun-yeong (Im Si-wan). But he proves dangerous by using a fake female voice to entice her to get the phone from his repair shop. In reality, he installed spyware to watch her every move.
His plan? To gather everything about her to isolate her from the people around her. Jun-yeong is a serial killer, and Na-mi is his next target. Unlocked is an easy yet spooky thriller to watch on a Friday night. Above all, it will have fans questioning the actions of the female lead and wary of phone repair shops. The storyline plays into the lack of safety regarding mobile devices and hacking.
Unlocked is available on Netflix.
3. ‘Love and Leashes’ breaks the Korean storyline stereotypes by venturing into BDSM
Before the global Hallyu Wave, K-dramas were notoriously known for “vanilla” romance storylines. The idea of nudity or NSFW content was taboo. With the popularity of Korean content, K-dramas and movies have ventured into more risky themes. Netflix’s original Korean movie Love and Leashes is the perfect mix of unsuspecting romance in the workplace and BDSM.
Based on the webtoon Moral Sense by Gyeoul, the romantic comedy focuses on two office workers. Jung Ji-woo (Seohyun) has a similar name to her new puppy-like co-worker, Jung Ji-hoo (Lee Jun-young). But things turn dramatically when she accidentally opens his package revealing a studded dog collar.
Unable to hide the truth, Ji-hoo reveals he is a sub in BDSM. He proposes that Ji-woo become his dom or master, despite her knowing nothing about BDSM. Intrigued by the idea, she agrees and enters a sexually erotic world. Love & Leashes does not dive into nudity but instead serves as a backdrop to understanding BDSM as the characters fall in love.
Love and Leashes is available on Netflix.
2. ’20th Century Girl’ is a Netflix Korean movie about the heartache of young love
Teen romance K-dramas are a favorite among fans as they tell the stories of young teens experiencing first love, friendships, and the journey into adulthood. But Netflix’s original Korean movie 20th Century Girl took the cake and had fans weeping over its emotional storyline. The move warms the heart while displaying how impactful one first love truly is.
Written and directed by Bang Woo-ri, 20th Century Girl takes place in 1999 with a 17-year-old high schooler named Na Bo-ra (Kim Yoo-jung). Her best friend, Yeon-du (Roh Yoon-seo), leaves for the U.S. to undergo heart surgery but gives Bo-ra a task. She has fallen in love with a boy named Baek Hyun-jin (Park Jung-woo).
Bo-ra must find out everything about him while Yeon-du is away. While gathering intel, Bo-ra begins to develop a crush on his friend Poong Woon-ho (Byeon Woo-seok). 20th Century Girl explores her journey into her first love, all the while her responsibility as a best friend when she learns the truth about Yeon-do’s crush. The finale of 20th Century Girl will require a tissue box.
20th Century Girl is available on Netflix.
1. ‘Kill Boksoon’ has a ‘John Wick’ vibe as a contract killer is also a devoted mother
One of 2023’s most anticipated Netflix original Korean movies was Kill Boksoon. Crash Course in Romance actor Jeon Do-yeon stars as Gil Bok-soon. By day, she is an ordinary single mother trying to do her best to raise her teenage daughter. But behind her sweet demeanor is a big secret.
She is a legendary contract killer for an assassin company. Every other assassin and recruit fear and idolize her. But she breaks the rules during a job, making her a target days before her contract renewal with the company. Her peers are now hunting the feared assassin. John Wick fans will want to watch the Korean movie, which parallels the same thriller and secret agency vibes. Instead of a dog, Bok-soon is protecting her daughter.
Keeping her daughter safe becomes a challenge with a target on Bok-soon’s back. What is worse, being killed or Bok-soon’s daughter learning her secret? The movie is not shy of NSFW scenes and bloodshed.
Kill Boksoon is available on Netflix.
