28 Best Korean Movies Inspired By Real-Life Events

Cinema is an escape from reality into the realm of fiction they say. Aliens invading Earth, a magical time travel to the past for a second chance at life, or the supernatural stories of goblins and ghosts — the thrill of exploring scenarios we can never experience in real life pulls us into the world of storytelling. However, cinema also helps explore reality. And when it does, we realize that the reality we live in, ironically, can be stranger than fiction. Whether it's the extraordinary resilience shown in the face of adversity, the curiosity to explore the forgotten or untouched, or the sheer unpredictability of life, real-life tales captivate in ways fantasy cannot, reminding us that the most incredible stories are not just those born out of the imagination of writers but those lived by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

From dark events in national history to rampant societal crimes and the tales of unsung heroes, here are some of the best Korean movies that give a window into South Korea's past and present, in no particular order.

Disclaimer: Reader discretion is advised as this article makes mentions of sexual assault, rape and suicide. Also note that some of the K-movies may not be available on the mentioned OTT platforms in some countries.  

1. Silenced (2011)

Silenced follows Kang In Ho (Gong Yoo), a newly appointed art teacher at Gwangju Inhwa School, who discovers horrific truths about sexual and physical abuse endured by hearing-impaired children at his new workplace. Determined to expose these atrocities and bring justice to the victims, Kang In Ho teams up with human rights activist Seo Yoo Jin (Jung Yu Mi). 

The K-movie is based on Gong Ji Young's novel "The Crucible", which in turn is inspired by real-life events of Gwangju Inhwa School for the Deaf in the early 2000s, where young students were sexually assaulted by faculty members for over five years. 

Interesting fact: Reportedly, this film caused such a stir in South Korea for its portrayal of both the heinous crimes and the subsequent lenient court verdicts for the offenders that the country's National Assembly passed the "Dogani Law" (named after the film's Korean title), scrapping the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against children under 13 and the disabled, while also allowing heavier punishments for offenders.

Watch Silenced on Netflix and Tubi.

2. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) 

1597, when the Japanese were advancing towards the Joseon Dynasty, the disgraced Admiral Yi Sun Shin (Choi Min Shik) is called upon as the last resort to command an army of skeptical soldiers and the kingdom's meagre fleet of a dozen battleships, remnants of a previous major battle, against more than 300 Japanese ships.

The K-movie dramatizes the historical Battle of Myeongnyang.

Watch The Admiral: Roaring Currents on Apple TV and Prime Video. 

3. Hope (2013)

8-year-old So Won (whose name means "wish" or "hope" in Korean) is an ordinary girl born to humble parents. One day, she was kidnapped, beaten, raped, and left to die by a drunken man on her way to school. The little girl now suffers both physically and mentally. But So Won's parents bear equal emotional pain as they see their daughter suffer the aftermath of the horrendous incident. Determined to restore Hope in So Won's life, her family leaves no stone unturned to help her get over the incident while enduring their own grief.

The K-movie is inspired by the 2008 Cho Doo Soon case, where a 57-year-old man, after raping and beating an 8-year-old girl in a public bathroom, was sentenced to only 12 years in prison.

Watch Hope on Netflix.

4. Miracle in Cell No.7 (2013)

Lee Yong Gu (played by Moving star Ryu Seung Ryong) is a man with a mental age of 6 years and is also the father of a six-year-old Lee Ye Seung (Gal So Won). One day, he tries to save a young girl, who has had an accident, by giving her CPR. A bystander mistakes his actions and gets arrested on charges of rape and murder. After being sent to prison and ostracised for a crime he didn't commit, he wishes to see his daughter again. Helping him reunite with his only family are his cellmates, who, initially disgusted by him, come to realize that Yong Gu is actually innocent and devise plans to smuggle Ye Seung into the prison. 

The K-movie draws its inspiration from the true account of a man who, after enduring torture, falsely confessed to the sexual assault and murder of a 9-year-old girl in Chuncheon on September 27, 1972. He was finally declared innocent in November 2008.

Watch Miracle in Cell No.7 on Netflix, Prime Video, Viki, and Tubi.

5. 12.12: The Day (2023) 

December 12, 1979. Seoul was deep in political tension. President Park has been assassinated, and martial law declared.

Soon after, the leader of the Defense Security Command Chun Doo Kwang (Hwang Jung Min), and his secret group of officers carry out a coup. Stubborn Commander Lee Tae Shin (Jung Woo Sung), who believes that it is not befitting for the military to take political actions, fights Chun Doo Kwang to prevent him from executing his plans. 

The conflict between the two intensifies as the Defense Minister disappears and military leaders hold off on their decisions. In the midst of pandemonium, the spring in Seoul takes an unexpected turn.

Giving viewers a window into the "12·12 Military Insurrection", this tension-filled political drama recounts the nine grueling hours of emergency the 1979 Seoul faced.

Watch 12.12: The Day on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV and  Viki.

6. A Taxi Driver (2017)  

Set in 1980, A Taxi Driver attempts to mirror the events of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. 

A German journalist named Jürgen Hinzpeter (Thomas Kretschmann) visits South Korea to dig into the increasing civil unrest in Gwangju and hires Kim Man Sub (Song Kang Ho), an ordinary taxi driver, to visit the place. When Kim Man Sub drives the taxi to the city, he and Peter realize the gravity of the matter and must find a way out safely all while filming the entire situation. 

The K-movie attempts to mirror the Gwangju Uprising (May 18 to May 27, 1980), where students protesting against martial law were subjected to violence, including shooting, killing, rape, and physical assault, by the South Korean military. Reports estimate 2000 victims.

Watch A Taxi Driver on Prime Video, Netflix, Viki, and AppleTV. 

7. Innocence (2020) 

Jung In (Shin Hye Sun) is a hotshot lawyer in Seoul. She belatedly learns about her father Tae Soo's (Choi Hong Il) death but chooses not to attend the funeral. Dark memories of traumatic childhood and abuse stayed with her. Days later, she is stunned to hear shocking news on television that at her father's funeral in her hometown, attendees consumed funeral food contaminated with pesticides, resulting in the death of one, critical conditions for Mayor Choo (Heo Joon Ho) and a few others. Adding to her astonishment, Jung In learns that her mother, Hwa Ja (Bae Jong Ok), suffering from dementia, has been arrested as a suspect in the incident. 

She returns to her hometown and meets Hwa Ja. However, her mother fails to recognize her or her younger autistic brother, Jung Soo (Hong Kyung). Certain of her mother's innocence, Jung In takes on the case, believing there is more to it than meets the eye.

The K-movie is inspired by a true story of an elderly woman who was arrested as the suspect in a case where two old women died and several were discovered ill after consuming a soda contaminated by pesticide.

Watch Innocence on Netflix and Prime Video.

8. Miracle: Letters to the President (2021) 

Jung Jun Kyung (Park Jung Min) is a high school student living in a small village in North Gyeongsang Province who dreams of building a train station in his hometown. He writes endless letters to the president seeking permission to build one, but to no avail. When he loses his sense of hope and is on the verge of giving up, he regains determination after befriending his classmate Song Ra Hee (Im Yoon Ah). 

Jun Kyung, along with Ra Hee, his elder sister Jung Bo Kyung (Lee Soo Kyung) and the village residents set out to fulfill their dream of getting the village its first-ever train station. 

The K-movie fictionalizes the story of how Yangwon station, in a roadless remote area of North Gyeongsang Province in the 1980s, was built by the villagers.

Watch Miracle: Letters To The President on Netflix, Viki, Prime Video, iQIYI and Tubi. 

9. Ode to My Father (2014) 

Ode To My Father tells the story of Deok Su (Hwang Jung Min), an ordinary man who gathers extraordinary courage to protect his family through turbulent times. Together, they navigate some of the most significant events in modern history. Deok Su bid farewell to his father when he was a child during a North Korean refugee evacuation amid the Korean War, with a promise to always protect the family. This pledge leads him through the coal mines of 1960s Germany and into the jungle of the Vietnam War as he matures.  

Set against the backdrop of modern history, Ode To My Father portrays a heartwarming journey of resilience, depicting a common man's unwavering commitment to his family amid global turmoil. The film uses fictional characters to depict true story of an average Korean navigating national and global events such as the Hungnam evacuation of 1950 during the Korean War, the government's decision to dispatch nurses and miners to West Germany in the 1960s, and the Vietnam War.

Watch Ode To My Father on Netflix and Apple TV.

10. Samjin Company English Class (2020)

Set in the 1990s, Samjin Company English Class is a story about three women — Lee Ja Young (Go Ah Sung), Jung Yoo Na (Esom), and Sim Bo Ram (Park Hye Soo) — co-workers at Samjin Company. Despite their dedication and hard work, they have been unable to climb the corporate ladder due to a lack of educational qualifications.

When the company announces that any employee who scores 600 or higher on the TOEIC (Test of English for International Communication) exam, will be promoted to the post of assistant manager, the trio pounce on the opportunity and enroll themselves in the Samjin Co. English Class. 

During this time, Ja Young learns that wastewater from a factory of the company is being discharged into the river. Determined to get to the bottom of this issue, she, along with Yoo Na and Bo Ram, decides to investigate. As they dig deeper, the three women must navigate the challenge of exposing Samjin Company's illegal activities without losing their jobs. 

The K-movie gives a peek into the "mid-1990s when the country's globalization policy pushed corporations to offer English TOEIC classes to their employees." Actual incidents of environmental pollution and whistleblowers in Korean society were also taken into account.  

Watch Samjin Company English Class on Netflix.  

11. Way Back Home (2013) 

Jung Yun (Jeon Do Yeon) and her husband, Jong Bae (Go Soo) live a humble yet content life with their daughter, Hye Rin (Kang Ji Woo). Their peace is shattered when Jong Bae's friend commits suicide, leaving him responsible for the loan for which Jong acted as his guarantor. Having an exorbitant amount with a huge interest to repay, the couple sell their car repair shop and apartment.

Now residing in a cramped one-room apartment in a ramshackle neighborhood, their financial troubles deepen as they fall behind on rent. At a time like this when the couple is desperate for money, Jong Bae learns about a lucrative opportunity from his friend to smuggle some jewels from Paris, France into South Korea with the promise of a hefty sum and minimal consequences if caught. However, the job requires a woman.

Jung Yun decides to take on the task. Leaving a note for Jong Bae, she boards a flight to Paris. Upon arrival, she is arrested, only to discover she is being charged with smuggling large quantities of cocaine. Thus begins her harrowing journey home.

Way Back Home is founded on the true story of an ordinary Korean housewife who was arrested for smuggling drugs, in a suitcase given by her husband's friend, at a Paris airport and was imprisoned in Martinique for two years.

Watch Way Back Home on Netflix and Apple TV.

12. The Roundup (2022)

Detective Ma Seok Do (Ma Dong Seok, aka Don Lee) and Captain Jeon Il Man (Choi Gwi Hwa) come together four years after the Garibong district incident to embark on a new mission to capture a notorious criminal.

The duo are sent to Vietnam to bring home a South Korean criminal apprehended by the Vietnamese police, a simple task. However, the situation escalates when Kang Hae Sang (Son Suk Ku), a South Korean expat, begins brutally murdering tourists.

Panic spreads among South Korean travelers in Vietnam. Ma Seok Do and Jeon Il Man resolve to capture Kang Hae Sang, but this proves to be far more challenging than anticipated. 

The story is inspired by the case of Yoon Cheol Wan, a South Korean soldier who went missing and was believed to be a victim of a serial kidnapping and murder spree in the Philippines from 2008 to 2012, which also involved the disappearance of several other Koreans.

Watch The Roundup on Netflix, Prime Video, Viki and Tubi.

13. The Attorney (2013)

The year is 1978, a turbulent time when South Korea was under military regime. Song Woo Seok (Song Kang Ho) wants a change in his monotonous life. He resigns from his job as a regional judge and relocates to Busan to open his own private law firm. Despite the sneers he gets from fellow lawyers for having passed the bar exams without a standard higher education, Woo Seok remains undaunted. He dedicates himself entirely to his practice, taking on cases that others avoid. This determination allows him to find his niche and ascend in stature. 

By 1981, Woo Seok has established himself as a highly successful lawyer. However, his peaceful life is soon disrupted by the growing civil unrest. Despite initially trying to remain uninvolved, he eventually gets drawn into the turmoil when Choi Soon Ae (Kim Young Ae), an acquaintance of his, tells him her worries that her son, Park Jin Woo (Yim Si Wan), has gone missing. Promising to investigate, Woo Seok is horrified to discover that Jin Woo and his friends have been charged with sedition, imprisoned and tortured. 

Determined to defend the oppressed, Woo Seok takes on Jin Woo's case, but going up against a repressive government proves to be no easy task. As he fights for justice, Woo Seok wonders if a single individual can truly effect change in the world.

The K-movie portrays the Burim case of 1981, a time when South Korea was ruled by the military government of Chun Doo Hwan. 22 students, teachers, and office workers from a book club in Busan were arrested without warrants and detained for up to 63 days on false charges of being North Korean sympathizers. The police tortured the detainees, forcing them to make false confessions of being pro-North Korean figures aiming to aid the enemy country.

Watch The Attorney on Prime Video, Viki, Kocowa and Tubi.  

14. Marathon (2005) 

Cho Won (Cho Seung Woo) is a young man with autism. He lives with his mother, Gyung Sook (Kim Mi Sook), and his younger brother Jung Won (Baek Sung Hyun), who sometimes feels neglected due to the attention Cho Won receives.  

As a child, Cho Won experienced meltdowns, harmed himself, and had difficulty communicating with others. But he finds zebras fascinating and has a passion for running. His mother, determined to prove her child's potential, never gave up on him. After placing third in a race, his mother decides to hire a professional coach to train him. Despite the financial struggles, she manages to get Son Jung Wook (Lee Gi Young), an alcoholic former marathon champion, to help him.   

Initially, Son is lazy and unmotivated about training Cho. But despite the coach's lack of effort, Cho Won remains steadfast.

Then, one day, Cho Won came third in a 10 km race. His mother sets a new goal: to have him complete a full marathon in under three hours. This proves challenging, as Cho Won struggles with pacing himself. His mother pleads with the coach to run alongside Cho Won to teach him proper pacing. Will Cho Won overcome the challenges and achieve this difficult feat?

The K-movie is inspired by the true story of Bae Hyeong Jin, an autistic man who completed a marathon race within three hours and became the youngest Korean to finish a triathlon with help from his mother.

Watch Marathon on Prime Video and Viki.

15. Escape From Mogadishu (2021) 

A civil war breaks out in Mogadishu, Somalia, trapping the embassy officials of North and South Korea. With no help from their governments, their only way out of the crisis is to unite, putting their animosity towards each other aside.  

The K-movie recounts the true story of a group of North and South Korean diplomats who made a daring escape out of the war-torn Somalian capital in 1991.

Watch Escape From Mogadishu on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Viki.

16. The Last Princess (2016) 

Telling a real-life tale, with artistic license, the K-movie follows the last princess of the Joseon Dynasty, Princess Deok Hye (Son Ye Jin), as she journeys back to her homeland after being forced to move to Japan. 

Watch The Last Princess on Prime Video, Netflix and Apple TV.

17. Rebound (2023) 

Rebound tells the touching true story of Jungang High School's basketball team, where a new coach and a ragtag team of 6 players, considered the weakest basketball team, defy all odds and rise to a national tournament. 

The K-movie is based on the real story of the 2012 basketball team from Jungang High School in Busan.  

Watch Rebound on Netflix and Prime Video.

18. The Man Standing Next (2020) 

The year is 1979. South Korea witnessed one of the most horrifying political incidents in its modern history: the assassination of President Park (Lee Sung Min)  by KCIA (Korean Central Intelligence Agency; now the National Intelligence Service) director, Kim Kyu Pyung (Lee Byung Hun). And the events that led to the incident were equally appalling.  

Set in a time when South Korea and KCIA (the most powerful government organization in the country) are under the absolute control of President Park, The Man Standing Next is a story depicting the political tension that emerged when Park Yong Gak (Kwak Do Won) — former KCIA director — testified against the South Korean government in the United States Senate Committee's investigation of Koreagate (an American political scandal of the 1970s when Korea's political figures were lobbying in the United States. The scandal involved 10 Democratic members of Congress). And following that are political battles for power.

The K-movie is adapted from the non-fiction novel "Namsanui Bujangdeul", which tells the real-life story of KCIA director Kim Hyong Uk and his disappearance.

Watch The Man Standing Next on Netflix, Prime Video,  Apple TV and Tubi. 

19. Citizen of a Kind (2024)

Deok Hee (Ra Mi Ran) is an ordinary citizen who falls victim to a voice phishing scam. One day, she unexpectedly receives a help request from the same member of the criminal organization, Jae Min (Gong Myung), who scammed her. 

Determined to retrieve her money and rescue Jae Min, Deok Hee convinces her colleagues, Bong Rim (Yeom Hye Ran) and Sook Ja (Jang Yoon Ju), for this operation.

This K-movie draws inspiration from a real-life event in 2016, where Kim Seong Ja, a middle-aged laundry shop owner, received a plea for help from a gang member. With the laundry shop owner's help, the boss of the criminal organization was arrested.

The K-movie is inspired by a real-life incident from 2016, when Kim Seong Ja, a middle-aged laundry shop owner, received a phone call from a gang member asking her to rescue him. With her help, authorities arrested the criminal organization's boss.

Watch Citizen of a Kind on Netflix, Prime Video and Viki.

20. Boston 1947 (2023)

At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Son Gi Jeong (Ha Jung Woo) won gold. But instead of proudly holding his head high, he shrank in pain, forced to wear the Japanese flag on his chest despite being Korean.

Fast forward to 1947, Korea has enjoyed two years of liberation from Japanese rule. Seo Yoon Bbok (Yim Si Wan) is a young marathon runner training for the 51st Boston Marathon. His head coach, Son Gi Jeong, alongside coach Nam Seung Yong (Bae Sung Woo) is preparing him for the race. Son Gi Jeong is determined not only for his trainee to win but to do so proudly wearing the Korean flag on his chest. 

The K-movie is inspired by the life of marathon runner Seo Yoon Bbok and his coach Son Gi Jeong, who won gold in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics but was forced to compete as a part of the Japanese delegation. Son trained the Korean team for the first international marathon held after World War II and spent the rest of his life coaching prominent Korean athletes, including Seo Yoon Bbok, Ham Kee Yong (winner of the 1950 Boston Marathon), and Hwang Young Cho (gold medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics).

Watch Boston 1947 on Apple TV and Viki. 

21. The Point Men (2023) 

Amidst rising international conflict, a group of evangelists from a South Korean Presbyterian church lands in Afghanistan, ignoring the government's protocol, to bring the Afghans into the fold of Christianity. There, they are kidnapped by Taliban, which puts forward certain demands in exchange for the hostages.

In response, the Korean government sends NIS agent Park Dae Sik (Hyun Bin), and diplomat Jung Jae Ho (Hwang Jung Min) to handle the crisis and bring back the captives.

The K-movie is inspired by the real-life events involving 23 South Korean missionaries kidnapped by Taliban militants in Afghanistan in 2007.

Watch The Point Men on Netflix, Prime Video and Viki. 

22. Children... (2011) 

The date is March 26, 1991. Local elections are being held. With schools closed for the day, five boys go to a nearby mountain and mysteriously disappear. Their parents request police an urgent investigation, but election security is the top priority. Later, the police search the mountain for clues, but to no avail.

Time skips to 1996. Kang Ji Seung (Park Yong Woo), a documentary maker, is transferred to the town after a scandal. Determined to revive his career, he delves into the boys' disappearance case. He works with a professor who believes he can solve the mystery that even the police gave up on. The professor's theory, supported by substantial evidence, leads them down a path the police hesitated to explore.

The K-movie is inspired by a real unsolved murder case, the Frog Boys of Daegu. Five young boys went missing on the outskirts of Daegu on a public holiday. The case received nationwide attention and caused such a frenzy that then South Korean President Roh Tae Woo ordered a massive search involving both police and military to find the boys.

Children... is currently not available on global OTT services.  

23. Ransomed (2023)

Diplomat Lee Min Joon (Ha Jung Woo) has a simple wish — a transfer to the United States. But all his requests and efforts are in vain. One day, he was working late at night when he received a coded message from a diplomat who had gone missing in Lebanon two years ago. 

Seeing this as an opportunity to score big, he volunteers for the unofficial rescue mission in the hopes of securing a promotion to the United States. 

However, the task appears to be more difficult than anticipated. When things don't go as planned, Min Joon joins hands with Pan Su (Ju Ji Hoon), a Korean taxi driver who knows his way around Lebanon very well but is a con artist. Will Lee succeed in rescuing the missing diplomat?

Ransomed was inspired by the true story of a Korean diplomat taken hostage in Lebanon, plagued by civil war, in the 1980s. 

Watch Ransomed on Netflix, Prime Video and Viki.

24. Hijack 1971 (2024)

Hijack 1971 tells the story of people facing a crisis when a passenger plane is hijacked in the airspace of Korea in 1971.

Actor Ha Jung Woo plays the role of Tae In, the plane's co-pilot. Veteran actor Sung Dong Il comes as Gyu Sik, the plane's captain. Yeo Jin Goo plays Yong Dae, a passenger on the plane. Chae Soo Bin portrays flight attendant Ok Soon.   

In January 1971, a passenger plane departing from Sokcho Airport and bound for Gimpo Airport was hijacked. Drawing inspiration from the real-life event, Hijack 1971 vividly portrays the intense struggles of people on board amidst extreme circumstances. 

Hijack 1971 is currently not available on global OTT services.  

25. Next Sohee (2022)  

Next Sohee tells the story of a high school student, So Hee (Kim Shi Eun), who gets an externship at a call service center. There, she experiences immense stress and dies a mysterious death. A determined female investigator, Yoo Jin (Bae Doo Na), launches an investigation into the circumstances surrounding So Hee's death, only to uncover the dark reality of labor exploitation.

The K-movie is loosely inspired by the suicide case of a girl who was on a temporary externship program.

Watch Next Sohee on Netflix.

26. Kingmaker (2022) 

Seo Chang Dae (Lee Sun Kyun) is a pharmacist who wishes to become a political strategist. Kim Woon Beom (Sol Kyung Gu) is a politician in a left-wing opposition party who has had very little success in the world of politics. Seo approaches Kim with a proposition: by employing shady tactics, Kim could achieve political power. Initially doubtful, Kim eventually decides to adopt Seo's methods, which leads to remarkable success in the elections.

Utilizing Seo Chang Dae’s strategies, Kim Woon Beom constructs a political platform that propels him to the spotlight. However, as they ascend the political hierarchy, their differing principles lead to conflict. Kim begins to question the morality of his strategist's tactics. Meanwhile, the ruling party secretly approaches Seo, seeking his assistance for the next presidential election.

The K-movie draws inspiration from stories of the working relationship between former President Kim Dae Jung and his political strategist Uhm Chang Rok.

Watch Kingmaker on Prime Video and Viki.

27. The Case of Itaewon Homicide (2009) 

Jo Jung Pil (Song Joong Ki) is a college student. He gets into an argument with some youths at a fast-food restaurant in Itaewon, Seoul. Later, he is discovered stabbed to death in the restaurant's restroom. Two Korean-Americans, Robert J. Pearson (Jang Geun Suk) and Alex (Shin Seung Hwan), are identified as having entered the restroom after Jo, which makes them the suspects. The prosecution is now tasked with determining which of the two committed the crime. 

The K-movie is inspired by a crime that happened on April 3, 1997, when Jo Joong Pil, a 23-year-old college student, was stabbed nine times to death in a bathroom of Burger King in Itaewon, Seoul. Two men, Arthur Patterson (son of a former US soldier stationed in South Korea) and his friend Edward Lee (a Korean-American civilian), were the primary suspects.

Watch The Case of Itaewon Homicide at Viki and iQIYI.

28. Fearsome (2021)

Based on a true story, the film tells the tale of a band on a trip to Chuncheon to perform. However, their plans are disrupted when their guitarist starts exhibiting unusual behavior. The K-movie stars Jo Dong Hyuk, Cha Sun Woo, Lim Young Ju, Han Chae Kyung, and Jang Seok Hyun. 

Fearsome is currently not available on global OTT services.