New Delhi: You have probably heard about K-pop, which is just a fancy name for Korean pop music. But now it's time for the K-wave, or Hallyu, which is the name given to the wave of Korean media, including movies, that has been sweeping the globe since the 1990s.


Cinema in South Korea offers a unique perspective of the country shaped by rapid economic development, technological progress, and the impact of colonialism and war, as well as providing maximum entertainment with the nation’s greatest storytelling talent.


From romantic and sci-fi movies to disaster and action flicks, we have documented brilliant Korean movies that are enough to pique a movie buff’s interest.


Here are some of the Korean movies of 2023 you can add to your watchlist.


Unlocked


This cyber-thriller adaptation of the Japanese movie Stolen Identity is the ultimate nightmare for any tech-savvy woman. On the way home from work one day, Na-mi loses her smartphone, which is then returned to her after Jun-yeong, played by Run On's Jang Si-wan, installs spyware on it. The intruder then begins to observe her daily activities and eventually reaches out to her while keeping his identity a secret. At the same time, Na-mi's normal life begins to spiral out of control, and her father, Police Detective Ji-man, played by Kim Hee-won, finds traces of his son at the scene of the crime.



Jung-E


It is the 22nd century, and the world has been declared uninhabitable for humans due to climate change. To survive, people have to build shelters. In the midst of this chaos, with a civil war threatening to make their lives even worse, a leader from the allied forces, named Jung Yi (Kim), is cloned into a powerful AI robot.



Smugglers


This story is set in the 1970s in a peaceful coastal village on the island of Jeju. The women who used to live off the land as abalone divers (haenyeo) were threatened by a chemical factory that was built near the village. So they started to look for other ways to make a living, and two of them, Chun Ja and Jin Suk, got into the smuggling business to get illegal shipments out of the ocean.



Concrete Utopia


Concrete Utopia, a disaster drama released on August 9, focuses on the lives of those who have been left behind in the aftermath of the massive earthquake that destroyed the city of Seoul. The film follows the lives of those living in the Hwang Goong Apartments after the earthquake.



Point men


Amidst a growing international crisis, a group of South Korean Presbyterian missionaries from a church in South Korea travelled to Afghanistan in violation of government regulations with the goal of bringing Christianity to the people of Afghanistan. Unfortunately, this leads to their kidnapping by the terrorist group, the Taliban, who then make demands for the release of the hostages. The North Korean government sent a team consisting of a highly experienced National Intelligence Organisation (NIS) operative, Hyun Bin (Park Dae Sik), and a highly experienced diplomat, Hwang Jung Min (Jung Jae Ho), to mediate the situation. "Point Men" enraptures you with its honesty and commitment to the true story. If you’re expecting grandiose action scenes, you’re in for a world of trouble, as the film purposefully avoids the gimmicks in favour of telling a more grounded story.



Rebound


Rebound is a captivating narrative that follows a school basketball team, led by an untried coach and composed of six players, as they strive to reach the National Basketball Tournament. The film is based on the true story of the 2012 team, and, despite its limited domestic box office performance, Rebound is widely regarded as one of the top Korean films of the year due to its realistic depiction and meticulous attention to detail.



Phantom 


The story of Phantom takes place in 1933, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Five people are arrested, including Sol Kyung Gu and Lee Ha Nee, and they're all suspected of being phantom spies. They're taken to a secret hotel and questioned. Everyone suspects each other and tries to figure out who the phantom is to get them out. The movie takes its time to create a tense atmosphere before exploding everything. The ending is much more progressive than a typical movie would say and encourages people to stand up for themselves.



The Roundup: No Way Out


As part of a new task force to solve a Vietnam-era murder seven years later, Ma Seok-doo's investigation takes an interesting turn when he finds connections between a synthetic drug and a criminal gang.



Soulmate


The story follows two friends who meet for the first time when they're 11 years old and experience love, friendship, and life. It is a very well-acted movie, and the pacing is slow and thoughtful and draws you into the everlasting friendship of the two leads, even though at times it seems broken.



The Match


Based on an actual story, this movie follows the lives of Go player Cho Hun-hyun and his protégé (and soon-to-be opponent) Lee Chang Ho. After all these years of teaching each other, their rivalry finally comes to the surface when they face off in the game of a lifetime.


In Korean films, there's always something fresh and interesting to see. It comes as no surprise that Korean filmmakers have been creating some of the most thought-provoking and inventive films to date.