Hello everyone and welcome back to another post by EonTalk! Today, I’ve got the long awaited Part 3 of the Korean movies to watch on Netflix. As mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2, one of the most frequent questions I get is where to watch Korean movies with English subtitles. This is a question that’s hard to tackle, as there are many factors involved, most importantly, the location you are in. Also, there isn’t a single service or platform that supplies the high demand of Korean films with English subtitles.
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I personally watch Korean movies on Netflix, if not in theaters. The Korean Netflix has lots of great movies, but majority of it won’t be available if you’re not using the Korean Netflix server. And to make matters worse is the fact that most of the movies available on the Korean Netflix don’t provide English subtitles. Thus, I have made a list of K-movies on the Korean Netflix server that do have English subtitles, and you guys can watch these movies using a VPN service. I don’t have a particular VPN service I recommend, but there are a ton of VPNs out there, so you can choose the one of your liking, and access the Korean Netflix through that.
Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of the “Korean Movies to Watch on Netflix” content, as I won’t be mentioning the movies mentioned in those content in this one. As with the previous episodes, this list will be in alphabetical order, and not by my liking or ratings. Also, I’ve got movie reviews for all of the movies on this list, so be sure to check those out as well, linked in the descriptions down below.
#1
The first movie of this list is the most recent Korean movie released on Netflix at the time of recording, which is mid-September 2020, <#Alive>.
Directed by Cho Il-Hyung, who had his feature film directorial debut with this movie, <#Alive> is a thrilling zombie action film that starred Yoo Ah-In and Park Shin-Hye. This was a highly anticipated movie that released this summer, and was released just prior to that of <Peninsula> aka “Train to Busan 2.”
The synopsis is as follows:
A city is lost in chaos as an unidentified disease spreads and the people start to show very aggressive behavior. Jun-Woo wakes up, not knowing anything about what’s going on outside, and finds himself alone in his home. His phone’s data, wifi, texts, calls are all cut, and there’s no way of getting in contact with his family. With the ongoing chaos outside, Jun-Woo cannot leave his apartment, and must find a way to survive on his own. Just when he finds himself on the brink of giving up, he receives a signal from another survivor in the apartment complex. He finds that Yoo-Bin is also a survivor, and the two try to find a way to stay alive together.
#2
Next, the #2 Korean movie available on Netflix is the 2019-released film <The Divine Fury>.
Directed by Kim Joo-Hwan, who also directed the great comedy <Midnight Runners>, <The Divine Fury> is a mystery action film with elements of fantasy and horror, and starred the likes of Park Seo-Joon, Ahn Sung-Ki, and Woo Do-Hwan.
The synopsis is as follows:
After losing his father at an early age, Yong-Hoo loses all faith in “God,” and distrusts all that he learned about his religion. The now MMA champion is still very angry with the world, and how unfairly his dad had to die. One day, he starts getting deep wounds on his palm that won’t go away. Doctors say he’s perfectly fine, but the scars keep coming back day after day. He hears about someone that can help, and although he doesn’t believe in spirituality, he decides to try and get help. That’s where he meets Priest Ahn, and he learns that the cut in his hand actually has a very powerful meaning behind it. Through this discovery and with the help of Priest Ahn, he learns about the evil in the world and the ‘Black Bishop’ and starts to fight alongside Priest Ahn.
#3
Moving onto the 3rd movie of the list, the 3rd movie is a movie released earlier this year <Hitman: Agent Jun>.
<Hitman: Agent Jun> was directed by Choi Won-Seob, and is an action comedy starring Kwon Sang-Woo, Jung Jun-Ho, Hwang Woo-Seul-Hye, Lee Yi-Kyung, and Lee Ji-Won.
The synopsis is as follows:
Assassin Jun was a legendary secret agent of the Korean NIS; that is, until he faked his own death and escaped the eyes of the agency. The reason? Because he wanted to pursue his lifelong dream of… being a web-comic artist. But he soon finds reality to be very difficult, as every work he produces receives massively negative reaction. After a night of heavy drinking, Agent Jun creates a new web-comic series in a drunk state. The topic? About this past life of being a secret agent. The web-comic becomes an instant hit, but Jun soon realizes he had just revealed Class-1 confidential info of South Korea. As word-of-mouth spreads and the web-comic receives more and more attention, the NIS and a terrorist group he fought against in the past begins to chase his tail. All he wanted was to live a normal life, but his secret life begins to unravel new circumstances.
#4
The #4 movie of the list is another movie that was released earlier this year, <Honest Candidate>.
<Honest Candidate> was directed by Jang Yoo-Jung, who also directed <The Bros> and <Finding Mr. Destiny>, and is a comedy that’s good for a light watch. The film starred the likes of Ra Mi-Ran, Kim Mu-Yeol, Na Moon-Hee, and Yoon Kyung-Ho.
The synopsis is as follows:
For Ju Sang-Sook, a three-time member of the Korean National Assembly, lying was the easiest thing to do. Whether it be in her political or personal life, she’d talk her way out of, or into, whatever she’d like. This all changed as her campaign to run for the National Assembly for the fourth time began. With some sort of magical, greater power means, she wakes up not being able to lie. AT ALL. What does this mean? She’d just lost her greatest weapon: her tongue. As she continues to campaign for her big win, she can only blurt out the 100% truth, ruining her political image. Will this Honest Candidate be able to pull through?
#5
Going into the 5th movie, the #5 movie is the 2019 film <Innocent Witness>.
Directed by Lee Han, who also directed <A Melody to Remember>, <Thread of Lies>, and <Punch>, <Innocent Witness> was one of the most emotional dramas that came out last year. I highly recommend if you like emotional movies. The film starred Jung Woo-Sung and Kim Hyang-Ki.
The synopsis is as follows:
“Sunho” is a lawyer that has background in civic activities, but now is a part of a major law firm with the goal of facing reality. In order to be promoted as a partner lawyer, he takes on a case as the lead lawyer. And to prove the innocence of his client, he decides to put “Ji-Woo,” a girl with autism, on stand. However, this proves to be a difficult task, as when he approaches Ji-Woo, she rejects him completely. But Sunho doesn’t give up there; he continues to make efforts, little by little, and Ji-Woo eventually starts opening up to him. But now that the two are fairly close, they must face each other in court, as lawyer vs. witness.
#6
Moving along, the #6 movie is the 2019 film, <MALMOE: The Secret Mission>.
Directed by Uhm Yoo-Na, who I believe was in the director’s seat for the first time with this movie, <MALMOE: The Secret Mission> is a historical piece set in the 1940s Korea, and starred Yoo Hae-Jin and Yoon Kye-Sang.
The synopsis is as follows:
1940s: A time when the Korean language was gradually disappearing. After recently being fired from his job at the movie theaters, Pan-Soo resorts to pick-pocketing to pay for his son’s tuition. Coincidentally, a man that he unsuccessfully tried to rob turns out to be Jung-Hwan, the executive director of the Korean Language Society that he’s trying to get a job at. The Korean Language Society is hard at work in trying to build a Korean dictionary; thus, the director is very hesitant in hiring an ex-convict. Plus, Pan-Soo is illiterate! Nevertheless, the rest of the team welcomes Pan-Soo with open arms, and he joins the Society with the condition that he must learn to read and write Korean. A man that didn’t understand why “words” instead of “money” should be collected begins to learn the importance of the Korean language as he learns how to read. With the Japanese imperial government chasing them down, the Korean Language Society must complete the MALMOE before they are shut down by the Japanese government, and all is lost for the Korean language.
#7
Next, the #7 movie is yet another film released earlier this year, <The Man Standing Next>.
This is another movie based on the history of South Korea, and was directed by Woo Min-Ho, the director of the films <The Drug King>, <Inside Men>, and <The Spies>. Not only was this an eye-opening film to the historical event of the assassination of President Park in the late 1970s, but had some of the best acting performances so far this year. The film starred incredible actors Lee Byung-Hun, Lee Sung-Min, Kwak Do-Won, Lee Hee-Jun, and Kim So-Jin.
The synopsis is as follows:
October 26th 1979, the director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, Kim Gyu-Pyung, assassinates the president of South Korea, Park. Just 40 days prior to the assassination, the former director of the KCIA, Park Yong-Gak, stirs up great interest in Washington by claiming he’ll reveal the truth about the South Korean regime to the world. In order to stop the actions of Park, the director of the KCIA, Kim, and the Chief Officer of the president, Kwak, start taking matters into their own hands. In the midst of this, loyalty to President Park becomes more and more divided, and situations get more and more out of hand. What led to the assassination of President Park? Why did Kim Gyu-Pyung, who swore his life to protecting the president, decide to pull the trigger?
#8
Going into the #8 spot, the #8 movie is the 2019-released film <A Resistance>.
Directed by Cho Min-Ho, who also directed <A Million>, <A Resistance> is another historical piece that’s a must watch if you would like to learn more about the history of South Korea. Starring the likes of Go Ah-Sung, Kim Sae-Byeok, Kim Ye-Eun, Jung Ha-Dam, and Ryu Kyung-Soo, <A Resistance> is mostly in black and white, but this really sets the tone of the movie.
The synopsis is as follows:
Following the March 1st Movement of 1919, Yoo Kwan-Soon is arrested and put into the SeoDaeMun Prison by the Japanese authorities. She, alongside many other women, are forced to live in terrible conditions inside an extremely small prison cell. With the very minimum amount of food and necessities, it is nearly impossible for the prisoners to survive in the harsh environment. However, the ladies of Prison Cell #8 don’t lose hope, as they believe although their physical bodies may be locked up, their souls are free.
#9
The second to last film on the list is the 2019 movie <Tazza: One Eyed Jack>.
This movie was directed by Kwon Oh-Kwang, who also directed <Collective Invention>, and is a crime drama starring the likes of Park Jung-Min, Ryu Seung-Bum, Choi Yoo-Hwa, and Lee Kwang-Soo. This is the third film of the “Tazza” series, and although it wasn’t as good as the first two, I still thought it was a fun watch.
The synopsis is as follows:
Il-Chul, the son of the legendary Tazza “Sparrow,” is a student that has no interest in studies, yet takes after his father in that he’s an extremely talented poker player. Il-Chul comes across “Madonna” at a poker table, and falls deeply for her. However, he learns how bitter poker can be, as his attraction towards Madonna leads him to falling for a trap laid out by a hustler. After losing all his money and pride, Il-Chul is hanging by a thread; that is, until an unidentified Tazza, Ae-Goo, comes in to save him. Ae-Goo gathers various Tazzas from around the nation and strategizes a plan to collect a massive amount of money through poker. The “One Eyed Jack” team begins a project that’ll change their lives forever.
#10
And finally, the last movie of Korean movies to watch on Netflix pt.3 is the relatively recent film, <Time to Hunt>.
<Time to Hunt> was directed by Yoon Sung-Hyun, who also directed <Bleak Night>, and is a crime action thriller that had one of the best cast lineups. The film starred Lee Je-Hoon, Ahn Jae-Hong, Choi Woo-Shik, Park Jung-Min, and Park Hae-Soo, and because of the cast, I was very excited for the film. However, the movie was delayed several times due to the pandemic earlier this year, and was eventually released on Netflix without having a theatrical release.
The synopsis is as follows:
Recently released from prison, Jun-Seok and his best friends Jang-Ho and Ki-Hoon, as well as Sang-Soo, plan a dangerous operation in order to escape from the dystopian society, and to start a new life. Just when they thought they had successfully completed their operation, an unknown man starts to chase after the boys. Will the four friends be able to get away from the chaser and attain that “new dream life” they were hoping for?
Conclusion
And that concludes today’s post on Part 3 of Korean movies to watch on Netflix. Remember, as with parts 1 and 2, these movies weren’t in the order of my liking but in alphabetical order. Also, these movies are available on the Korean Netflix at the time of recording, so mid-September of 2020. The availability of the movies may change as time goes on, so be sure to watch them before they become unavailable on Netflix. I’d love to hear which movies you will be watching, so please comment down below which ones you’re interested in! If you would like another video of Korean movies to watch on Netflix, please let me know by liking and commenting down below, and I’ll make a Part 4. Also, join the EonTalk Telegram group and you discuss further with me and other K-film enthusiasts regarding Korean movies. Lastly, join the EonTalk Patreon to show me your support in what I do!
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Disclaimer
Please keep in mind this review is composed of solely my own opinions, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I am in no way a professional writer, nor have I majored or studied journalism. This is for informative entertainment purpose only, representing my personal views. I do not own the images and/or videos used in the review. No copyright infringement intended.