When it comes to spy flicks, one might think of cat-and-mouse pursuits, action scenes and shootouts. But director Yoon Jong-bin, using very little action, sidesteps the spy formula in his 2018 “The Spy Gone North,” a movie that revolves around a loyal South Korean spy who is caught in a political vo

South Korea in the 1980s is often described as an era of violence and chaos. The period was marked by numerous major events in South Korean history, among them: the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980 in which the military cracked down on civilians leading to a massacre; one of the largest fraud cas

“A Taxi Driver,” a 2017 action drama flick by Jang Hoon (“The Front Line,” “The Secret Reunion”), is not the first movie to have depicted the Gwangju Democratic Uprising of May 18, 1980. But unlike other movies cover the student-led democratization movement — “Peppermint Candy,” “May 18,” “26 Years”

The 2020 suspenseful history flick “The Man Standing Next” revisits one of the most pivotal incidents in Korea’s modern history: the 1979 presidential assassination. The late President Park Chung-hee, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist for 18 years, is a highly debated figure in the country’s h

The 1970s is an important era in South Korea‘s contemporary history, a turbulent time that shaped the country’s politics. Set in the 1960s and 1970s, director Byun Sung-hyun‘s “Kingmaker” follows a group of politicians who attempt to replace the dictatorship with a democracy. Kim Woon-beom (played b

Director Yoon Je-kyoon’s 2014 hit drama flick “Ode to My Father,” which drew crowds of 14.2 million upon its release, is the fourth most successful film in South Korea‘s history. The movie is still talked about as a work that helped foster a deeper understanding of Korea’s modern history and how peo

Director Kang Je-gyu’s 2004 war action film “Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War” follows a simple storyline that revolves around two brothers – Jin-tae (Jang Dong-gun) and Jin-seok (Won Bin) -- who are drafted to the South Korean Army to fight in the Korean War that broke out on June 25, 1950. The bru