Movies and Books About Korea

Hours Hours
Affiliate Disclosure

When people think of South Korea, most people automatically think of: the battle with North Korea, K-pop music, bright busy lights, and Korean BBQ. All of those are accurate (I lived there for three years, I know), but there is also so much more.

Despite its small size, the country offers major bustling cities (there are approximately 25 million people in the capital area of Seoul!), fields for farming, scenic beaches, and tall mountains. Although the country as we know it was only established in 1948, its dramatic history goes back thousands of years to dynasties and kingdoms. And the country has made a powerful comeback from years of war and poverty, to become one of the most highly-developed countries in the world.

That’s what I love about it–the seemingly competing facets living in harmony: ladies dressed in traditional hanbok riding the subway with their smart phone in hand, the Gyeongbokgung Palace built in 1395 surrounded by modern skyscrapers, the entire country traveling to see their families for traditional meals during Chuseok…and singing along to K-pop music altogether.

There were several books and movies to select from for this list, so, as always, we tried to offer an eclectic collection covering various genres and topics to try and capture this country. Let us know if you think we’re missing something!

Ten Books set in South Korea

book cover for At Dusk with silhouette of man looking at profile of woman, with title written along the top and author's name, Hwang Sok-yong written underneath

At Dusk

Author: Hwang Sok-yong

Genre: Fiction, Drama

Places Featured: Seoul, South Korea

Hwang Sok-yong is one of Korea’s most well-known authors. He’s written several novels covering the ideas of military, modernization, and self-growth; At Dusk won him the Emile Guimet Prize for Asian Literature. It’s a poignant story about a man who has risen from a challenging childhood to become a success story…but must face the choices that got him there.

book cover of Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, with image of woman from shoulders up with long brown hair parted in the middle; the area where the face should be contains a scene of a desert tree and mountains in the background. The book's title is written along the top in red with the author's anme, Cho Nam-Joo written along the bottom.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: A Novel

Author: Cho Nam-Joo

Genre: Fiction

Places Featured: Seoul, South Korea

This short book packs a powerful punch. It’s the story of a young woman in Korea’s misogynistic society, the sexism she has faced her whole life, and how she is deeply affected by feeling pushed down and kept away from her dreams. As you might be able to guess, the book was quite controversial.

book cover for Lost Names, red background with book title written in yellow at bottom and author's name Richard E. Kim written along the top

Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood

Author: Richard E. Kim

Genre: Fiction, Historical, War & Military

Places Featured: South Korea

Japan and Korea have a complicated history, including the time from 1910 to 1945 when Japan occupied Korea, exploiting its people and its land. Lost Names tells that story from a child’s perspective. Although considered fiction, it is based on the author’s own experiences growing up during that time.

book cover for Please Look After Mom, with image of young Korean woman's face behind a flowered tree, with book title written along side and author's name, Kyung-Sook Shin written beneath

Please Look After Mom

Author: Kyung-Soko Shin

Genre: Fiction

Places Featured: South Korea

Please Look After Mom might be South Korea’s most famous novel. It won several awards and was featured by Oprah. It’s a meaningful novel about a mother separated from her family and their search for her…though they soon realize they may not even actually know her. It is not necessarily a feel-good novel, but it is one that will make you think.

Book cover for The Birth of Korean Cool with bright blue background, image of Korean baby sitting with headphones and sunglasses, carrying South Korean flag, and surrounded by pieces of a globe split open, book title is written in white block titles along the top and author's name Euny Hong at bottom

The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture

Author: Euny Hong

Genre: Nonfiction

Places Featured: South Korea

This is a really interesting book–it’s a funny and fascinating look at South Korea and how a country once so steeped in poverty and tradition has become an international powerhouse known for its music, TV shows, and technology. The author is a Korean-American journalist who spent her teenage years in Seoul, so she writes from both personal experience and research.

book cover for The Island of Sea Women with blue background, seaweed along one side, and two Korean women dressed as divers on the right, book title is written in front in white with the author's name, Lisa See, written along the top

The Island of Sea Women: A Novel

Author: Lisa See

Genre: Fiction, Historical, War & Military

Places Featured: Jeju, South Korea

Lisa See, known for writing moving novels set in Asia, is one of my favorite authors, so when I saw that this book set on South Korea’s Jeju island was coming out, I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. It’s a difficult story about Korea’s challenging history (consider this a trigger warning) and how it affected a special group of women, divers on the island of Jeju.

Note from Jen: This is one of those books that will always stick with me–it’s powerful and fascinating.

Book cover of The Korea War with black and white image of soldier bent over holding his head in his hands, book title is written in the center with the author's name, Max Hastings, written beneath

The Korean War

Author: Max Hastings

Genre: Nonfiction, War & Military

Places Featured: South Korea

The Korean War is often called the Forgotten War because it didn’t get the press and public attention that other wars received. This book tells the story of that war in a balanced way, trying to cover the many facets. It’s long, but written in an interesting way, so it’s more than just dry military history. It’s your best bet for learning about the war.

book cover of The New Koreans with title written on top of a blue sky shown above an image of a city landscape with skyscrapers and statues

The New Koreans: The Story of a Nation

Author: Michael Breen

Genre: Nonfiction

Places Featured: South Korea

Michael Breen is an English author who specializes in writing about North and South Korea. The New Koreans is his take on the “national character” of South Korea and how the country shifted (quickly) from a mostly agricultural society to one focused on technology and what that shift has meant for the people that live there.

Book cover for The Vegetarian with red background and silhouette image of a woman looking up, book title is written in white on top with author's name, Han Kang written beneath the title

The Vegetarian

Author: Han Kang

Genre: Fiction

Places Featured: Seoul, South Korea

The Vegetarian took the world by storm when it won the Man Booker International Prize. It’s the story of a young woman, living in Seoul, who suddenly decides to stop eating meat…something her family just cannot understand or accept. It’s a complicated story that’s about a lot more than just meat.

book cover of White Chrysanthemum with image of woman looking out to the sea and see-through picture of white chrysanthemum, book title is written in pink above sky and author's name, Mary Lynn Bracht, is added

White Chrysanthemum

Author: Mary Lynn Bracht

Genre: Fiction, Historical, War & Military

Places Featured: Jeju, South Korea

This is a tough read, but a moving one. It’s the story of two sisters and how they are affected when the Japanese soldiers come to Jeju–one makes a sacrifice that changes both of their lives forever. This one is a good one to learn more about Korean “comfort women”–women forced into sexual slavery to service the Japanese military.

Honorable Mention Books About Korea:

Bonus Children’s Books About Korea Korea:

Ten Movies set in Korea

movie poster for My Sassy Girl with picture of young Korean couple

My Sassy Girl (2001)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Places Featured: South Korea

My Sassy Girl was a huge hit in South Korea and then the world when it was released in 2001. It has been remade in several countries (including an American version) and into television series. It’s a romantic comedy with some serious undertones as it’s about an eccentric girl and the effect she has on a serious boy.

movie poster for Oldboy, with man and woman standing on a street surrounded by signs with bright lights written in Korea, and movie title written down center

Oldboy (2003)

Rating: R

Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, Thriller

Places Featured: South Korea

This one is not for the faint of heart (but it is for those that enjoy martial arts). It’s a revenge film about a man kept in an unknown prison cell by an unknown person for fifteen years. When he finally finds himself released, he begins to search for his captor, try to understand his captor’s motives, and, of course, exact his revenge.

movie poster for Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter,...and Spring with title written in black at top above scene of a simple boat on a lake surrounded by green trees

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (2003)

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Romance, Religion/Spirituality

Places Featured: South Korea

Divided into five segments as the title suggests, this movie tells the story of a young Buddhist monk and his mentor as he grows through the cycles of life, childhood to old age, in a monastery on a remote island in the mountains of South Korea. It’s a beautiful and peaceful film that will stick with you in a quiet way.

Movie poster for Tae Guk Gi with black and white image of two Korean soldiers looking at each other above movie title above another black and white scene of war

Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War (2004)

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, War & Military

Places Featured: South Korea

Similar to movies like Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, Taegukgi is the story of two brothers drafted into the South Korean Army for the Korean War. It’s nice to see a story of the Korean War from a Korean perspective…but be warned that it is a war movie, so there’s plenty of violence.

Movie poster of The Host with dark image of a sea monster rising up from the water with a woman struggling in its group

The Host (2006)

Rating: R

Genre: Horror, Science Fiction

Places Featured: Seoul, South Korea

This was one I especially enjoyed because of the time I spent in Seoul. It’s the story of some toxic chemicals released by the American military base of Yongsan (where I worked) into the Han River (along which I logged many many many miles with my running shoes). Those toxic chemicals create a mutant squid that emerges and begins to attack the people of Seoul. It’s a monster movie with some great writing and great characters.

Movie poster for Masquerade with image of two men and one woman dressed in Ancient Korean dress staring intently at camera

Masquerade (2012)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Historical

Places Featured: South Korea

The Joseon Dynasty lasted in what is now South Korea for almost five centuries (1392-1897) and has, for obvious reasons, influenced much of the nation’s culture. Masquerade is about one of the more controversial kings, King Gwang-hae. When he is drugged and falls ill, a peasant is forced to masquerade as the King. It’s a beautiful movie to watch with some incredible acting.

Movie poster for Ode to My Father showing a middle-aged Korean man smiling with a crowded market scene behind him

Ode to My Father (2014)

Rating: NR

Genre: Drama, Historical, War & MIlitary

Places Featured: South Korea

Ode to My Father is a great selection for anyone wanting to understand South Korea’s recent history as told by an ordinary man who lives through important historical events. One reviewer called it “Korea’s Forrest Gump” and I thought that was a great way to describe it–it is definitely one that will tug at your heartstrings.

Movie poster for Train to Busan with image of a young Korean man carrying a young girl running across debris with several others fleeing in the background

Train to Busan (2016)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action/Adventure, Horror, Thriller

Places Featured: South Korea

Okay, this is a zombie film. I know, I know, it’s odd to put a zombie film on a list of travel movies, but it’s just done so well. Workaholic Seok-woo is convinced by his young daughter to travel to Busan so she can spend her birthday with her mother. As the train makes its way from Seoul to Busan, the passengers soon realize that zombies have taken over the country and they must do all they can to survive.

Movie poster for Mood of the day with a young Korean girls smiling on the left with images of sun and smiley face on the right and an image of a young Korean man in a suit with images of a rain cloud and a sad face on the right

Mood of the Day (2016)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Places Featured: South Korea

I sorted these movies by the year they came out and just realized that puts two in a row that feature a train ride from Seoul to Busan. This one doesn’t have zombies, though. 🙂 This one is a sweet love story about two different people who find themselves seated next to each other on a train ride. It’s predictable, but enjoyable.

Movie poster for Parasite with family seen outside a house--the legs of a young girl are seen on the grass, a man (with his eyes crossed out) stares forward, a woman and another man sit on lawn chairs and another man with a mask on stands at the door

Parasite (2019)

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Thriller

Places Featured: South Korea

I obviously had to include this film that took the world by storm in 2019 winning numerous awards including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It’s a complex dark comedy about a poor family and a wealthy family with an entertaining storyline that sets up for some interesting social commentary.

Honorable Mention Movies Set in Korea:

Bonus Children’s Movies set in South Korea:

Jen Price is the creator of Travel Books and Movies, where she helps readers explore the world through stories on the page and screen. Currently living in Italy, she shares her love of travel, books, and films through personal guides, reviews, and itineraries that blend real-world destinations with unforgettable stories.