Many Americans aren't very familiar with Korean films, or have only heard of the most famous films, like Parasite. Well, let us be the first to tell you, those people are missing out! There's much more to Korean cinema than Bong Joon-Ho—especially when it comes to romance. The best Korean romantic movies range from fun and sweet rom-coms to intense, intimate dramas.
Intrigued? Well, lucky for you, we've put together a sampling of Korean romantic movies you can watch right now. You're welcome.
Tune In for Love
- Photo Credit: CGV Art House
This 2019 hit begins in 1995. Mi-soo, a girl who works part-time in a bakery, crosses paths with Hyun-woo, who was recently released from juvenile prison. Hyun-woo also applies for a job at the bakery, and the two begin opening up to one another, and soon fall in love. But the timing is off, and though they try to find each other throughout the years, fate keeps pulling them apart.
Related: The Best 90s Romantic Comedies That Are Worth Revisiting
The Beauty Inside
- Photo Credit: Next Entertainment World
Do you fall in love with who people are on the inside, or do appearances matter? That's the big questions in the 2015 Korean romantic movie, in which a man makes up in a different body each day...and hopes he can find love with his crush, even as his body bounces between ages and genders.
On Your Wedding Day
- Photo Credit: Megabox Plus M
Hwang Woo-yeon has received an invitation to Hwan Seung-hee's wedding. The two first dated in high school, when they both believed in things like love at first sight and destiny. Now, ten years later, he's reminiscing about the different moments in their relationship—and deciding what to say to Hwan Seung-hee on her wedding day.
My Sassy Girl
- Photo Credit: Cinema Service
Get ready to laugh! This 2001 rom-com was South Korea's highest-grossing comedy of all time and was spun off into various tv series and international remakes, including an American film starring Elisha Cuthbert. Based on a true story—Kim Ho-sik had written a blog about the events, which were later turned into a fictional novel—the film follows Gyeon-woo and "the Girl," who is never given a name. After he saves her from drunkenly falling off a train platform, the Girl proceeds to make Gyeon-woo's life miserable...but he falls in love with her anyway.
Mood of the Day
- Photo Credit: Showbox
Perhaps the lightest rom-com on this list, this 2016 South Korean rom-com sees two business professionals on a train to Busan. Sports manager Kim Jae-hyun immediately begins hitting on Bae Soo-jung. She's immediately turned off—but once she realizes he's meeting with a basketball player whom she needs to speak with for her advertising agency, Soo-jung decides getting on Jae-hyun's good side is in her best interest.
Featured still of "Tune In For Love" via CGV Art House
