Before Parasite: Song Kang-ho’s 8 must-watch movies – from The Drug King to A Taxi Driver, and The Face Reader to The President’s Barber

Since making history as the first film in any language other than English to win the Oscar for best picture, Parasite has become the talk of the town everywhere around the globe, and director Bong Joon-ho has been getting loads of attention and acclaim. But the movie’s fans have also become smitten with the cast, led by veteran actor Song Kang-ho, who portrays the father of the Kim family and takes on the job as chauffeur of the wealthy Park family.

With a string of box office hits in his filmography, the 53-year-old Busan native was already an in-demand, award-winning movie star. One of South Korea’s most prolific actors, he boasts a number of titular roles that are memorable to Koreans and international fans alike. Here are eight of our favourites.

The Drug King (2018)

Song plays Lee Doo-sam, who goes from being a petty smuggler to a filthy rich and infamous drug smuggler in 1970s Busan. He becomes entangled with a cunning lobbyist (played by Bae Doona) who helps him rise up in his trade. As he goes as far as exporting drugs to Japan, Lee is hunted down by a prosecutor from Seoul (played by Jo Jung-suk) and attempts to elude the authorities to protect his wealth and status.

A Taxi Driver (2017) 

Set in 1980, a taxi driver named Man-seob picks up a foreigner looking for a ride from Seoul to a remote city called Gwangju. The cash-rich foreigner turns out to be a German journalist covering the uprisings in that area. All of the traditional roads from Seoul to Gwangju are blocked and heavily guarded by soldiers. When they manage to reach the city after overcoming those obstacles, they encounter several other problems that endanger Man-seob’s taxi and their lives.

The Face Reader (2013)