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Asian cinema: Korean films

Asian cinema: Korean films

From the stylish blockbusters of Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho to art-house gems by Hong Sang-soo and Kim Ki-duk, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from South Korea.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM

The ancient temples of Angkor Wat provide a stunning backdrop for the Angkor Empire Marathon. Photo: Cambodia Tourism Board

Why Cambodia’s Angkor marathons are a big winner with runners from around the world

The Southeast Asian nation’s ever more popular running events pass through scenery so beautiful even racers stop to take photographs.

In partnership with:Cambodia Tourism Board

Reading Time:4 minutes

The grounds of the Sentosa Janda Baik resort are a riot of lotus leaves, statuesque traveller’s palms, coconut trees and fragrant frangipani. Photo: John Brunton

Escape KL’s bustle with a short trip to Janda Baik, a Malaysian eco-gem

Reading Time:7 minutes

Crabs are quickly sorted for size then steamed to lock in their freshness, in Tortosa, Negros Occidental, in the Philippines. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Taste the Philippines: Bacolod’s slow-food ethos and sustainable future

Reading Time:8 minutes

Roganic, designed by Atelier E. Photo: courtesy Roganic

Meet the Hong Kong designers turning trash into treasure

Reading Time:7 minutes

Sophia the singing robot and Johnny Poon, conductor and dean of creative arts at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Photo: Alexander Mak

Sophia the robot learns to sing as Hong Kong teaches androids the joys of music

Reading Time:7 minutes

Visitors feel the weight of the Forbidden City as they step through its gates. Photo: Getty Images

Power behind the throne: why the Forbidden City was built to intimidate

Reading Time:5 minutes

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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications

Park Ji-hyun in a still from Wild Sing (2026). The Korean actress broke into the acting industry relatively late in life, but then quickly became a household name known for her depth and versatility. She will star in the upcoming drama series See You at Work Tomorrow! on Prime Video.

Profile | Meet Park Ji-hyun, star of Flex X Cop and See You at Work Tomorrow!

After making a late start in acting, Park quickly rose to the top playing layered characters in K-dramas from Yumi’s Cells to Reborn Rich.

13 Jun 2026 - 12:45PM

American cinema

The rise of liminal space horror movies like Backrooms and Exit 8

3 Jun 2026 - 3:15PMvideocam

How Colony features a new kind of zombie to reflect modern fears

19 May 2026 - 8:55PMvideocam

Review | Hope: director Na Hong-jin of The Wailing fame returns with a monster mess

A promising beginning and strong performances are not enough to save Hope from being a messy spectacle with woeful CGI monsters.

18 May 2026 - 1:47PMvideocam

Jung Ho-yeon (front) and Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope.

Profile | Who is Cha Eun-woo, K-pop idol starring in Netflix K-drama The Wonderfools?

Since his 2014 debut, the ‘Face Genius’ has embodied a fantasy figure in many roles. His latest hits screens as he performs military service.

16 May 2026 - 12:45PM

Review | Colony: Jun Ji-hyun returns in slick but empty zombie thriller

Jun Ji-hyun stars as a biotech professor battling bloodthirsty zombies in Train to Busan director Yeon Sang-ho’s new film.

16 May 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

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How The King’s Warden sold 16 million tickets and saved the Korean box office

Producer Lim Eun-jung, director Jang Hang-jun and actor Yoo Hae-jin explain why the historical drama struck a chord with Korean audiences.

12 May 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

Yoo Hae-jin in a still from The King’s Warden, which has revitalised a sluggish Korean film industry.

Fame and celebrity

Meet Seoyeon Jang, who plays Eunice in Netflix’s Beef Season 2

The latest season of Beef stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan and Charles Melton – but what do you know about Seoyeon Jang, who plays Eunice?

24 Apr 2026 - 6:00PM

Profile | Who is Byeon Woo-seok, IU’s co-star in romance K-drama Perfect Crown?

Coming to prominence in shows like Record of Youth and Strong Girl Nam-soon, Byeon Woo-seok returns this weekend in a hotly anticipated role.

11 Apr 2026 - 3:15PM

Review | Humint: dynamic Korean spy thriller from Ryoo Seung-wan on Netflix

Starring Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min and Park Hae-joon, Humint rewards patient viewers with some of the best heroic bloodshed in recent times.

31 Mar 2026 - 11:46PMvideocam

Zo In-sung (right) in a still from Humint, a Korean spy movie from director Ryoo Seung-wan that is now streaming on Netflix.

The 10 most-watched Korean films of all time, including The King’s Warden

Can The King’s Warden overtake The Admiral: Roaring Currents and Extreme Job to become the most-viewed South Korean film of all time?

24 Mar 2026 - 5:15PMvideocam

Park Ji-hoon (second from left) and Yoo Hae-jin in a still from The King’s Warden, which is fast becoming one of South Korea’s most popular films at the box office.

Profile | Who is Seo In-guk, star of Netflix K-drama Boyfriend on Demand?

From his musical beginnings to his breakout role in Reply 1997 to his turn in Boyfriend on Demand, Seo In-guk stands out for his versatility.

14 Mar 2026 - 4:15PM

Profile | Who is Shin Hye-sun, star of Netflix K-drama The Art of Sarah?

Breaking out in 2016’s Five Enough, Shin Hye-sun has gone on to make her mark in series including Mr. Queen and Welcome to Samdal-ri.

14 Feb 2026 - 5:15PM

What is it like to win the lottery? These 10 Asian movies have the answers

Winning the lottery can change your life forever, for good or bad. These 10 films from across Asia explore luck, wealth and greed.

11 Feb 2026 - 6:15PMvideocam

Bill Tung and Lydia Sum (first and second from right) play the heads of a materialistic Hong Kong family in the Lunar New Year comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1987). Photo: D & B Films Co

The 10 most successful Korean art-house films of all time

As Yoon Ga-eun’s The World of Love hits Hong Kong cinemas, we look at Korean indie films that conquered the box office as well as festivals.

27 Jan 2026 - 4:15PMvideocam

Seo Su-bin in a still from The World of Love. Korean director Yoon Ga-eun’s acclaimed film is scheduled to hit Hong Kong cinemas on January 29.

Why M+ and Chanel are bringing rare Asian avant-garde films to Mubi

Streaming platform Mubi teams up with Hong Kong’s M+ museum and Chanel to put the spotlight on 10 films, including a John Woo short.

22 Jan 2026 - 4:51PM

Profile | Who is Go Youn-jung, rising star of Netflix’s Can This Love Be Translated?

After starting out as a model, Go rose to K-drama stardom in series such as Alchemy of Souls and Moving. Now she leads her first romcom.

17 Jan 2026 - 5:15PM

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Loved Back to the Past? 10 Asian time travel gems you may also enjoy

After the success of Louis Koo’s Back to the Past, here are 10 other Asian time-travelling movies that are well worth checking out.

15 Jan 2026 - 7:15PMvideocam

Louis Koo in a still from Back to the Past. In celebration of the film’s success, here are 10 more of the best examples of big-screen time-travel escapism from across Asia.

Korean film icon Ahn Sung-ki remembered: 5 of his best films

Known affectionately as ‘The Nation’s Actor’, South Korea’s Ahn Sung-ki starred in more than 100 feature films during his long career.

5 Jan 2026 - 7:45PMvideocam

South Korean ‘nation’s actor’ Ahn Sung-ki dies at 74

Ahn collected over 40 major movie awards in his lifetime, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times.

5 Jan 2026 - 3:58PM

The 12 best Asian films of 2025: Ne Zha 2, Kokuho and more

Our pick of the best Asian films of the past year includes a record-breaking animation and a movie that is nothing short of breathtaking.

30 Dec 2025 - 4:15PMvideocam

Ryo Yoshizawa in a still from Kokuho, one of the Post’s best Asian films of the past year. Photo: Shuichi Yoshida/ASP

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Two Seasons, Two Strangers: a hypnotic ode to writing and travel

Starring Shim Eun-kyung and Yuumi Kawai, Japanese drama Two Seasons, Two Strangers is both fascinating and beautiful.

15 Dec 2025 - 8:15PMvideocam

Yuumi Kawai in a still from Two Seasons, Two Strangers

Profile | Who is Kim Woo-bin, star of K-dramas Our Blues and Genie, Make a Wish?

Kim Woo-bin, who is marrying fellow K-drama star Shin Min-a this month, has proved he has the acting chops to match his good looks.

13 Dec 2025 - 12:15PM

Want to find solace in film? 10 movies that may offer catharsis and hope

Following last week’s tragic fire at a Tai Po estate in Hong Kong, we look at films in which humanity endures through the darkest of hours.

1 Dec 2025 - 6:15PMvideocam

Profile | Who is Ahn Eun-jin, the late-blooming star of K-drama Dynamite Kiss?

Korean actress Ahn Eun-jin made the big time in Hospital Playlist and with her role in romantic drama My Dearest. We look back at her career.

15 Nov 2025 - 8:30PM

Korean actress Ahn Eun-jin will next be seen in the K-drama series Dynamite Kiss (2025). Photo: Instagram/eunjin___a

No Other Choice? Why Park Chan-wook and Lee Byung-hun made a comedy

Park Chan-wook’s film reunites the director with Lee Byung-hun after more than 20 years for a darkly funny tale with social commentary.

14 Oct 2025 - 7:15PMvideocam

Lee Byung-hun in a still from No Other Choice.

Profile | Who is Choi Woo-shik, the handsome star of Parasite and romance K-dramas?

Appearing now in Would You Marry Me, the young-looking, goofy Choi Woo-shik is best known for his roles in Parasite and Train to Busan.

11 Oct 2025 - 5:15PM

12 of the best movies at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2025

Highlights of the 22nd HKAFF include local film Another World, Japanese period epic Kokuho and South Korea’s The World of Love.

1 Oct 2025 - 12:45PMvideocam

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