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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
Morning mist hangs over the tea plantation at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, in the New Territories. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong’s 1,000-year-old tea heritage is being rediscovered and rehabilitated

Discover Hong Kong’s hidden tea legacy, predating British influence, as a band of young local growers races to safeguard ancient cultivation and traditions.

Reading Time:11 minutes
A scroll depicts a Christian baptism in ancient China.

Reflections | What happened to China’s early Christians and their heretic doctrine?

Reading Time:2 minutes
“Longgang’s Weird Building”, a fortress-like structure located in Longgang, Shenzhen, China. Photo: Alexander Mak

One man’s fortress: an eccentric’s labour of love in Longgang

Reading Time:6 minutes
The stuffed crab shell at Seventh Son is dipped in egg and breadcrumbs twice before being fried. Photo: Alexander Mak

Masters of Hong Kong’s ‘kung fu’ cuisine on the struggle to save Cantonese classics

Reading Time:8 minutes
Balti women on the Indian side of the border in traditional dress. Photo: Pachuk Nyoma

Discover India’s ‘last village’: a hub of Balti culture on the Pakistan border

Reading Time:8 minutes
Vietnamese refugees arrive in Hong Kong. Some are wearing the green or khaki shirts of the Vietnamese military. Photo: courtesy of Les Bird

A Vietnamese refugee returns to the Hong Kong island where echoes of a lost childhood remain

Reading Time:7 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope, one of our picks of features to catch at the 2026 Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival in Hong Kong.
Asian cinema

10 must-see movies and programmes at Hong Kong’s Summer IFF 2026

This year’s Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival boasts 37 features, from regional premieres to 4K restorations of Hong Kong classics.

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My Sassy Girl at 25: how Jun Ji-hyun’s star turn changed South Korean cinema

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K-drama news

Profile | Who is Nam Joo-hyuk, star of Netflix K-drama The East Palace?

Netflix

‘Oldboy’ Choi Min-sik on revenge, craft and Notes from the Last Row

Choi Min-sik points out parallels between 2003’s Oldboy and his new role in Netflix series Notes from the Last Row.

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Veteran actor Choi Min-sik has made an enduring impact on Korean cinema and television through works such as the 2003 film Oldboy and, more recently, the Netflix series Notes from the Last Row. Photo: Ji Sang Chung
TV shows and streaming video

Review | Human Vapor: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi anchor Netflix’s bold sci-fi thriller reboot

This exciting tale of a mysterious serial killer who can turn into a murderous cloud of gas is a reimagining of a classic Japanese thriller.

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Cinema

From the Vault: culturally significant films

In the From the Vault feature series, the South China Morning Post’s film experts reflect on culturally significant films celebrating notable anniversaries.

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Asian cinema

What’s showing this year at Asia’s top genre film festival BiFan?

The 2026 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival boasts a formidable programme of horror, action, science fiction and fantasy titles.

Ryu Seung-yon in a still from the Korean comedy Extreme Job (2019), one of the many movies showing at the 2026 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, in South Korea.
K-drama news

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.

American cinema

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

Box-office hit Backrooms highlights a growing obsession with eerie liminal spaces like hallways, alleyways and empty shopping centres.

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Asian cinema

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

Director Yeon Sang-ho of Train to Busan fame explains how AI and social media anxiety inspired the zombies in his new horror film.

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A still from Colony.
Asian cinema

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.

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

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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Asian cinema

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.

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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?

Seoyeon Jang, who plays Eunice in Beef season two. Photos: Reuters, Netflix
K-drama news

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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Asian cinema

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?

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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.
K-drama news

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.

K-drama news

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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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
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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.

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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.
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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.

K-drama news

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

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Asian cinema

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.

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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.
Asian cinema

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.

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Ahn Sung-ki poses on the red carpet during the opening ceremony of the 26th Busan International Film Festival in 2021. Photo: AFP
South Korea

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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