12 Best Korean Movies to Watch and Where to Stream in India

The best Korean movies to watch are Parasite (2019), Oldboy (2003), Memories of Murder (2003), The Handmaiden (2016), Train to Busan (2016), Burning (2018) and The Wailing (2016), plus newer picks Decision to Leave (2022) and Exhuma (2024). In India, Train to Busan, Oldboy, Burning, I Saw the Devil and Exhuma stream on Prime Video.

Korean cinema is no longer a niche interest for Indian viewers. K-dramas brought many people in, and films like Parasite kept them there. This refreshed list keeps the ten films from our original guide, fixes a few wrong details, adds two recent essentials and tells you where each one streams in India as of October 2026.

Best Korean movies: quick facts

Availability is based on JustWatch India listings checked in October 2026. “Not streaming” means no Indian subscription service carries it right now.

Also readMost Memorable SRK Movies of the 90s and Where to Stream Them

12 best Korean movies to watch

1. Parasite (2019)

A poor family slowly worms its way into a rich household, and Bong Joon-ho turns the set-up into a comedy, a thriller and a class drama at once. Parasite won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and became the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, along with Best Director, Original Screenplay and International Feature. In India it is currently limited to the Vi Movies and TV app.

2. Oldboy (2003)

Oh Dae-su, played by Choi Min-sik, is locked in a room for 15 years without being told why, then suddenly released. Park Chan-wook’s revenge thriller has the famous one-take corridor fight and one of cinema’s most shocking twists. Watch the 2003 original on Prime Video, not Spike Lee’s 2013 American remake.

3. Memories of Murder (2003)

Bong Joon-ho’s second feature follows clumsy small-town detectives, led by Song Kang-ho, chasing Korea’s first known serial killer in the late 1980s. The real case stayed unsolved for decades until police identified the killer in 2019, which makes the film’s ending hit even harder today.

4. The Handmaiden (2016)

Set in 1930s Korea under Japanese rule, Park Chan-wook’s film adapts Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith. A con man plans to cheat a rich heiress with the help of her new maid, but nobody is quite who they seem. Note that it has mature content and is not streaming in India at present.

5. Train to Busan (2016)

A workaholic father, played by Gong Yoo, takes his daughter on a train to Busan just as a zombie outbreak begins. Yeon Sang-ho’s film is fast and scary, but it is the father and daughter story that stays with you. A sequel, Peninsula, followed in 2020. Stream it on Prime Video or Lionsgate Play.

6. Burning (2018)

Lee Chang-dong adapts a Haruki Murakami short story into a slow, haunting mystery. A young aspiring writer (Yoo Ah-in), a girl from his old neighbourhood and a rich, smooth stranger (Steven Yeun) form a strange triangle, and then she disappears. Patient viewers will love it. It is on Prime Video.

7. The Wailing (2016)

A village police officer investigates a wave of violent illness after a mysterious Japanese stranger arrives in the hills. Na Hong-jin’s film moves from rural comedy to full horror, with a shaman ritual you will not forget. Our original listing mixed up its plot; this is the correct one.

8. I Saw the Devil (2010)

Correction: our earlier version said 2011. A secret agent (Lee Byung-hun) hunts the serial killer (Choi Min-sik) who murdered his fiancée, then decides to make him suffer rather than simply catch him. Kim Jee-woon’s thriller is extremely violent, so go in prepared. It streams on Prime Video.

9. The Host (2006)

A monster rises from Seoul’s Han River and grabs a schoolgirl, and her messy, bickering family sets out to find her. Bong Joon-ho mixes creature horror with family comedy and political satire. It is not on any Indian service right now.

10. Poetry (2010)

An elderly woman, played by veteran actress Yoon Jeong-hee, joins a poetry class while dealing with early signs of memory loss and a terrible crime involving her grandson. Lee Chang-dong’s film won Best Screenplay at Cannes. It is quiet, sad and beautiful.

11. Decision to Leave (2022), new pick

A detective (Park Hae-il) falls for the widow (Tang Wei) who is the main suspect in her husband’s death. Park Chan-wook won Best Director at Cannes for this elegant, slow-burn romance mystery. Stream it on MUBI.

12. Exhuma (2024), new pick

A shaman, a feng shui master and an undertaker are hired to move a rich family’s ancestral grave, and things go very wrong. Choi Min-sik and Kim Go-eun lead Jang Jae-hyun’s occult horror, one of South Korea’s biggest hits of 2024. It is on Prime Video.

Where to start if you are new to Korean films

Start with Train to Busan if you want pure entertainment, Parasite if you want something smart and twisty, and Memories of Murder if you like crime stories. Move to Burning, Poetry and Decision to Leave once you are comfortable with slower films. For more recommendations, see our movies section or browse more lists.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Parasite on Wikipedia, JustWatch India, Decision to Leave on Wikipedia.