# The best Korean films of the 1990s

From The General's Son, Sopyonje and Marriage Story to Green Fish, Christmas in August, Shiri and Happy End: a Daum forum member's pick of the best Korean films of the 1990s, in chronological order.

- 22 votes · 18 items
- Jun 11, 2021 · Junho Lee
- https://even.best/en/l/4627/the-best-korean-films-of-the-1990s

## Top 18

1. **The General's Son (1990)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Im Kwon-taek. Kim Du-han, a street fighter in Japanese-occupied Seoul; a trilogy.
2. **A Hot Roof (1995)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Lee Min-yong. Women barricaded on an apartment rooftop.
3. **The Gingko Bed (1996)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Kang Je-gyu. A love and a curse that last a thousand years.
4. **A Petal (1996)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Jang Sun-woo. A girl who survived the Gwangju Uprising.
5. **White Badge (1992)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Chung Ji-young. A Korean veteran's memories of the Vietnam War.
6. **The Contact (1997)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Jang Yoon-hyun. Two strangers connected through an online chat service.
7. **Marriage Story (1992)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Kim Eui-seok. A realistic romantic comedy about newlyweds.
8. **Sopyonje (1993)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Im Kwon-taek. A family of pansori singers; the first Korean film to sell a million tickets in Seoul.
9. **Blue in You (1993)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Lee Hyun-seung. A stylish romance in 1990s Seoul.
10. **A Single Spark (1995)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Park Kwang-su. Labour activist Jeon Tae-il, who set himself on fire.
11. **Green Fish (1997)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Lee Chang-dong. A discharged soldier and a new town outside Seoul, with Han Suk-kyu.
12. **Christmas in August (1998)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hur Jin-ho. A terminally ill photographer and a parking warden, Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha.
13. **Happy End (1999)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Jung Ji-woo. An unemployed husband and his wife's affair, with Jeon Do-yeon.
14. **Passage to Buddha (1993)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Jang Sun-woo. A boy sets out to find his mother. Award winner at Berlin.
15. **Beat (1997)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Kim Sung-su. Jung Woo-sung and restless youth.
16. **Shiri (1999)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Kang Je-gyu. A North-South spy thriller, the biggest hit of the 1990s.
17. **Nowhere to Hide (1999)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Lee Myung-se. Park Joong-hoon chases Ahn Sung-ki.
18. **Tell Me Something (1999)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Jang Yoon-hyun. A detective investigates dismemberment murders, with Han Suk-kyu and Shim Eun-ha.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.