Korean Language, Literature & Culture

It's springtime in a small house floating on a small raft on a small lake, surrounded on all sides by steep walls of forest or stone, broken here and there by ravines. Old Monk lives here with his young apprentice. The lesson for Spring is about pain and guilt and conscience, Summer's the cruelty of desire, Autumn's about letting go of rage, and Winter's about penance and finding peace. Winner of several Korean film awards. Directed by Kim Ki-Duk. In Korean with English subtitles.

Award-winning actor Kim Yoon Seok stars as the struggling captain who turns to human smuggling in order to keep his fishing boat financially afloat. While transporting ethnic Koreans from China across the Yellow Sea, however, things go terribly wrong. Winner of several Korean film awards. Directed by Shim Sung-bo. In Korean with English subtitles.

Based on the novel written by Paek Kum-nam. Set during the seizure of the throne by Sejo of Joseon in the year 1455, the movie follows the life of Nae-Kyung, the son of a ruined noble family. Because of his ability to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at someone's face, he becomes involved in a political power struggle. Winner of numerous Korean film awards. Directed by Han Jae-rim. In Korean with English subtitles.

A peaceful community is rocked by the horrific discovery of a murdered schoolgirl dangling over the ledge of a building. Local detectives unjustly convict a mentally challenged man. But in the mind of his fiercely protective mother, this case is far from closed. To clear her son's name, she's willing to do whatever it takes. Winner of several film awards. Directed by Bong Joon Ho. In Korean with English subtitles.

After being kidnapped and imprisoned for 15 years, Daesu is released and sets out to find his abductors. Winner of several film awards. Directed by Chanwook Park. In Korean with English subtitles.

On a whim, Mija, a suburban woman in her 60s enrolls in a poetry class at the local cultural center and begins a personal quest to find the perfect words to describe her feelings. But a school girl's suicide initiates a chain of tragic events that will change her life forever. Winner of several film awards. Directed by Yi Chun-dong. In Korean with English subtitles.

In the future an ice age kills off all life on the planet except for the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe and is powered by a sacred perpetual-motion engine. Lower class citizens live in squalor in the back of the train while the rich and powerful live in the front, but a revolution is underway! Winner of several film awards. Directed by Bong Joon Ho. In English and Korean.

Sung-soo has everything that a man would want, but he suffers from insomnia and obsessive compulsive disorder. When his estranged brother disappears, Sung-soo visits the shabby apartment complex where he'd been living and soon, strange things start to happen. Winner of several Korean film awards. Directed by Huh Jung. In Korean with English subtitles.

This is the story of three spies trained in North Korea from their youth, ostensibly toward the worthy goal of a unified Korea. They are sent to South Korea, disguised as a fool, an aspiring rock star, and a high school student. Awaiting orders from the North, they gradually get used to life as ordinary neighbors in a small town, until one day a secret and great mission is suddenly assigned to them. Winner of several Korean film awards. Directed by Jang Cheol-soo. In Korean with English subtitles.

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