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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
Foot binding in China: tales from Yunnan women who underwent the practice

Foot binding in China: tales from Yunnan women who underwent the practice

Foot binding may seem abhorrent today but the resulting deformity once conveyed privilege and status, say some of the women who experienced the pain firsthand. 

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Wang Zhenxi, aka Teacher Wang, is a mistress dispeller based in Luoyang, Henan province. Photo: courtesy Mistress Dispeller

This Hong Kong-raised director makes films about outsiders – as she’s one too

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Cattle at Mayura Station, located on the Limestone Coast of South Australia. Photo: courtesy Mayura Station

Can Cadbury chocolate-fed Wagyu outshine Japan’s finest beef?

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Children show off their skills at the Pok Fu Lam Public Riding School in Hong Kong in 1987. Photo: SCMP Archives

In pictures: horse play in Hong Kong, from the 1970s to the 2000s

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Max Levy (left) is one of the talents due to take up a residency at Chef’s Room. Photo: courtesy Chef’s Room

Our cheat sheet for the best things to do in Hong Kong and Macau, March 8-14

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Yurt is championing Central Asian cuisine in Hong Kong. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

Why horse meat and nomadic tea rituals anchor this new eatery in Central

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Korean singer-turned-actor Seo In-guk recently starred in the K-drama series Boyfriend on Demand. Photo: Ji Sang Chung/Netflix
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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.

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Asian cinema

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

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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.
Asian cinema

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?

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.

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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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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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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.

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Yuumi Kawai in a still from Two Seasons, Two Strangers
K-drama news

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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K-drama news

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Asian cinema

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.

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Asian cinema

Review | The People Upstairs: cheeky sex comedy directed by and starring Ha Jung-woo

Ha shows skill on both sides of the camera in his movie with Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook as a prim couple seduced by swinging neighbours.

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Lee Hanee (left) and Ha Jung-woo as noisy neighbours in a still from The People Upstairs (category TBC), a Korean film directed by Ha Jung-woo, and co-starring Gong Hyo-jin and Kim Dong-wook.
Asian cinema

Can the Busan International Film Festival help Korean cinema stay on top?

BIFF’s new director sees the festival as an antidote to shrinking cinema audiences and a beacon for where Asian cinema is headed.

Asian cinema

Review | The Great Flood: Kim Da-mi can’t save bewildering Netflix sci-fi fantasy

Kim Da-mi stars in what begins as a disaster movie then spins off into science fiction, a move that will surely leave viewers floundering.

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Review | Good News: hilarious Korean farce based on a real-life 1970s hijacking

Byun Sung-hyun’s riotously entertaining black comedy coming to Netflix features a whip-smart script and deftly judged humour.

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Sul Kyung-gu in a still from Good News, directed by Byun Sung-hyun. Hong Kyung and Ryoo Seung-bum co-star. Photo: Song Kyoung-sub/Netflix
Asian cinema

Review | The Ugly: Yeon Sang-ho’s dark mystery is both intriguing and frustrating

Park Jeong-min, Kwon Hae-hyo and Han Ji-hyeon star in Train to Busan director Yeon’s first cinematic release in five years.

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Park Jeong-min in a still from The Ugly.
K-drama news

Profile | Who is Kim Da-mi, the enigmatic star of Itaewon Class and Nine Puzzles?

The reserved Kim, who this year appears in Nine Puzzles, A Hundred Memories and The Great Flood, is a role model for aspiring actors.

American cinema

10 of the best movies from the 2025 Venice Film Festival

You won’t find the Golden Lion winner on this list, which includes harrowing Palestinian drama The Voice of Hind Rajab and British film Ish.

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Asian cinema

Review | No Other Choice: Park Chan-wook takes on corporate culture in dark comedy

Lee Byung-hun stars in this Korean black comedy as a family man who is laid off after 25 years and goes on a desperate quest for a job.

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Lee Byung-hun as a desperate jobseeker in a still from No Other Choice, directed by Park Chan-wook. Son Ye-jin and Park Hee-soon co-star.
What's hot in Korea

Why the K-culture boom may fizzle out, according to experts

Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines and Han Kang’s award-winning novels may all have contributed to the Korean wave, but has it peaked?

South Korean acts such as Blackpink – seen here performing at Coachella in 2023 – have driven the Korean wave, but it risks fizzling out, according to experts. Photo: Getty Images for Coachella
Asian cinema

Intrigued by Netflix’s Aema? The 13 best 1980s Korean erotic films ranked

From Mulberry to Between the Knees to Woman of Fire ’82, we rank 13 of the best erotic films to come out in Korea during the 1980s.

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TV shows and streaming video

Why KPop Demon Hunters director is so keen to promote Korean culture

When Maggie Kang immigrated to Canada as a child she was shocked at how little people knew about Korea. Now she’s putting that right.

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