The 40 most popular korean war movies, ranked. Click any film for ratings, reviews, trailers, and where to watch.


12.12: The Day
2023 · 2h 22m
country: South Korea
After the assassination of President Park, martial law has been declared. A coup d'état bursts out by Defense Security Commander Chun Doo-gwang and a private band of officers following him. Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-shin, an obstinate soldier who believes the military should not take political actions, fights against Chun Doo-gwang to stop him. The conflict between the two grows while military leaders are holding their decision and Defense Minister is gone. In the midst of chaos, the spring of Seoul that everyone longed for heads to unexpected direction.


Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
2004 · 2h 28m
country: South Korea
When two brothers are forced to fight in the Korean War, the elder decides to take the riskiest missions if it will help shield the younger from battle.


Operation Chromite
2016 · 1h 51m
country: South Korea
A squad of soldiers fight in the Korean War's crucial Battle of Incheon.


The Great Battle
2018 · 2h 15m
country: South Korea
Kingdom of Goguryeo, ancient Korea, 645. The ruthless Emperor Taizong of Tang invades the country and leads his armies towards the capital, achieving one victory after another, but on his way is the stronghold of Ansi, protected by General Yang Man-chu, who will do everything possible to stop the invasion, even if his troops are outnumbered by thousands of enemies.


My Way
2011 · 2h 17m
country: South Korea
During the invasion of Normandy the photograph of a slim Korean man in German uniform was found. It transpired that the man had served as a soldier in the Japanese, Russian and German armies. His incredible story inspired director Kang Je-Gyu to create this epic war drama.


The Admiral: Roaring Currents
2014 · 2h 6m
country: South Korea
Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.


Hansan: Rising Dragon
2022 · 2h 10m
country: South Korea
In 1592, admiral Yi Sun-sin and his fleet face off against the might of the invading Japanese navy and its formidable warships. As the Korean forces fall into crisis, the admiral resorts to using his secret weapon, the dragon head ships known as geobukseon, in order to change the tide of this epic battle at sea.


Escape from Mogadishu
2021 · 2h 1m
country: South Korea
Diplomats from the North and South Korean embassies in Somalia attempt a daring joint escape from Mogadishu when the outbreak of civil war leaves them stranded.


The Battleship Island
2017 · 2h 12m
country: South Korea
During the Japanese colonial era, roughly 400 Korean people, who were forced onto Battleship Island 'Hashima Island' to mine for coal, attempt to escape.


Harbin
2024 · 1h 48m
country: South Korea
In 1909, several years after Korea is forced into becoming a Japanese colony, freedom fighters plot the daring assassination of Japan's prime minister during their quest for independence.


Noryang: Deadly Sea
2023 · 2h 33m
country: South Korea
The Imjin War reaches its seventh year in December of 1598. Admiral Yi Sun-shin learns that the Wa invaders in Joseon are preparing for a swift withdrawal following the deathbed orders of their leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Determined to destroy the enemy once and for all, Admiral Yi leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to mount a blockade and annihilate the Wa army. However, once Ming commander Chen Lin is bribed into lifting the blockade, Wa lord Shimazu Yoshihiro and his Satsuma army sail to the Wa army's rescue at Noryang Strait.


Battle of Jangsari
2019 · 1h 44m
country: South Korea
Korean War, September 1950. In order to fight the enemy forces based in the South of the peninsula, General MacArthur orders the start of the Incheon Landing Operation, deploying diversionary attacks in other locations. Without real military forces to spare, 772 very young Korean student soldiers, barely trained, are sent to Jangsari Beach, where they will face a heroic fate and discover the value of friendship. (A sequel to Operation Chromite, released in 2016.)


Steel Rain 2: Summit
2020 · 2h 12m
country: South Korea
A futuristic film about a crisis near the brink of war after three leaders are kidnapped by a North Korean nuclear submarine in a coup d’état during a summit between the two Koreas and the United States.


71: Into the Fire
2010 · 2h
country: South Korea
In August 1950, waiting for UN troops to arrive, the South Korean army assembled to protect Nakdong River. Only 71 student-soldiers are left behind to guard the city of Pohang. Now they are on a mission to defend the country from North Korean troops.


The Fortress
2017 · 2h 20m
country: South Korea
Ancient Korea, 17th century. The powerful Khan of the Jurchen tribe of Manchuria, who fights the Ming dinasty to gain China, becomes the first ruler of the Qing dinasty and demands from King In-jo of Joseon to bow before him; but he refuses, being loyal to the Mings. On December 14th, 1636, the Qing horde invades Joseon, so King In-jo and his court shelter in the mountain fortress of Namhan and prepare to defend the kingdom.


The Battle: Roar to Victory
2019 · 2h 15m
country: South Korea
Over a 4 day period, a fierce battle takes place between Korean independence militias and imperialist Japanese forces in Manchuria, China. The militia includes a master swordsman and an expert marksman.


The Front Line
2011 · 2h 13m
country: South Korea
In 1951 ceasefire is declared, but two remaining armies fought their final battle on the front line Towards the end of the Korean War, a South Korean battalion is fiercely battling over a hill on the front line border against the North in order to capture a strategic point that would determine the new border between two nations. The ownership of this small patch of land would swap multiple times each day. Kang is dispatched to the front line in order to investigate the tacit case that’s been happening there.


Doomsday Book
2012 · 1h 53m
country: South Korea
In 'A Brave New World', a virus brings the city to ruins and zombies flood the streets of Seoul. In 'The Heavenly Creature', a robot reaches enlightenment while working at a temple, but its creators deem this phenomenon a threat to mankind. In the final segment, 'Happy Birthday', a young girl logs onto a strange website and places an order for a new billiard ball for her father. Soon afterwards a meteor heads toward Earth and people flee to underground bomb shelters.


The Warrior
2001 · 2h 35m
country: South Korea
In 1375, China was in chaos between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Coryo (an ancient kingdom of Korea then) sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave to make peace with the new Chinese government. However, this delegation got charged as spies and sent in exile to a remote desert.


Jiseul
2013 · 1h 48m
country: South Korea
The populace of a South Korean island rebels against police brutality. The protesters are labeled as communists, and the army is dispatched.


The Coachman
1961 · 1h 38m
country: South Korea
A man tries to raise his two sons and two daughters under some of the most adverse conditions known to man. The father operates a horse-drawn cart, but in a city that is modernizing after the destruction of the Korean War, automobiles are making carts obsolete. The children are experiencing difficulties as well. The eldest son has flunked the bar exam twice and is not hopeful of passing it a third time to become a lawyer. The eldest daughter is mute and married to an abusive husband. The younger daughter tries to pose as a rich university student to move up in life. The youngest son has a penchant for petty theft.


Welcome to Dongmakgol
2005 · 2h 13m
country: South Korea
Based on the long running play by Jang Jin, the story is set in Korea during the Korean War in 1950. Soldiers from both the North and South, as well as an American pilot, find themselves in a secluded and naively idealistic village, its residents unaware of the outside world, including the war.


CODE : G
2025 · 1h 40m
country: South Korea
No overview available


A Melody to Remember
2016 · 2h 4m
country: South Korea
Second Lieutenant Han Sang-yeol leads his platoon during the Korean War in the early 1950s. He carries emotional scars and pain within. So when he meets some children from a choir, who have lost everything in the war, Sang-yeol is deeply moved and tries to protect to them.


Inchon
1981 · 2h 20m
country: Ireland
Gen. Douglas MacArthur leads a Korean War campaign, and the war tests a married couple's relationship.


The Coast Guard
2002 · 1h 36m
country: South Korea
A member of Coast Guard Platoon 23, Private Kang monitors a high-infiltration stretch of beach lined with barbed-wire fencing. Driven by the belief that killing a spy is the highest honor, he waits for a chance to prove his worth.


My Home Village
1949 · 1h 32m
country: North Korea
This was the first feature film to be produced after the liberation of North Korea. It gives a pictures of boundless joy and emotion of the Korean people who are now liberated from the colonial yoke of Japanese imperialism thanks to the glorious anti-Japanese struggle organized and led by the great leader Comrade Kim Il-Sung. Unable to endure the insult of the landlord, Gwan Pil gives vent to his rage. Because of this, the Japanese imperialists deprive him of his tenant land and put him in jail where he gains class consciousness under the influence of a KPA operative.


Northern Limit Line
2015 · 2h 10m
country: South Korea
In this true story from 2002, South Korean patrol boats engaged in a deadly battle with North Korean patrol boats who crossed the maritime border known the Northern Limit Line and attacked.


DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)
2004
country: South Korea
A boy's experience as a fresh military recruit stationed at the North-South border in the late 1970s.


Swing Kids
2018 · 2h 13m
country: South Korea
Rebellious Ki-soo from North Korea is mesmerized by tap dance in prison camps. Ki-soo joins as a team member of a dance team named 'Swing Kids'. Yet suddenly, their dreams about dancing in prison camps are put in danger.


The Long Way Home
2015 · 1h 51m
country: South Korea
Nam-bok, a middle-aged South Korean farmer is conscripted and assigned a mission to deliver a classified military document that may decide the fate of the war. After losing it while under attack from the enemy, he then faces a teenage North Korean soldier named Yeong-gwang who happens to acquire the secret document on his way to the North.


Warriors of the Dawn
2017 · 2h 9m
country: Japan
A crown prince emerges as a leader during the war between Korea and Japan in 1592.


Miss Staff Sergeant
2010 · 1h 45m
country: South Korea
Yu-mi applies to a marine outfit to become their first female member. Finding out about their NO woman-policy, she pushes herself to the extreme and fils a petition. After overcoming many obstacles, she is finally accepted for her outstanding performance. However, conflicts never cease between sergeants and Yu-mi, who’s new to the tradition and culture of the marines. Following the sudden death of a trainee, Sergeant HA, she is appointed to the head of the team. Highly motivated Yu-mi loses her troupe's trust after losing IBS. The team is in danger of dissolution due to the loss of a magazine.


The Last Comfort Women
2015
country: South Korea
This film tells the story of three young women from South Korea, Japan, and China who were ravaged after becoming comfort women in the Japanese army.


Battlefield Heroes
2011 · 1h 57m
country: South Korea
This story unfolds 8 years after 'Battle of Hwangsanbeol', which destroyed Baekjae, when Silla-Tang Dynasty union attacks Goguryeo.


North Korean Partisan in South Korea
1990 · 2h 37m
country: South Korea
Reporter for a North Korean news service joins the partisans when the Americans and UN forces invade South Korea.


Five Marines
1961 · 1h 58m
country: South Korea
A brigade of five marines are sent on a dangerous mission to capture an enemy stronghold during the Korean War.


Red Scarf
1964 · 1h 46m
country: South Korea
South Korean Air Force pilots engage in perilous missions against Communist North Koreans during the Korean War.


A Little Pond
2010 · 1h 26m
country: South Korea
The Korean war does not start well for the US. They are being routed by the North Koreans and In July 1950, the early stage of the Korean War, at the Jugok Village in the middle of the Korean Peninsula, Chang-yee and his friends grow excited over the amateur singing contest knowing nothing about what is going on around them. At the time, the US Army keeps losing and are pushed back to the village, evacuating all villagers to head south. The villagers took refuge like going on a picnic believing that the US Army is protecting them, they just follow their orders moving south bound.


Flame
1975 · 1h 35m
country: South Korea
A man wanders around the mountains with a bleeding leg, holding a rifle in his hand. Seemingly a fugitive, he runs from as-yet unknown pursuers, but he also seems to be following somebody who has already walked the same path. As he hides in a secluded cave, past memories sweep through his exhausted mind, memories of lifelong cowardice and evasion. And this recollection leads to a reconstruction of early 20th century Korean history. Winner of Best Picture (Nam-a Pictures Co., Ltd.), Best Actor (Ha Myung-joong), Best Art Direction (Kim Yoo-joon), Best Lighting (Son Young-cheol) at the 14th Grand Bell Awards. (source: Jiro Hong, koreanfilm.org)
South Korean cinema spent the 2000s building a reputation for genre films that refuse to stay in their lane — thrillers that turn into family dramas, revenge stories with slapstick. Parasite's Best Picture win in 2020 confirmed what festival audiences had known for two decades.
War films range from combat spectacle to anti-war argument, and often try to be both at once. The genre is a reliable index of how a country understands its own history.