11 Best Korean Comedy Movies That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Best Korean Comedy Movies

 

If you’re looking for a good Korean comedy flick, go no further than Cinema Escapist’s list.

Take a look at this list of Korean films that are guaranteed to make you chuckle. Our list of the Best Korean Comedy Movies is here, so you don’t have to worry! Additionally, we’ve given streaming links so that you may simply view these comedies.

We here at Cinema Escapist have curated a list of the best Korean comedies that are both entertaining and meaningful.

Comedies from Korea are more likely to include other genres into their plotlines than comedies from other countries. Not simply rom-coms, but also movies that employ humor to address important social, political and historical issues are among the most popular in Korea.

We’ve compiled a list of the 11 finest Korean comedy films, which includes a mix of modern and classic movies, to help you laugh out loud and learn more about Korean society.

11. Secret, Greatly

Secret, Greatly

Korean comedies have a tendency to begin with a lighthearted tone, only to end with a more somber one. Secret, Greatly is aptly described in this way, without revealing too much.

In spite of the film’s lighter tone, there is one particularly funny scene in which North Korea sends an elite spy to live in South Korea as a rural fool named Dong-gu, who poops on the street and trips and falls down stairs. An undercover rock musician and a college student are caught up in a deadly power struggle after Kim Jong-death. un’s

It’s not the only South Korean film that deals with North Korea in a lighthearted manner. While Secret Greatly isn’t the first film to use the format, it’s the most recent and mainstream. If you want to know how South Koreans feel about North Koreans as “wayward brothers” but nonetheless belong to the same metaphorical Korean family, this is an excellent wrong to do so.

10. Extreme Job

Extreme Job is the best Korean comedy of the year, according to critics. This film was a huge hit in Korea and around the world, with a box office total of more than US$125 million. Of all Korean comedies, it is the highest grossing (so far).

When a squad of undercover anti-narcotics officers set up shop at a fried chicken business, they hope to use the establishment as a front for their undercover work. The cops have a hard time balancing their cover story with their genuine goal as the eatery becomes unexpectedly popular.

Extreme Job is a great movie because of its excellent cast chemistry, amusing dialogue, and well-choreographed battle scenes. The success of the film at the box office is no surprise!

9. Wedding Campaign

Wedding Campaign

In Uzbekistan, there are a lot of Koreans. Until I saw Wedding Campaign, I didn’t know.

Middle-aged Korean men Jung Jae-young and Yoo Jun-sang travel to Uzbekistan in search of wives among the local ethnic Korean minority in this romantic comedy. Their matchmaker-cum-translator Lara (Soo Ae) helps them overcome hilarious cultural and linguistic barriers in their search for love.

There are two fascinating occurrences in Korean history and society highlighted by the Wedding Campaign.

Koryo-saram, or the approximately 500,000 ethnic Koreans living in post-Soviet countries, is the first factor to consider. At a time when Korea was on the verge of collapse, many Koreans emigrated to Russia’s Far East to find work. 172,000 of them Koreans were transported to Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan when Stalin came to power. To this day, 176,000 ethnic Koreans live in Uzbekistan, where they speak a separate language and have developed culinary traditions influenced by Soviet cuisine.

Rural Korean men, who are unable to win over local women, are increasingly looking for wives from other countries. Assimilation and the urban-rural split appear in a number of films, including Burning, which was released in 2018.

8. Sunny

Sunny, a female-centric Korean comedy, reflects on friendship and nostalgia in a positive light. Im Na-mi, a middle-aged woman, is the protagonist of the film. Na-mi had a group of six high school friends called “Sunny.” In a hospital, Na-mi discovers one of Sunny’s members dying of cancer and vows to put the group back together.

Sunny will appeal to everyone who longs to relive the carefree days of their adolescence, as it alternates between Sunny’s formative years in the 1980s and the present day. In this film, you’ll laugh and cry, but you’ll also feel warm within.

Sunny is a good place to start if you want to learn more about current Korean history. Director Kang Hyeong-cheol sneaked in many facts on the democratization of Korea throughout the 1980s. For instance, Na-brother mi’s is a student activist, and the Gwangju Uprising can be seen in the backdrop of several scenes.

7. Scandal Makers

Scandal Makers

Scandal Makers was Kang Hyeong-first cheol’s film, and it was a huge hit. Scandal Makers is a movie that you may watch with your family or significant other without any issues.

After discovering that a teenage mother (Park Bo-young in her breakout role) who phones into his show is actually his own daughter, Cha Taehyun (of My Sassy Girl fame) plays as a playboy DJ named Nam Hyeon-soo. Comedic value is added to Nam’s newfound role as both father and grandfather by the bachelor lifestyle-loving Nam.

As previously said, Scandal Makers does not have a lot of “scandal” to it. This is a heartwarming look at the meaning of family, or the lack thereof, that will make you laugh out loud.

6. Miracle in Cell #7

It’s one of those Korean comedies where laughter and tears collide in Miracle in Cell #7.

There are many twists and turns in the story of Lee Yong-gu, the mentally disabled man who was wrongly accused by police commissioner’s daughter of killing her and sexual assaulting her.

Lee, who was first shunned by his other inmates, later gained the respect of the jail warden because of his innocent and childish demeanor. The precociousness of Lee’s daughter Ye-sung, smuggled in by his cellmates on a daily basis, adds even more humor to the film.

One of the most pure and emotional Korean films is Miracle in Cell #7, without giving away too much of the plot. However, a word of caution: be prepared to wipe away your tears with tissues if you laugh and cry too much.

5. The President’s Last Bang

The President’s Last Bang

The President’s Last Bang is a must-see for political humor fans. Excellent film shows that South Korea is coming to terms with its totalitarian history in the best possible way.

In a nutshell, The President’s Last Bang tells the story of Park Chung-assassination hee’s in 1979. In addition to boosting South Korea’s economy, Park wielded an iron hand and polarized the country’s political landscape for decades to come.

The release of The President’s Last Bang generated a lot of attention because of its focus on such a contentious subject. Even though he was unable to stop the film’s release from taking place, his only son was successful in making the production firm pay US$105,000 in reparations.

Park’s son had a good reason for suing.

It portrays Park Chung-hee and his associates as stumbling, Japanese-sympathizing morons who drink and prostitute themselves rather than caring for the people of South Korea. Its powerful message is bolstered by great acting and a captivating narrative framework that bring the film to life.

Read our complete review of The President’s Last Bang to learn more about the film!

4. I Can Speak

Using the comedic genre, I Can Speak highlights the suffering of comfort women, who are still being exploited by men in the Korean society today (sex slaves to the Japanese military during World War II).

The movie begins with a lighthearted tone. New job: Kim Min-jae, a young public official, is assigned to process citizen complaints. Na Ok-bun, an old woman known as “Goblin Granny” for submitting many and hostile complaints about minor issues, greets him at the door.

Kim ends up teaching “Goblin Granny” English after a series of comical mishaps. In fact, when he inquires as to why she wants to learn English, he discovers that she needs to testify before the US Congress about her WWII experiences as a comfort woman.

For a difficult historical topic, I Can Speak does an excellent job of de-stigmatizing and educating viewers. It’s a light-hearted film, yet the subject matter is treated with utmost care. To assist educate viewers that former comfort women are entire people with complex lives who deserve tolerance and compassion, I Can Speak uses humor and character drama. The outcome is a video that is both heartfelt and educational.

Although I Can Speak doesn’t explicitly mention the present triangle relationship between South Korea, Japan, and the United States, it does hint at it. To testify before the US Congress, Na Ok-bun was moved by the passage of House Resolution 121, a 2007 initiative by the House of Representatives to ask Japan to repent for its abuse of comfort women in exchange for reparations.

The fact that I Can Speak was a big hit in 2017 shows that many Koreans don’t think the 2015 apology arrangement between South Korea and Japan goes far enough.

Streaming options for this film have not yet been established. This article will be updated as soon as it is, though!

3. Miss Granny

Miss Granny

One of South Korea’s most popular comedies, Miss Granny stars Na Moon-hee from I Can Speak and Shim Eun-kyung from Sunny.

Oh Mal-soon, an elderly woman, is the subject of Miss Granny’s attention (Na Moon-hee). With her strong determination but little social interaction, Oh goes into a photo studio to take her own picture. So, she’s suddenly transformed into the woman she was at age 20. (Shim Eun-kyung). Oh renames herself Oh Doo-ri in honor of her childhood hero Audrey Hepburn, whom she idolized as a child. She then follows her love of music, bumping into her unknowing grandchild.

Miss Granny is a positive and inspiring show for the whole family. In addition, it emphasizes the significance of family and the value of being present in the moment. Miss Granny was so popular that it even inspired Filipino and Indian remakes because of its hilarious musical moments and accessible wit.

On Amazon, you may watch this film for free.

2. Barking Dogs Never Bite

Snowpiercer, The Host, and Memories of Murder filmmaker Bong Joon-ho has previously made a dark comedy called Barking Dogs Never Bite.

Lee Sung-jae plays an unemployed professor who becomes fed up with barking dogs and attempts to put them out of their misery in this offbeat Korean film. When Bae Doona’s character notices his deeds, she intervenes to stop the dogs from being slaughtered, one of her initial roles.

It’s evident that this isn’t the movie for animal rights activists. It’s a memorable metaphor for how we live in a “dog eat dog” society, yet it’s not depicted as brutally as you might expect. Comedy comes from illustrating the characters’ struggles to attain their dreams in the middle of a sometimes absurd, sometimes frustrating journey called life in the movie.

Among other things, this makes Barking Dogs Never Bite one of the most realistic, refreshing, and thought-provoking Korean comedy movies ever made.

1. Welcome to Dongmakgol

Welcome to Dongmakgol

Welcome to Dongmakgol is the first comedy film on our list of the best Korean films of all time. One of Korean cinema’s most profound and enjoyable storylines is told through a combination of humor and history.

Welcome to Dongmakgol takes place during the Korean War in a fictional community called Dongmakgol. Nobody in this small community is aware that the Korean War is taking place, and that makes it unique. However, this innocence is put at risk when a lone American pilot, along with troops from both North and South Korea, are left stranded there.

An absurdist take on war and “we vs them” thinking follows, which is hilarious to see. It is ridiculed by the locals as ludicrous that the stranded soldiers would desire to kill each other. All of the individuals in the film eventually come together for a shared goal, which propels the narrative in a positive direction.