3 Korean Movies Starring Veteran Actor Song Kang-ho

Song Kang-ho is a veteran South Korean actor, but those who are not into Korean drama or Asian cinema, probably only know him because he was one of the main characters in the 2019 award-winning dark comedy “Parasite” (Where to Watch).

But Song Kang-ho has quite a few impressive roles to his credit. Below are 3 films that are hidden gems you should watch; 2 are based on or inspired by true events.

• NOTE: Song Kang-ho also plays a lead character in “Uncle Samsik”, a 2024 K-drama series and a 2022 film, “Broker”; both reviewed on PopGeeks, and currently streaming on Disney+/Hulu;

♦ (1) Secret Reunion (2010)

• Genre: North/South Korea Spy Thriller, Suspense, Action; Award-winning
• IMDb rating: 6.9 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 8.1 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this film 9.4 out of 10 stars

STORYLINE:

Lee Han Gyu worked at the NIS (National Intelligence Service), however he lost his job because he failed to prevent an assassination. Well somebody in the agency had to take the blame for a botched job and that somebody was him. Ji Won was a North Korean spy who had been sent to South Korea as a sleeper cell, i.e. an undercover spy, but he was branded as a traitor by the North Koreans. For Ji Won, his situation was much worse because both North and South Korea targeted him. Several years later, Lee Han Gyu and Ji Won met each other. The meeting was unintentional, but Lee Han Gyu persuades Ji Won to work together to find out the truth about what really happened and who betrayed whom. Someone known as “Shadow” is a key player and likely knows all the answers to questions they both have.

Main Characters:

• NIS Agent Lee Han Gyu (played by Song Kang Ho)
• North Korean Agent Ji Won (played by Kang Dong Won)

WATCH TRAILER:

AsianCrush. “Secret Reunion – OFFICIAL TRAILER – English Subtitles.” YouTube Video. YouTube, September 16, 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EI7yf2yb-7Q.‌

♦ (2) The Attorney (2013)

• Genre: Historical, Legal or Courtroom Drama; inspired by true events; Award-winning
• IMDb rating: 7.7 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 8.2 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this movie 9.7 out of 10 stars

STORYLINE:

Song Woo Seok had a wife and a child and he was down on his luck. One day he went into a restaurant and ate a wonderful meal. Then when Choi Soon Ae, the restaurant owner, left him at the table and returned to the kitchen, he got up and ran out without paying. He struggled to make a living and finally, he became a lawyer and started practicing in Busan. Now he had money to pay not only for his meal but to treat his family to a meal as well. He returned to the same restaurant, ordered food for himself and his family, and then begged Choi Soon Ae for forgiveness. He wanted to pay for the meal he did not pay for all those years ago. She refused to accept his money because when she saw that he was successful and blessed with a wonderful family, that was payment enough.

Later, however, Choi Soon Ae begs for his help. Her son, Park Jin Woo, has gone missing. He was a young student activist, who had been engaged in protests along with his friends. When Song Woo Seok finds them, he learns that they were arrested for sedition and had been tortured and thrown into prison. The year was 1981 and South Korea was under a military regime. Democracy activists had been arrested as North Korean sympathizers. The charges had been fabricated. Song Woo Seok was appalled at how the activists had been violently oppressed and decided to take the matter to court and defend them. This film is based on the Burim Case in Busan.

• “After spending years in prison, subjects of the blockbuster film ‘The Attorney’ finally exonerated.” (SOURCE:Better late than never for victims in the Burim Case | Hankyoreh)

Main Characters:

• Song Woo Seok (played by Song Kang Ho)
• Choi Soon Ae (played by Kim Young Ae)
• Park Jin Woo (played by Im Siwan)

WATCH TRAILER:

Well GO USA Entertainment. “THE ATTORNEY Official Trailer | Directed by Yang Woo-Seok | Starring Song Kang-Ho and Oh Dal-Su.” YouTube Video. YouTube, January 20, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3pTxrQU8Xo.‌

♦ (3) A Taxi Driver (2017)

• Genre: Action, Political and Historical Drama; based on a real-life story
• IMDb rating: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.9 out of 10 stars
• Viki viewers rated this movie 9.8 out of 10 stars

STORYLINE:

This film is about the uprising in Gwangju, South Korea, in 1980. Jürgen “Peter” Hinzpeter, a German foreign journalist/reporter entering the country as a missionary came to cover the story as it was not being reported in the media. When he arrived in South Korea, he needed a taxi driver to get around. When Kim Man Seob heard how much money he was willing to pay, he immediately offered his services as a taxi driver. Likely, he did not realize that he would be taking part in a historic event in his own country and that the 1980 pro-democracy rebellion in Gwangju would be recorded as part of the global struggle for democracy. But once he was involved, he did not make a cowardly retreat. He pressed forward with the foreign reporter, even though it was dangerous.

Main Characters:

• Kim Man Seob (played by Song Kang Ho)
• Jürgen “Peter” Hinzpeter (played by Thomas Kretschmann)

WATCH TRAILER:

Rotten Tomatoes Indie. “A Taxi Driver Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Indie.” YouTube Video. YouTube, July 7, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB7z4Xn5oNA.‌