What is the best Korean sci-fi movie ever made?

Korean cinema has produced some of the most ambitious and original science fiction films of the modern era, from Bong Joon-ho's monster movies to space operas and AI-haunted futures. Which film is the greatest Korean sci-fi ever made?

Snowpiercer

Bong Joon-ho's 2013 dystopian thriller set aboard a perpetually moving train where class warfare plays out in icy, claustrophobic cars after a climate apocalypse.

1/12

The Host

Bong Joon-ho's 2006 monster movie blending family drama and social satire, following a dysfunctional family fighting a mutant creature loose in Seoul.

2/12

Space Sweepers

A 2021 Netflix space opera following a ragtag crew of junk collectors who discover a child who may be a weapon of mass destruction, South Korea's first big-budget space blockbuster.

3/12

Alienoid

A 2022 time-travel sci-fi epic that splices Korean historical swordfighting drama with alien prison-guard antics, spanning centuries in a gloriously ambitious blend.

4/12

Save the Green Planet!

Jang Jun-hwan's eccentric 2003 black comedy about a young man convinced the world will end unless he interrogates a corporate executive he believes is an alien.

5/12

Doomsday Book

A 2012 anthology of three science fiction short films exploring AI, zombie plagues, and a rogue billiard ball from space, showcasing Korea's inventive storytelling.

6/12

Okja

Bong Joon-ho's 2017 Netflix film following a young girl and her giant genetically engineered superpig, blending family adventure with sharp corporate satire.

7/12

Ashfall

A 2019 disaster blockbuster set during the catastrophic volcanic eruption of Mount Paektu on the North Korea–China border, mixing action spectacle with political intrigue.

8/12

I'm a Cyborg But That's OK

Park Chan-wook's tender 2006 love story set in a psychiatric ward, where a young woman believes she is a cyborg and a fellow patient tries to save her.

9/12

The Flu

A 2013 epidemic thriller set during a catastrophic outbreak of a mutant influenza strain in a South Korean city, blending government conspiracy with personal survival.

10/12

Fabricated City

A 2017 cyberpunk-thriller about an unemployed young man who is framed for murder and must use his video-game skills to expose the real criminals in a hyper-networked world.

11/12

Sector 7

A 2011 action-sci-fi film set on an offshore oil platform terrorised by a mutant deep-sea creature, notable for being one of Korea's first major 3D blockbusters.

12/12