There has been a growing number of LGBTQ+ content in South Korean media through the years. While this may be a hint of gradually changing tides, it is undeniable that massive challenges remain on the path to its warmer reception.
While independently produced projects have more freedom to explore stories and portrayals, there is still a significant lack of representation in mainstream media. Those that have made it through, more often than not, still had to be toned down to appear “palatable” to an audience that struggles to even acknowledge their existence.
If you’re interested in watching movies with LGBTQ+ storylines that depict their struggles, courage, love, heartbreak, and hope, here are some suggestions that you can start with!
1. The King and The Clown (2005)
In 15th-century South Korea, street performers Jangsaeng (Kam Woosung) and Gong-gil (Lee Joongi) accidentally commit a crime after their sleazy troupe manager tries to exploit Gong-gil’s effeminate beauty by peddling him as a prostitute.
They escape to Seoul, where they create a new group, but are arrested after performing a skit mocking members of the court and the King (Jung Jinyoung) himself. Jangsaeng makes a risky deal to make the King laugh in exchange for their freedom and succeeds.
Their newfound fortune turns dangerous as the King continues to unravel with disturbing bouts of cruelty, along with his unhealthy obsession with Gong-gil.
2. No Regret (2006)
Lee Sumin (Lee Yeonghoon) is forced to fend for himself after he turns eighteen and has to leave the rural orphanage where he grew up. Wanting to learn art and design but having no money to pay for college, he works himself to the bone to afford classes.
When he loses his job at a factory, he decides to try his luck working at a host bar. It is there that he properly meets Jaemin (Kim Namgil), a former client from his chauffeur job and the son of a rich conservative family.
Despite Sumin’s initial rebuffs, Jaemin’s stubborn persistence pays off and the two fall in love. When Jaemin’s mother, who dislikes his preference for the same gender, discovers their relationship, things start to get more complicated.
3. Two Weddings And A Funeral (2012)
Gay man Minsoo (Kim Dongyoon) and lesbian Hyojin (Ryu Hyunkyung) are promising doctors who decide to marry for benefits. Minsoo wants to hide his sexuality from his parents while Hyojin is looking at using the marriage to legally adopt a child with her longtime lover.
When Minsoo’s overbearing parents become increasingly devoted in-laws, they unwittingly put the fake couple’s plans into disarray and leave them scrambling to keep up the facade.
4. Night Flight (2014)
Middle school best friends Yongju (Kwak Siyang), Giwoong (Lee Jaejoon), and Gitaek (Choi Joonha) find themselves growing apart in high school.
Yongju is pressured by academics and the thought of his struggling single mother. Giwoong discovers his knack for fighting and joins a gang. Gitaek finds himself at the receiving end of the said gang’s harassment for being a geek.
Yongju falls for a reluctant Giwoong and a betrayal leads to their complicated relationship being exposed to the gang leader, Sungjin, who immediately sets out to humiliate Yongju.
Yongju and Giwoong both struggle with the ensuing violence and emotional toll of the situation, dreading what else awaits them after the fallout.
5. Our Love Story (2016)
Yonju (Lee Sanghee) is an introverted art student who seeks out new materials to use for an upcoming installation project.
When she meets the odd bartender, Jisoo (Ryu Sunyoung), Yonju discovers new things about herself, including a blooming attraction to the other woman.
Despite the misgivings at being faced with something entirely new to her, Yonju takes a leap to follow her heart.
6. Method (2017)
Seasoned actor Jaeha (Park Sungwoong) and idol Youngwoo (Oh Seunghoon) are cast to play opposite each other in the same movie.
The stark differences between the two are immediately noticeable. Jaeha is devoted to becoming his character while the more carefree Youngwoo refuses to take the job seriously. Jaeha sets out to firmly correct his reckless behavior and Youngwoo gets intrigued by his co-star’s passion, resolving to learn under his mentorship.
As the two throw themselves wholeheartedly into their roles, the lines begin to blur as to what’s real and what’s method acting.
7. In Between Seasons (2018)
Mikyung (Bae Jongok) is raising her high school son, Soohyun (Ji Yoonho), alone while his husband works away from South Korea.
When Soohyun brings home a close friend, Yoonjoon (Lee Wongeun), Mikyung warmly welcomes him and treats him fondly. Yoojoon is even allowed to stay with her while Yoonho sets off to fulfill his mandatory military service.
After finishing his enlistment, Yoonho gets into a severe accident while on a trip with Yongjoon and slips into a coma. Mikyung, with her marriage falling apart and her son in a grave condition, is left exceedingly distraught after discovering that the relationship between Yoonho and Yongjoon extends far more than just friends.
8. Moonlit Winter (2019)
Saebom (Kim Sohye) accidentally reads a letter addressed to her mother, Yoonhee (Kim Heeae), and learns that it was from her first love, a Korean-Japanese woman named Jun (Yuko Nakamura).
Wanting her mother to be happy, she insists that they take a trip to Otaru, Japan, where Jun resides. Yoonhee feels torn between wanting to reach out to her old lover and fearing what she might find if she does.
9. Peafowl (2022)
Shin Myung (Choi Haejin) is a dancer hoping to earn some cash to fund her gender-reassignment surgery. When she narrowly misses out on winning a Waacking competition and its hefty prize money, she is told that while her dancing is good from a technical perspective, it is missing her unique personal color.
Myung learns that her father, a homophobic man she has long cut ties with, has died back in their rural hometown of Hochang. She grudgingly returns to pay her respects and is received with varying levels of acceptance and tolerance.
Her childhood friend Woogi reveals that her father’s dying wish was for Myung to dance at the ceremonial performance on the 49th day of his death and promised an inheritance for her if she fulfills his request.
As the ritual draws closer, Myung discovers truths about the people and the past that she has grown to resent, learns to quiet the turmoil within her, and makes peace with her roots.
10. Love In The Big City (2024)
Strong-willed Jaehee (Park Goeun) is notorious for her boldness and thick skin. Meanwhile, Heungsoo (Noh Sanghyun) is a closeted gay man struggling with his identity in fear of backlash from conservative Korean society.
When Jaehee accidentally stumbles upon his secret, the two gradually develop a strong friendship that helps Heungsoo find love and acceptance in a previously daunting world.
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Katherine grew up watching Korean dramas and other Asian shows. Although she first learned to appreciate Korean music through OSTs broadcasted locally in the early 2000s, it wasn’t until 2011 that she properly paid attention to K-pop. She is fond of SEVENTEEN and NCT and would recommend (G)I-DLE, Dreamcatcher, and XG to whoever cared to listen.
MEDIA: As Credited