Movies Like The Chrysanthemum and the Clown

If you liked The Chrysanthemum and the Clown (1982), a movie directed by Kim Soo-yong, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Net (2016)
★ 7.4/10
A poor North Korean fisherman finds himself an accidental defector, and is groomed to be a spy by an ambitious South Korean military officer.
2
The Spy Gone North (2018)
★ 7.3/10
South Korea, 1993. An agent of the National Intelligence Service is sent to Beijing to infiltrate a group of North Korean officials with the ultimate goal of obtaining information about their nuclear program.
3
Phantom (2023)
★ 6.9/10
In 1933, when Korea was under Japanese occupation, five people in Gyeongseong are suspected to be "Phantom" spies of the anti-Japanese organization.
4
The Suspect (2013)
★ 6.9/10
Betrayed and on the run, a former North Korean agent tries to seek revenge on the man who killed his wife, find his missing daughter, and uncover the secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man.
5
Failan (2001)
★ 7.2/10
After losing both her parents, Failan emmigrates to Korea to seek her only remaining relatives. Once she reaches Korea, she finds out that her relatives have moved to Canada well over a year ago. Desperate to stay and…
6
Spy Girl (2004)
★ 6.6/10
Ko-bong has a huge crush on Gye-soon who works at a fast food restaurant without knowing that the girl he love is a spy from North Korea.
7
Love, Lies (2016)
★ 7.8/10
Two best friends, So-yool and Yeon-hee, dream of becoming the top artists in Seoul together. But their friendship doesn't last long as Yoon-woo, So-yool's first love and songwriter, falls in love with Yeon-hee and her…
8
Silmido (2003)
★ 7.1/10
On 31 January 1968, 31 North Korean commandos infiltrated South Korea in a failed mission to assassinate President Park Chung-hee. In revenge, the South Korean military assembled a team of 31 criminals on the island of…
9
Chunhyang (2000)
★ 6.6/10
Once at a pagoda Mongryong Lee, a scion of a well-to-do family, meets Chunhyang, the young daughter of a courtesan and an aristocrat. Despite her low social standing she is smart and well-educated. The young people…
10
Children... (2011)
★ 7.2/10
On March 26, 1991, five boys set off to the mountain to go frog hunting and never come back to their family. While a documentary producer, detective and professor try to solve the mystery of the incident, one of the…
11
Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)
★ 7.4/10
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…
12
You Will Die in 6 Hours (2024)
★ 6.6/10
Jung-yoon was approached by a random stranger named Jun-woo, who told her she'd be dead in six hours. As she follows him for answers, she begins to question whether he's her savior or the one trying to put her in danger.
13
Remember (2022)
★ 7.5/10
Pil-ju, an Alzheimer's patient in his 80s, who lost all his family during the Japanese colonial era, and devotes his lifelong revenge before his memories disappear, and a young man in his 20s who helps him.
14
Thread of Lies (2014)
★ 7.4/10
Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be moved into another apartment. Tracking down clues from school, Man-ji discovers that Cheon-ji's best friend Hwa-yeon is behind…
15
71: Into the Fire (2010)
★ 7.6/10
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…
16
6/45 (2022)
★ 6.8/10
A comical encounter between South and North Korean soldiers over the 5.7 billions won lottery that crossed the military demarcation line on the wind.
17
Miracle: Letters to the President (2021)
★ 7.4/10
Dreaming of making a way station for his sister and the villagers who have no choice but to commute along the dangerous train tracks every day, Joon-kyung sends many letters to the President, but with no reply. Ra-hee…
18
Home by Spring (2018)
★ 6.4/10
When an ambitious event planner gets an opportunity she can’t refuse, she goes undercover as her boss and returns to her rural hometown. With the help of her family and the man she left behind, she pulls off the…
19
Minari (2020)
★ 7.3/10
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and…
20
Ashfall (2019)
★ 6.9/10
A group of unlikely heroes from across the Korean peninsula try to save the day after a volcano erupts on the mythical and majestic Baekdu Mountain.