12 Korean Zombie Movies And TV Shows You Must Watch In 2023
Here’s a list of the Korean zombie movies that will give you sleepless nights. Check out how IMDB ranks these movies that you need to watch if you loved Train To Busan.
Zombies are my favorite type of horror movie! Ever since I’ve watched Train To Busan way back in 2016, I was bowled over by how South Korean movies added a fresh touch to the zombie genre.
When the much-awaited sequel to Train to Busan, the Korean zombie movie Peninsula was released in 2020, the interest in the zombie genre was reawakened.
What I love most about the K-zombie movie genre is how there’s a little bit of everything in these films.
You can find body horror, good, old-fashioned gore, psychological thrillers, and even the occasional love story.
So you don’t have to be an avid zombie movie fan to enjoy these Korean zombie movies.
Here are some of the top Korean zombie movies ranked according to the top scores on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes.
Korean Zombie Movies And TV Shows
Train to Busan
Year Of Release: 2016
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Su-an, Kim Eui-sung, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee
Directed By: Yeon Sang-ho
Perhaps the most popular in this list of Korean zombie movies is the 2016 thriller Train To Busan.
The movie garnered worldwide attention and spawned an animated prequel and a live action sequel as well.
Train To Busan isn’t just a horror movie, and that’s what works in it’s favour. You see criticisms of Korean class system, greediness, apathy, and other human sentiments in this film.
The movie centers around a character played Gong Yoo who boards a train to visit his estranged wife along with his young daughter.
However, a woman infected with the zombie virus gets in the train too infecting other passengers and turning the train ride a devastating battle for survival.
You’ll be on the edge of your seat throughout the whole movie which moves at breakneck speed, in tune to the titular train.
It’s also got a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94% Certified Fresh.
- My Ratings: 9.5/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Action Movies
Peninsula
Year Of Release: 2020
IMDB Rating: 5.5
Cast: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Re
Directed By: Yeon Sang-ho
This much-awaited sequel to Train To Busan lacks the social commentary of the first movie. But what it’s lacking in nuance, it makes up for in body horror and gore.
If you like your zombie movies to be scary, gory, and much like western slashers, Peninsula will be a fantastic watch.
However, if you’re looking for something new, you’ll be disappointed as this movie doesn’t match the freshness and innovation of the first.
It picks up exactly where Train to Busan ended. In this film, all the survivors of the zombie apocalypse are safe and sound in Hong Kong.
But Jung Seok, an ex-soldier, played by Dong-Won Gang has got an assignment to recover $20 million from Seoul, which is now an apocalyptic wasteland.
- My Ratings: 7.5/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Gore and Violence
#Alive
Year Of Release: 2020
IMDB Rating: 6.3
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye
Directed By: Cho Il-hyung
The movie was written and shot way before the Pandemic, but #Alive manages to capture the sense of dread and claustrophobia we’ve all experienced during the lockdown.
Perhaps that’s the reason why this Korean zombie film was so popular.
Available on Netflix, this movie is about Oh Joon-Wo, a reclusive gamer who’s rarely out of this apartment.
And this works in his favor one day as victims of a zombie virus attack his apartment complex.
The story delves in to Oh Joon-Wo’s attempts to fend of the incoming attackers and stay, well… Alive.
You’ll love the healthy dose of comedy in the movie. It’s more like Zombieland than Train To Busan and makes for a fun watch.
- My Ratings: 9/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Survival Drama
The Wailing
Year Of Release: 2016
IMDB Rating: 7.5
Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Chun Woo-hee
Directed By: Na Hong-jin
The Wailing isn’t just a zombie movie, it’s one of the best Korean horror movies out there.
It delves into mysterious supernatural occurrences that plague a small Korean village and the local police officer, Jong-goo’s efforts to try and solve them.
The zombie element comes in when the townspeople get possessed by a mysterious entity and quickly become members of the undead.
To complicate matters, there is the local superstition around a Japanese immigrant and his involvement in the supernatural activities in town.
The movie comes to head when Jong-goo’s own daughter falls prey to this ailment.
- My Ratings: 9/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Horror Movies
Seoul Station
Year Of Release: 2016
IMDB Rating: 6.2
Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Joon
Directed By: Yeon Sang-ho
Everyone who has watched Train To Busan will now that the zombie’s took over Seoul first. But how did that happen?
If you want this question answered, watch this animated prequel directed by Yeon Sang-Ho.
Seoul Station imagines a city that is overrun by zombies and follows Suk-Gyu, voiced by Ryu Seung-Ryong a man desperately looking for his missing daughter among the chaos.
While the first movie looked at the social classes and how society collapse in the faces of a crisis, Seoul Station takes us deeper into the lives of individuals affected by the zombie apocalypse.
Especially those living on the margins of Korean society and who are most vulnerable.
- My Ratings: 8/10
- Who It Is For: Anime Lovers
The Neighbor Zombie
Year Of Release: 2010
IMDB Rating: 4.8
Cast:
Directed By:
If you’re of the belief that zombie movies should be ludicrous and fun and not nail-bitingly scary, you’ll probably like The Neighbor Zombie
As it’s IMDB rating shows, it’s not the best example of Korean cinematic prowess.
But it’s a great cult classic and has a sort of pulpy charm to it.
The movie also resonates with our current times. It’s about a 2010 Pandemic that leaves most of South Korea’s population zombies.
A few heroic people then set out amidst the horde of zombies to get the few uninfected civilians to safety and find a cure of the virus.
- My Ratings: 9/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Lighthearted, Comedy Movies
- Related: List of Korean Horror Movies
- Related: List of Korean Thriller Movies
- Related: List of Korean Gangster Movies
The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale
Year Of Release: 2019
IMDB Rating: 6.5
Cast: Jung Jae-young, Kim Nam-gil, Uhm Ji-won, Lee Soo-kyung, Jung Ga-ram, Park In-hwan
Directed By: Lee Min-jae
Another of the Korean zombie movies that is high on laugh and low on stakes is this 2019 dark comedy by Lee Min-Jae.
The movie revolves around the opportunistic Park family who extort money from unwitting motorists who fall into their fake-accident trap.
One day the family discovers a missing test subject from a nearby pharmaceutical company that had been conducting illegal expenses.
On discovering that a bite from this person makes you feel stronger and stay younger, the family start charging the village people for getting bitten.
Result? A complete zombie outbreak. This movie is a good palate cleanser from all the dark, unnerving zombie tales.
- My Ratings: 9.5/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Want to Laugh Instead of Being Scared
Doomsday Book
Year Of Release: 2012
IMDB Rating: 5.9
Cast: Ryoo Seung-bum, Kim Kang-woo, Song Sae-byeok
Directed By: Kim Jee-woon, Yim Pil-sung
The Doomsday Book is a three-part horror story anthology with one of its stories chronicling a zombie apocalypse.
It resembles the end of the Hollywood movie Contagion and contains cameos from Bong Jong Hoo and other notable stars of South Korean cinema.
This movie is a treat for all horror fans and not just people who love zombie movies.
Directed by Yim Pil-sung, this zombie tale has a very satirical edge to it.
Just look at how the zombie apocalypse occurs in the story.
A man eats a rotten apple dumps it in the garbage and as the pathogen makes its way into the food chain it evolves into a deadly zombie-causing virus.
- My Ratings: 8.5/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Drama Movies
Rampant
Year Of Release: 2019
IMDB Rating: 6.3
Cast: Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun
Directed By: Kim Sung-hoon
If you’re not someone who’s a fan of zombie flicks and prefer something more rich and entertaining, here’s a Korean Joseon period drama with a twist.
The movie stars Hyun Bin (yes, the hunk from Crash Landing on You) as the Crown Prince Lee Chung of the Joseon dynasty.
He’s kidnapped by the Qing Dynasty and has the fight of his Minister of War Kim Ja-Joon for the control of the throne.
Sounds like your run-of-the-mill historical fiction doesn’t it? Well, here’s where it gets interesting.
Lee Chung also has to fight off a legion of supernatural creatures called “night demons” who are, in popular cultures, called zombies.
- My Ratings: 6.8/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Historical Fiction
Horror Stories
Year Of Release: 2012
IMDB Rating: 5.7
Cast: Kim Ji-won, Yoo Yeon-seok, Choi Yoon-young, Jin Tae-hyun, Kim Hyun-soo, Nam Bo-ra
Directed By: Im Dae-woong, Jung Bum-sik, Hong Ji-young, Kim Gok, Kim Sun
This movie is actually an anthology of horror stories with several vignettes. The zombie short film appears at the very end.
So this movie might be a not-so-interesting watch for fans who are solely interested in zombies and gore.
But when we get to it, boy does it deliver!
The zombie short is called Ambulance on the Death Zone and is about a little girl who becomes a zombie after contracting a mysterious illness.
- My Ratings: 7/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Anthology Stories
All Of Us Are Dead
Year Of Release: 2022
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
Cast: Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun, Park Ji-hoo, Park Solomon
Directed By: Lee Jae-kyoo; Kim Nam-su
Now this isn’t technically a movie, but a Netflix zombie series. But I felt like I had to add this one to the list. All of us are dead is a highly plot driven and well-paced show that never once fails to do what it sets out to do – scare you!
The story revolves around a bunch of high school students who must try to figure out a way to escape their school which has become a hot spot for zombie activity.
Will they manage to do it? Well, this show will keep you guessing and put you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
While the direction by Lee Jae-kyoo is flawless, I must commend the acting of the new faces in the show especially Park Solomon who is a far cry in this show from his Sweet Revenge days.
- My Ratings: 9.8/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Social Commentary Movies
Happiness
Year Of Release: 2021
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
Cast: Han Hyo-joo, Park Hyung-sik, Woo-jin Jo, Joo-hee Park
Directed By: Gil Ho Ahn
Netflix is knocking it out of the park when it comes to Korean Zombie shows! Firstly there was #Alive and then there was All of Us Are Dead.
But between the immense popularity of both these zombie media, the show Happiness doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
It too is a gripping, edge-of-the-seat drama about a group of people locked in an apartment complex while a zombie apocalypse rages outside.
Yes, the formula is tried and tested. So it works! And I love how this Zombie show doesn’t seem to repetitive. It has enough fresh content to keep it unique.
I really liked how the show focuses on the characters than go overboard on the gore and violence. It focuses on the relationships between the people, the drama surrounding the mysterious zombie illness and the dystopian politics aspect rather than the killing and violence like most zombie shows do!
- My Ratings: 9/10
- Who It Is For: People Who Like Nuance and Dystopian Dramas
Doomsday Book
“Doomsday Book” is a unique and thought-provoking Korean drama that delves into the realms of science fiction, fantasy, and human nature. This anthology series, consisting of three separate but interconnected short films, captivates its audience with a creative exploration of apocalyptic scenarios, moral dilemmas, and existential questions.
Each short film in “Doomsday Book” presents a distinct and imaginative story, all centered around a theme of impending doom. The first film, “A Brave New World,” portrays a comical yet unsettling tale of a robotic assistant’s sudden enlightenment, leading to an unexpected series of events that question the nature of artificial intelligence and human hubris.
The second film, “The Heavenly Creature,” transports viewers to a Buddhist monastery, where an unexpected discovery of a supposed zombie leads to contemplation on the nature of life, death, and the interconnectedness of all beings. This segment beautifully blends elements of spirituality with science fiction, leaving the audience pondering the metaphysical implications.
The final film, “Happy Birthday,” takes a satirical approach to consumerism and environmental issues. As a young girl orders a seemingly innocent birthday gift, the consequences unfold in an absurd and unsettling manner, urging viewers to reflect on the repercussions of a throwaway culture and our impact on the planet.
One of the drama’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to engage the audience with diverse and intellectually stimulating narratives. The clever storytelling, imaginative settings, and strong performances from the actors immerse viewers in worlds that challenge conventional norms and beliefs.
Moreover, “Doomsday Book” showcases the versatility of Korean cinema, as each short film boasts exceptional production values, visual effects, and direction. The attention to detail in bringing these imaginative worlds to life is commendable and enhances the overall viewing experience.
However, “Doomsday Book” might not appeal to all audiences, as its non-linear structure and artistic approach might be unconventional for those seeking straightforward and traditional storytelling.
In conclusion, “Doomsday Book” is an ambitious and thought-provoking Korean drama that stands out for its creative storytelling, captivating performances, and imaginative exploration of apocalyptic scenarios. Fans of science fiction, fantasy, and philosophical themes will find this anthology series a compelling and intellectually stimulating watch.
Although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, “Doomsday Book” serves as a testament to the diversity and creativity present in Korean cinema and is a must-watch for those seeking a departure from conventional storytelling conventions.
- My Ratings: 9/10
- Who It Is For: Fans of science fiction, fantasy, and philosophical themes
While Korean cinema is garnering widespread attention due to movies like Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite, which won Best Movie at the Oscars, zombie movies have a niche of their own.
Lots of horror movies buffs have a morbid fascination for the undead.
And Korean zombie movies mix your average zombie thriller with cutting criticisms of the class system, unbridled tech advancement, and how life can change with a single viral pathogen infection.
The last one sounds very familiar, doesn’t it?
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