10 South Korean Romantic Movies

If you love romantic movies the traditional way- with flowers and hearts, chocolates and tragedy, you will surely  love South Korean romantic movies. Some of the most tender romantic movies are as follows:
 

1. Il Mare (2000)
   
   This movie inspired the Hollywood hit- the Lake House starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae, the movie is a unique tale of romance between a student of architecture and a sweet-voiced actress who fall for each other despite having never met each other. The twist in the tale is that they live in the same house but at different points of time. They manage to communicate with each other through an old mail box. It is an unusual love story with the science fiction element woven into the plot.
    
2. Fai Lan (2001)
   
   It is a tragic romantic drama, beautifully crafted by Hae-sung-song. Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung stars as a simple Chinese immigrant Fai Lan who comes to Korea in search of her parents. Min-sik-Choi stars as a lowly gangster Kang-Jae who arranges a fake marriage with her. Their only time together is when they meet at the registration office. Fai-lan is filled with love and gratitude for Kang-Jae which she expresses in a bunch of letters and which are discovered by Kang-Jae only when it is too late.
   
   
    
3. Christmas in August (1998)
   
   It was the first film of director Hur Jin-Ho and is regarded s a classic movie in the revival of the Korean movie industry. Han Suk-kyu stars as the owner of a photography shop suffering a terminal disease and with a few days to live. The main romantic current of the movie is the love that blossoms between him and a beautiful meter reader played by  Eun-ha Shim. An abundance of tears, tragic scenes and a lovely ending bring the movie together. Get the tissues going   as you watch this tear-jerker. It is a Korean classic and has a pan-Asia fan base.
    
4. A Moment to Remember (2004)
   
   Prepare to watch a love story that leaves you breathless. It stars current South Korean sensation Woo-Sung Jung as Cheol-Su, and the lovely Ye-Jin Son as Su-Jin. The story is about two people whose love endures despite the tragedy of Su-Jin developing Alzheimer’s disease in her youth. Woo sung has given an excellent performance as a doting husband having to the deal with the fact that his dear wife cannot recognize him due to her illness. Keep tissues ready again for this tragic tale. The movie  has won accolades like Best Adapted Screenplay at the Grand Bell Awards, 2005. It is a touching and brilliant romantic tragedy which will be appreciated by fans of others genres also.
    
5. Almost love (2006)
   
   It is the story of two friends with different dreams. Ji-hwan is a student of taekwondo with a part time job as a stunt man, who aspires to be the Korean equivalent of Jackie Chan. Dal-rae is a drama student and aspiring actress. While they get involved with other persons, they come to gradually realize that they are in love with each other. The story ponders over whether they have  the courage to admit their feelings. Ji-hwan and Dal-rae are the very talented pair who play this couple. It is one of the best Korean movies to be a hit on the global scene.
    
6. The Perfect Couple (2007)
   
   Makes for great onscreen chemistry between the lead pair. Choi Soo-jin and Kang Jae-hyuk meet in a strange situation. She is a reporter and he is a police detective. The story revolves around what happens when she’s assigned to write about him.
    
7. My Girl and I (2005)
   
   The tragic romantic tale of a young man who cannot let go  of his dead girl friend. The movie is made of a series of flashbacks in which the romance between the protagonists is finely etched. It is a typical Korean romantic movie with lots of tears, tragedy and heartache. It is a remake of Crying Out Love, a Japanese film.
    
8. The Classic (2003)
   
   It is a pair of love stories set in parallel time periods. Directed by Kwak Jae-yong, without doubt the most talented Korean writer and director of romantic films behind hits such as My Sassy Girl, Windstruck etc. The movie's main character is a shy young girl named Ji-hye (Son Ye-jin). She discovers a stash of letters and a diary left by her mother and learns about her tragic love story, acted out in flashbacks. But fate has a strange way of drawing surprises- Ji-hye does not realize  that her own feelings for a fellow student Sang-min (Zo In Sung) is fate’s way of coming to a circle that covers two generations.
    
9. Oasis (2002)
   
   A love story a not so stable man, recently released from prison after serving time for involuntary manslaughter. His romantic interest is the daughter of his victim, who suffers from cerebral palsy. It is an unusual theme for a romantic love story. Written and directed by Lee Chang-dong, Oasis is an offbeat love story with impressive performances by the lead pair of Sol Kyung-gu and Moon So-ri,. It is also has a social message that raises voice against family prejudices and  narrow minded attitudes. It was a huge success in the festival circuit. It won a number of awards including FIPRESCI Prize for Director Lee Chang-dong and Marcello Mastroianni Award for actress So-ri Moon at the Venice Film Festival.
    
10. My Sassy Girl (2001)
    
    It was a super duper hit in East Asian market. Gyeon-woo, an engineering student, meets a girl (she’s not named) at a train platform: she’s drunk; he saves her from falling under the rails. It is based on the real life blog of Kim Ho- Sik writing about his relationship with an unnamed girl. She is making his life a virtual hell-abusing him, testing him but he puts up with it knowing that she is suffering and needs help. There is lots of comedy in the relationship between Char tae-Hyun and Jun Ji-Hyun and the movie couple will steal your heart.