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Best Upcoming Korean Movies of January 2023
2023 has a lot in store for the Hallyu fans. From long-awaited K-dramas to Jisoo's solo debut, Korean showbiz has quite a few assets slated for 2023. Over and above that, the Korean film industry has also been gearing up for big releases. And among them, here are a few movies coming out in January 2023 that might pique your interest.
1. Phantom
Set in 1933, when the Japanese reigned the Korean peninsula, "Phantom" commences with five Koreans who are arrested as suspects for being "Phantom" - a spy of an anti-Japanese organization in the district of Gyeongseong. They are taken to a remote secluded hotel for interrogation. The five individuals are then given two choices if they want to walk out free from the imprisonment - prove themselves innocent or report the actual phantom.
The Korean movie is an action-packed espionage thriller with a tense plot and a historical setting that gives a glimpse into the colonial past of Korea. Here are some snippets of what Lee Hae Young's hand-picked cast has to say about the characters.
Park So Dam (from "Parasite") who plays Yuriko - secretary of the general political affairs chief of Korean origin - remarks, "Since she’s an unpredictable character with a lot of variables, I thought about just how differently I could portray her in a variety of ways".
Lee Ha Nee - last seen in "Alienoid" - comes as Park Cha Gyeong - an employee who records cryptograms for the Government-General. She comments, "Cha Kyung is a character who harbors a deep, unfathomable sadness. She is a character who deeply suppressed her emotions, rather than opening up and resolving them. Out of all the characters I’ve played, I believe Cha Kyung is the person who is the most open-minded with the highest caliber".
Park Hae Soo who will be seen as Kaito - the captain of the Japanese forces who is entrusted with the duty to root out the spy - says, "From the day I was cast, I practiced every day for five to six hours. I did think a lot about (conveying) lines that need to occupy space in a foreign language, and I did my best".
The movie is expected to hit theatres on January 18.
Watch the trailer here.
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Amidst a brewing international conflict, a group of evangelists from a South Korean Presbyterian church lands in Afghanistan - ignoring the government's protocol - to bring the Afghan people into the fold of Christianity. They are kidnapped by the Afghani terrorist group Taliban, which then puts forward its demands in exchange for the hostages.
To bring them back, the Korean government dispatches a NIS agent and a diplomat - Dae Sik (Hyun Bin) and Jae Ho (Hwang Jung Min) - to tackle the critical situation.
The Korean movie is inspired by the true events of the hostage situation of 2007 when a group of South Korean Christian missionaries was abducted in the Middle East.
After the resounding success of "Confidential Assignment 2: International", Hyun Bin is back with another actioner. This time, he will be joined by the veteran actor Hwang Jung Min. The still-cuts from the movie show a rugged never-seen-before look of Hyun Bin. The actor is seen with a Wolverine beard and a craggy appearance that is in alliance with his character Park Dae Shik - a NIS agent who has to overcome a traumatic past to make the rescue mission a success. Moreover, Hyun Bin’s sharp charisma and his action-hero swag portrayed in the teasers and posters alone are enough to turn his fans to this thrill flick!
Watch the trailer here.
3. Jung_E
The era is 22nd century, and the times are bleak. Climate change has made Earth uninhabitable, and humans have developed a man-made shelter for survival. Amidst the desperate situations, a war breaks out in the shelter. To win the war, those in power attempt to clone an elite mercenary, Jung Yi.
Helmed by the director of "Train to Busan" and "Hellbound", "Jung_E" is a dystopian sci-fi movie that will hit the screens on January 20. The teasers and trailers portray aesthetic visuals and eye-popping CGI.
We will be seeing Kim Hyun Joo playing Jung Yi - an elite commander of the Allied Forces. The poster reveals Hyun Joo’s tough look in a warrior's attire aiming at her target with a heavyweight gun. Ryu Kyung Soo (last seen in Glitch) will act as Sang Hoon - director of the institute that undertakes the task of cloning Jung_E. The Korean movie will mark Kang Soo Yeon's final work. The late actress will be seen as Seo Hyun - the leader of the research laboratory that will be running the brain cloning experiments and developing AI.
"Jung_E" will be available to stream on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.
If there is one thing Hallyu fans always look forward to from the Korean film industry, it's zombie movies.
When bizarre circumstances start turning people in Gangnam into flesh-hungry zombies, Hyun Seok (Ji Il Joo) and Min Jung (Park Ji Yeon) - who are trapped inside a building where the gruesome creatures roam free - must now team up and fight for survival.
The movie was sold in 134 countries before its release and is among the 16 movies selected at Cannes. It is also reported that the film was a commercial success.
Watch the trailer here.
5. Switch
Park Gang (Kwon Sang Woo) is a renowned actor and also a notorious scandal maker. Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any better, he finds things taking a turn. On Christmas day, he wakes up and finds himself living a different life. He isn’t an actor and has a wife and two kids.
He also finds that his manager from his previous life Jo Yoon (Oh Jung Se) is now the top actor in the industry.
"Switch" is a soul swap comedy movie slated for a January 4 release. After starring in "Curtain Call", Kwon Sang Woo will now play the main lead in the upcoming movie. He will be accompanied by Oh Jung Se (last seen in "Little Women").
The movie also marks the return of Lee Min Jung to filmland as this is her first movie in the last 10 years. She was last seen in the 2020 K-drama "Once Again". It is also reported that Min Tae Yul will give a guest role and Kim Ha Young will be making a special appearance in the comedy flick.
Watch the trailer here.
