Best North Korean movies
A curated collection of popular movies from North Korea.
Pulgasari (1985)
Pulgasari (1985)
In feudal Korea, a group of starving villagers grow weary of the orders handed down to them by their controlling king and set out to use a deadly monster under their control to push his armies back.
The Best in Hell (2022)
The Best in Hell (2022)
Units of the "whites" (PMC "Wagner") perform an assault operation to capture buildings. They are opposed by the "yellow" units, which have dug in these buildings and are also ready to fight to the end.
Hong Kil-dong (1986)
Hong Kil-dong (1986)
This movie tells the story of Hong Kil Dong, a legendary 15th century Korean Robin Hood figure.
Wish (2011)
Wish (2011)
The story of a husband and construction worker whose dream is to have his picture taken with the leader of his country.
Wolmi Island (1982)
Wolmi Island (1982)
A small troop of North Korean soldiers, armed with just four guns among them, defeats General Douglas MacArthur and 50,000 American soldiers at Inch'on.
Flower in Snow (2011)
Flower in Snow (2011)
The manager of a quilt factory retires, leaving the job of running it to a woman. She resolves to rebuild a new factory to meet the vision of the president, giving up much along the way to become the "mother" of the factory.
The Kites Flying in the Sky (2008)
The Kites Flying in the Sky (2008)
The Kites Flying in the Sky is a 2008 North Korean film. Directed by Phyo Kwang and Kim Hyon-chol, the film is based on the true story of a former marathon champion who devotes her life to caring for orphans. It officially premiered on 16 February 2008, and was the first film to be shown on television prior to a general release in June
The Parade of the Korean People's Army (2002)
The Parade of the Korean People's Army (2002)
A documentary spanning from the Korean Wars to the present. (MUBI)
A Traffic Controller on Crossroads (1986)
A Traffic Controller on Crossroads (1986)
A woman has just been newly christened in her job as a Pyongyang traffic supervisor. On her first assignment, she encounters a man who is using his work truck for personal use, along with driving unsafely. She detains him before eventually finding out that he was delivering the washing machine to her house. She attempts to hide in another room, but the man sees her. She immediately feels guilty for her actions.
Our Fragrance (2003)
Our Fragrance (2003)
Although an initial match-making attempt between Pyongho and Saebyol through their grandparents is unsuccessful, the two are brought together by fate to participate in the Pyongyang spring fashion show. Modelling both the fashion and the virtues of a wedding couple, their families convene to judge the potential unity. However, tradition versus the foreign influence seeping into society becomes the theme as misunderstandings come to create drama between the two families and the young couple
Teen Guerrillas (1951)
Teen Guerrillas (1951)
A group of boys decide to form a guerrilla unit in order to sabotage and spy on the American enemy after one of the communist-controlled cities falls to them.
Lighthouse (1983)
Lighthouse (1983)
The hero of this film toiled was a lighthouse keeper before Korea's liberation in World War II. He suffered many indignities and mistreatment by the Japanese, who were then occupying Korea. After the liberation, he leads a better life, and despite his advanced age, he keeps the lighthouse in full working order, in devotion to his country and doesn't rely on recognition or praise. Lighthouse is a quiet revolution drama, which makes it clear that a meritorious fate can also stand behind an unassuming person.
From Spring to Summer (1988)
From Spring to Summer (1988)
This is a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics co-production. This film is set during World War II, and is about a female Russian soldier named Masha. She is on a mission to discover a secret Japanese base in Korea. Everybody who accompanies her on the mission shortly dies, and she’s forced to stay with a local fisherman. She is trying to get the information about the base location back to the Russian army, because if she doesn’t, the Japanese will unleash the “Sakura Plan”, which is an all-out biological warfare assualt on the world.
The Flower Girl (1972)
The Flower Girl (1972)
The country is occupied by the Japanese imperialists. Koppun is selling flowers at the market to get some money to buy medicine for her sick mother. Her brother is imprisoned, her father dead and her sister blind.
Blood Stained Route Map Part 2 (2004)
Blood Stained Route Map Part 2 (2004)
Set during the Goryeo period, the film tells the story of a family who fight together to protect the Dokdo islets against Japanese invaders.
Pyongyang Nalpharam (2006)
Pyongyang Nalpharam (2006)
"Taek" and "Kyon", children of the two Masters who founded the school of martial arts "Taek-kyon", must keep the school manual away from the hands of the Japanese occupiers (early 20th century) and entrust it to Priest "Jiham" according to the will of their fathers. The two lovers, who have not seen each other since childhood due to the travel of "Taek" to Seol, meet in the cave where the manual is hidden and plan to defend the manual until the last drop of blood. The students of the school, known as the "Pyongyang Nalpharam"(pronounced Nal-Pa-Rem)shall help them in this path, but the Japanese also want to seize the manual very badly; as they want to destroy it so that their school of "Judo" remains unrivaled in Asia.
이름 없는 영웅들 (1978)
이름 없는 영웅들 (1978)
The film follows Yu Rim, a Korean expatriate in the United Kingdom working as a journalist, who is ordered by the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea to proceed to Seoul and gather intelligence on the United States Forces Korea.
Urban Girl Comes to Get Married (1993)
Urban Girl Comes to Get Married (1993)
A romantic comedy that tells the story of a fashion designer from Pyongyang who comes to a small village to show her latest designs. Since the fashion designer is young and attractive, the village patriarch comes up with a plan to set her up with a duck farmer who has ambitions of moving to the city.
A Family Basketball Team (1998)
A Family Basketball Team (1998)
Sol Ok is in love with Chol Young. when they ask for his parents' acceptance for their upcoming marriage, she is denied by Chol Young's sports obsessed family for being a mere musician. Can she learn the DPRK state sport of basketball, and win over his family?
The Tale of Chun Hyang (1980)
The Tale of Chun Hyang (1980)
A tender hearted young noble man, Mong Ryong, falls in love with the famous Chun Hyang, the most beautiful girl of a Korean village, who is also a pure hearted artist but unfortunately from a humble family. This forbidden love yields a secret marriage which is doomed when Mong Ryong departs for Seoul to pass state exams and his absence lasts three years, during which no news is heard of him. Meanwhile, the arrival of an infamous new sheriff puts Chun Hyang in great peril when she refuses to break her marriage and obey the desires of the sheriff.
Case Closed (2011)
Case Closed (2011)
The National Security Agency of North Korea is fighting against the conspiracy of the imperialists and class enemies to protect the dignity and authority of the Korean government and leaders. Not even a single case should be allowed to remain unsettled in the work of devotedly defending the headquarters of the revolution and defending the security of the socialist system.
Scouts (1953)
Scouts (1953)
The film tells the story of a small group of the Korean People's Army, led by Hakcheol Lee, deputy chief of the reconnaissance division, which went behind enemy lines.
A Broad Bellflower (1987)
A Broad Bellflower (1987)
Jin Song Rim strives to turn her humble mountain hometown of Pyokgye-ri into a model socialist village.
Forever in Our Memory (1999)
Forever in Our Memory (1999)
A film by Kang Jung-soo.
Always Working Together for the People (1994)
Always Working Together for the People (1994)
A documentary highlighting how both Kim il-Sung and Kim Jong-il work for the prosperity of the juche system and North Korean people.
On the Green Carpet (2001)
On the Green Carpet (2001)
Pyongyang, DPRK: Two ex-child gymnasts find themselves working together as directors in charge of the production of "mass games" (aka mass gymnastics, a North Korean specialty). Their joint area of responsibility is the youngest children's performance. However the two directors have different personalities and priorities. Their co-operation is less than friction-free as the pressure leading up to the performance increases. The two find that they work no better together as adults than they did as children. However there is still a bit of a spark between them. Will they manage to finish the production in time for the grand opening in front of the country's Leader? Are the children up for the challenge? Will any romance come out of all this....
O Youth! (1995)
O Youth! (1995)
A Pyongyang family with five overachieving athletic daughters get involved in their studious son’s romantic life.
The Shore of Salvation (1990)
The Shore of Salvation (1990)
The events unfold on the cruiser "Svetlana", one of the Russian ships that participated in the fighting of the Russo-Japanese war. The cruiser is attacked. After the fire is over, the crew decides to flood the ship so that it does not get to the enemy. Only five sailors can survive. They arrive on Korean land and are sent to the Russian territory, on the way they face various dangers.
On The Railway (1960)
On The Railway (1960)
Having been arrested by the American forces, a Korean engineer tries to save a North-Korean engine from the possession of the enemy by pretending he is working for them.