Best North Korean drama movies

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.

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.

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.

Moranbong (1960)

At the beginning of the Korean war, the love story, in a remote village, between a young worker and the daughter of a traditional musician.

Love the Future (1959)

How can we live apart? (1957)

Yong Nam was separated from his mother by the war on the Korean Peninsula (1950-1953): the boy remained in South Korea, while his mother left for the North. But how can they live apart?

Her Life Path (1958)

Using the fate of an ordinary woman as an example, the film shows how life has changed in liberated Korea.

Mt. Baekdu can be seen everywhere (1956)

A screen adaptation of the novel by North Korean writer Yong Song. On the anti-Japanese partisan struggle of the Korean partisans in the 1930s.

그들의 모습에서 (1985)

Defenders of the native land (1952)

The plot revolves around a pair of hunters, Moonil Lee and Sun-deok Kim, who wage an armed struggle to defend their homeland during the war on the Korean Peninsula (1950-1953).

The Combat Unit of a Fighter Plane (1953)

The main character of the film, Man-sik Kim, is a fighter of the Korean People's Army. Through his bravery and resourcefulness in battle, he crushed the enemy's air superiority and dealt a crushing blow to the enemy.

The Miss of Guerrillas (1954)

Against the backdrop of the time when North Korea was fighting the war for the liberation of the Korean peninsula (1950-1953), the main character, Ok-khi Cho, participates in a guerrilla war in a village occupied by the American military.

Nation and Destiny 1-4: Choe Hyon Dok (1992)

Choe Hyon Dok indulged in anti-communism nearly all his life. At the end, he is forsaken by the nation and lives in exile in a foreign country. But in the embrace of his beloved home, his motherland, he finds the genuine way to resurrection and contribution to the nation at last.

Red Buds (1960)

About the heroic struggle of young Korean patriots against the Japanese invaders in 1930.

Son of the Motherland (1956)

The story of a Korean who, since childhood, lived under the rule of Japanese invaders. During the Korean War, the hero devotes all his strength to the fight against the aggressors, worthily serving the homeland he loves.

Pioneer honor (1959)

The story of how the pioneers helped to hide the equipment of the mine where gold was mined from the enemy, and thereby disrupted the restoration of the work.

Village People (1957)

애국자 (1959)

Never Can Live Like That (1956)

Jeon-u (1958)

During the Korean War, Chinese volunteers and the Korean People's Army supported each other and fought together. They shed blood in the name of friendship between the two peoples and praised the nobility, the spirit of internationalism.

Song of Retrospection (1986)

Mr. Komak, a musician from one foreign power, and Ra Sol Ju, Navy communicator of DPRK, who also does have a sense of music, met twice. First, on the Korean War, where she captured him, and then at the Festival of Youth and Students in Berlin. Many years later, Komak is coming to the festival in Pyongyang, with hope to find her.

Girls in My Hometown (1991)

Girls in my Hometown, released in 1991, is a melodrama dealing with individualism and sacrifice. A young girl has a friend who has just come back from abroad, bringing with her foreign fashions and foreign ideas. When the solider to whom the friend was engaged becomes blinded in an accident, she decides to put herself first, neglecting her duties to her fiancé and the community she lives in.

The Invisible Front (1965)

A resident of foreign intelligence, nicknamed 'badger', receives a new task through a sent messenger. Badger's subordinates Sen-ryur Pak, a doctor, and his wife Chon-ok Lee take action. They are participants in a new sabotage operation.

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.

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....

Myself in the Distant Future (1997)

A romantic drama from 1997, that revolves around the coupling of a big city businessman and a lowly plasterer based in the countryside, who decides to stay in her home despite the apparent benefits of leaving

The Favourite Young Man (1989)

A young plumber reunite with his girlfriend from the years in the army. His sister that he is a businessman. To make him more interesting and desirable. For a plumber is nothing to be, right?

Love, Love, My Love (1985)

The plot is based on the Korean folk tale, The Tale of Chunhyang. Chunhyang falls in love with the upper-class Ri Mong-ryong, but they must marry in secret. Mong-ryong is sent away to become a government official. While he is away, Chunhyang is imprisoned by a corrupt governor. Mong-ryong returns just in time to save her from execution and the two can publicly proclaim their love.

The Story of Sim Cheong (1957)

Film opera. The legend of the young Cheon Sim who throws herself into the Indangsu sea sacrificing herself so that her blind father can restore his sight. However, she was resurrected, became an empress, and healed her father's blindness.

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.