Best Korean Erotic Movies Eroticism has long held a complex, shifting place within Korean cinema — both a reflection of cultural repression and a bold means of artistic expression. From the 1970s onward, as censorship gradually loosened and directors began pushing against social taboos, Korean filmmakers turned intimacy and desire into potent tools for exploring themes of class, morality, gender, and psychological tension.
In costume dramas, eroticism often intertwines with social hierarchy and political intrigue, transforming royal courts and rural villages into battlegrounds of temptation and power — where desire becomes a weapon and virtue a mask. In the realm of psychosexual thrillers, passion is frequently portrayed as both a symptom and a catalyst of madness, revealing the fractures beneath modern relationships and moral facades. Meanwhile, in contemporary dramas, eroticism evolves into a vehicle for emotional truth, confronting repression, loneliness, and the destructive weight of guilt and longing.
What follows is a chronological journey through some of the most provocative and artistically daring works in Korean cinema. From the feverish obsessions of “Woman of Fire” and the tragic sensuality of “Mulberry,” to the psychological torment of “The Scarlet Letter” and the intricate eroticism of “The Handmaiden,” these stories chart how Korean filmmakers have transformed sexuality from mere provocation into a profound mirror of power, identity, and the human condition.
Woman of Fire (Kim Ki-young, 1971)
The story begins with the police finding Dong-sik and Myeong-ja dead in a house next to a poultry farm, stabbed to death. Due to massive damage in the house, the police initially consider the crime a robbery case, but as more evidence come to the fore regarding Dong-sik’s wife, Jeong-sook, the truth begins to surface. The film then unfolds in two axes, with the first and major one dealing with the story of the three until the events, and the second in the present.
The Insect Woman (Kim Ki-young, 1972)
After a rather intense introduction featuring a psychologically disturbed man checking himself in a mental hospital, we are introduced to the main storyline, revolving around Myeong-ja, a schoolgirl whose life is in shambles after her father’s death. Her mother, unable to make ends meet for the family, forces her to get work in a hostess bar, in order to help pay for her brother’s tuition to college, despite the fact that the young man is not exactly a great student. The inexperienced girl falls in the hands of a cunning madam, who knows exactly how to use the stick and the carrot to get Myeong-ja do exactly what she wants. While there, she is introduced to the aforementioned man, Mr. Kim, who is suffering from impotence and a domineering wife. Their first meeting ends up as something that is essentially a rape, which manages though, to wake up the man’s sleeping libido. Furthermore, a bit later, Myeong-ja, realizing that this would be her fate from now on, instead prompts to become Mr. Kim’s mistress, despite the fact that he already has a wife and two kids. After a rather intense clash with his wife, Oh Soon-jo, the latter agrees to allow the affair, although under a number of rules that include a curfew for him to get back home, control of his weight, the number of times the two of them have sex and a plethora of other factors. Surprisingly, everyone involved agree to the deal, despite the protests of Mr. Kim’s offspring, Kim Jo-mi and Kim Hoon. However, when the two lovers start discussing about having a baby, things take a rather sinister turn.
Do You Know Kotsuni? (Jeong In-yeob, 1979)
The story revolves around an innocent and naive girl named Eun-ha, who, as the movie begins, works at a hostess cafr where the waitresses are expected to keep customers company. There, she becomes close to Nam-jun, a photographer who frequents the place. However, Nam-jun turns out to be a playboy and eventually runs into trouble with the police after several accusations of exploiting the girls he photographed.
Suddenly in Dark Night (Ko Young-nam, 1980)
For many years, Seon-hee (Kim Young-ae) has been married to biology professor Kang Yu-jin (Yoon Il-bong). Even though he is often on business trips, giving lectures at the university or expeditions into the local forests, trying to find rare butterflies and insects, their relationship is quite good and satisfying for both of them. Given his salary from the university and for various publications in his field of study, they also live a rather luxurious life, with their house close to the kind of nature Yu-jin needs for his studies and his passion. However, when he comes back from one of his expeditions, the image of a wooden statue he took by mistake catches the eye of Seon-hee. In the following days, it haunts her dreams and she experiences nightmares, along with a sense of foreboding, which her husband does not quite comprehend.
Madame Aema (Jeong-In-yeob, 1982)
The film starts with Ae-ma riding a train, which is soon revealed to be heading towards the prison her husband, Sin Hyeon-woo, is incarcerated in, for involuntary homicide. A series of flashbacks shed more light to the prior events and reveal an abusive marriage, with Hyeon-woo having frequent affairs with other women, and the fateful night Ae-ma decided to confront him, which ended up in violence, both in the house and when he decided to drown his sorrows in a bar.
Mulberry (Lee Doo-yong, 1985)
The story takes place in the mid-20s, during the Japanese occupation, in a village in the mountains named Yong-dam, and revolves around An-hyeop, one of the inhabitants, a woman of extreme beauty. Her life, however, is not content at all, since her husband, Sam-bo, is a traveling gambler who returns home for short periods after months away, leaving his wife to survive by herself. An-hyeop helps in the rice fields and picks mulberry leaves for her landlady, who raises silk-worms. Since the money are not enough though, she also sleeps with any man is able to bring her food or any other goods, which includes almost every male in the village, and even ones from the nearby ones, with the dates being set by her landlady. The women in the village are very frustrated by the fact, but since the majority of the men have slept with her, they cannot make her leave. The only man An-hyeop refuses to have sex with is Sam-dol, the village servant, a very strong but almost half-wit man, who grows more and more frustrated by her denials. His actions and the fact that An-hyeop eventually goes too far with her actions, have some very dramatic consequences.
Sa Bangji (Song Kyung-shik, 1988)
Sa Bangji is the product of the union between a hardened criminal and a mentally disturbed woman. She is also an hermaphrodite, who, as the movie begins, is taken in and cared for by the abbott in a monastery. Eventually, though, Bangji decides to leave the protected setting in order to get to know the world, soon ending up working in a household as a caretaker. Her evident beauty has both men and women in the area lusting for her, with the young-widow of the household, Lee So-sa, ending up being the one sharing her bed. The two of them soon move beyond the erotic, but their relationship is discovered by the elders of the family and So-sa betrays Sa Bangji. Sa Bangji barely escapes with her life and begins to roam from place to place. She soon meets a shaman priestess named Myo-hwa and plots to take revenge on those who wronged her, all the while essentially prostituting herself.
An Experience to Die For (Kim Ki-young, 1990)
The rather complicated story revolves around three women and two men, who find themselves connected initially by chance, but eventually due to the issues they all face. Yeo-jeong stumbles upon Gil-nyeo when they crash their cars during their driving lessons. A bit later, they meet again, when the latter is trying to frame Myung-ja, another young woman, in a supermarket, and Yeo-jeong takes her place. It seems that Gil-nyeo, a barwoman, has had an affair for years with Myung-ja’s husband, Won-seok, even having three daughters with him, unbeknownst to his wife, who also had to face the scorn of his parents for not giving him a child. The aforementioned frame is part of Gil-nyeo’s plan to give Won-seok (and his parents) an excuse to divorce Myung-ja, a plan that actually succeeds.
Happy End (Jung Ji-woo, 1999)
The first eight minutes of “Happy End” establishes two pivotal plot points: an adulterous affair and a forlorn man who reads detective and “heartbreaking”, as he himself puts it, romance novels. The affair is between Choi Bo-ra (Jeon Do-yeon), married with a child, and her ex-lover Kim Il-beom (Joo Jin-mo), and the pathetic man her unemployed husband Seo Min-ki (Choi Min-sik). At first, except for the unfulfilling marriage that ties Bo-ra to Min-ki, the characters hardly cross paths. Bo-ra and Il-beom are immersed in their world of passionate love-making and photography rituals. Min-ki in his stead is lost in his escape zone – an old bookstore – where he takes his daily dose of detective and romance novels. As the couple become increasingly enamored with each other, craving more than just sex, and the husband starts to grasp what’s going on, the story takes a turn towards an ending that perfectly combines the said genres.
Addicted (Park Young-hoon, 2002)
Two brothers, race driver Dae-jin and carpenter Ho-jin, live happily together in the same house with Ho-jin’s wife, Eun-soo. One day, both siblings are involved in traffic accidents at the same time, though in separate incidents, and they each fall into a coma. Dae-jin wakes up a year later, but he believes he is Ho-jin — to the extent of developing the same feelings for Eun-soo, even considering her his wife. Eun-soo must now confront both his misplaced affection and her own grief over the loss of her husband.
A Good Lawyer’s Wife (Im Sang-soo, 2003)
Lawyer Joo is married to the former ballet dancer/current instructor Ho-jeong. The two of them have adopted a son, but their marriage is in crisis, and they have started drifting apart. Furthermore, they are not able to satisfy each other sexually, and that has led Joo into having a mistress, and Ho-jeong into being flattered by the peeping of a teenager, who lives across their apartment. Joo’s father has a terminal liver failure and that puts another burden on the family. Lastly, things become even worse when Joo hits a drunken motorcycle driver, who has no health insurance, while driving around with his girlfriend.
Untold Scandal (E J-yong, 2003)
In the rigidly Confucian world of late Joseon, where virtue defines both status and survival, Lady Cho stands apart. A woman of exceptional intellect and cunning, she has mastered the Confucian classics yet uses that knowledge to manipulate the very moral codes meant to confine her. Outwardly the image of a virtuous wife, she secretly orchestrates elaborate schemes of seduction and revenge, using men as pawns in a game of power and desire. Her co-conspirator and occasional rival is her cousin, Jo-won, a celebrated poet and libertine who disdains political ambition in favor of sensual indulgence. The two share a bond of unspoken tension and dangerous attraction, sustained by mutual arrogance and amusement.
The Scarlett Letter (Daniel H. Byun, 2004)
Detective Lee Ki-hoon is a respected homicide investigator whose professional composure conceals a turbulent personal life. Though married to the elegant cellist Han Soo-hyun, he maintains a passionate affair with Choi Ga-hee, a seductive jazz singer who also happens to be his wife’s old high-school friend. Torn between marital duty and lustful escapism, Ki-hoon drifts between two emotional worlds — the stability of domestic respectability and the intoxication of forbidden desire. His double life begins to unravel when he is assigned to a new murder case involving Ji Kyung-hee, a woman accused of killing her husband under mysterious circumstances. As the investigation deepens, Ki-hoon becomes increasingly entangled in the case — not only as a detective but as a man drawn to yet another woman.
Green Chair (Park Chul-soon, 2004)
“Green Chair” is based on actual events and tells the story of 32-year-old divorced Kim Moon-hee and 19-year-old Hyeon. The two embark on a relationship; however, according to South Korean law, youths are forbidden to have sex until the age of 20. As a result, Kim ends up in prison for seducing a minor and is also sentenced to community service. When she is released, a large crowd of journalists awaits her for a comment—but among them stands Hyeon.
A Frozen Flower (Yoo Ha, 2008)
In the final years of the Goryeo Dynasty, the King of Goryeo struggles to maintain his kingdom’s autonomy from the Yuan Empire. Though married to a Yuan princess, he remains without an heir and faces mounting pressure to secure a successor. His most trusted companion and secret lover is Hong-rim, the commander of his elite royal guard, Kunryongwe. Desperate to preserve the throne, the King gives an unthinkable command: Hong-rim must sleep with the Queen to produce a royal heir. Bound by obedience yet torn by emotion, Hong-rim reluctantly fulfills the order, but what begins as duty soon transforms into a forbidden and consuming love that neither can control.
Vegetarian (Lim Woo-seong, 2009)
The story follows Yeong-hye, a dutiful Korean wife, who, after watching a dream, decides to become a vegetarian, completely cutting off anything made of meat. This seemingly unwarranted decision breaks her life completely, leaving her husband perplexed and her family worried and enraged. Soon all her relationships start being based on violence, shame and desire and the consequences become dire for everyone. Her sister is the only one who remains by her side no matter what, even asking her husband, video artist Min-ho to keep an eye on her. However, he becomes fascinated with her condition and asks her to pose for him on full body paint, that eventually leads to an erotic journey that seems to combine art with carnal desires.
The Servant (Kim Dae-woo, 2010)
In this bold retelling of the classic Chunhyangjeon, Bang-ja, a servant in 18th-century Korea, becomes entangled in a complex love triangle with his master, Lee Mong-ryong, and the beautiful Chun-hyang. After Mong-ryong falls for Chun-hyang and enlists Bang-ja to arrange a meeting, Bang-ja’s own feelings for her surface. Guided by the seasoned seducer Mr. Ma, Bang-ja learns the arts of attraction and wins Chun-hyang’s affection. However, Chun-hyang’s ambition to marry Mong-ryong for his social standing complicates matters, leading to a series of deceptions that threaten to unravel all their lives. The story is told through flashbacks, as Bang-ja is initially presented as a successful man narrating his story to an author who is to write his biography.
A Muse (Jung Ji-woo, 2012)
The story revolves around three people. Lee Jeok-yo is a respected national poet in his seventies, living almost entirely detached from society and surrounded by his books. His only real connection to the outside world is his assistant, Seo Ji-woo, a thirty-something writer whose first publication, described as a genre novel with psychological insight, has quickly climbed to the top of the bestseller lists. When a high-school girl named Eun-gyo is found sleeping on his porch, Jeok-yo hires her as a part-time cleaner. She is clumsy, yet her naive charm, subtle allure, and hints of domestic abuse bring her closer to him, stirring emotions and desires he believed long dormant.
The Concubine (Kim Dae-sung, 2012)
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, the story opens within a court ruled by intrigue and desperation. A royal concubine, mother to the timid Prince Sung-won, seeks to secure her family’s future by replacing the current, childless king with her son. Meanwhile, noblewoman Hwa-yeon is caught between love and duty—devoted to the low-born Kwon-yoo yet forced into the palace as a concubine to save his life after a failed elopement.
Moebius (Kim Ki-duk, 2013)
A spouse discovers her husband is having an affair and in order to reciprocate, she decides to castrate their only son and even eats the severed member before she runs away. The shame-faced father thus starts spending his time inquiring about penis transplants on the Internet, while the son, who is being bullied for his situation, ends up participating in a gangbang rape of his father’s former mistress. As the movie progresses, the son realizes that he indulges in self traumatizing, a passion he actively shares with the aforementioned woman, the father’s despair results in him taking extreme measures to help his son and the mother eventually returns to their house.
Obsessed (Kim Dae-woo, 2014)
Colonel Kim Jin-pyeong is a decorated and respected officer at a Korean military base, and he is on the verge of his promotion to general. From his commander father-in-law to his beautiful wife, Jin-pyeong is the subject of much envy and jealousy. However, beneath his disciplined exterior lies a man haunted by trauma from the Vietnam War and yearning for escape. His life takes a dramatic turn when Captain Kyung-woo arrives on the base with his wife, Jong Ga-heun, a quiet, graceful woman whose emotional depth draws the Colonel’s attention, in another couple that seemingly has it all. What begins as lingering glances and fleeting moments soon deepens into a secret and consuming affair, pushing both into dangerous emotional territory.
Scarlet Innocence (Yim Pil-sung, 2014)
After a sexual harassment case, professor Shim Hak-kyu is forced to leave his depressed wife and daughter Chungee and move to a sleepy countryside village to work teaching literary writing to older-age people, as he awaits the verdict of the investigation of his employers. Here, he meets young and naive Doekee, who works at the local funfair and cares for her deaf and mute mother and immediately falls for the handsome newcomer. A whirlwind romance ensues, which evolves into obsessive love for Doekee, and tongues in the village start wagging, until the university’s investigation absolves Hak-kyu of any wrongdoing and he leaves the town. His efforts to break up with the resolute Doekee end in tragedy for both his and Doekee’s family.
For the Emperor (Park Sang-joon, 2014)
Lee Hwan, once a rising professional pitcher, is kicked out of the game he loves when he is caught in a match-rigging scheme. Without a place to call home, he has hit rock bottom, with his only value left being that he is a real great fighter, even winning against scores of enemies. This trait eventually draws the attention of Sang-ha, boss of Emperor Capital, the biggest private loan company in Busan, who ends up employing him. Despite the antagonism of a number of old-timers in the loan-sharking organization, Lee Hwan soon begins to ascend the ladder of the syndicate, while with his help, Emperor eventually takes over all the Busan gangs, becoming the undisputed leader of the area. On his way to the top, the young man eventually meets old man Han-deuk, who seems to be even higher in the ladder than Sang-ha, and gorgeous bar owner Yeon-soo, with whom he soon begins an erotic relationship. When she disappears, however, Lee Hwan starts suspecting his boss, and soon another kind of antagonism between the two begins.
Toxic Desire (Yoon Yeo-chang, 2014)
Ji-soo is a femme fatale type, as we realize from the introductory scene of the movie, who is, however, followed and investigated by Detective Kim and his female partner, about a series of murders that have been taking place, with the victims all having some connection with her. Psychiatrist Joon-sang is a well-known psychiatrist who used to work for the police, but has suffered significant trauma when his wife was raped and then committed suicide while he was watching. Ji-soo visits him initially for the psychological issues she faces due to her past, but also tells him that every man who’s loved her died, and that someone is watching her. At the same time, she seduces him, in her effort to also have some protection, and he does not resist for long. At the same time, the detectives ask Joon-sang for information about her, while her brother, Kyeong-cheol also comes to the fore.
The Treacherous (Min Gyoo-dong, 2015)
Set during the reign of King Yeonsan-gun, “The Treacherous” unfolds in a period when royal indulgence and cruelty reach their peak. After avenging his mother’s death in a killing spree, the King descends into madness, surrounding himself with pleasure and bloodshed. His loyal retainer, Im Soong-jae, and Soong-jae’s father, Im Sa-hong, exploit this weakness to consolidate their own influence. Under royal orders, they embark on a ruthless campaign to recruit ten thousand women from across Joseon to serve as the King’s concubines, disregarding class, age, or marital status. The kingdom soon descends into chaos as families are torn apart and resentment grows among the people. Amid this turmoil, a low-born butcher’s daughter, Dan-hee, saves Soong-jae’s life and begs him to take her to the palace — a request that will change both their fates.
The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook, 2016)
The script is based on the novel “Fingersmith” by Sarah Waters and takes place in Korea of the 1930s, with the country under Japanese rule. Con man “Count” Fujiwara has managed to insert himself into the very secluded circle of Kouzuki, an eccentric hedonist who has become the man in charge of a very large estate, and plans to marry his niece, Lady Hideko, the actual heiress of the family’s vast fortune. Fujiwara devices an intricate plan to “steal” Lady Hideko for himself, and asks the help of a ragtag girl, Sook-hee, a petty criminal who lives with her aunt’s family, all of whom are of the same “profession.” The plan is for the girl to become Lady Hideko’s handmaiden, and to help Fujiwara seduce her. However, things do not go as planned, since an attraction is formed between the two girls, as the many plot twists result in a much-unexpected story.
Under Your Bed (Sabu, 2023)
Ji-hoon is a young man who has been ignored by everyone since his schooldays, to the point that he decided to stay in the background, roaming his own world with a camera shooting from “behind the lines”. The only person who actually interacted with him, even calling him by his name, was the girl he was in love with in college, Ye-eun, although their one date ended up being completely unremarkable. For her at least, since Ji-hoon never actually forgot about her, even if their paths were separated after college. When he tracks her again years later, he finds out that she is married to a psychiatrist, Hyung-oh. However, completely undeterred, he buys an aquarium store close to her apartment, in order to be close to her. When she finally decides to buy one, Ji-hoon takes the opportunity and installs cameras all over her apartment. To his surprise, however, he finds out that her husband is abusing her constantly, with her getting beaten for the smallest things, at least when he is not forcing her into sex. Ji-hoon, however, is not exactly a man of action. At the same time, his only regular customer is a mysterious young man with the same name as him.
