In this blog post, I’ll take a year-by-year look at the Korean romantic films I’ve loved from the 2000s through 2012, and together we’ll reflect on whether “every movie can truly be a love story.”

What Is a Romantic Film?

The term “melodrama” derives from the Greek words “melos” (song) and “drama” (play). Originally, melodrama referred to popular entertainment plays accompanied by music, but today it is a general term for plays, films, and TV dramas—regardless of whether they feature music—that emphasize emotional elements, a sense of popular justice, and plot twists. In particular, sentimental love stories that directly stimulate the audience’s emotions are often called melodramas.

Why I Chose Melodramas: Can’t Every Movie Be a Love Story?

Personally, what led me to view movies through the lens of melodrama was a combination of repeatedly watching a single film and my personal circumstances at the time. Having watched a movie I’d loved for a long time dozens of times, I eventually stopped counting how many times I’d seen it. That film was one of the countless movies I’d watched over and over again.
The elements that make up that film—intense conflict, a well-structured plot, striking cinematography, a memorable ending, and the soundtrack—had previously been the core reasons I loved it. However, at the time, I was going through a difficult relationship with a partner who was significantly older than me, so when I rewatched the film, I saw it from a different perspective than before. The harsh plot and violent imagery receded into the background, and only the love and wounds of the two characters hidden within came into sharp focus.
As the film’s dialogue and moments all began to look like texts imbued with the essence of love, I found myself thinking, “Every movie can be a love story.” What I realized then was that all the elements I love—narrative, mise-en-scène, and music—can ultimately capture variations on love and human relationships. So, it’s only natural to conclude that I love romantic dramas.

The Evolution of Korean Romantic Dramas (Personal Perspective, by Year)

2012 Eun-gyo (Jeong Ji-woo)

A film that recently garnered a lot of attention, it tells the story of a 70-year-old poet, the forbidden emotions he shares with 17-year-old Eun-gyo, and the rivalry with a 23-year-old woman. Rather than relying on a sophisticated plot, this film fills its runtime with the presence and strength of its characters. In particular, the fantasy sequence where the elderly poet returns to his younger self and falls in love with Eun-gyo stands out as one of the film’s finest scenes. Overall, it is a beautiful and poignant romantic drama.

2011 ‘I Love You, I Don’t Love You’ (Lee Yoon-ki)

This is a rare type of romantic drama in which a woman announces she is leaving, and the man calmly replies, “I understand.” With a structure that borders on a chamber play and an extremely limited cast, the film calmly unfolds over two hours. There are no dramatic climaxes or heated arguments in the man’s actions as he packs the woman’s bags for her departure. Only at the end do viewers begin to consider various interpretations—whether she left or couldn’t bring herself to leave—and the lingering impact of the film lasts a long time. The reason viewers can become so immersed in this film is that it gives the characters ample time, allowing us to delicately follow their emotions.

2011 Late Autumn (Kim Tae-yong)

This film depicts the love story of Anna and Hoon, who meet by chance in Seattle; the subtle changes as they slowly open their hearts to each other in a foreign place are the highlight.
It doesn’t spell out exactly how love begins, making the viewer feel that such an explanation is unnecessary. Thick fog, exotic street scenes, minimalist costumes and color palettes, Anna’s voice, Tang Wei’s performance, and the effective use of music and long takes—all these visual and auditory elements blend seamlessly to create unforgettable scenes.

2010 ‘Just a Little Closer’ (Kim Jong-kwan)

As the director’s first feature film—having consistently explored romance since his short film days—it captures the lovers’ love and separation in a sketch-like manner rather than presenting a story compressed into a traditional beginning, middle, and end. The delicate sensibility characteristic of his short films carries over into this feature, with the direction standing out for its focus on small, intimate moments rather than attempting to expand the narrative on a grand scale. Audiences who enjoyed the director’s signature short film, ‘How to Use a Polaroid’, will find that familiar sense of excitement once again in this feature-length work.

2007 ‘Happiness’ (Heo Jin-ho)

This is the story of a man who enjoyed the freedom of city life but falls in love with a woman suffering from an illness at a rural nursing home. Their happy moments—walking together, kissing, and spending the night—are delicately portrayed as he cares for her, a patient with severe lung disease. As the man recovers through treatment, their relationship shifts subtly, and the scene where the woman runs to stop him as he prepares to leave is particularly striking. Another fascinating aspect of the film is how Director Heo Jin-ho’s portrayal of female characters has become increasingly proactive.

2006 ‘Time’ (Kim Ki-duk)

This film explores the nature and transformation of love through the relationship between longtime lovers Se-hee and Ji-woo. Suspecting Ji-woo of being unfaithful, Se-hee undergoes plastic surgery to completely change her appearance and reappears before him. As “Sa-hee,” she gradually draws Ji-woo in with her charm, but he continues to long for his former lover, Se-hee. Eventually, the truth is revealed, and their relationship falls apart. The premise—in which Ji-woo reappears with a new appearance after some time has passed—raises questions about love and identity.

Introduction

There are films that abruptly demonstrate just how passionate and intense the emotion of love can be, and how its vibrations can completely transform a person. Some works grab the audience’s heart like a one-sentence tagline, making them pause for a moment, and use that power to drive the film forward.
As with director Kim Ki-duk’s films, watching a character fall apart can feel unsettling. Yet, as time passes, that sadness and those emotions come back to us with even greater intensity. There are works that, with repeated viewings, expand in meaning and evoke deeper feelings.

2005 You Are My Destiny (Park Jin-pyo)

While many romantic films suggest, “This kind of love exists,” this film quite directly shows, “This is what love is.” The director reveals the raw, unvarnished, and unrefined aspects of love without embellishment or sugarcoating. Just like Seok-joong, played by Hwang Jung-min, the very nature of that love defines the character of the film.

2005 ‘Sad Movie’ (Kwon Jong-kwan)

It bears similarities in many ways to another omnibus-style romance from the same year, ‘The Most Beautiful Week of My Life’. While both films adopt a mosaic-style structure, ‘The Most Beautiful Week’ deals with various age groups and unique forms of affection, whereas ‘Sad Movie’ centers primarily on the breakups of four couples in their 20s.
There are also some minor flaws. One of the joys of an omnibus film is watching how the individual stories intertwine, but the connecting threads in “Sad Movie” feel somewhat shallow and tenuous. Nevertheless, I chose this film because it is told strictly from a female audience’s perspective and holds value as a movie that can “fill the empty seat next to you” on days when you want to shed a few tears.

2005: Jeong-hye (Lee Yoon-ki)

This film does not present the perspective that a woman’s wounds are healed by a man. Jeong-hye’s healing process is explained not by the self-awareness that “I can be loved,” but by the realization that “I, too, can love.” This is why Jeong-hye’s actions—which may seem difficult to understand at first glance—actually become more convincing.
Her attachment to the potted plants on the balcony, the affection she showers on a stray cat she found on the street, and small, subtle emotional expressions—such as sitting alone at the dining table and savoring each side dish one by one when the man she invited doesn’t show up—all come together to reveal her inner world. One of the joys of this film is gradually immersing oneself in the gradual shift as the story progresses: the objects of Jeong-hye’s affection move from plants to animals, and finally to people.

2004 ‘My Sassy Girl’ (Lee Jae-han)

This is the story of Su-jin, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at the age of twenty-seven, and Cheol-soo, who vows to stay by her side until the very end. It shares similarities with ‘You Are My Destiny’. Both films follow a similar premise: a woman the man loves begins to suffer from an illness, and the man demonstrates a selfless and devoted love.
Another commonality is that a stellar cast portrays a love that is anything but glamorous. While this film is a very typical romantic drama, it vividly demonstrates to the audience the proposition that “this is what love is.” It also earned a Grand Bell Award, alongside recognition for the screenwriter who contributed to the adaptation.

2004 ‘The Little Mermaid’ (Park Heung-sik)

The protagonist, Na-young, struggles to endure life with her mother, who cares only about money, and her stifling father. Devoid of romance and beautiful memories, she travels to her parents’ hometown—an island—to search for her father, who has left home. There, she encounters her parents as they were in their youth and gradually softens her feelings toward them.
This film skillfully blends romance and realistic fantasy, and after watching it, you’ll naturally find yourself thinking, “I’d love to see what my parents’ courtship was like.” I personally found it interesting to learn that the writer had actually written a screenplay inspired by that very thought.

2003 Classic (Kwak Jae-yong)

Ji-hye, a college student, has a crush on Sang-min, a senior in her theater club. When she accidentally comes across the love letters her mother and father exchanged, she is captivated by their pure love. Meanwhile, Jun-ha from the past is tormented after his friend Tae-soo asks him to write a letter to Ju-hee (Ji-hye’s mother) on his behalf.
The film’s structure revolves around the common thread of letters, connecting the present-day characters—Ji-hye, Su-kyung, and Sang-min—with the past characters—Jun-ha, Tae-soo, and Ju-hee. It bears some resemblance to ‘The Little Mermaid’ in that a single actress plays both the present-day daughter and her past-self as a mother. The film also features mise-en-scène and emotional elements that connect it to director Kwak Jae-yong’s previous works.

2002 Road Movie (Kim In-sik)

Daesik, who lives on the streets, falls in love with Seok-won after seeing her suffering while drunk. They set off on an impulsive journey, and a woman named Il-ju appears before them. Il-ju falls in love with Daesik and asks him to leave Seok-won. The intertwined, conflicting emotions and performances of these three characters are particularly striking.
While typical romantic dramas seek to explain the moment love blossoms or clearly show a decisive turning point, this film offers almost no explanation for the “moment” when Dae-sik fell in love with Seok-won. Instead, the director seems to convey to the audience the message that “love cannot be explained.” In a broader sense, this work is both a queer film and, as the title suggests, a road movie.

2001 Spring Days (Huh Jin-ho)

One of director Huh Jin-ho’s works following ‘Christmas in August’, this film depicts the meeting and parting of Sang-woo, a sound engineer, and Eun-soo, a radio producer at a local station. The two meet in winter but face conflict around summer as time passes.
On the surface, ‘Spring Days Are Gone’ depicts the beginning and end of love, but it uses the seasonal specificity of “spring” as a metaphor for the sudden arrival of love and the fickleness of the heart. It leaves the lingering impression that, just as beauty on earth does not last long, love, too, may be nothing more than a fleeting moment.

2001 ‘Pai-ran’ (Song Hae-sung)

Kang-jae is a third-rate thug who is ignored even in his own neighborhood. Just as he decides to go to prison in place of his friend Yong-sik, he receives news that Pai-ran has died. The letter she left behind was filled with gratitude and affection, and it moved Kang-jae deeply.
Although Paryeon and Kang-jae never met in person, the narrative—which depicts how Kang-jae gradually comes to know her and his feelings toward her evolve—is exceptional. While this film was a box-office flop, it garnered significant attention for its direction and screenplay.

2000 ‘October Love’ (Lee Hyun-seung)

Seong-hyun discovers a letter in his mailbox sent by Eun-ju from two years in the future. Seong-hyun lives in 1998, while Eun-ju lives in 2000—they are characters in different time periods. The story unfolds as the two exchange letters across these different times.
The two, who had communicated only through letters, eventually promise to meet on Jeju Island. This film, which blends romance and fantasy, beautifully showcases Director Lee Hyun-seung’s stunning cinematography. It was later remade in Hollywood under the title ‘The Lake House’.