The Republic of Korea (South Korea) has submitted films to compete for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1962. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.
As of 2026, South Korea won once for Parasite (2019), which was also the first film not in English to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Submissions
Every year, each country is invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to submit its best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The International Feature Film Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.
The Korean nominee is chosen annually by a special committee assembled by the Korean Film Council.
Shin Sang-ok and Lee Chang-dong are the most submitted filmmakers with four films selected each. Shin later became internationally famous after he was held hostage in North Korea between 1978 and 1986, and forced to make movies for Kim Jong Il. Seven other filmmakers (Lee Doo-yong, Kim Ki-duk, Kim Tae-kyun, Lee Joon-ik, Jang Hoon, Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook), have had two of their films selected.
Bong Joon Ho's Parasite (2019) was the first Korean film to be nominated in the category. It won four Academy Awards, including: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, alongside nominations for Best Film Editing and Best Production Design. As of 2026, the film remains the only non-English language Best Picture winner.
Burning (2018), Decision to Leave (2022), and No Other Choice (2025), advanced to the December shortlists, but were not nominated.
All the films submitted are primary in Korean. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by South Korea for review by the Academy for the award since its conception.
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Director(s) Result 1962(35th) My Mother and the Roomer 사랑방 손님과 어머니 1964(37th) The Dumb Samyong 벙어리 삼룡 1966(39th) Rice 쌀 1968(41st) Descendants of Cain 카인의 후예 1969(42nd) The Old Craftsman of Jar 독 짓는 늙은이 1973(46th) The Tragedy of Deaf Sam-yong 비련의 벙어리 삼룡 1984(57th) Mulleya Mulleya 여인잔혹사 물레야 물레야 1985(58th) Eoudong 어우동 1986(59th) Eunuch 내시 1990(63rd) Mayumi 마유미 1994(67th) Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid 헐리우드 키드의 생애 1995(68th) 301, 302 301 302 2000(73rd) Chunhyang 춘향뎐 2002(75th) Oasis 오아시스 2003(76th) Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring 봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울 그리고 봄 2004(77th) Taegukgi 태극기 휘날리며 2005(78th) Welcome to Dongmakgol 웰컴투 동막골 2006(79th) King and the Clown 왕의 남자 2007(80th) Secret Sunshine 밀양 2008(81st) Crossing 크로싱 2009(82nd) Mother 마더 2010(83rd) A Barefoot Dream 맨발의 꿈 2011(84th) The Front Line 고지전 2012(85th) Pietà 피에타 2013(86th) Juvenile Offender 범죄소년 Kang Yi-kwan 2014(87th) Sea Fog 해무 2015(88th) The Throne 사도 2016(89th) The Age of Shadows 밀정 2017(90th) A Taxi Driver 택시운전사 2018(91st) Burning 버닝 2019(92nd) Parasite 기생충 2020(93rd) The Man Standing Next 남산의 부장들 2021(94th) Escape from Mogadishu 모가디슈 2022(95th) Decision to Leave 헤어질 결심 2023(96th) Concrete Utopia 콘크리트 유토피아 2024(97th) 12.12: The Day 서울의 봄 2025(98th)No Other Choice 어쩔수가없다 Park Chan-wook 2026(99th)Possible Love가능한 사랑Lee Chang-dong
Shortlisted Films YearFilms2005 3-Iron · Duelist · April Snow · Sympathy For Lady Vengeance · Marathon · Crying Fist · A Bittersweet Life2014A Girl at My Door · Han Gong-ju · A Hard Day2017Becoming Who I Was · The Fortress · The Mayor · Memoir of a Murderer · One Step · The Prison · A Stray Goat · V.I.P. · Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned · The Villainess2019Dark Figure of Crime · House of Hummingbird · Idol · Innocent Witness · Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission · A Resistance · Swing Kids2020Beasts Clawing at Straws · Bring Me Home · Confession · Deliver Us from Evil · Life Is Beautiful · Moving On · Night of the Undead · An Old Lady · Paper Flower · Peninsula · Samjin Company English Class · Steel Rain 2: Summit2021The Book of Fish · Dust-Man · I · Men Who Won't Pick Up Guns 2: Breaking a Taboo · Ten Months2022Broker · Contorted · Emergency Declaration · Hansan: Rising Dragon · Hommage · Yeonryeon2023Cobweb · The Devil's Deal · Don't Buy the Seller · Hero · The Hill of Secrets · Hopeless · The Moon · The Point Men · Ransomed · Road to Boston · Sleep · Smugglers2024Cabriolet · Citizen of a Kind · Escape · Exhuma · FAQ · House of the Seasons · I, the Executioner · The Land of Happiness · Noryang: Deadly Sea · Our Season · Picnic · Revolver · Victory · Yeonryeon2025 About Family · Dark Nuns · Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning · Harbin · Hi-Five · The Killers · Love in the Big City · Mimang · My Daughter Is a Zombie · A Normal Family · The Old Woman with the Knife · Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy · Secret: Untold Melody · Somebody · Spring Night · The Ugly · When This Summer is Over · Yadang: The Snitch2026Colony · Hope · Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema · Project Y · Salmokji: Whispering Water
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films Cinema of Korea In the Absence
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page