Written By Sesam Rana Magar, Terafty Manager

The images are sourced from Pinterest.

Suspense, fear and tension are the heartbeats of thriller entertainment. The unexpected twists, chilling scenarios, constant tension mixed with moments of hope, push the audience’s emotions to their peak. These elements define the thriller genre and Korean thrillers excel in mastering these elements. They are renowned for their ability to amplify these intense emotions through their powerful storytelling. Adding to this acclaim, Korean thrillers are now showcasing fearless female protagonists who take center stage, embodying strength and resilience. 

Enhancing the diverse landscape of Korean thriller content is Terafty’s upcoming short film, “Cafe Diem.” The lead female protagonist, Shin Seul-bi, embodies the essence of a fearless individual who goes beyond the traditional methods of healing and reigniting the will to live among people. Alongside Shin Seul-bi, this blog will delve into other bold and fearless female protagonists in Korean thrillers.

1. Kim Hye-ja in “Mother” (2009)

The title “Mother” alone evokes profound emotional depth, reflecting the heart of this gripping thriller. Directed by the acclaimed Oscar-winning filmmaker Bong Joon Ho, known for “Parasite”, this late 2000s film spans 129 minutes. 

Played by Kim Hye-ja, it follows the relentless journey of a mother fighting to prove her mentally challenged son’s innocence against a murder accusation of a young girl. She is on a quest to find the actual murderer so that her son can be proven innocent. Amid her struggles, this mother goes to extraordinary lengths to save a son who cannot defend himself. Despite the formidable odds and challenges, her unwavering determination powerfully illustrates her strength and fearless character.

For her powerful act, Kim received many prestigious awards including the Buil Film Awards, the Busan Film Critics Awards, the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, KOFRA Film Awards among others as the best actress. At 68, she garnered international critical acclaim for her performance in the film. Her character pretty much carried the entire film script on her shoulder and became one of the most powerful female leads in Korean thrillers.

2. Lee Young-nam (Bae Doona) in “A Girl at My Door” (2014)

A Girl at My Door is a psychological thriller drama that showcases Lee Young-nam’s remarkable strength, moral courage, and commitment to seeking justice for a young girl, all while confronting significant social pressures herself. Portrayed by actress Bae Doona, Lee Young-nam, a police academy instructor, is transferred from Seoul to Yeosu following a personal scandal involving homosexuality – a topic that faces significant societal resistance.

In Yeosu, she meets Sun Do-hee who is abandoned by her biological mother and is physically abused by her stepfather Yong-ha. However, the locals are not ragged toward this injustice due to Yong-ha’s position as the main employer of the town. Unlike the locals, Youn-nam is determined to protect the girl which leads to unexpected and dangerous consequences. Moreover, people also raise unnecessary questions about her sexual identity while fighting to provide justice for Do-hee.

The film has been critically acclaimed, earning a remarkable three-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival—a rare accolade for any film. It masterfully depicts the struggles of a girl striving to validate her sexual identity, alongside another individual grappling with domestic violence and abuse.

3. Bok-soon (Kim Go-eun) in “Monster” (2014)

Monster is an action thriller film released in 2014. The character, Bok-soon is a brave young woman with a happy inner world. However, her neighborhood refers to her as a “psycho bitch” due to her developmental disability which makes her unsmart and weird. Despite these labels given to her by the locals, she is unaffected by it. She runs a street stall at the local market with her little sister Eun-jeong. Her life takes turns when her beloved little sister gets murdered by a serial killer.

The death of her sister fills her with grief, madness and uncontrollable rage. Her limited mental ability doesn’t stop her from planning her revenge against the murderer. She might be mentally and physically challenged, but her fearless soul makes her a powerful character in the Korean thriller landscape.

 4. Cha Ju-ran (Park Bo-young) in “The Silenced” (2015)

Set in 1938 during the Japanese colonial era, The Silenced follows Cha Ju-ran, portrayed by Park Bo-young, who is transferred to a girls’ boarding school. There, she observes that students are vanishing one by one and experiencing disturbing physical changes herself. As the mystery unfolds, it is revealed that the girls are being exploited as test subjects for drug experiments intended to boost the performance of Japanese soldiers.

Another girl, Yeon-deok helps Ju-ran uncover the wrongdoings at the school. Ju-ran goes on a rampage, killing the soldiers and freeing the other girls. They ambush and kill the doctor, but the principal retaliates, shooting several, including Ju-ran, and causing an accident that kills Yeon-deok. Devastated by her friend’s death, Ju-ran kills the principal as well.

The film highlights the bravery of young schoolgirls fighting against the system and the institutions meant to protect them but instead exploit them. They face life-threatening situations and death, as in the case of Yeon-deok, while trying to escape from being used as test subjects in deadly experiments.

5. Ahn Ok-yun/Mitsuko (Jun Ji-hyun) in “Assassination” (2015)

Assassination is a period spy action thriller film. The film is set in 1933, the year in which a fearless resistance fighter, Ahn Ok-yun gets recruited for a mission to assassinate Kang and a general. Yem, secretly a Japanese informant, betrays Ahn, but she escapes capture with the help of Hawaii Pistol, a Korean contract killer. 

Ahn learns she is Kang’s lost daughter and assumes her twin sister’s identity after her death. In a daring attack, she fearlessly kills the general, while Hawaii Pistol kills Kang. After the war, Ahn’s courage shines as she avenges her comrades by killing Yem, showcasing her unwavering bravery and commitment to her cause.

6. Nam Sook-hee and Izumi Hideko (Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee) in “The Handmaiden” (2016)

The Handmaiden is a 2016 historical psychological thriller film. The story of the film is set in 1930s Korea during Japanese colonial rule. It follows a con woman, Nam Sook-hee, played by Kim Tae-ri who is hired as a handmaiden to a wealthy Japanese heiress, Izumi Hideko, played by Kim Min-hee.  The heiress is the target of manipulation of the handmaiden.

Both Lady Hideko and Sook-hee are pivotal to the film’s tension and intrigue, each using their wit and bravery to confront and overcome the challenges they face. Their interactions and strategies highlight their fearless approaches to the complex and dangerous situations they encounter.

Despite being the target of manipulation, Lady Hideko showcases remarkable intelligence that gradually unravels the true motives of people around her. She courageously confronts the deceitful actions designed to exploit her. Simultaneously, even though Sook-hee falls under a morally grey character, her ability to adapt and manipulate by fighting with her evolving soft corner toward Lady Hideko shows her goal-oriented and multifaceted nature. Both characters are intricately crafted in the film.

7. Sook-hee/ Chase Yeon-soo (Kim Ok-vin) in “The Villainess” (2017)

The Villainess is an action thriller centered on Sook-hee, played by Kim Ok-vin. After her father is mysteriously murdered, Sook-hee falls into a prostitution ring. She is rescued by Lee Joong-sang, an assassin who becomes her savior and trainer. Planning to marry him, her life is upended again when Joong-sang is killed. Seeking vengeance, she is captured by an intelligence agency that gives her a new identity as Yeon-soo. As the plot unfolds, Yeon-soo learns that Joong-sang is still alive and was the one who killed her father, leading her to ultimately take Joong-sang’s life.

Sook-hee’s relentless pursuit of vengeance to punish her lover’s murderer is heartbreaking when she discovers the very same person deceived her. Despite the betrayal and heartbreak, Yeon-soo’s indomitable spirit shines through as she ultimately kills Joong-sang who killed her father. The person she trusted and considered her savior turned out to be a curse in disguise. The confrontation with Joong-sang in the climax, the man responsible for her father’s death, showcases her relentless pursuit of justice and her unwavering resolve, culminating in a powerful, triumphant moment of vengeance.

The film is renowned for its intense action sequences and intricate plot, earning a four-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. It tells a thrilling and action-packed tale of a fearless woman who achieves her vengeance despite facing heartbreaking betrayals.

8. Ha Chae-yoon (Son Ye-jin) in “The Negotiation” (2018)

In the action crime thriller film “The Negotiation,” Inspector Ha Chae-yoon played by Son Ye-jin is a crisis negotiator. She is responsible for handling a hostage crisis involving two Filipino kidnappers holding a couple captive. The situation escalates when one of the hostages gets killed. This situation occurs when Chae-yoon goes against her supervisors’ orders to eliminate the kidnappers. This fills Chae-yoon with guilt and trauma.

Later, she is called to negotiate with Min Tae-gu, a ruthless arms dealer who has kidnapped several hostages including her former boss. As Chae-yoon delves deeper, she comes across a dark conspiracy involving corrupt officials. Despite the guilt that arose from her decision, she relentlessly continued to work on the case. Her relentless pursuit of justice and personal courage are pivotal in exposing the truth which makes her a strong and fearless female character.

9. Seo-yeon (Park Shin-hye) in “The Call” (2020)

In 2019, 28-year-old Kim Seo-yeon found a decades-old phone in her childhood home and started receiving calls from Oh Young-sook, a woman living in the same house in 1999. They communicate over time, and Young-sook helps Seo-yeon prevent her father’s death in 1999, which improves Seo-yeon’s present life. However, Young-sook suffers and becomes a serial killer after killing her mother. 

The film touches on the dangers of knowing the future and knowing too much about what happens next. The attempts of future manipulations that follow are extremely sensitive and unpredictable. It highlights the dangers of tampering with time.

Despite the emotional and psychological risks, Seo-yeon confronts the challenges posed by communicating with Young-sook over time and deals with the dangerous consequences of her actions. She faces the unsettling reality of changing her past and deals bravely with the entire situation. However, the situation doesn’t seem to be resolved until the end and in the mid-credit scene, Seo-yeon is shown as a captive of Young-sook which holds extreme suspense.

10. Kim Kyung-mi (Jin Ki-joo) in “Midnight” (2021)

Midnight is a gripping psychological thriller featuring a hearing-impaired woman who is constantly on the run from a psychopathic killer. After witnessing a murder, she becomes the killer’s next target. Struggling with her inability to respond like someone with full hearing capabilities in a life-threatening situation, she relies on the heightened senses she has developed over years of deafness. Her keen observational skills and ability to detect the killer’s presence through subtle visual cues and light movements make her a formidable survivor.

In the film, her mother also grapples with both hearing and speech impairments. Despite these physical limitations that heighten their vulnerabilities to the situation, they fearlessly fight and confront the serial killer. Despite their disabilities, these two female characters exhibit remarkable courage and resilience as they navigate and escape perilous situations, aided by the support of those around them.

Conclusion

The fearless, courageous, and optimistic attitude of these characters makes them truly heroic. Unlike in the past, when such traits were often associated exclusively with males or specific physiques, these characters demonstrate the kind of heroism that transcends physical attributes. It lies in their unwavering attitude. As Terafty’s “Cafe Diem” introduces Shin Seul-bi, we celebrate these extraordinary women who redefine storytelling and touch our hearts with their indomitable spirit.