Director Kim Ki-young’s 1960 psychological thriller, ‘The Housemaid” (Korean title “Hanyeo”) has been selected by 240 film industry professionals as the greatest Korean film of all time by Korean filmmakers, the Korean Film Archive said Friday.
Bong Joon-ho’s “Memories of Murder” (2003) and “Parasite” (2019) ranked second and third, respectively.
This is the third time the archive has compiled the “100 Best Korean Films,” following editions in 2006 and 2014.
The latest selection was to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the archive’s establishment. In the 2014 edition, “The Housemaid” 슬롯게이밍 shared the top spot with Yu Hyun-mok’s 1961 film “Aimless Bullet” (“Obaltan” in Korean) and Ha Gil-jong’s “The March of Fools” (1975).
The selection process was divided into 69 creators and 171 viewers. Creators included directors, cinematographers, producers and theater staff, while viewers consisted of scholars, critics and film festival organizers.
The selection covered all Korean feature films, from the oldest surviving film, “Crossroads of Youth” (1934), to films made in 2022.
Among the creators, the top film was “Memories of Murder,” followed by “The Housemaid” in second place.
Hur Jin-ho’s “Christmas in August” (1998) and “Parasite” tied for third.
Lee Chang-dong’s “Secret Sunshine” (2007), Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy” (2003) and “Decision to Leave” (2022) tied for fifth.