Whether you crave K-pop, dig dramas, or get excited by entertainment, 2021 was a classic year, and this collection’s got you covered! Relive some of the highlights and see if your favorite stars bagged the biggest end-of-year awards...

Awards Season

The year is 1991 and in Mogadishu, the Somalian capital, a group of South Korean diplomats including Ambassador Han Shin Sung (Kim Yun Seok) and the intelligence agent Kang Dae Jin (Jo In Sung), are trying to win the support of Somalia’s government in an upcoming vote for membership of the United Nations. Their efforts are being closely shadowed by diplomats from North Korea’s embassy in Mogadishu, headed by Ambassador Rim Yong Su (Heo Joon Ho). Both groups of diplomats try to outwit one another as they try to curry favor from the Somalian President.

But when protests against the Mogadishu government turn violent, a brutal civil war breaks out, with street fighting and armed militia soldiers running amok. The maelstrom threatens to engulf both groups of diplomats, cutting them off from communication channels in Seoul and Pyongyang. In desperation, Rim Yong Su comes to his South Korean counterpart to ask for refuge. Saying yes would normally be seen as an act of treason for Han Shin Sung – but these circumstances are anything but normal for both parties…

“Escape from Mogadishu” is a 2021 South Korean movie that was directed by Ryoo Seung Wan.

Escape from Mogadishu

Greetings from Mogadishu

Gangland associate Park Chang Bok (Yoo Jae Myung) is a firmly religious man who works alongside Tae In (Yoo Ah In), a young man who does not or cannot speak. Their unconventional work involves “cleaning” – mainly disposing of dead bodies after mobsters have killed their victims. But one day their supervisor decides to disobey the mob boss by abducting an 11-year-old girl to stop her from getting in harm’s way. The supervisor asks Tae In and Park Chang Bok to take care of the girl for 48 hours.

But then the mob boss takes revenge and has the supervisor killed – leaving the two “cleaners” stuck with the girl in what now appears to the rest of the world to be a kidnapping. The police investigate, gangsters come hunting for the men and the child, while the girl’s parents try to get her back by all means possible – putting Tae In and Park Chang Bok in an impossible-looking predicament...

Voice of Silence

Tencent

With powerful aristocrats clamouring for power, the people of the Song Empire have succumbed to the ensuing chaos. Desperate to bring peace to his crumbling nation, the young prince, Liu Yi Kang (Qin Hao), is willing to do whatever it takes to save his people, but the road before him will not be easy. With most of the country’s powerful families plotting against him, Yi Kang’s list of allies is growing dangerously thin.

Knowing the only way to strengthen his position is to ally himself with a mighty family, Yi Kang agrees to an alliance through marriage with the powerful Shen family. A family with deep military roots, the Shen family can provide the strength Yi Kang needs to enact the reform necessary to oust the aristocrats bent on destroying the nation. With the family’s brilliant and beautiful, Shen Li Ge (Li Qin) by his side, the two begin the arduous task of reformation.

Facing off against one of the nation’s most powerful and corrupt clans, Yi Kang and Li Ge must use every ounce of their wits and strength to defeat their foes. But peace doesn’t come without a price and the cost of this battle is tremendous. In the midst of so much heartache and despair, can this noble couple find a way to heal the wounds of a broken nation and at the same time, mend the wounds of their own broken hearts?

A story of heartache and healing, “The Song of Glory” is a 2020 historical romance drama directed by Li Hui Zhu and Deng Wei En.

The Song of Glory

⚔7️⃣ Songs of Glory ⚔

In Nam (Hwang Jung Min) is a South Korean hired killer who has decided to turn his back on his deadly profession for good after finishing off a job in Japan, where he was hired to kill a mafia kingpin. He completes the task and believes he can now draw a line under his “old life.” But events far away in Thailand drag him back into the mire, when his former flame Young Joo (Choi Hee Soo) is abducted. When things take a tragic turn, he decides to travel to Thailand to investigate.

But In Nam is unaware that he may be connected to Young Joo’s child Yoo Min (Park So Yi), whose life could now be in danger. He decides to help, but is immediately dragged into a deadly struggle when Ray (Lee Jung Jae), the brother of the mob boss he just killed, travels from South Korea in the bloody pursuit of revenge. Can In Nam keep Yoo Min out of harm’s way? Or will his “old life” catch up with him, no matter what he tries?

“Deliver Us from Evil” is a 2020 South Korean film that was written and directed by Hong Won Chan.

Deliver Us from Evil

🔥 Spare our lives 🎲

Su Hong (Kim Dong Wook) was a budding legal student who was killed while on duty while doing his military service. He then returned as a vengeful spirit to punish those who wronged him and his family. But he has now been taken into the afterlife, where he must pass a series of trials – assisted by the otherworldly guardians Hae Won Maek (Joo Ji Hoon), Lee Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi), and Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo) – if he is to gain reincarnation. The guardians, too, have much to gain from this: If Su Hong is reincarnated, they too will be allowed to return to the mortal sphere.

The king of the underworld (Lee Jung Jae) says he will allow Su Hong to be reincarnated, but one condition: The guardians must take the life of an old man who has been alive for too long. This old man has guardians of his own, a household deity as well as a mortal hero – his grandson Sung Ju (Ma Dong Seok). The trio’s quest becomes ever more difficult as their quest inadvertently sucks them back into their past lives…

“Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days” is a 2018 South Korean movie that was directed by Kim Yong Hwa.

Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days

✨Reincarnate if you can✨

Kim Ja Hong (Cha Tae Hyun) is a fearless firefighter who dies at the scene of an emergency. At the moment of his death, he finds himself traveling outside his body, witnessing his coworkers trying to resuscitate him as his life ebbs away. He realizes he is now in the afterlife, and he is greeted by three godly guardians, namely Hae Won Maek (Joo Ji Hoon), Lee Deok Choon (Kim Hyang Gi), and Gang Rim (Ha Jung Woo). The trio believes him to be a rare paragon of virtue, a man who has lived a truly virtuous life. If they are proved correct, they will succeed in having him reincarnated, and will also stand a chance of returning to the mortal realm themselves.

But in order to complete the mission, Kim Ja Hong must prove his worth in seven otherworldly courts in the space of 49 days. The courts have unique access to all the apparent misdeeds he has committed over his lifetime. In each courtroom, he must prove he was not at fault, with the guardians acting as defense lawyers. Can Kim Ja Hong pass the trials of the underworld – and does he really want the ultimate prize of reincarnation?

“Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds” is a 2017 South Korean movie that was directed by Kim Yong Hwa.

Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds

 The 🔆 Two Worlds ☀ Team

Lee Chan Woo (Park Hae Soo) is a man of many talents. A major player in the world of Korean nightlife, he not only runs a successful nightclub, but has made a name for himself as the “Hua Tuo” of nightlife. Nicknamed after the legendary Chinese physician, Chan Woo has a knack for breathing new life into struggling, nearly bankrupt nightclubs, making them successful once again. A man who lives by his own “quantum physical theory”, he truly believes that your thoughts and actions shape your reality.

But Chan Woo’s theory is put to the ultimate test when he learns that one of the country’s top celebrities is taking part in a drug party being held at one of the local clubs. Knowing the authorities must be informed, he contacts Officer Park Ki Heon (Kim Sang Ho), knowing he’ll do what must be done to bring those involved to justice. With Officer Park and his associate, Sung Eun Young (Seo Ye Ji) by his side, Chan Woo and his team begin to investigate the less-than-reputable goings on in some of the city’s hottest clubs; but digging deeper brings with it all sorts of nasty consequences.

With celebrities, prosecutors, and politicians all involved in the ever-growing scandal, Chan Woo, Eun Young, and Officer Park must confront some of the country’s most powerful people in a fight for justice that may end up costing them everything.

An engaging story from start to finish, “Quantum Physics” is a 2019 crime film directed by Lee Sung Tae.

Quantum Physics

Quantum physicists

After rigorous training in 1930s Russia, four Chinese Communist Party agents are set to embark on a mission of utmost importance. With plans to air-drop into the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo, Zhang Xian Chen (Zhang Yi), Wang Yu (Qin Hai Lu), Chu Liang (Zhu Ya Wen), and Xiao Lan (Liu Hao Cun) set out on a secret mission, code-named “Utrennya.” Tasked with identifying and rescuing a Chinese informer from the brutal Japanese army, the four agents must bring the informer to Harbin. Little did they know, their mission was doomed from the start.&nbsp;

Dropping into a snow-covered Manchukuo forest, the agents are almost immediately separated by forces which seem to have been waiting for their arrival. Desperate to survive, the now separated agents must do their best to find a way to carry out their mission on their own, but both teams are met at every turn by overwhelming opposition and darkest deceptions. With death lurking around every corner, the agents soon realize there’s a traitor in their midst, but who that traitor is remains a mystery.

With friends turning foe, and foes claiming to be friends, no one can be trusted and nowhere is safe. Will these desperate agents be able to carry out their mission or will they be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for comrades and country?

Based on a script by Quan Yong Xian, “Cliff Walkers” is a 2021 historical spy thriller film directed by Zhang Yi Mou.

Cliff Walkers

Growing up in a small remote village in North Gyeongsang Province, Jung Jun Kyung (Park Jung Min) has spent his entire life all but cut-off from the world around him. With a deplorable lack of usable roads running in and out of his village, the only real way for Jun Kyung and the rest of the villagers to get anywhere is to walk along the railroad tracks that run through the town. With an unpredictable train schedule, such trips are dangerous at best and far too often, they end in horrifying tragedy.

The son of an engineer, Jun Kyung has often wondered why no train station exists in his village. Now in high school, Jun Kyung has taken it upon himself to turn his lifelong dream of a village train station into a reality. By writing endless letters to the President, asking for permission to build a train station in his tiny village, Jun Kyung is convinced that it’s only a matter of time before the station is built. But things don’t quite work out the way he planned. On the verge of giving up, Jun Kyung finds renewed determination after befriending his classmate, Song Ra Hee (Yoona). A firm believer in pursuing dreams, Ra Hee gives Jun Kyung the inspiration he needs to keep going.

Finding fresh inspiration and a renewed sense of determination, Jun Kyung and the village residents set out to turn this one dream into reality. Do they have what it takes to make this single dream come true?

Based on a true story, “Miracle: Letters to the President” is a 2021 drama film directed by Lee Jang Hoon.

Miracle: Letters to the President

✨Miraculous✨Team 

Tencent Video

&nbsp;The year is 626 C.E, and the realm, and its political center Chang’an, are shaken to its core by the Xuanwu Gate Incident, a successful palace coup to take charge of the Tang Dynasty.

A scheming prince leads the bloody coup, and kills the family of Li Chang Ge (Dilraba Dilmurat) during the raid, although she manages to escape.

Now the prince has placed himself on the Imperial throne, and rules as the Emperor Tai Zong.

Li Chang Ge has her mind firmly set on revenge – and musters a powerful army intent on overthrowing the new Emperor.

But her plans are thrown into disarray when she suffers an unexpected defeat against the armies of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. The victorious General, Ashi Na Sun (Leo Wu), decides to keep her in his service, making her his military strategist as he looks to pursue his own military goals.

The duo forms a formidable military partnership. And over time, she finds herself falling for her captor – as he also starts developing feelings for her.

But what will become of Li Chang Ge’s quest for vengeance as she continues to serve at the General’s side?

This drama was based on a popular manhua by artist Xia Da.

“The Long Ballad” is a 2021 Chinese drama series that was directed by Zhu Rui Bin.

The Long Ballad

The Ode to Love Team

Wang Xuan (Zhang Zi Yi) is a 15-year-old noblewoman whose life is turned on its head when she is forced into an arranged marriage with Xiao Qi (Zhou Yi Wei), a powerful but low-born general.

Despite these less-than-promising beginnings, the two form a tight bond as they attempt to navigate a series of bitter power struggles and plots that threaten to bring the Imperial court (and the realm) to its knees.

Their exceptionally effective partnership helps them thwart damaging attempts to spark uncontrollable civil unrest, but also brings them to the pinnacle of political power: Wang Xuan and Xiao Qi have effectively become the joint emperors of the realm.

But the rest of the Imperial family has no intention of relinquishing power to this young couple so easily – with its most devious members planning a deadly scheme that could do away with the benevolent Wang Xuan and Xiao Qi for good…

This drama series was adapted from a popular novel by Mei Yu Zhe.

“Rebel Princess” is a 2021 Chinese drama series that was directed by Cheng Yuan Hai and Hou Yong.

The Rebel Princess

The Emperor’s Conquests

Doh Il Chul (Park Jung Min) is the son of a famous gambler, and a young student preparing to take the civil service entrance exam.
However, he also lives a double life, as a successful poker player in an underground casino.

Life takes an unexpected turn when he meets an attractive woman called Madonna (Choi Yu Hwa). He develops a crush on her but discovers that she owes a debt to a rich man.

Doh Il Chul later meets this man and challenges him to a game of poker – hoping to win Madonna’s heart in the process. Unfortunately, he loses spectacularly, and ends up knee-deep in debt, with loan sharks closing in.

In steps One Eyed Jack (Ryu Seung Bum), a former associate of Doh Il Chul’s father.

He agrees to pay off the loan sharks on one condition: Doh Il Chul must join a gang of elite gamblers in an audacious bid to plot to steal a small fortune from a wealthy business magnate.

Will One Eyed Jack’s plan prove to be a success, or will the gamblers’ plans come to naught?

“Tazza: One Eyed Jack” is a 2019 South Korean movie, based on a comic strip illustrated by Huh Young Man and written by Kim Se Young, and directed by Kwon Oh Kwang.

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