Best movies like The Map Against The World

Living a torturous life of poverty and barely able to survive, Hwa-yeon decides to offer herself as one of the king’s concubines. Once inside the royal palace, two men are immediately seized by the woman - the Grand Prince Seong-won, a megalomaniacal ruler drunk with power and lust, and Kwon-yoo, who has everything to lose if his desire for Hwa-yeon is exposed.

Ancient Korea, 17th century. The powerful Khan of the Jurchen tribe of Manchuria, who fights the Ming dinasty to gain China, becomes the first ruler of the Qing dinasty and demands from King In-jo of Joseon to bow before him; but he refuses, being loyal to the Mings. On December 14th, 1636, the Qing horde invades Joseon, so King In-jo and his court shelter in the mountain fortress of Namhan and prepare to defend the kingdom.

During the reign of King Sejong in the 15th century, the Joseon Dynasty was the embodiment of the perfect state. To the Ming China, the aspiring imperial power, Joseon presented an obstacle to territorial expansion. To protect themselves from war, King Sejong develops a secret weapon to defend their territory and take back their land and supremacy.

In coma for a decade, the twin So Yeon wakes finally up. But she can't recall many things. Her other twin sister, Hyo Jin, died in the accident that led to So Yeon's coma. Now that So Yeon has gained her consciousness back, strange things start to happen.

In 1782, King Jeong-jo of Joseon asks detective K to investigate a series of murders related to a case of corruption within the government.

Ancient Korea, 1506. The tyrannical King Yeonsan-gun of Joseon is overthrown by his half-brother Jung-jong, whose reign begins with a blood bath. Over the years, traitors plot against him, sinking the kingdom into chaos. In 1528, frightened rumors come to royal palace, regarding a mysterious creature, known as Monstrum by the peasants.

At the cusp of the founding of Joseon Dynasty, an envoy from China is delivering Emperor’s Ming’s Royal Seal. But nature in the form of a giant whale intervenes and swallows the royal seal. When a generous reward is offered to whomever can retrieve the royal seal from the belly of the whale, the race is on. A group of mountain bandits led by Jang Sa Jung and a group of pirates led by Yeo Wol go after the lost treasure, but who will get to to it first?

Born to a family of established court painters, seven-year-old Yoon-jeong is a young girl gifted at painting. However, the pressure is on her brother to carry on the proud family tradition, as women aren’t allowed to become professional painters. While her brother trains to take his place in the court, Yoon-jeong helps him out by secretly painting for him. The little girl’s life is turned upside down when her brother kills himself. In order to preserve the family honor, she is forced to take her brother’s name and lives as a man. Yun-bok’s genius and talent captures the heart of another great master of the time, Kim Hong-do. But her daring depictions of women are condemned by the royal institute as obscene. Yun-bok meets Kang-mu and falls deeply in love. For the first time, she feels the strong desire to abandon everything she has built and simply be a woman in front of the man she loves. Kang-moo sacrifices all for his love as well.

A servant falls in love with a girl whom his master also desires. Although the girl loves the servant, she also longs to improve her station in life.

After being blinded in a coup against the king, Joseon's greatest swordsman goes into hiding, far removed from his city's anguish. But when traffickers kidnap his daughter, he has no choice but to unsheathe his sword once more.

Ancient Korea, July 4, 1762. The Crown Prince Hyojang, posthumously named Sado, son of King Yeongjo of Joseon, is accused of treason. Thus, the king asks him to commit suicide, but his closest vassals prevent it, so the king orders the prince to get inside a wooden rice chest, where he suffers deprivation of food and water.

A triangular relationship between Eo Woo-dong, her husband Lee Dong, and fantasy character Moo-gong, highlights on the first half of the Joseon Dynasty and portrays the contradicted life of the high class people, criticizing the modern day Korean society.

After the death of their father, two siblings are raised by their father's best friend. However, when one gets kidnapped just before her wedding, the other rises against the Mongols.

Tragedy, betrayal and a mysterious discovery fuel a woman's vengeance for the loss of her tribe and family.

An action historical drama depicting the story of Joseon's best swordsman Yi Nan in front of an irreversible fate.

A gutsy crew of Joseon pirates and bandits battle stormy waters, puzzling clues and militant rivals in search of royal gold lost at sea.

The film mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea 1592-1598, where the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin managed to destroy a total of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi.

Ice suddenly becomes a more valuable commodity during the Joseon Dynasty and a gang of eleven professionals are assigned to protect the market situation from irresponsible people.

Ancient Korea, 1728. Swordsman Kim Ho, guard of King Yeong-jo of Joseon, is demoted and sent to work in Uigeumbu prison. When night falls, the prison is assaulted by the master warrior Do Man-cheol and his powerful henchmen for the purpose of freeing Lee In-jwa, who has been condemned to death for rising up in revolt against the king.

Mu Myeong is a Joseon dynasty headhunter who meets and falls in love with lady Ja Yeong who will become the future Empress Myseongseong. A few years later, Ja Yeong enters the royal palace to marry King Gojong. Mu Myeong still having feelings for Ja Yeong and in an attempt to get closer to her becomes her personal body guard.

Late 18th-century Joseon dynasty. The King is beleaguered and surrounded by traitors of the ruling elite. They plan to assassinate and replace him with a puppet. But the King has some aces up his sleeve that may help him defeat them all.

Joseon's top detective Kim Min attempts to track down those responsible for circulating massive amounts of counterfeit silver bullion in Joseon. He also tries to find the missing sibling of a young girl.

In 1598, the seven-year Imjin War nears an end as Wa(Japan) invaders prepare to withdraw from Joseon. Admiral Yi Sun-shin leads an allied fleet of Joseon and Ming ships to annihilate the Wa army. Joseon, Ming, and Wa forces clash at Noryang Strait, the deadly sea where Admiral Yi fights his last valiant battle.

Korea, 1724. Once upon a time in the Choson Dynasty, Chun-doong falls in love at first sight with a beautiful woman whilst in the middle of a fight.When she is delivered by accident to Chun-doong's tavern to work as a maid, he is the happiest man in the land until she is snatched away by her rightful owner.He vows to get her back, but alone he is no match for Man-deuk.

Modern day soldiers travel back in time and meet Admiral Lee, the greatest soldier of all time, and motivate him to drive out invaders.

A group of deadly assassins kidnap a hostage in the hope of getting a high ransom but when they manage to lose themselves in a forest and end up spending the night in a haunted house they manage to disrupt the plans of the ghosts to ascend to heaven. The assassins hatch a plan to solve the problem but in doing so reveal themselves to be incompetent, so the ghosts decide to give them some training themselves…

A crown prince emerges as a leader during the war between Korea and Japan in 1592.

In the late Joseon Dynasty, Bongyi Kim Seon-dal is the best conman who sells water from the Taedong River.

Although born a daughter of an aristocratic family, Jin-yi discovers the secret behind her birth and enters into a life in a brothel as a gisaeng.

During the Joseon Dynasty, lowborn Chae-sun challenges the rule that states only men allowed to sing while navigating devotion to her teacher and the demands of the king's father.

A clever king of Joseon and his brilliant chronicler hunt for the truth behind a crime that threatens the throne and the stability of the country.

A gang of clowns is hired by an unpopular king to serve as propagandists who fabricate positive rumors and stage miracles to improve his personal image.

The movie depicts the three months before Choong-nyung (the future Sejong the Great) becomes king. The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which follows the history of the Joseon Dynasty between 1413 and 1865, leaves out records of this crucial period. While future generations would come to know him as King Sejong, the legendary figure who created the Korean alphabet and advanced the country’s scientific research and law, Prince Choong-nyung was originally dismissed as a reclusive bookworm. When his older brothers Yangnyeong and Hyoryeong fail to impress their father King Taejong, the king makes a royal command for Choong-nyung to become the next ruler of the kingdom instead.

Upon receiving the body of a maid in waiting who was said to have hung herself within the palace walls, dedicated doctor Chun-ryung begins to suspect foul play. Upon launching a personal investigation, however, Chun-ryung quickly discovers a labyrinthine maze of deception constructed by those with limitless power to conceal a valuable secret.

Depicts the love lives, jealousies and desires of those that work within the Sanguiwon during the Joseon Dynasty period. The Sanguiwon are responsible for the attire worn by royalty. Dol-Seok is the best master artisan in charge of royal attire. He views set rules as paramount to his job. Kong-Jin is a genius like designer, born with dexterity and an excellent sense. He was brought to the palace by nobleman Pan-Soo who first spotted his talent. The King and Queen then become embroiled in a critical case because of the royal attire made by Dol-Seok and Kong-Jin.

An exceptionally talented face reader becomes entangled in a bloody power struggle between a child king and his uncle who plans to usurp the throne.

"Birth" deals in depth with the patience and courage of Kim Taegon, a young man who had to create his own hope, his willingness to throw his body, and his love for God and man that he showed throughout his life.

A true historical drama about King Sejong, the greatest ruler in Joseon history who sought to enhance national prosperity and military power through astronomy, and Jang Yeong-sil, the most remarkable scientist.

Set towards the end of the 19th century, when coffee was first introduced to Korea, Russian sharpshooter Illichi and Joseon's first barista Danya are manipulated by Japanese officer Sadako into an elaborate plan to assassinate King Gojong.

Park Jae-sang was a royal geomancer, who helps people designate propitious site for houses, store and even graves under the belief that a grave in a good site will bring future fortune for descendants. But he loses his family because he exposed a conspiracy about crown Prince's grave site. Park Jae-sang plans to make a revenge of his family and learns that there is a much bigger conspiracy about propitious grave site; the place that would make grave owner's son the King of Joseon.

A Princess in the Joseon Dynasty travels to the Qing Dynasty to marry. On the way to there, she meets a young magician and falls in love with him.

A barren noblewoman encourages her husband to take a young peasant as a surrogate to secure the male line.

In the era of corruption, Hak-gyu sings songs and tells stories on the street with his band. One day, Hak-gyu's wife Gan-nan is kidnapped by gangsters and his daughter Cheong loses her eyesight after the incident. He decides to travel in search of his missing wife and learns that corrupted noblemen are behind the mob.

During a time of poverty and despair in the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, a satirical street play that pokes fun at the ruling class while giving a prophecy of ‘a new leader to save the world’ becomes immensely popular among the people. The author of the fable, Heung-boo, subsequently gains fame around the country and is sought after by both the oppressive political power and the rebellion leader who want to use his name and talent for their differing agendas.

Seongjong who history remembers, earns a reputation for appreciating the motto 'making the people feel comfortable and putting political affairs right'. He is known as the king who led his country in the most peaceful and steady way during the Joseon times. However, was Seongjong really a wise king? Seongjong was enthroned by Queen Jeong-hee, Queen In-soo, Han Myeong-hoi and his supporters. The 13-year-old king made 73 of his supporters his retainers! Numerous noblemen were happy that he became king. However, some of his people had to cry blood because he became the king. "Is this country run by phantoms like you My Lord?" Seongjong, the puppet who dreamt of a reign of peace, wishes to behead the king who dominates the people!

A famous general who defeated Japanese invaders with the world's first iron ship, 'Turtle battleship' during Chosun dynasty, was intrigued against by many villainous retainers. Even when he was reduced to a much lower rank, he served in the war worrying about the nation's wellbeing. This film depicts General Lee Sun-Shin who is probably the most famous general in Korean history, based on his 'Wartime Diary.'

A blind acupuncturist, who strangely, is able to see normally at night, and happens to witness the death of the crown prince.

In the household of Lee Gyeong-jin, a high-ranking official of Joseon Kingdom, three sons die from an unidentified horror. A woman pregnant with a child of the third son soon learns of the evil spirit that haunts the house.

This film depicts the struggles of the Royal Party and the Old Party to obtain political power. In 1800, The Royal Party insisted that the political power should be centralized to the King, but the other party (The Old Party) insisted that the political power should be centralized to the majority of the ministers. One day, official Jang was ordered by the King to arrange and edit the record of the former King Yeongjo. All of a sudden, Jang dies. Soon it was disclosed that Jang was killed by the Old Party because of their connection with the book. For this incident , the King tried to get rid of key members of the Old Party, but the Old Party resists the King's will. What was in the book? Who was involved? Why? The political intrigue will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Ma-nim (Kim Jeong-ah-II) becomes a widow after her husband dies from sickness and she arrives at Bukgando to get remarried. Her new husband is a handsome and wealthy man but he is killed by a Japanese even before she spends a night with him. Ma-nim is alone in the big house once again. Everyone by her husband's side leaves and only the grandfather and slave named Bau are left behind. One day, Ma-nim notices that Bau has a way of staring at her and she is overcome by a strange feeling. She'd to oppress her desires as a woman because of her two short marriages and strict identity. Bau had never made love with a woman before but she didn't mind his gaze on her. The two of them start a forbidden love behind grandfather's back...