In Korean films, every click of the shutter has a consequence. You might capture a ghost. You might capture evidence of a crime. Or worse—you might capture a moment of happiness right before the car crash.

So, the next time you pick up your camera to shoot street photography in Seoul or Busan, remember the lesson of these films: Are you a photographer inspired by Korean cinema? Check out our guides on "Korean noir lighting setups" and "How to shoot portraits like Park Chan-wook."

Whether it is the obsessive darkroom scenes in The Scarlet Letter (2004) or the digital voyeurism in Hide and Seek (2013), Korean cinema argues that photographers are the most tragic figures in the room. They are the people trying to stop the flow of time in a country that has been swept away by history too many times.