BOGOTÁ: CITY OF THE LOST on Netflix is a new crime thriller from South Korea about Korean immigrants in Colombia. It’s a brutal and realistic story inspired by real-world situations. Read our full Bogotá: City of the Lost movie review here!
BOGOTÁ: CITY OF THE LOST is a new Netflix addition to the crime and thriller hybrid genre. It’s a South Korean production, so even though it takes place in Colombia, you’ll hear both Spanish and Korean spoken. Also, if you’re a fan of South Korean productions, you’ll recognize several actors.
The story told in this movie is quite realistic, so we’re not getting some crazy action movie with this one. Still, it’s very brutal and features elements that are clearly inspired by real events. The runtime is 1 hour and 48 minutes, and while it’s entertaining and even important, it’s also quite forgettable.
Continue reading our Bogotá: City of the Lost movie review below. Find it on Netflix now.
From South Korea to Colombia
In Bogotá: City of the Lost, we begin in the 1990s when the 19-year-old Guk Hee (Song Joon-ki) moves to Bogotá with his family. Having lost everything back in South Korea – when the country was on the brink of bankruptcy in November 1997 – they’re hoping for a better life in Colombia.
Unfortunately, they’re off to a very bad start.
They are immediately robbed (right after arriving) and the “family friend” meant to help them, isn’t exactly thrilled to see them. To be fair, the father did oversell this relationship. Quite a lot. So, what was supposed to be a quick stop on their way to securing visas for entering the US legally, becomes their new life permanently.
The family ends up living from hand to mouth, but the young man is determined to make life better for his family. He begins at the bottom of the ladder in transportation which avoids getting caught in customs. This happens through bribes and deals – your classic methods of corruption.

A truly fascinating story
While it’s easy to expect this to be a story about drug trafficking, the transportation business they’re in has nothing to do with drugs. Instead, it’s garments (jackets, lingerie, pants) sold in shops typically owned by other South Korean immigrants.
He goes through hell and does things he surely never expected to do. All in order to dominate the black market in Bogotá. Song Joong-ki (or Song Joon Ki) plays the all-important lead character trying to make a good life for himself and his mother in Bogotá, Colombia. He is amazing in the role. As always.
You may recognize Song Joong-ki from movies like the Netflix production Space Sweepers (2021) or the 2012 movie A Werewolf Boy, which you should absolutely check out.
Among other familiar South Korean characters, you’ll see Kwon Hae-hyo from Parasyte: The Grey, Lee Hee-joon from A Killer Paradox, and Cho Hyun-chul from Tunnel. Plus, Im Sung Jae from Hellbound, Kim Jong Soo from Kingdom, Park Ji-hwan from The Frog, and Jun Hee-lee from the US Netflix series Unbelievable.
Watch Bogotá: City of the Lost on Netflix now
The director of Bogotá: City of the Lost is Kim Jung-se, who previously directed the 2015 movie Minority Opinion. The screenplay comes from scriptwriter Hwang Sung-goo who also wrote the biographical drama Park Yeol from 2017.
I was very well-entertained and found myself learning new things about both Columbia and the South Korean immigrant population there. However, as a whole, this movie just missed hitting as hard as many genre productions from South Korea usually do.
It has many of the same elements as Parasite but is set in Columbia and somehow less character-driven while still being very character-driven. I definitely recommend watching it on Netflix. However, at the same time, I don’t expect that I’ll ever watch it again.
Bogotá: City of the Lost was listed in many places as premiering on Netflix on February 4, but it appears it was released a day before on February 3, 2025.
Details
Director: Kim Jung Se
Script: Hwang Sung Goo
Cast: Song Joon Ki, Lee Hee Joon, Juana del Rio, Kwon Hae Hyo, Jo Hyun Chul, Kim Tae Baek, Kim Jong Soo, Park Ji Hwan, Im Sung Jae
Plot
After moving to Bogotá for a chance at a better life, a young Korean man rises through the Colombian black market — risking peril for a shot at success.
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