Korean Movie My Daughter Is A Zombie Plot Summary Ending Enplained & Cast

In the summer of 2025, South Korean cinema welcomed a unique addition to its repertoire with the release of Korean movie My Daughter Is a Zombie, a film that masterfully blends comedy, drama, and horror. Directed by Pil Gam-sung and adapted from Lee Yoon-chang’s popular webtoon of the same name, the movie captivated audiences with its unconventional take on the zombie genre. It tells the story of Lee Jung-hwan, a devoted single father and professional tiger trainer, who faces an extraordinary challenge when his teenage daughter, Soo-ah, becomes infected with a zombie virus.

The narrative begins in Seoul, where Jung-hwan, portrayed by Jo Jung-suk, navigates the complexities of raising his rebellious daughter, Soo-ah, played by Choi Yoo-ri. Their relationship, marked by playful bickering and a shared passion for dance, is tested when a sudden zombie outbreak engulfs the city. In a harrowing escape, Soo-ah is bitten, transforming into a zombie. Refusing to abandon her, Jung-hwan flees with Soo-ah to his mother’s secluded seaside home in Eunbong-ri, where his feisty mother, Kim Bam-sun, played by Lee Jung-eun, resides.

What sets this film apart is its heartfelt premise: rather than fighting to survive against zombies, Jung-hwan embarks on a poignant mission to protect and “retrain” his daughter, using his animal-taming skills to help her retain traces of her humanity. Soo-ah, unlike typical zombies, responds to familiar stimuli, such as her favorite K-pop songs and her grandmother’s back scratcher, adding a layer of emotional depth to the story. The film’s emotional core is the father-daughter bond, brought to life through the dynamic performances of Jo Jung-suk and Choi Yoo-ri, whose chemistry resonates deeply with audiences.

Complicating Jung-hwan’s efforts are his childhood friend, Shin Yeon-hwa, a relentless zombie hunter played by Cho Yeo-jeong, and his bumbling yet loyal friend, Jo Dong-bae, portrayed by Yoon Kyung-ho. The narrative weaves in moments of suspense, as Yeon-hwa’s anti-zombie crusade threatens to expose Soo-ah’s condition, alongside comedic interludes that lighten the apocalyptic tension. The film also features a memorable feline co-star, Aeyongi, a tabby cat whose natural charisma stole scenes and added charm to the story.

My Daughter Is a Zombie has been praised for its bold tonal shifts, seamlessly blending slapstick humor, heartfelt drama, and subtle horror. Critics have noted its nostalgic charm, evoking memories of simpler times, such as summer vacations at a grandparent’s home. The film’s visual vibrancy, particularly the scenic beauty of Eunbong-ri, enhances its emotional resonance. A standout moment is the musical finale, where Soo-ah, having regained much of her humanity, performs a dance to BoA’s “No. 1,” symbolizing hope and healing.

Since its release on July 30, 2025, the film has achieved remarkable success, surpassing 3 million viewers in just 11 days and becoming the fastest Korean film of the year to reach the 1 million moviegoer mark. Its box office triumph, coupled with critical acclaim for its stellar cast and innovative storytelling, has cemented its status as a cultural sensation. My Daughter Is a Zombie is a testament to the enduring power of family bonds, proving that love can prevail even in the face of an apocalypse.

My Daughter is a Zombie K Movie

Korean : 좀비딸 | Japaness : ゾンビになってしまった私の娘
Genre: Comedy, Horror, Fantasy, Zombie, Human Drama, Everyday Life
Director: Pil Gam-sung
Main Cast: Jo Jung-suk, Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Yoon Kyung-ho, Choi Yoo-ri, Geum Dong-i
Production Company: Studio N
Distributor: Next Entertainment World
Filming Period: August 29, 2024 – December 20, 2024
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Running Time: 114 minutes
Production Budget: 11 billion KRW (about 110 billion won)
Break-even Point: 2.2 million viewers
Box Office: 461,787 viewers on opening day (a new record for comedy films in Korea)
Age Rating: Suitable for ages 12 and above

Korean Movie My Daughter is a Zombie plot summary ending enplained & cast

My Daughter is a Zombie rate

Naver viewer rating: 9.02 (as of the release date)
CGV Golden Egg Index: 86%
Rotten Tomatoes: Not specified
IMDb: No rating available yet

My Daughter is a Zombie Cast

Lee Jung-hwan (played by Jo Jung-suk): A beast trainer fiercely protecting his daughter.
Notable works include Exit (2019), Pilot (2024), Oh My Ghost (2015), and Hospital Playlist (2020).
Instagram: @chojungseok

Kim Bam-soon (played by Lee Jung-eun): Grandma who controls her zombie granddaughter.
Known for : Parasite (2019), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Our Blues (2022).
Instagram: @leejungeun69

Shin Yeon-hwa (played by Cho Yeo-jeong): Zombie hunter teacher.
Famous for : Parasite (2019) and The Servant (2010).
Instagram: @lightyears81

Jo Dong-bae (played by Yoon Kyung-ho): Pharmacist and supporter.
philmography Eye Light (2023), Worst Evil (2023), Goblin (2016), My Name (2021), and Itaewon Class (2020).
Instagram: @guard.yoon

Lee Soo-ah (played by Choi Yu-ri): The daughter who became a zombie.
Known for Alienoid (2022), Itaewon Class (2020), Clean with Passion for Now (2021), and Secret (2013).
Instagram: @choi_yuri.0212

Kim Ae-yong (Geum Dong-i): Cat (animal actor)

Director Phil Gam-sung, known for “Hostage” (2021) and “Unfortunate Day” (2023), expands his work into comedy-human genre with this film. He personally relates to the story, having a teenage daughter himself, which deepened his connection to the original webtoon and the film’s theme.

Filming locations included real seaside fishing villages in Namhae, Tongyeong, Sancheong, and studio sets, highlighting a contrast between urban and rural landscapes that enhances the movie’s unique atmosphere.

My Daughter is a Zombie Plot Summary

Seoul is thrown into chaos when a sudden zombie virus spreads.
At first, citizens don’t take it seriously, joking, “Isn’t this just some internet broadcast?” But the virus spreads rapidly, and the streets are soon in turmoil. The protagonist, Jung-hwan, is hiding at home with his daughter Soo-ah. Hearing the sounds of a fight outside, Jung-hwan curiously looks out the window—only to witness a horrifying scene of zombies biting each other. He jokes, “Soo-ah, go stop them!” but the terrified Soo-ah refuses.

A neighbor suddenly smashes through the window and rushes inside. A message from Soo-ah’s friends pops up on her phone: “Isn’t that a zombie? Dad, don’t touch him!” Jung-hwan and Soo-ah hurriedly run into a bedroom and lock the door. But when the powerful zombie tries to break it down, Jung-hwan makes a decision: “Soo-ah, let’s go to Grandma’s house. If we stay here, we’ll die!” The two prepare to escape to the countryside.

They attempt to reach their car through streets swarming with zombies, but it’s not easy. Jung-hwan remembers a trick from a movie: “If we pretend to be zombies, we can get through!” Soo-ah is on the verge of tears, saying she can’t do it, but eventually starts acting. In a dangerous moment, Jung-hwan sacrifices himself as bait: “Hey, zombies! Over here!” He distracts them so Soo-ah can get into the car. They barely make it to Grandma’s rural home, but by then, Soo-ah has already turned into a zombie.

A year passes, and the zombie crisis is declared over—reportedly, all zombies nationwide have disappeared. But Jung-hwan cannot bring himself to kill Soo-ah. He decides to secretly keep and raise her in the countryside. “My daughter is the last zombie in the world.” Though she has lost her humanity and become something entirely different, Jung-hwan refuses to give up. Grandma Kim Bam-soon, upon seeing Soo-ah, asks worriedly, “My puppy, are you feeling sick?” But soon she notices Soo-ah’s aggression and establishes dominance by subduing her with a blow from a back-scratcher like a grandmother’s discipline.

Working as a freelance translator, Jung-hwan finds inspiration in a book he’s translating—Taming Wild Animals. “Soo-ah isn’t dead. She’s sick!” Discovering that Soo-ah loves pig entrails, he starts using them for training. He realizes hunger triggers her aggression, so he feeds her entrail soup to keep her full. “If she’s full, she won’t bite!” After eating, her bluish veins fade and she becomes docile. Jung-hwan records her behaviors in a notebook, studying her patterns.

His childhood friend Dong-bae, the village veterinarian, discovers the truth. “Jung-hwan, this is dangerous! We need to report her!” But Jung-hwan is adamant: “She’s my daughter. I can’t give up on her!” Understanding his friend’s heart, Dong-bae agrees to help. He observes that Soo-ah’s aggression decreases when she’s full and assists in her training. Six months later, the last known infected person dies, and Soo-ah becomes the only zombie left in the world.

After a year of training, Soo-ah can follow commands, bow in greeting, and even walk obediently on a leash. Though she still only makes guttural “Uhh” sounds, she often seems almost human. When full, she may nip someone but doesn’t bite hard. One day, Jung-hwan’s first love, Yeon-ah, moves in next door. Traumatized by having to kill her fiancé when he turned into a zombie, Yeon-ah hates zombies and has earned the nickname “Report Queen” for her many zombie reports, even receiving a commendation. To hide the truth, Jung-hwan claims Soo-ah is mute and pale due to an old accident. Yeon-ah mistakes her for a socially awkward middle schooler and begins caring for her like her own daughter.

Baek Gwang-deok, the village head, prides himself on keeping Eumbongsam-ri free of zombies for 40 years. When he realizes Soo-ah is a zombie, he storms Jung-hwan’s house with a golf club. Jung-hwan shields Soo-ah and is struck instead. Baek remembers killing his own zombie daughter with a golf club in the past. Witnessing Jung-hwan’s fatherly love, he is filled with regret and collapses from high blood pressure. Pretending to have memory loss afterward, he helps keep Soo-ah’s secret.

It turns out Soo-ah is not Jung-hwan’s biological daughter but his niece. Thirteen years earlier, Jung-hwan’s sister lived with her abusive husband Lee Moon-gi, raising Soo-ah. Jung-hwan often took turns caring for the girl. One day, Jung-hwan left her alone for a birthday party. His sister returned unexpectedly early, furious: “Take responsibility!” Jung-hwan shot back: “You should have just come home early!” That day, his sister died in a car accident while rushing home. Wracked with guilt, Jung-hwan stopped celebrating his birthday and decided to become Soo-ah’s father.

Thirteen years later, Lee Moon-gi reappears. After squandering the insurance payout and property, he’s now drowning in debt and seeks to use Soo-ah as a guarantor. Upon discovering she’s a zombie, he tries to claim the 500 million won bounty by kidnapping her. To save her, Jung-hwan orders Soo-ah to bite Moon-gi; she does, and Jung-hwan kills the newly turned zombie Moon-gi, throwing his body off a cliff.

On Jung-hwan’s birthday, Soo-ah stands before him holding a cake Yeon-ah bought. Jung-hwan sees his sister’s face in her. “Thank you for not giving up on me, Soo-ah. I’m sorry for ruining your youth. That accident wasn’t your fault.” For the first time in 13 years, he eats birthday cake, tears streaming down his face. Yeon-ah confesses she wants to become Soo-ah’s mother, and Jung-hwan manages to protect both his daughter and his love.

My Daughter is a Zombie Ending Spoiler

The happiness is short-lived. Moon-gi’s body is found, and the government becomes convinced there’s a zombie in Eumbongsam-ri. Police and military storm Jung-hwan’s house. Jung-hwan says, “I won’t leave Soo-ah alone!” and tells her to bite him. Turned into a zombie, Jung-hwan remains calm and rational unlike others, shielding Soo-ah from the soldiers until he is finally shot dead. Soo-ah is taken to the Disease Control Center. The soldiers cannot bring themselves to shoot her, seeing her as a little girl who just lost her father.

The world condemns Jung-hwan as selfish. But Dong-bae hands over his research on Soo-ah’s habits to the Center, risking punishment to help find a cure. Tests reveal antibodies in Jung-hwan’s blood—developed after countless scratches and bites while taming Soo-ah. From these antibodies, a cure is created.

Soo-ah is cured, returning to human form. Her first word is: “Dad!” The government announces the treatment’s success, repeals the “Zombie Special Law,” and zombie survivors secretly kept by their loved ones come forward, all receiving treatment. The zombie virus is eradicated in Korea.

In the final scene, Jung-hwan—lying in a hospital bed in a coma from gunshot wounds—moves his fingertip, hinting at survival. It is revealed that many families, like his, had secretly hidden zombie relatives all along.

My Daughter is a Zombie Ending explained

Jung-hwan attempts to train his daughter Soo-ah in order to protect her, with the film emphasizing elements of comedy and family drama.There is a scene in which Jung-hwan looks at items related to his daughter, revealing his emotions and leaving a lingering impression that hints at the possibility of a cure or his longing for her.

The movie focuses on family reunion and hope, delivering comfort and warmth to the audience. Its happy ending was a choice mindful of family audiences as a mainstream work, maintaining the emotional throughline of the original while balancing comedy and heartfelt emotion.

My Daughter is a Zombie season2 release date ?

There are many people waiting for season 2 due to the success of the box office, but nothing has been decided at this time.

My Daughter is a Zombie review

“My Daughter is a Zombie” is distinctive in that it reimagines the zombie genre—not as a tale of horror, despair, or destruction, but as a modern allegory about society’s gaze, otherness, and above all, the unconditional love of family. Even under the extreme condition of his daughter Soo-ah becoming a zombie, the father clings not to pity or compassion, but to respect and hope until the very end.

What made it resonate uniquely with audiences in the post-pandemic era was its narrative in which the infected are not treated merely as objects of isolation and exclusion, but evolve into subjects of coexistence and understanding. In particular, by using everyday and humanizing elements such as training, dance, and even a humble back-scratcher, the film subtly conveys the importance of recognizing differences and living together. It deserves high praise for being one of the rare comedy films since Extreme Job to carry a social message and emotional weight that goes beyond simple entertainment.

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