The monstrously influential Japanese film Ring (1998) was remade for Korean audiences by director Kim Dong-bin as The Ring Virus, starring popular TV actress Shin Eun-Kyung. Based on the novel by author Suzuki Koji and co-produced by the Japanese company that released Hideo Nakata's original film, the Korean version is more coldly clinical and stylised than its predecessor, with a few cosmetic changes to the plot that recall Nakata's sequel, Ring 2 (1998). A videotape and a ringing phone still signal impending doom in The Ring Virus, but here the story emerges in a more linear fashion, resulting in a hint more mystery in the early reels.

'Ring Virus, despite a later release than Ring, manages to be original and even surprising, thanks to many developments not found in the Japanese version, darkly beautiful in its images and, yes, bone-chilling. Not only does Ring Virus easily stand the comparison with Nakata's masterpiece but it even surpasses it in some aspects [especially in character development]' - Asian Cult Cinema