Itaewon Class


Itaewon Class is a 2020 [Korean drama|South Korean television series] starring Park Seo-joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-myung, and Kwon Nara. Based on the webtoon of the same name, it is the first series to be produced by the film distribution company Showbox. It aired on JTBC in Korea from January 31 to March 21, 2020, and is streaming worldwide on Netflix. The series won Best Drama Series at the 25th Asian Television Awards.
WWW Official Site

Synopsis

Due to an accident which killed his father, Park Sae-ro-yi attempted to kill Jang Geun-won, the son of Jangga Group's founder, Jang Dae-hee. He was jailed and the woman he loved, Oh Soo-ah, was offered a university scholarship by Jang Dae-hee and later became the Strategic Planning Head of Jangga Group.
After his release from prison, Park Sae-ro-yi opens DanBam in Itaewon. He wants to be successful and seeks revenge towards Jangga Group. However, he is not too smart at managing his business. He then meets Jo Yi-seo.

Cast

Main

Supporting

DanBam staff

  • Kim Dong-hee as Jang Geun-soo
  • * CEO Jang's second and illegitimate son; Yi-seo's classmate and staff member at DanBam. Geun-soo has been bullied by his older brother Geun-won and he never felt loved by his parents. Upon turning 17, he left the Jang family and lived by himself from then on. After inconveniencing DanBam in an incident, he decides to work for Sae-ro-yi, whom he considers to be a "real adult". He has a crush on Yi-seo. However, after leaving DanBam, Geun-soo chooses to work at his father's company to become the successor for Jangga Group, and gradually became ruthless towards his former DanBam colleagues due to his thirst to prove himself and win Yi-seo's affections. In 2020, Geun-soo is the director of Jangga Group, and he eventually reconciles with the DanBam staff after realising the error of his ways.
  • Ryu Kyung-soo as Choi Seung-kwon
  • * Staff member at DanBam. Seung-kwon was Sae-ro-yi's cellmate in prison. Believing that he cannot better his life outside of jail, he became a gangster under a gang leader upon his release. Seven years later, he meets Sae-ro-yi who, to his surprise, had already opened a bar in Itaewon. Deeply respecting Sae-ro-yi and his way to live a better life, he gives up being a gangster and starts working at DanBam. In 2020, he becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group.
  • Lee Joo-young as Ma Hyun-yi
  • * DanBam's chief cook. Hyun-yi first met Sae-ro-yi in a factory where the two formerly worked, years before the start of DanBam. She was hired as DanBam's cook when Sae-ro-yi liked the food she once cooked for him back then. Hyun-yi is a transgender woman and has been saving money for her sex reassignment surgery. In 2020, she becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group.
  • Chris Lyon as Kim To-ni
  • * DamBam's Guinean-Korean part-timer. Even though he cannot speak and understand English, To-ni is fluent in speaking Korean, owing to his Korean father and his one-year residence in South Korea, and French, the language he speaks in Guinea. Eventually, he is able to learn and speak a satisfactory amount of English. He also reunited with his Korean grandmother, who acknowledges him as her grandchild.

Jangga Group

  • Ahn Bo-hyun as Jang Geun-won
  • * CEO Jang's first son and heir to Jangga Group. Geun-won was Sae-ro-yi and Soo-ah's classmate in high school who frequently bullied their classmate Ho-jin. He caused the vehicular accident that killed Sae-ro-yi's father Sung-yeol. Years later when he attempts to recruit Yi-seo into Jangga, his confession to the crime is recorded by her and he attacks her until Sae-ro-yi intervenes and gets him arrested. Dae-hee deserts Geun-won by admitting his son's crimes during his apology meeting and Geun-won was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. In 2020, he is released on parole after serving four years out of his prison term and therefore, alongside Kim Hee-hoon and his gang, Geun-won plans to get revenge on Yi-seo by kidnapping both her and his brother, though he ultimately failed and he was sentenced to incarceration once again.
  • Kim Hye-eun as Kang Min-jung
  • * Jangga Group's executive director, who secretly plots to usurp CEO Jang. She is a close friend of Park Sung-yeol, father of Park Sae-ro-yi, which made her willing to ally with Sae-ro-yi against Dae-hee.
  • Hong Seo-joon as Mr. Kim
  • * Jang Dae-hee's right-hand man. He is very loyal to his boss.
  • Yoo Da-mi as Kim Sun-ae
  • * Jang Dae-hee's secretary and Kang Min-jung's spy.

Others

Special appearances

Production

The first script reading took place in August 2019 at JTBC Building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.
Park Seo-joon and Yoo Jae-myung had previously worked together in the KBS2 drama's Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.

Original soundtrack

''Itaewon Class: Original Soundtrack''

The drama's soundtrack is compiled in a four-part album released on March 20, 2020. CDs 1 and 2 contain the drama's theme songs and their instrumental versions, while CDs 3 and 4 contain the drama's musical score. The following lists are the track listings for the online streaming version of the album.

Part 8

Reception

Itaewon Class' final episode recorded a 16.548% nationwide audience share, making it the fifth-highest viewership rating in JTBC, and the 14th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, just slightly under Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce). The drama was also praised for its realistic portrayal of subjects such as prejudice and discrimination against foreigners, ex-convicts and LGBT people, as well as the portrayal of misbehaviours by chaebols.
Time Magazine included Itaewon Class on its list of "The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix". Forbes included the series on its list of "The 13 Best Korean Dramas Of 2020". The Guardian mentioned the drama in an article recommending Korean dramas to watch after finishing Squid Game. Google Trends revealed that the series was the #1 most-searched drama/entertainment program of 2020, and the fourth most searched domestic search term of 2020 in South Korea.

International adaptations