K Drama Chat

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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Season 1 of Kingdom, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Yi Chang, Bae Doona as Seo-bi, Ryu Seung-ryong as Cho Hak ju, Kim Sang-ho as Mou Young, Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong shin, and Kim Hye-jun as the Queen Consort. We discuss:

• The Seo In Guk Meet and Greet in Washington, DC that Joanna attended! It was amazing!
• The enduring appeal of zombies!
• How the opening sequence of the show describes exactly how the king was revived using the resurrection plant, as described in Lee Seung Hui’s medical journal. Although this scene is quite horrific, it is beautifully filmed!
• How Cho Hak Ju and the Queen Consort keep the king chained and how they feed him unwitting court ladies. Who are the real monsters in the palace?
• The head scholar and Minister of War are suspicious about all the dead bodies in the palace. They want Lord Ahn Hyeon to ally with them, but Cho Hak Ju is confident that Lord Ahn will never oppose the Cho clan.
• How Youngshin is doing everything he can to save people from the zombies and Seo bi comes to his defense when Cho Beom Pal and the head clerk accused him of crimes.
• How we are seeing a different Crown Prince in this episode. HE tried to climb the barracks wall, and he took charge at the magistrate’s office when Cho Beom Pal and the head clerk came up with a ridiculous plan re: the zombie bodies.
• We now know of a few ways to stop the zombies: burn them, cut off their heads, drown them.
• Cho Beom Pal is clearly the comic relief in the show, especially in this episode when Seo bi diagnosed him as having gonorrhea.
• The Crown Prince now knows what happened to the king, how he died, and was brought back to life by Lee Seung Hui using the resurrection plan. He is now mourning the death of his father.
• How the king somehow foresaw that his son would be in danger. The king urged his son to stay alive!
• The officials, nobles and soldiers use the one remaining ship to sail to Sangju, stranding all the villagers on the dock.
• How Joseon was a tremendously classist society. Although society has flattened a great deal today, you can still see the emphasis on hierarchy in modern day language and culture.
• We wonder what happened three years ago that clearly involved Cho Hak Ju, Lord Ahn Hyeon, and Lee Seung Hui.
• The amazing and beautiful Bae Doona, the actress who plays Seo bi.

References

• A rare look at Joseon king's funeral
• Anyone know the korean name of or more info on the way they wrap the body in the opening sequence? : r/NetflixKingdom
• .Unidentified artist | Dragon and Carp | Korea | Joseon dynasty (1392–1910) | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• 왕의 죽음에서 왕릉의 건설까지
• Review of Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulse Diagnosis Quantification | IntechOpen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of Season 1 of Kingdom, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Yi Chang, Bae Doona as Seo-bi, Ryu Seung-ryon as Cho Hak ju, Kim Sang-ho as Mou Young, Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong shin, and Kim Hye-jun as the Queen Consort. We discuss:

• We’re learning about how the zombie outbreak started in the first place, that it started in Hanyang when physician Lee Seung Hui brought the king back to life with the resurrection plant and then attacked Dan i. The prince now knows that his father has become one of the zombies.
• How the Crown Prince makes some important decisions that almost seem out of character:
  • Despite the horrible scene at Jihulyeon, the prince decides to go to the Frozen Valley to find Seo bi and learn more about what happened to his father.
  • When Seo bi explains that the people aren’t dead, the prince tells Mu Yeong to go back to the magistrate’s office with Seo bi, while he will go back alone to Jihulyeon to find physician Lee Seung Hui’s medical journals.
• We wonder why Seo bi and Young shin didn’t burn the bodies and we think it’s because Seo bi believed she could save the people, AND it was considered immoral to burn the bodies of the deceased.
• The epic fight scene between the prince and Cho Beom il; Cho Beom il now knows that the prince knows what happened to the king.
• The flashback that shows the king being pronounced dead by Lee Seung Hui, but Cho Hak ju and the Queen consort tell the physician he must do what he did three years ago.
• The mysterious dead bodies being dropped in the lake, which we believe are victims of the king.
• Young shin and Seo bi try to convince the magistrate that the dead people aren’t dead but nobody believes them, and they are both jailed.
• In the last scene, the prince escapes the zombies, runs through the forest, runs toward the water’s edge and sees Dong Nae burning in the distance.
• The amazing Ju Ji hoon, including his education, acting success, and how he wasn’t the first choice for the part of the Crown Prince!

References

• Sungkyunkwan - Wikipedia
• Trend of cremation for Korea's deceased

Welcome to Season 9 of K Drama Chat! In this season, we’ll be recapping and analyzing Kingdom, the zombie historical from 2019. Kingdom is the first original series K Drama on Netflix, produced by AStory. Kingdom stars Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Yi Chang, Bae Doona as Seo-bi, Ryu Seung-ryon as Cho Hak ju, Kim Sang-ho as Mou Young, Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong shin, and Kim Hye-jun as the Queen Consort. We discuss:

• Our enduring love for Crash Landing On You, and how we’re finding it tough to move on.
• How we can’t seem to find much information on the music composer from Kingdom, Mok Yeong Jin.
• How Kingdom is set at the start of the 17th century, three years after the end of the Imjin War against Japan. Although Kingdom is entirely fictional, the Sunjo Annals describe a plague that swept through Korea in the early 1800s. Other annals report on a famine between 1670 and 1671 that resulted in mass famine.
• The main characters: Crown Prince Lee Chang, physician Seo-bi, Chief State Councilor Cho Hak ju, the Crown Prince’s body Mu Young, the mysterious peasant Young shin, and the Queen Consort.
• The mystery behind the king’s illness and disappearance from public life.
• Court hierarchy and how the Crown Prince, as the son of a concubine, is in danger because the Queen Consort is pregnant. If she bears a son, that son will be the Crown Prince, unless the king dies before the child is born.
• The Crown Prince’s audacious decision to leave the palace, search for physician Lee Seung hui, and travel the great distance to Dong Nae.
• The Crown Prince’s confession to Mu Young that it was HE who committed treason by writing the letter and getting the other scholars to sign it.
• Young shin’s decision to take Dan I and turn him into soup, which ultimately leads all of the patients at the clinic to turn into monsters.

References

• Is Kingdom historically accurate? 
• The smallpox epidemic in the US during the 1700s
• ASTORY website
• Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty - Wikipedia

Today is a special episode of K Drama Chat. Jean Rhim, Sung Hee’s sister, is with us and we share our favorites in a bunch of K Drama categories, including:

• Best OST
• Best Dressed
• Favorite Korean Phrase or Word
• Favorite Song
• Best Supporting Actor and Actress
• Best Actor and Actress
• Best Villain
• Best Abs
• Best Historical Drama
• Best Modern Drama
• Best Ensemble Cast
• And many more categories!

Please comment on the blog at https://KDramaChat.com or on Instagram @ KDramaChat. 

Next Season 9 begins! We will recap and analyze episode 1 of Kingdom!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 16 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. Ernabel Demillo is back to help us analyze the final episode of CLOY. We discuss:

• The songs we heard during the recap: Same Sky, Different World by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee, Like You by So Soo Bin and Kim Soo Hee, and Here I Am Again by Baek Yerin.
• How Captain Ri kept vigil by Se-ri until he knew she was in stable condition.
• How it would feel to be given a chance to stay in South Korea after growing up in North Korea.
• How Se-ri’s stepmom gave Se-ri a gift when she told Se-ri about Captain Ri’s devotion; this convinces Se-ri to go see Captain Ri before he left.
• The heartbreaking scene at the border when Captain Ri and Se-ri manage to steal a few moments and say goodbye.
• How General Ri went to rescue his men and his wife kept her own virgil at home, with folded pieces of paper that probably contained poison.
• The tragic relationship between Seo Dan and Gu Seung Jun. Seo Dan confesses that she likes Gu Seung Jun and then Gu Seung Jun dies. 
• How Seo Dan and Se-ri are united in their desire to take down Yoon Se-hyeong. Seo Dan helps Se-ri by getting Mr. Cheon to send records and recordings from China to Se-ri.
• How Seo Dan and her mother seem at peace with Captain Ri’s actions, and the end of Captain Ri and Se-ri’s engagement.
• The NIS chief with the big heart who allowed Captain Ri to visit Se-ri at the hospital and schedule text messages before he went back to North Korea.
• How the text messages allow Se-ri to feel like she is spending the seasons with Captain Ri. Both of them try to honor the other by trying to live a good life.
• How life goes back to normal after Captain Ri and his men go back to North Korea, but all of our characters are fundamentally changed.
• How Se-ri convinces her brother, Yoon Se-jun, to create a foundation that supports students talented in music. These students are given support to study in Switzerland.
• After many years of waiting, Se-ri paraglides, lands on a mountaintop, and meets Ri Jeong Hyeok, who has missed her every night and day.
• Later, we learn that Captain Ri and Se-ri spend two happy weeks in Switzerland together each year.
• The show that we will recap and analyze in Season 9 of K Drama Chat.

References

• Se-ri’s Choices
• The Tale of Gyeonu and Jingnyeo
• Hyun Bin singing That Man from the Secret Garden OST
• The Deep Meaning Behind the Eternal Flower of Edelweiss
• Edelweiss - All About This Alpine Flower
• Captain Ri’s mother’s folded papers with the glass of water
• Time Travelers: North Korean Defectors Resettling in South Korea
• Alternate Way Better Ending for Crash Landing On You by GF Miller
• North Korean diplomat defected through Cuba

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 15 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Wind of the Day by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee and Give You My Heart by IU.
• The meaning of tsundere and how Captain Ri and Se-ri are tsundere who were transformed by the other.
• The cruelty of Cho Cheol Gang’s words that made Captain Ri doubt his father’s love and intentions, took away his newfound happiness, and made him consider shooting himself.
• How Captain Ri is arrested, at first refuses to eat, drink or talk, but then takes the blame for everything that has happened.
• How Captain Ri’s men are likewise rounded up. They are worried they will be tortured, but instead, they are given clean clothes, medical exams, and as much food as they want.
• Se-ri leaves her hospital bed to try and help Captain Ri’s men as they are being taken away, but the men think only of her and her health.
• How heartbreaking it was when Captain Ri coldly rebuffed Se-ri and told her that the sight of her bothered him.
• When Se-ri collapses and is taken to the ICU, Captain Ri is full of regret and allowed to visit her at the hospital.
• We loved the loyalty and bravery of the village women who prevent Myeong Sun and her son from being taken away by Cho Cheol Gang’s men.
• Gu Seung Jun is abducted by Mr. Cheon and his thugs, but Mr. Cheon allows Gu Seung Jun to escape back into the border village, where some orphans further assist him.
• Gu Seung Jun confesses to Seo Dan that he has feelings for her and he will try to return and win her heart in the future. Is he setting her up for everlasting longing and pain?
• Gu Seung Jun gives up his chance to leave the country to save Seo Dan and in the process, gets shot. He is at least happy that someone is crying over him.
• While Se-ri lies unconscious in her hospital bed, she has a dream where she is transported back to the day she decided to go paragliding. Even knowing everything that happened to her, she makes the same decision to go paragliding, crash in North Korea, and meet Captain Ri.
• Captain Ri, for his part, wishes he could go back in time and not meet Se-ri so that he could prevent her being so close to death.
• The actors who play Captain Ri’s men: their backgrounds, acting careers, and shows.
• How difficult it’s going to be to decide on the next show for Season 9 of K Drama Chat!

References

• Tsundere on Dictionary.com
• Price of Seo Dan’s Engagement Ring
• K Dramas and K Pop Fandom in the US

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 14 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Like a Wild Flower and When That Day Comes by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee.
• We learn from Captain Ri himself how, after his brother died, he decided he would never love again, laugh again, have fun again, play the piano again. But everything changed when Se-ri crash landed into his life.
• How Captain Ri keeps vigil at the hospital, hiding in the shadows and standing guard at her door.
• How South Korea got rid of its gun problem. Today, gun homicides are statistically negligible!
• How Captain Ri and Se-ri realize that they each took a bullet for the other. They hug and Captain Ri confesses his love.
• How Jung Man Bok bugged Se-ri’s room and his recording proves really important. The recording captures Se-ri’s stepmom apologizing to Se-ri for abandoning her on the beach, and Yoo Se-yeong and Go Sang Ah admitting their collusion with Cho Cheol Gang.
• The kiss we’ve been waiting for between Captain Ri and Se-ri!
• The physician Heo Jun, referenced by Captain Ri when he’s taking care of Ser-ri.
• The growing feelings between Seo Dan and Gu Seung Jun and their epic kiss! 
• The men in suits who go after Gu Seung Jun corner him on the roof and we don’t know who shows up.
• How the former Chairman strips Yoon Se-hyeong of the Chairmanship of the Queens Group and disowns him as his son.
• How Captain Ri tracks down Manager Oh and confronts Cho Cheol Gang. 
• Captain Ri is followed by South Korea authorities and they shoot when Cho Cheol Gang turns around and take a shot at Captain Ri
• The five love languages and Captain Ri’s gifts of the recording and food in the pantry to Se-ri.
• The K Dramas we’re considering for Season 9 of K Drama Chat. Please keep the suggestions coming!

References

• Korean TV’s Unlikely Star: Subway Sandwiches
• How South Korea Got Rid of Its Gun Problem
• Heo Jun, a royal physician, who worked to promote health for the people as well as the king
• Dongui Bogam, he definitive medical text, an effort led by Heo Jun at King Seonjo’s request
• Memory of the World Register

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 13 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs that we featured during the recap: Someday by Kim Jae Hwan and The Season of Us by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee.
• How Se-ri knows that Captain Ri needs to go home; in fact, she’s worried about Captain Ri experiencing Bambi Syndrome.
• How the ducklings realize that Se-ri is not a crier. She never cried during the many sad and terrible situations that happened to her while in North Korea, but she’s now crying over a surprise birthday party!
• The adorable couple rings that Captain Ri bought for Se-ri and himself!
• How “to bunk off” means to play hooky or take the day off. Captain Ri and Se-ri bunk off and go to the movies and visit a beautiful suspension bridge.
• Captain Ri’s revelation to Se-ri that they had met on the Sigriswil bridge when she tried to kill herself.
• How Gu Seung Jun and Seo Dan are getting closer. Gu Seung Jun has even confessed that he has a crush on her.
• When Seo Dan realizes that Captain Ri went to Seoul to save Se-ri, she breaks down. Her engagement is broken and seven years of waiting have amounted to nothing.
• The tough decision that Jung Man Bok faces when Cho Cheol Gang finds him and threatens his son.
• Kim Ju Meok’s sweet, surprise lunch with the gorgeous Choi Ji-woo.
• The former Chairman and his wife are furious with Yoon Se-hyeong and his wife, but the devious couple have one more trick up their sleeve. Se-ri is in real danger as she drives to her father’s house.
• We are so glad that Jung Man Bok did not betray Captain Ri and instead collaborated with Captain Ri, Se-ri and the ducklings to protect Se-ri during her drive, and Captain Ri when he went to the warehouse.
• The heartbreaking ending where Se-ri, in trying to protect Captain Ri, ends up getting shot by Cho Cheol Gang. 
• How we need to start thinking about the show to recap and analyze in Season 9 of K Drama Chat! Please send us suggestions on Instagram and the blog!

References

• Filming locations for CLOY
  • https://www.klook.com/en-MY/blog/crash-landing-on-you-locations/
  • https://creatrip.com/en/blog/9668
• Choi Ji Woo
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choi_Ji-woo

Sung Hee is back from her trip to London! Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong Hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Seo Dan and Same Sky, Different World by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee
• A few shout outs to our listeners who have commented on the blog and given us reviews.
• The emotional scene when Captain Ri finds Se-ri in the parking garage. Once again, he’s found her!
• Captain Ri and Se-ri clearly love each other but they know they can’t be together. Captain Ri doesn’t try to stay and Se-ri doesn’t ask him to stay.
• Geum Eun Dong’s and Captain Ri’s hilarious screen names in the online game they played!
• Captain Ri was a shell of himself, not believing he could or should ever be happy, until he met Se-ri. Captain Ri did the same for Se-ri.
• How Captain Ri’s men must be absolutely overwhelmed by the wealth of South Korea.
• How Yoon Se-hyeong will stop at nothing to become Chairman. It’s an act that he cares about what happens to Se-ri if Cho Cheol Gang takes her!
• Why Se-ri’s father wrote his relationship to Se-ri in Chinese or Hanja, when he went to get her from the military.
• We get the heartbreaking, soul crushing flashback from Se-ri’s youth when her stepmom left her on the beach. This is why Se-ri has always felt alone and unwanted, and why her stepmom is haunted by her relationship with Se-ri.
• Why is the former Chairman, Se-ri’s dad not getting blamed for his extramarital affair with Se-ri’s mom, for conning Gu Seung Jun’s father, and for his financial wrongdoings at Queens Group?
• The start of a romance between Seo Dan and Gu Seung Jun. She must be fascinated and intrigued by Gu Seung Jun!
• The amazing friendships between the village women.
• When Captain Ri found Se-ri’s voice recorder and listened to her confession and his own voice, he realized that they had met in Switzerland. It seems that he and Se-ri are fated to meet and keep finding each other.

Today is a special episode. Sung Hee is on vacation so Joanna has a conversation with Mars from the Moksori podcast. We discuss:

• Mars’ K Drama journey.
• Her love of music, especially K Drama OSTs.
• Why K Drama OSTs are so amazing and especially effective at evoking emotion.
• Our favorite songs from the shows discussed in Season 1-8 of K Drama Chat.
• Mars’ favorite OSTs of all time.
• The show that Mars is watching now.

References

• Moksori podcast on Spotify
• Moksori website

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 11 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Here I Am Again by Baek Yerin and Let Us Go by Crush.
• In the first half of the show, Se-ri is trying hard to adapt to North Korea. In this episode, Captain Ri and the ducklings are trying to get used to South Korea.
• Cho Cheol Gang is now in South Korea and she’s clearly after Se-ri. 
• Se-ri can’t believe her eyes when she finds Captain Ri on the sidewalk. The hug they give each other makes it clear that they are home in each other’s arms. Now, Se-ri knows that Cho Cheol Gang is after her.
• If Captain Ri has one talent, it’s his ability to find Se-ri. Knowing just her neighborhood, he found her in Seoul!
• Although Se-ri lies to Captain Ri and tells him that everything is fine with her family, she has to eat her words when Yoon Se-Hyeong and his wife enter her apartment and threaten her if she tries to get in the way of him becoming Chairman.
• Se-ri takes Captain Ri shopping for some amazing clothes and a hot haircut. He was so handsome before; now he’s downright debonair!
• The reference to the Korean folk tale of Heungbu and Nolbu.
• How the ducklings have been dropped into Seoul and they are exploring fried chicken and a South Korea spa.
• With Cho Cheol Gang convicted, Mr. Cheon says he and Gu Seung Jun are in danger. Mr. Cheo gets taken by some men, leaving Gu Seung Jun alone and without a place to stay.
• Gu Seung Jun gets a phone call from Seo Dan, whom he picks up and who offers him use of her apartment in the border village.
• How both Captain Ri and Seo Dan’s mothers ultimately care about their children and want them to be with someone they actually love.
• Yoon Se-Jun and his wife tell Se-ri’s mother that Se-ri was in North Korea. Even worse, Yoon Se-Hyeong knew about Se-ri and didn’t do anything about it!
• The village ladies risk a lot to see a shaman, who tells the women that they are all in trouble because their husbands are in trouble.
• Captain Ri’s battle with the thugs and his epic cat and mouse game with Cho Cheol Gang to save Se-ri.
• In the epilogue, we realize that Se-ri and Seo Dan had also met while in Switzerland.
• Our favorite K Drama elements, especially Captain Ri protecting Se-ri at personal cost to himself, the Subway product placement (finally!), and a new element: clamping a hand on someone’s mouth.
• The actresses who play the village ladies; we love them!

References

• Frequency of households ordering delivery food in South Korea in 2023
• Nordstrom may try to take the company private again
• South Korea’s obsession with fried chicken explained
• The tale of Heungbu and Nolbu
• Report on North Korea from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we feature in the recap: Se-ri’s Choice by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee  and The Hill of Yearning by April 2nd.
• How Se-ri and Captain Ri have had 5 partings and 5 reunions.
• In the end, it was easy enough to get Se-ri home since Captain Ri and his men were back at the DMZ.
• Why Captain Ri asked Gu Seung Jun for help and why Gu Seung Jun decided to help Captain Ri get Se-ri back to Seoul.
• The Grief Bowl and how the cracked and empty bowl outside the rundown house in the DMZ is a metaphor for how Captain Ri is feeling.
• How Se-ri gets back to Seoul and takes back her company, but she is clearly a changed person.
• The amnesia game that Se-ri is playing with her family, but Yoon Se-hyeong is not fooled since he and his wife knew that Se-ri was in North Korea.
• How Captain Ri gets his brother’s watch from Jung Man Bok, who is guilt-ridden over his part in the killing of his only friend, the man who saved his son.
• The trial that got Cho Cheol Gang convinced of multiple crimes, but he is rescued by two Kamaz trucks and is now threatening Se-ri back in Seoul.
• How Gu Seung Jun and Seo Dan met at the Pyongyang Hotel and Gu Seung Jun explains how he helped send Se-ri home.
• How Se-ri finds Captain Ri on the sidewalk outside her house. He had been looking for her!
• How Captain Ri’s men and Jung Man Bok are kidnapped by General Ri and given the mission to find Captain Ri in Seoul and bring him back.
• Kim Soo Hyun’s amazing cameo as a North Korea spy posing as a Chinese food delivery man. This is a role he played in Secretly Greatly.
• The background and roles of the handsome and talented Ha Seok Jin, who plays Ri Mu Hyeok, Captain Ri’s brother.

References

• Vanav facial massager, used by Se Ri when she got to her own apartment
• The Grief Bowl
• Bowing in Korea
  • https://koreanpractice.com/bow-in-korean/
  • https://daebak.co/blogs/magazine/south-korean-etiquette-bowing

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong Hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. The amazing Ernabel Demillo is back to help us recap and analyze this episode! We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: My Companion by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee and All Of My Days by Kim Sejeong.
• Captain Ri didn’t believe Se-ri when she said she was going home. He was determined to find her!
• When Captain Ri punched Cho Cheol Gang, it wasn’t very smart, but he was done and he was out of hope. He felt like once again, he had failed to protect someone he loved.
• The language Se-ri uses when she speaks with Captain Ri’s father. She is very respectful and it’s hard to explain the levels of honorifics in Korean.
• How Captain Ri’s parents are shocked to find out who Se-ri is, and that she and Captain Ri love each other.
• How Captain Ri’s men spread the rumor about who Captain Ri’s father is, and this leads the Senior Colonel to release him from the detention center.
• How Captain Ri works out that his father, General Ri, is probably the one who had Se-ri taken.
• How Captain Ri and Se-ri discover that they encountered each other in Switzerland and Jeong Hyeok’s Song For My Brother gave Se-ri hope and he ultimately saved her life. This revelation scene was exquisitely filmed and edited.
• How Cho Cheol Gang convinced the Military Director to have the Ri residence searched because he thinks Se-ri is hiding there. The search ultimately turns up nothing because Captain Ri and his men did an emergency switch at the DMZ.
• Se-ri’s mom and sisters-in-law visit Se-ri’s apartment. Se-ri’s mom is full of worry and regret, while the sisters-in-law covet Se-ri’s things and her business, Se-ri’s Choice.
• How our second leads, Gu Seung Jun and Seo Dan, encounter each other at the Pyongyang Hotel bar. They get really drunk and discover each other for the first time.
• Captain Ri takes Se-ri to a point in the DMZ where she can easily cross over into South Korea. When Se-ri crosses over, Captain Ri decides to cross over and give Se-ri a big kiss!
• In the epilogue, we see Se-ri organizing Captain Ri’s books so that the top lines say ‘I Love You, Ri Jeong Hyeok.”
• The show we’re watching now, including Lovely Runner, Itaewon Class, and Red Sleeve.
• Ernabel’s show, Asian American Life. In a recent segment, she shares that ube is the top flavor trends of 2024. She also interviewed Jeanie Chang, author of “How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing, and Mental Health.”

References

• Article in USA Today about Kim Sejeong
• Korea’s Divided Families
• 70 Years of Separation
• How K-Dramas Can Transform Your Life: Powerful Lessons on Belongingness, Healing, and Mental Health by Jeanie Chang
• Korean Hamin on Choe Ae, or Best Love

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The song we featured during the recap: Season of Us by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee and Time of Jeong Hyeok for Se-ri by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee.
• This is the pivotal episode 8 and it ended on such a cliffhanger!
• How Captain Ri feels compelled to save Se-ri and help her get home. He made a promise to get her home AND this is his penance for failing to protect his brother, Ri Mu Hyeok.
• He wants to save Se-ri, not so they can be happy together, but so SHE can be safe and happy back in Seoul.
• Gu Seung jun and Seo Dan are making the same argument: Se-ri should stay away from Captain Ri to keep him safe.
• Gu Seung jun asks Se-ri to marry him so he can keep her safe and bring her back to South Korea. Even if Se-ri would consider this a fake marriage, he would like to make it more than that.
• But nothing can keep Captain Ri from Se-ri. He goes alone, unarmed and injured to save her.
• How their eyes spoke volumes when they said goodby on Gu Seung jun’s balcony.
• Se-ri makes another fateful choice when she takes the car and goes after Captain Ri.
• Our new element 48 is talk of first loves.
• Captain Ri is out to get Captain Ri, especially now that Gu Seung jun has let Se-ri escape. He wants to get Se-ri convicted as a South Korean spy and take down Captain Ri and his father.
• Se-ri pawned Gu Seung jun’s engagement ring and gave everything in the pawn shop to the village ladies. She took the designer men’s watch she had spotted earlier; she intended to give it to Captain Ri as a Christmas present.
• We have a double cliffhanger at the end of the episode.
• The first was when Se-ri taken at gunpoint. She was asked to make a phone call to Captain Ri to say she was leaving North Korea. She says I love you, a gun goes off, and then the line goes dead.
• The second was when Hong Chang sik, Se-ri’s assistant, and Park Su chan, the insurance agent, try to convince Se-ri’s father that she is still alive.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, including the confession, talk of a first love, lots of crying, lots of wrist grabs, and protecting someone you love at personal cost to yourself.
• The filming locations for Crash Landing On You, which includes Jeju Island, multiple locations in Switzerland, a department store in Incheon, and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.
• The shows we’re watching now: Lovely Runner for Sung Hee and Itaewon Class for Joanna.

References

• 18 Crash Landing On You Film Locations
• Crash Landing On You Film Locations in Seoul and Incheon
• Filming Locations for Crash Landing On You
• Christmas in South Korea

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: the regular and orchestral versions of Song For My Brother by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee.
• What a joint  lock is, in reference to Joanna talking about joint locks in episode 8.6.
• Se-ri’s decision to drive to Sariwon Hospital instead of the hospital instead of the airport, and her decision to stay and donate blood to Captain Ri, instead of flying out of the country with the national track team.
• Why Se-ri made these choices and what Captain Ri now means to her.
• How Captain Ri, at first furious with Se-ri, softens, kisses Se-ri outside, and even confesses his feelings about Se-ri to Seo Dan.
• North Korea’s health care system, which the government says is free, but in reality, is in sad shape, and not free. Patients often have to bribe doctors to receive care.
• How Se-ri now needs another way out of North Korea, so she calls Gu Seung jun, who realizes that Se-ri is in danger, and comes to get her at the hospital. She goes willingly, not realizing where he’s taking her.
• Gu Seung jun and Seo Dan’s meeting and Gu Seung jun’s dating and marriage advice to Seo Dan.
• Cho Cheol Gang’s efforts to arrest Captain Ri, which are thwarted by the arrival of Captain Ri’s parents.
• The arrival of Seo Dan and her mother. Seo Dan doesn’t accept Captain Ri’s feelings about Se-ri and tells him that he will forget Se-ri since she’s leaving anyway.
• Se-ri’s father’s announcement during the shareholder meeting that Yoon Se-ri is dead and Yoon Se-hyeung is now Chairman.
• Hong Chang sik and Park Su chan’s realization that the recording of Se-ri’s mayday call went nowhere because Yoon Se-hyeung wanted to be Chairman.
• The back story behind the beautiful Song For My Brother, which Ri Jeong Hyeok played on the pier in Switzerland, just at the moment when Se-ri was on a boat nearby. The song gave her hope and a fresh willingness to live; she’s looked high and low for this song ever since.
• Se-ri has just realized that she’s been kidnapped. Gu Seung jun tells her that she doesn’t need Captain Ri anyway and contacting him would only endanger him. Similarly, Seo Dan says going after Se-ri would only endanger him.
• The beautiful Seo Ji-hye, the actress who plays Seo Dan.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we heard during the recap: Here I Am Again by Yerin Baek and Picnic by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee
• Our four leads have all met at this point and there are some interesting triangles forming.
• Gu Seung jun, Se-ri and Captain Ri are each trying to figure out what’s going on, but each is missing key information.
• Gu Seung jun is hoping to use the fact that Se-ri is in North Korea as his bargaining chip against Yoon Se-hyeung. Little does he realize that his asking Cho Cheol Gang to keep Se-ri in North Korea is putting her in real danger.
• How all of our research has led us to believe that listening devices are commonplace all over North Korea, especially in places where foreigners congregate.
• We’re not sure if Seo Dan loves Captain Ri but she is certainly not going to let another woman take him away from her.
• Captain Ri is a man who keeps his promises. He promised to keep Se-ri safe, so he goes after the Kamaz trucks at the end of the episode. We also see that he intends to honor his promise to Seo Dan, a promise made seven years ago to marry her.
• Captain Ri and Se-ri have basically confessed their feelings for each other. She does it through her words, while he expresses it through his actions.
• Cho Cheol Gang shows Jung Man bok a photo of Se-ri, saying he needs to have her never leave North Korea. Jung Man bok is in agony because he will be party to another murder, this time of someone who has been kind to his wife and son.
• We see that Cho Cheol Gang is untouchable because he’s done favors for, or given money to, all of the senior officers.
• Captain Ri protects Se-ri at huge personal cost to himself when he goes after the Kamaz trucks and takes a bullet in the back.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we featured in the recap: Sunset by Davichi and My Companion by Nam Hye sung and Park Sang Hee.
• Captain Ri’s big confession to Se-ri that he has a fiancée, which of course leads her to deny that she is at all interested in him.
• The lack of love between Seo Dan and Captain Ri; we wonder if she loves him.
• How the village women rally around Se-ri when they think she’s been dumped by Captain Ri.
• Chimaek (fried chicken and beer) vs. dried pollack and beer.
• The story of Gyeonu and Jiknyeo, which is a story from Korean mythology.
• Captain Ri driving Seo Dan back to her house and then visiting his parents.
• How Captain Ri again went out on a limb to protect Se-ri when he asked his father to help him get Se-ri out of the country; the plan is to get her out through a track team going to Europe.
• How asking if someone has eaten is a common way of greeting people in Korea; it’s a sign of caring to ask and then offer food.
• How Captain Ri always seems to be confident about his future and maybe it’s because he doesn’t think about his future and doesn’t believe he can ever be happy again.
• The really expensive Chopard watch that Se-ri pawns and the watch she sees at the pawnbroker’s shop.
• How Se-ri needs to change her appearance for her upcoming trip to Pyongyang. She chooses the “Goodbye” hairstyle, of all things!
• How Captain Ri has made a HUGE enemy out of Cho Cheol Gang when he rescued his men and opened up an investigation into the Kamaz truck accidents.
• The recurring goodbyes and partings in this show.
• The terrible situation that Jung Man Bok finds himself in. He contributed to the murder of Ri Mu Hyeok, who saved him from a beating. He is listening in on Ri Jeong Hyeok, who came to his rescue when his wallet was stolen. And he is listening in on Yoon Se-ri, who elevated his wife’s position in the village and saved his son from the school bullies. 
• The magical scene outside the train between Se-ri and Captain Ri when she fell asleep and Captain Ri covered her with his overcoat and let her lean on his shoulder.
• How Gu Seung Jun went on one date with Se-ri but she rightly intuited that he was after her money. And now he finds her in a hotel in Pyongyang! He has just found a way to bargain with Se-ri’s younger brother!
• The amazing Son Ye-jin, the actress who plays Yoon Se-ri: her background, movies, shows, and accomplishments.
• The shows we are watching now.

References

• Chilseok: The Traditional Korean Valentine’s Day
• Japanese Children’s Favorite Stories
• Top 5 Myths About North Korea in 2024
• Korean Children’s Favorite Stories from Tuttle Publishing

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • Flower by Yoon Mirae
  • Spring in my hometown by Nam Hye Sung and Park Sang Hee
• How desperate Se-ri must have felt when she missed the boat that would have taken her out of North Korea.
• How Se-ri’s desperation leads her to sneak out of Captain Ri’s house to try and paraglide back to South Korea, but Captain Ri saves her and they both manage to escape the State Security officials. Lots of plot holes here!
• The finger heart that Se-ri gave Captain Ri. We think she was showing deep and sweet appreciation, but Kim Ju Meok thinks she’s in love with Captain Ri.
• Is there anything Captain Ri can’t do? He hand roasts coffee beans for Se-ri’s drip coffee and he makes her bean sprout soup for her hangover.
• How during Ma Yong Ae’s birthday party, Se-ri was there to promote Captain Ri, but she still managed to show a true kindness to Myeong Sun by modifying the dress that Myeong Sun made.
• How Se-ri is being very clever by calling Ma Yong Ae “unnie.” Unnie implies respect for an older sister, woman or friend, and it also implies a closeness.
• How South Korean goods are very likely illegal in North Korea and how hard it must be to keep KPop, Korean Dramas and K Beauty out of North Korea!
• How Captain Ri and Se-ri are showing true kindness to Jung Man bok and his wife. We think the show is setting up a big conflict because Jung Man bok is tasked with listening in on Captain Ri and Se-ri.
• How we learn that Se-ri is the illegitimate daughter of the Chairman, and there is a sad flashback of Se-ri alone on a beach, counting.
• Even though the Chairman has named Se-ri’s younger brother as the new Chairman, the Chairman’s wife, Se-ri’s stepmom, says it’s too early to name a successor because Se-ri might still come back.
• The amazing epilogue where we see how Ri Jyeong Hyeok saved Se-ri from jumping off the Sigriswil bridge. He saved her life!
• We introduce Malcolm Reilly, an attorney in Portland, Oregon and K Drama Chat listener. 
  • We talk about what life must really be like in North Korea.
  • Malcolm’s K Drama journey.
  • What Malcolm is watching now!

References

• Baron Ashura
• North Korea Gets Tough With Residents Caught With South Korean Products or Cash
• Dollarization of the North Korean Economy, Once Vital, is Now a Threat to Kim’s Rule
• Sigriswil Panoramic Bridge

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • Yong ae and villagers by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee
  • Photo of my Mind by Song Ga in
• How Captain Ri is lying through his teeth about Se-ri and this is so unlike him! He’s actually doing so many things that are out of character!
• How Captain Ri and Se-ri are looking at each other in a new light because of certain incidents, including the beggar boy to whom Se-ri gave food, and Se-ri’s gifts to Captain Ri and his men.
• Stairway to Heaven, the K Dramas that Kim Ju Meok was watching. 
• How memories that are lost, that come back, or that are revealed over time are more common than we thought and are a new K Drama element!
• How Captain Ri became a K Drama cliche when he kisses Yoon Se-ri in the boat hold, to maybe throw off the Coast Guard about to barge in on them.
• How Captain Ri is often so aloof and confident when he’s in trouble. Could this be because of his father? Does this family relationship make him feel untouchable?
• Se-ri needs  Plan C to get out of North Korea and now we have Seo Dan, who’s come back from Russia and claims to be Captain Ri’s fiancee.
• Gu Seung Jun is now in North Korea but it’s possible that despite his money, he may not be safe, because Lt. Commander Cho Cheol Gang threatens to turn him over to his enemies if he’s not respectful.
• We get introduced to Jeong Man bok, the wiretapper who helped Cho Cheol Gang murder Ri Mu Hyeok. Now Cho Cheol Gang realizes that Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok is Ri Mu Hyeok’s brother and he wants to take down the entire family.
• The Korean idea of “noonchi,” which roughly translates to social skills, and literally means eye measure. From an early age, Koreans are taught to be aware of social status and to read every situation very carefully. 

References

• Comment on Reddit about Photo of my Mind and connection to the Korean folk song Arirang
• The song Arirang
• The K drama Stairway to Heaven (2003) on Wikipedia
• Kimjang: communal kimchi making sessions

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: But It’s Destiny by 10cm and how 10cm got its name.
• Our gratitude to our listeners who commented on the blog, and gave us a review on Apple podcasts.  Thank you!
• The Korean tradition of doljanchi where babies are asked to pick an object from a table in front of them; the object they pick will influence their future.
• How Se-ri is is someone who has learned to trust and obey her instincts, but when she turned left instead of right at the fork, after leaving Captain Ri, she made the wrong decision. Or did she?
• How Captain Ri now thinks that Se-ri is a South Korean spy who managed to evade the land mines and electric fence; how did she do that?
• How Se-ri uses all of her skills as a woman and business person to get Captain Ri and his men to help her.
• The story of Heung Bu and Nol Bu that Se-ri tells Captain Ri.
• How Captain Ri is so upstanding and always ready to deal with wrongdoing appropriately.
• How Captain Ri goes to Pyongyang to investigate the death of the grave robbers, but is instead investigated until he is saved by General Go Myeong Seok, who knows him and his father.
• How Pyongyang is the most modern city in North Korea. Much of the rest of the country is without electricity most of the time, meat is hard come by, and life is really hard.
• How Gu Seung joon is about to become Co Cheol Gang’s newest customer.
• We learn a shocking fact when we see Se-ri in the flashback, asking a staff person at a Swiss Institute for euthanasia; she was denied and recommended instead to go see the Swiss mountains.
• Our favorite K Drama elements, including: the food that Captain Ri makes for Se-ri, a connection from the past (and it’s only episode 2), the many product placements, and the K Drama reference.
• The amazing and hunky Hyun bin. We talk about his education, early career, fame, and military service.

References

• North Korea’s energy sector
• 10CM profiles and facts
• Assisted Suicide in Switzerland

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of Crash Landing On You, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Hyun Bin as Ri Jyeong hyeok, Son Ye-jin as Yoon Se-ri, Seo Ji-hye as Seo Dan and Kim Jung-hyun as Gu Seung joon. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Give You My Heart by IU.
• The title of this K Drama in Korean is 사랑의 불시착, which translate to Love’s Emergency Landing, or Love’s Crash Landing.
• How this show was inspired by a real event involving South Korean actress Jung Yang, whose leisure boat drifted into the maritime boundary between North and South Korea and had to be rescued.
• Some familiar elements that we saw in Queen of Tears.
• We introduce our characters:
  • Captain Ri Jyeong hyeok
  • Yoon Se-ri
  • Captain Ri’s men, including Sergeant Pyo Chi Su, Soldier Kim Ju Meok, and Private Geum Eun Dong
  • Se-ri’s father, the Chairman of the Queens Group, and her mother
  • Se-ri’s competitive brothers and their conniving wives
  • Gu Seung joon
• Why there is a North Korea and a South Korea.
• A bit about the origins of the Korean War.
• Sung Hee’s visit to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in 2011, with her father.
• How the Chairman has just been released from prison and he names Se-ri as his successor, causing anger and angst among her brothers.
• Se-ri goes paragliding to test out a new line of extreme sportswear, and she gets caught in a freak tornado.
• How Se-ri ends up in North Korea, gets caught by Captain Ri, runs away, and ends up in a North Korean village.
• How Se-ri is almost caught by commanding officer Cho Cheol Gang but Captain Ri grabs her and tucks her away inside his gate in the nick of time.
• Why Captain Ri would save Se-ri from Cho Cheol Gang.
• The grave robbers who turn out to be hired by Cho Cheol Gang, and who orders the grave robbers killed after they disclose the locations of the artifacts.
• How we are up to 45 K Drama elements!
• What we’re watching right now, besides Crash Landing On You, of course.

References

• US Relations with North Korea
• Give You My Heart by IU on YouTube

Today, we’ll be doing our final review of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, and Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. Ernabel Demillo is back to help us analyze this amazing show! We recap the entire show and then we discuss:

• The song we featured during the recap: Way Home, sung by Kim Soo Hyun.
• How we rewatched the first few episodes and realized a few things, e.g.,
  • When Hae-in was an intern, Hyun-woo would roll up his sleeves whenever he helped her out at the copier; this is probably when she realized he had sexy forearms.
  • In episode 1, after going out drinking with Kim Yang-ki, Hyun-woo walks home, while pulling leaves of a branch
• The character arcs of each of our characters:
  • Soo-cheol
  • Cheon Da-hye
  • Hae-in’s parents
  • Hyun-woo’s parents
  • Hyun-woo’s sister and brother
  • Grace
  • David Yoon or Yoon Eun-seung
  • Moh Sul hee
  • Hae-in
  • Hyun-woo
• How the death of Su-won caused Hae-in’s family to unravel, and Hae-in’s miscarriage caused her marriage to unravel.
• How Hae-in’s mom and David Yoon’s mom both neglected their children, but believed they had time to repair the relationship. In Moh Sul hee’s case, she never got the chance because David Yoon died.
• How Hae-in had the most dramatic story arc and it’s ultimately Hyun-woo who was the catalyst for her transformation.
• Hae-in’s feelings toward Hyun-woo change over the course of 16 episodes and there are key moments in the show when her feelings changed.
• When we think Hyun-woo started to fall in love with his wife again.
• How the show did a great job of showing the same scene from two different perspectives to show how misunderstandings happen.
• Our favorite K Drama elements.
• Our favorite lines from the last two episodes.
• The show that we will recap and analyze in Season 8 of K Drama Chat. Want to find out? You gotta listen to the episode!

References

• Way Home by Kim Soo Hyun - this will make you sob!
• Jang Yoon-ju (Hyun-woo’s sister) on Instagram
• Women of LG family take on legal battle over inheritance

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 15 and 16 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, and Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. 

Ernabel Demillo is back to help us analyze episodes 15 and 16! We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • More Than Enough by Kim Tae Rae
  • Heart Flutter by dori
• How crazy it was that David Yoon got to claim that he was Hae-in’s fiancé by donating a lot of money to the medical center.
• How Hae-in’s notebook was found by David Yoon, tossed into a fire, salvaged, and eventually made it back to Hae-in so she could read her own words about herself and Hyun-woo.
• How we despised Grace but she did manage to redeem herself by encouraging Moh Sul hee to track down Hae-in, returning the pink MP3 player, and making sure that the notebook made it to Hae-in.
• How David Yoon’s lies were so evil but because they had elements of truth, they became believable.
• But despite David Yoon’s lies, Hae-in is uncomfortable around him. Her body “remembers” David Yoon and Hyun-woo.
• How Hae-in decides to learn more about Hyun-woo because she is uneasy around David Yoon, Hyun-woo is clearly an important piece to her life’s puzzle, and her heart races when she sees him.
• Kim Soo-hyun’s acting throughout this show, but especially when Hae-in goes in for surgery, when he’s arrested, and when he sees her afterward.
• How our hearts just couldn’t take it when Hyun-woo is hit by the car and then later shot in the back.
• We learn more about David Yoon’s dark childhood and the secrets he kept about his mom.
• The beautiful ending where we see Hyun-woo and Hae-in get married, have a daughter, grow old, and eventually, Hae-in comes to get Hyun-woo and bring him to heaven.
• Comments from our listeners about Queen of Tears, as well as their recommendations for shows to analyze in Season 8 of K Drama Chat.

References

• Heart Flutter by dori on YouTube
• More Than Enough by Kim Tae Rae on YouTube
• Stanford APARC Event: The Future of Hallyu: Korean Cinema on the Global Stage | Ji Eun Park

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 13 and 14 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, and Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • Promise by Choi Yu Ree
  • Last Chance by So Soo bin
• How our predictions about the secret fund didn’t pan out. The most obvious thing actually happened: David Yoon and Moh Sul hee found the money and are using it to buy Queens Group stock illegally.
• How we feel about Hyun-woo, Hae-in’s dad, and Hyun-woo’s dad keeping a secret from Hae-in about the possible side effects of the operation that could save her life.
• Hyun-woo’s burden throughout the show. He’s been taking care of Hae-in and her family, and battling David Yoon. All the attention is on Hae-in, but his burden is great.
• How there’s so much crying in these two episodes – by everyone!
• The amazingly sweet segments between Hyun-woo and Hae-in, including during their trip to Gurang-ri, scenes from their honeymoon in Germany, and how the couple is always touching while in Hyun woo’s apartment.
• How Hae-in decides against the surgery because without her memories, she won’t be herself. We don’t blame her!
• How it was ultimately Hyun-woo who changes her mind about the surgery. When she saw how miserable he was when he thought she had died in the car crash, she decides that she must live.
• We finally learn the origins of David Yoon’s obsession with the Hong family and how he fell in love with Hae-in.
• We wonder why both sides are still talking to Grace, who is double crossing everyone.
• How we’re crushed that Hyun-woo has been arrested and he wasn’t by Hae-in’s side when she woke up from her surgery. 
• The other couples in the show: Soo-cheol and Da-hye + Beom-ja and Yeongseong
• Korean funeral customs.
• The importance of kimchi and kimchi making.
• The K Drama elements in these episodes, including all the crying, the food, the realization by Hyun woo that he had met Hae-in in the past, gazing at someone sleeping.
• The amazing screenwriter Park Ji-eun!

References

• How to follow Korean funeral customs and etiquettes as a foreign in Korea
• How rural towns in South Korea are saving traditional kimchi making
• 2 composers of K-drama's OST explain their approaches

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 11 and 12 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, and Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • Can’t get over you by Paul Kim
  •  From bottom of my heart by Kim Na Young
• Some recent comments from listeners and mistakes from last week’s episode.
• Hae-in’s mother’s regret now that she knows her daughter is sick and she reflects on how she’s been so awful to her daughter all these years.
• How and why Hae-in continues to reject Hyun-woo, who knows she loves him and is desperate to show Hae-in that he will stay by her side.
• Hyun-woo and Hae-in appear to be working together to take down David Yoon but they’re still keeping secrets from each other.
• How Hyun-woo’s small apartment fills Hyun-woo and Hae-in with regret. Could their marriage have been different if they had lived in a small apartment and had to be together at the end of each day?
• Kim Soo-hyun’s amazing acting, especially when he was playing David Yoon in the car. He had David Yoon’s stare, mannerisms and tone of voice.
• How Hae-in’s dad and brother are going through a transformation.
• Cheon Da-hye is back and Soo-cheol takes her back, against his mother’s wishes.
• How David Yoon is unraveling. He’s lying to Hae-in, he basically kidnapped her, and he ordered that Hyun-woo be killed!
• The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because we learn that Moh Sul-hee had David Yoon’s adoptive parents killed, and she burned the orphanage where David Yoon was abused.
• The chairman’s ultimate sacrifice when he realized Moh Sul-hee’s treachery and killed himself to end her power of attorney over his assets.
• The hunt is on to find the 900B won that both sides believe is somewhere in the Hong residence. It looks like Hyun-woo leads the Hongs to find the secret panic room, but what is inside?
• We welcome Naa Evans, aka as KDrama Bingo, to the show! We talk about the K Drama elements in these two episodes and she talks about her K Drama tropes and her bingo cards!

Find us on Instagram @KDramaChat to see pictures of Naa, Sung Hee and Joanna, and the bingo cards that Naa sells online at https://linktr.ee/kdramabingo! 

References

• Paul Kim on Wikipedia
• Can’t Get Over You by Paul Kim on YouTube
• Kim Na Young on Wikipedia
• From Bottom of My Heart by Kim Na Young on YouTube

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 9 and 10 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, and Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We are joined by Ernabel Demillo, a frequent guest on K Drama Chat and Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Fallin’ by Isaac Hong.
• Queen of Tears is now the second most popular K Drama of all time on tvN, after Crash Landing on You; both shows are written by Park Ji-eun.
• tvN has announced two extra episodes at the end of Queen of Tears; what will the episodes be about?
• Kim Soo-hyun has been nominated for Best Actor in the Baeksang Awards; we feel that Kim Ji-won, Han So-hee, Park Seo-joon, and Kim Tae-ri were snubbed.
• The Hong family is in a terrible situation. They’ve been locked out of their house, they don’t have cars, their credit cards have been canceled, they’ve lost control of their company, and they’re lost their jobs.
• Both dads are having an identity crisis: they have lost their jobs and purpose.
• Hyun-woo and Hae-in are driving us crazy because they won’t communicate with each other!
• We think their lack of communication stems from the time Hae-in emptied the nursery and Hyun-woo left the marital bedroom. When this happened, they stopped talking to each other and then their pride wouldn’t let them ask the other back into the bedroom.
• Hyun-woo and Hae-in kept missing opportunities to patch up their relationship, including when Hae-in overheard Hyun-woo talking about wanting to be by her side, when Hyun-woo came home all beat up, and when Hae-in realized the pink MP3 player was hers.
• There are many in Korea who think the story of Hae-in and Hyun-woo is based on the true story of the granddaughter of the Samsung chaebol who married an ordinary staffer.

In 1999, Samsung heiress Lee Boo Jin married Lim Woo Jae.

• Hyun-woo does a great job of convincing David Yoon that he doesn’t know where Hae-in is, even though he did pick them up in a van.
• The reference to Prince Sado, who was the father of the prince Yi San in Red Sleeve, and who later became King Jeongjo.
• Instead, Hyun-woo is investigating the land broker, the owner of the data restoration company, the failed investment fund, and the location of the Chairman.
• Hyun-woo convinced the deceived farmers to sue the land broker, which meant the land broker couldn’t leave the country for his honeymoon. Later, the land broker and his thugs try to beat up Hyun-woo, who manages to defend himself ably because he was a champion boxer in his youth.
• Our crazy predictions for this show.
• Moh Sul-hee and David Yoon are now at odds with each other because David Yoon didn’t want the Hong family banished. David Yoon wants to be with Hae-in.
• We speculate about why David Yoon is so obsessed with Hae-in.
• Until the very end, Hyun-woo is in the dark about Hae-in’s feelings towards him. He thinks she hates him because he abandoned and deceived her.
• It looks like Beom-ja will have a romance with the village marriage counselor, who looks like Leslie Cheung. Leslie Cheung is a debonair Hong Kong singer and actor. This prediction came from Laurel, one of our listeners!
• The theme of regret in this show. Hyun-woo, Hae-in and Beom-ja all express regrets over their actions.
• Hae-in is so brave when she reveals during the press conference that David Yoon threatened her. In this instance, Hyun-woo finally learns that Hae-in still cares for him.
• The amazing acting with their eyes by Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, including: all the crying, all the food, all the drinking, the Trip and Catch, the Bulgari Serpenti necklace that Moh Sul-hee wore, and the Subway scene!
• Ernabel’s recent trip to South Korea.

References

• A sneak peak into the life and work of South Korean singer Isaac Hong
• Fallin’ by Isaac Hong on YouTube
• The Uncanny Similarities “Queen Of Tears” Bears With A Real-life Heiress Story
• Podcast episode with Dan Pink on Brene Brown’s show about the Power of Regret
• Leslie Cheung on Wikipedia
• Podcast episode with Brene Brown and Dan Pink on the Power of Regret

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 7 and 8 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Love You With All My Heart by Crush.
• Soo Cheol calls Hyun-Woo “maehyeong” 매형, which means older sister’s husband.
• How Hae-in loses her will to live when Hyun-woo admits that he wanted a divorce.
• How Hyun-woo decides to make Hae-in hate him so that she has a reason to live.
• How Hyun-woo wants to stay by Hae-in’s side even if it means being the subject of her rage, humiliation and hatred; he has powerful reasons for wanting to be by her side.
• Both Hae-in and Hyun-woo are left wondering if everything the other person said and promised was a lie.
• Through the flashback of the marriage proposal, we can piece together how our couple got engaged, broke up, got back together, and finally married.
• How we held our breaths when Hyun-woo discovers that Hae-in has lost her memory of Germany and Hyun-woo wanting a divorce, which means Hae-in has to relive this trauma TWICE.
• The crazy divorce settlement scene with Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo Cassano.
• How Hae-in realizes that Hyun-woo was suffering during their marriage; she learns this when she overhears Hyun-woo at Grandma’s Home Cooking restaurant.
• The Chairman wants Hyun-woo fired by Hae-in defends him from the Security Team.
• How Hyun-woo followed David Yoon when he was following Hae-in. We see a very different Hyun-woo in that scene. We think we will see a very different Hyun-woo from now on.
• How David Yoon pressured Soo-cheol to sign the resort deal with David Yoon, and then the deal went south, giving Pione Investment the chance to swoop in and pretend to save the deal.
• But when the investors pull out and the Chairman’s embezzlement investigation comes out, David Yoon ends up with control over Queens Group.
• Meanwhile, Hae-in turns down the Hercyna deal and rejects David Yoon’s offer (again) to replace Hyun-woo.
• We feel sorry for Soo-cheol, whose wife double-crossed him, left him, and took their son to New York.
• Hyun-woo and Aunt Beom-ja have definitive proof, through a DNA test, that David Yoon is Moh Sul-hee’s son!
• Moh Sul-hee and David Yoon have been playing the long game. Moh Sul-hee endeared herself to the Chairman, whom she tricked into giving her power of attorney, and then poisoned.
• How the Hong family has been kicked out of their own company and have fled to Yongdu-ri.
• The hilarious scenes involving Hyun-woo, Hae-in and their secretaries.
• More Crash Landing On You references and tie-ins!
• The Koreans’ seeming obsession with the Myers Briggs Personality Types.
• The K Drama elements in this show, including all the crying, the epic umbrella scene involving Hyun-woo and Hae-in, more connections from the past between Hae-in and David Yoon, all the product placements, and Hyun-woo saving Hae-in from an oncoming truck.
• Our new, #39 product placement - cameos!
• Our predictions for the end of the show!
• We learn more about the amazing Park Sung-hoon!

References

• Park Sung-hoon on Wikipedia
• Myers Briggs Personality Types
• Crush on Wikipedia
• Love You With All My Heart by Crush on YouTube

Today, we’ll be discussing episodes 5 and 6 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We recap the episodes and then we discuss:

• How some Korean families have a pattern where the children share one syllable of their name. An example would be: Baek Hyun-woo and Baek Hyun-tae. This helps us keep the characters straight and know who is related to whom.
• How Hyun-woo is increasingly ambivalent about his wife. Despite his anger and hate toward his wife, he can’t help it, he begins to fall in love with her all over again.
• What is probably the root of the couple’s problems: Hyun-woo came home one day to find staff clearing out the nursery. When he got a cold response from Hae-in, he ordered his things moved to the bedroom and the couple started to sleep separately.
• Hyun-woo and Hae-in keep missing opportunities to patch up their marriage.
• Hyun-woo’s sister says Hyun-woo likes soft women, women who need to be taken care of. Is this why he was attracted to Hae-in in the first place and why he’s falling for her again?
• Hyun-woo’s confession about his tears when he found Hae-in Germany was his last ditch attempt to figure out his feelings toward his wife and to see if they could patch things up in their marriage.
• Hae-in doesn’t understand why he’s pulling away. She keeps saying, “I never said that.” 
• Hae-in’s tough armor is starting to crack. She is being nice to others and noticing happy, loving families around her.
• Hyun-woo keeps abandoning Hae-in and Hae-in, for her part, has been abandoned by her husband and family.
• The crazy plot by David Yoon, Grace, Cheo Da-hye and the former employee. We think David Yoon has a ponzi scheme that he’s running, that he doesn’t really have a fund that is returning 90% to investors.
• The evil things that David Yoon is doing to the Hong family, especially Hyu-woo, including installing hidden cameras, searching Hyun-woo’s room, planting the microwave receiver in Hyun-woo’s room, and getting Hyun-woo’s safe opened.
• We learn that David Yoon and Cheon Da-hye grew up in the same orphanage and even met the Hong family when the Chairman gave a speech at the orphanage. So when did David Yoon and Cheon Da-hye start plotting against the Hong family?
• We learn that Moh Sul-hee had a different identity thirty years ago, that she was in prison at some point and gave birth to a baby boy while in jail. Could this boy be David Yoon?
• Hong Beom-ja is turning into a really likable character because she’s the one who seems to care about other family members, including Hae-in.
• We learn how Hae-in’s brother, Soo-won, died in a boating accident, while saving Hae-in. Hae-in’s mother never forgave Hae-in for the death of her son.
• Hyun-woo and Hae-in’s sweet time in Germany is coming to an end because once Hae-in turns on her phone, she sees the photo of the divorce agreement sent by her mom. 
• The numerous K Drama elements in these episodes, including lots of crying, crying while kissing, the umbrella scene, Hyun-woo’s confession about his tears, the product placements for Mercedes-Benz and other products, Hyun-woo tending to cuts on Hae-in’s hand and knee.
• All the references to Crash Landing On You in this show, which makes sense the shows share the same writers.
• Kim Ji-won’s background and acting career! We love her!
• The shows we’re watching now: Doctor Slump and Captivating the King.

References

• The Frankfurt Love Lock Bridge
• Korean Family Naming Conventions
• Controversy Over Mercedes-Benz product placements in Queen of Tears
• Choi Ae-Ra aegyo compilation, Fight For My Way

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 3 and 4 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss:

• The three versions of the song Tell Me It’s Not a Dream by 10cm.
• Why the show is called Queen of Tears.
• How our leads seem not to care about each other much BUT they defend the other to anyone who criticizes them and Hyun-woo definitely doesn’t like seeing Hae-in with David Yoon.
• How we learn that Hyun-woo was a sharpshooter in the military.
• How the Netflix website says that Hae-in has never stopped loving her husband and she can’t understand why he’s pulling away. We see lots of things to back this up: she seems happy that Hyun-woo is jealous of David Yoon, she defends him against her family, and she wants to cuddle with him.
• David Yoon turns out to be quite the snake. We think he’s out to gain control of the Queens Group. He’s plotting with two associates; the three of them have bought shares; they’ve convinced Queens Group directors to purchase shares in a fund and use their Queens Group shares as collateral; they plan to have the Queens Group Chairman investigated for embezzlement. David Yoon may also be setting up Hae-in to fail.
• Hyun-woo seems to be the only person who is suspicious of David Yoon. Even if he says he doesn’t love Hae-in, he won’t lose her to David Yoon.
• Joanna thinks there is some nefarious connection between David Yoon and Moh Sul-hee, the Chairman’s mistress and she explains why.
• Hae-in’s seems to be looking at Hyun-woo differently since the reception with the Hercyna Chairman. She is definitely hot and bothered when she sees Hyun-woo in just a towel after his shower.
• Hae-in and Hyun-woo have a sweet scene in bed and we see a sweet flashback from when Hae-in visited Yongdu-ri.
• We also learn about a tragedy in their marriage: that they were expecting a baby on October 31. The baby clearly never came and now Hyun-woo sleeps in a separate bedroom, the former nursery.
• Hae-in’s crazy family, including the estranged son, the crazy aunt, the mother who doesn’t seem to love her, the inept brother, the caring by ineffectual dad.
• Hyun-woo’s crazy family, including the siblings who go to Seoul to try to convince Hae-in not to divorce Hyun-woo but end up creating a lot of trouble for Hyun-woo.
• How Hyun-woo’s sister messaged Hae-in to come to Yongdu-ri to support her father-in-law; as a result, Hae-in came with gifts, food, drink, and even a chef!
• Hae-in finds her old MP3 player and we see that she and Hyun-woo had crossed paths briefly in high school; that’s when she had dropped her MP3 player, and Hyun-woo had kept it all these years.
• Hae-in had another cloud cytoma incident that causes her to wander around Yongdu-ri, get lost and not remember what happened.
• When Hyun-woo finally finds her, he is really mad until he realizes she’s really sick.

References

• Tell Me It’s Not a Dream by 10am on YouTube
• Understanding titles and how to refer to people in positions of authority, including sajangnim
• Kim Soo-hyun on Wikipedia
• Kim Soo-hyun on Instagram

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 1 and 2 of Queen of Tears, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in, Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo, Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-Seong, Kwak Dong-Yeon as Hong Soo-cheol, Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-Hye. We discuss:

• The song we featured during the recap, The Reason of my Smiles by BSS.
• We introduce the characters of this show and stumble over their Korean names.
• How there appear to be five main leads, which seems to be common in K Dramas.
• The show is set in the modern day, in Seoul and the village of Yongdu-ri.
• The central premise of the show, which is that Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in are locked in a loveless marriage. Hyun-woo wants a divorce but nobody is on his side on this matter. Then Hae-in announces that she has a rare brain tumor and she has three months to live. Hyun-woo sees a way out of this marriage and maybe a chance to inherit some wealth, if he can convince his wife of his love.
• Whether the couple was actually in love at the time of their marriage, and their motivations for marrying.
• How Hae-in was initially suspicious of Hyun-woo, but between his actions, his Internet searches and his shooting of the wild boar, she is looking at him differently.
• How cloud cytoma doesn’t appear to be a real disease.
• The origins, structure and power of the chaebol conglomerates in South Korea.
• How this show is a real study on marriage because there are so many different perspectives on marriage, many of them not very positive.
• How village life is so often romanticized in these K Dramas.
• Arranged marriages and whether the practice still exists today.
• How the royal tradition of having sons-in-law prepare the food during jesa appears to be made up by the Hong family in this show.
• Kim Soo-hyun’s amazing acting and comedic timing in this show.
• How these first two elements showcase so many K Drama elements, most notably crying, drinking, food, flowers, protesting someone you love at personal cost to yourself, a funeral, and a confession.
• How Sung Hee had so many favorite lines but Joanna made her pick just two.
• The many questions we are looking forward to exploring, like: What is the chairman’s girlfriend’s real motivations? What happened to Hae-in’s brother? What happened between Hae-in and David Yoon?

We are recapping and analyzing Queen of Tears in real time. Each episode will drop on a Friday and cover the two episodes from the previous weekend, hopefully giving our listeners the insights they need before going into the weekend, when the next two episodes drop.

References

• What to know about the chaebol families that dominate South Korea’s economy
• Can South Korea’s untouchable chaebols change?
• An economy of human sacrifice: the practice of sunjang in the ancient state of Korea
• The Reasons of my Smiles by BSS, with Korean and English lyrics

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10, the finale of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joong-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Forever, instrumental version, by SUHO
• How Yoon Chae-ok is nowhere to be found until Beom-oh says he knows where she is. Mrs. Nawol and Mr. Gu are dubious but Jang Tae-sang believes him.
• We have a disagreement over who Jang Tae-sang intended to use the tickets to Shanghai. Did he intend for Yoon Chae-ok and her father to use them? Or did he hope he and Yoon Chae-ok would be able to go to Shanghai?
• The sadness, loss and betrayal Yoon Chae-ok must have felt when she learned that her father had gone to her mother and blown up the hospital.
• How Sachimoto helps Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok escape the hospital. He is the only Japanese character who apologizes for the atrocities being committed at the hospital.
• How Yoon Chae-ok tried to break things off with Jang Tae-sang because she didn’t want to be a burden to him and she just can’t see a future where she can be happy. She’s been on a suicide mission for most of this show. He, however, can’t live without her, so he will devote himself to keeping her safe.
• Lady Maeda’s confrontation with Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok and her orders to her men to kill our leads. There is also a language shift here, with the conversation starting in Korean and shifting to Japanese.
• We learn that Lady Maeda lost a friend because of Seishin. Does this explain why she’s in Joseon and why she had Seishin taken prisoner so many years ago?
• How the creature escapes the fire at the hospital, tracks Yoon Chae-ok, slices through the Japanese thugs, and ends up accidentally killing her own daughter!
• How Yoon Chae-ok told her mother that it’s time to stop, and confessed that Jang Tae-sang is the man she loves.
• How Jang Tae-sang is wracked with sobs and anguish when Yoon Chae-ok dies. He finally has someone he is willing to risk everything for and she has just died!
• How Col. Kato delivered Myeong-ja’s baby, probably by performing a C-section that killed Myeong-ja. We also see that the najin is in the baby!
• How Jang Tae-sang and the rebels blow up the funeral hall where the Ishikawa memorial service is being held. Lady Maeda is badly burned as a result and Col. Kato asks her if she will return to Japan or stay in Joseon.
• How Jang Tae-sang and Kwon Jun-taek finally have their drink, but Jang Tae-sang still refuses to join the independent fighters.
• How we see Jang Tae-sang sitting and waiting on the steps of the House of Golden Treasure.
• How the war ended in August and Jang Tae-sang says “we finally recovered those that were taken from us” presumably referring to Koreans who had been taken prisoner by the Japanese.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, including lots of crying, lots of flowers in the funeral wreaths, and how Yoon Chae-ok and Yoon Joong-won sacrificed themselves for their loved ones.
• The cryptic and ambiguous ending where we see that Yoon Chae-ok is alive again after investing the najin from her mother, and we see a man named Ho-jae who looks remarkably like Jang Tae-sang.
• What we ultimately thought of this show.
• How we’re excited to dive into Queen of Tears starring Kim Ji-won and Kim Soo-hyun, in Season 7 of K Drama Chat.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joong-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• How Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok are reunited and they manage to sneak a few moments of joy together.
• How Yoon Chae-ok doesn’t want to be forgotten and she makes Jang Tae-sang promise that they will always remember each other.
• The amazing kiss between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok!
• Jang Tae-sang’s plan to blow up Ongseong Hospital.
• How the Japanese control the news; the killings by Myeong-ja aren’t reported until Ishikawa is dead and then he is reported as having died honorably while going after the Joseon serial killer.
• How Yoon Chae-ok was on a suicide mission when she killed Dr. Ichiro. She can’t see a future, while Jang Tae-sang is motivated by a better future.
• After so many years of looking for her mom, now that she’s found her, Yoon Chae-ok can’t imagine a future life, and she certainly can’t imagine a life filled with happiness.
• How Lady Maeda didn’t seem too upset when she heard about her husband’s condition; in fact, she asked Dr. Ichiro to put an end to his misery.
• Yoon Joong-won has gone back into the hospital to end his wife’s misery; he lets himself be imprisoned, but then manages to get away from his captors and is now loose in the hospital.
• Nobody can find Yoon Chae-ok but we learn that she is at Lady Maeda’s house.
• Jang Tae-sang has figured out that Lady Maeda has Yoon Chae-ok, and he challenges her, saying he’ll never stop looking for Yoon Chae-ok.
• When Lady Maeda tells Jang Tae-sang about his staff’s betrayals, he counters that his people would not have had to betray their loved ones if it weren’t for the crimes of the Japanese.
• Jang Tae-sang confesses to Mrs. Nawol that he knew about her betrayal a short time after his mother died, but she doesn’t need forgiveness because it wasn’t her fault.
• Yoon Chae-ok is taken to Ongseong Hospital and the creature breaks through the grate.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including lots of crying, more information about the connection between Lady Maeda and Seishin from the past, the amazing kiss, and the funeral for Commissioner Ishikawa.
• A bit of information about Japanese funerals and the expected behavior of guests.
• The show we will recap and analyze in Season 7 of K Drama Chat! 

References

• Attending a funeral in Japan

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• How Jang Tae-sang was able to escape from Ongseong Hospital by getting the better of the Japanese soldier and holding up Lady Maeda to let him leave with her out of the hospital.
• Lady Maeda’s motivations for nursing Jang Tae-sang back to health.
• Lady Maeda calling Seishin, the creature, sensei or teacher.
• Commissioner Ishikawa confronting his wife about what is happening at Ongseong Hospital and what she did to Akiko.
• How we’re learning that Lady Maeda is the silent power behind what happens in Gyeongseong.
• How Jang Tae-sang negotiated with Ishikawa for the release of the Bonjeong merchants.
• How Mr. Gu was tortured and now we understand Mrs. Nawol’s warning about betraying your loved ones with faced with torture.
• How Jang  Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok are reunited and their hug said so much.
• How Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok are able to steal a moment of happiness together while buying dumplings but it doesn’t last long.
• How Myeong-ja has been on a killing spree through Gyeongseong and now Ishikawa knows she’s the murderer responsible for killing people and eating their brains.
• How Yoon Joong-won, Yoon Chae-ok’s father, now knows what happened to his wife.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including: crying, lots of triangles involving Lady Maeda, Jang Tae-sang’s confession to Yoon Chae-ok, umbrella scene, and JTS pulling YCO out of the way of a speeding car when they’re chasing Myeong-ja.
• What we think of the title of the episode: Awakening, between Justification and Excuse.
• What happened to Unit 731 after the war.
• The shows we’re watching now and the shows we’re considering for Season 7 of K Drama Chat!

References

• The Na people
• What happened to Unit 731?
• Does Torture Work?
• Unit 731 on Wikipedia
• Japan discloses details of notorious chemical warfare division
• https://unit731.org
• Details of the atrocities committed by the Japanese

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We also talk about Wi Ha-jun, the actor who plays Kwon Jun-taek. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Forever (instrumental version) by SUHO.
• The growing feelings between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok, although it’s not exactly the time or space to express their feelings.
• The conflict between our leads when Jang Tae-sang asks Yoon Chae-ok to go down to the truck with the other women and she refuses.
• The ultimate sacrifice of the Joseon soldier who helped our leads fight off the Japanese soldiers. 
• How Jang Tae-sang made a big sacrifice when he decided to not escape from the hospital and instead create a diversion so everyone else can escape. Is he being a martyr or does he have a plan to escape?
• The elaborate plan that Jang Tae-sang sketched out to Mrs. Nawol to help all of the prisoners escape.
• How the prisoners escape via the waiting rickshaws and Mr. Gu ends up getting beaten and arrested.
• How Mrs. Nawol seems to be everywhere, including when Kwon Jun-taek was returned to his father through the expensive vase from the House of Golden Treasure.
• Mrs. Nawol’s assertion that Master Jang has a hand in everything that happens in Bonjeong.
• How Jang Tae-sang met his deadline of finding Myeong-ja before the cherry blossoms fall.
• How Lady Maeda, through Dr. Ichiro, was responsible for Myeong-ja and Yoon Chae-ok’s mother getting picked up and imprisoned.
• How Lady Maeda had a huge role in the building and funding of the hospital.
• How Col. Kato is wracked with curiosity because *someone* drank the water with the najin in his office.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, especially the connection from the past between some of our characters, Jang Tae-sang helping the prisoners escape at personal cost to himself.
• What we think of the title: Chase, between Us and Them.
• Wi Ha-jun, the amazing and talented actors who plays Kwon Jun-taek. He’s been in many prominent shows, including Squid Game, Bad and Crazy, and Little Women.

References

• Wi Ha-jun on Wikipedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• The song we featured during the recap: Time by Baek-a.
• Our upcoming, fun-filled weekend with Ernabel in New York; follow along with our adventures on Instagram @kdramachat.
• What we think of Jang Tae-sang thinking that he was busy staying alive and only caring about himself and his business until he met Yoon Chae-ok.
• Jang Tae-sang’s origin story, including how his mother saved him and told him to stay alive, and how he came to meet Mrs. Nawol when she was thrown out of the local jail.
• Jang Tae-sang is clearly influenced by his mother: his mother made him promise he would do everything he could to stay alive, and perhaps his reluctance to join the Patriotic Society was because his mom was killed because of her involvement in the independence movement.
• We know now what Mrs. Nawol meant when she told Mr. Gu to betray her and everyone else if he ever finds himself tortured.
• Jang Tae-sang’s argument with the rebel leader in Ongseong Hospital, who unlocked everyone’s cell and didn’t for Jang Tae-sang.
• Hannah Arendt’s The Banality of Evil and Eichmann in Jerusalem. Eichmann was a normal, law-abiding person who followed the rules, and obeyed the law when he was told to round up Jews and have them killed.
• How Jang Tae-sang tells Kwon Jun-taek that he will turn a blind eye if Kwon Jun-taek gets in trouble at the hospital, but in the end, Jang Tae-sang devises a plan to get everyone out of the hospital, including Kwon Jun-taek and the other prisoners.
• We wonder why Commissioner Ishikawa is so motivated to save a nobody like Myeong-ja.
• Yoon Chae-ok holding Col. Kato at gunpoint, and how he outmaneuvers her and ultimately has her chained in the cell with the creature.
• How the creature recognizes Yoon Chae-ok when Yoon Chae-ok screams “mother” at her. The creature also saved Yoon Chae-ok when nitrogen gas was released and the soldiers started shooting at both of them.
• Col. Kato’s order to find Yoo Chae-ok and kill her!
• The plan to save Jang Tae-sak, Yoon Chae-ok, Myeong-ja and the rest of the prisoners that involves Mr. Gu driving a truck into Ongseong Hospital, Mr. Gu getting a guard drunk, and the merchants of Bukchon planning a big celebration.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, including crying, the sneaky back hug when Jang Tae-sang saved Yoon Chae-ok from the creature, how the creature saved Yoon Chae-ok at personal cost to herself.
• What we thought of the title of this episode: Chaos, between Monster and Human.
• The background and experience of the amazing actress Kim Hae-sook, the actress who plays Mrs. Nawol.

References

• Kim Hae-sook on Wikipedia
• Time by Baek-a on YouTube

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• The song we featured during the recap: Forever by SUHO, instrumental version. 
• Kwon Jun-taek’s background, motivations and relationship with Jang Tae-sang. 
• Kwon Jun -taek’s father now knows that his son is a rebel. He tries to bribe Dr. Ichiro with a briefcase full of money. 
• How Col. Kato is the scariest man in the base. He doesn’t care about the soldiers or the Joseon people being killed by the creature.  
• How Col. Kato realized that Yoon Chae-ok is the creature’s daughter and is now wondering how he can use her. 
• How Yoon Chae-ok wants to fight to the end, while Jang Tae-sang is going to do whatever he needs to do to stay alive. 
• The heartbreaking realization by Yoon Chae-ok that her mother had been, or is, at the base. 
• How Jang Tae-sang finds Yoon Chae-ok and while he wants to escape and find another way to learn about her mother, she can’t give up the search for her mother. 
• The possible kilig moments in this show between our two leads. 
• How Jang Tae-sang is a planner, while Yoon Chae-ok has a bias for action. 
• What’s happening with the other characters: Yoon Joon-won, Lady Maeda, Commissioner Ishikawa. 
• What our K Drama elements are and why we talk about them. 
• The K Drama elements we find in this episode: Crying, food, wrist grab, triangles, flowers. 
• The title: Desperation: Between denial and truth. 
• The beautiful and talented Kim Soo-hyun who plays Lady Maeda. She spent time in the US, speaks perfect English, and has played roles in American movies!

References

• Claudia Kim in Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald
• Claudia Kim in Avengers: Age of Ultron
• 41 Important Japanese Honorifics

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• The song that we feature during the recap: Time, electric version, by LEAFY.
• We thank listeners who recently commented on the website.
• We now know what Jang Tae-sang was really doing when he was goofing around Gyeongseong: playing mahjong, riding a rickshaw aimlessly, ordering a new suit at the tailor shop.
• Why Sachimoto risked his neck and help Jang Tae-sang; we think it’s related to Yoon Chae-ok’s mom.
• What we think of Kwon Jun-taek: where he came from, his relationship with Jang Tae-sang, and why he entered the hospital (to look for two comrades who were recently picked up by the Japanese Army).
• Why Jang Tae-sang didn’t reveal who Sachimoto was when Yoon Chae-ok first met Sachimoto
• The heartbreaking scene where Yoon Chae-ok talks to Sachimoto about his drawing of her mother. Sachimoto admits that he drew Yoon Chae-ok’s mother but he says he doesn’t know where she is or what happened to her.
• How Sachimoto is the only person who has the full picture: where Yoon Chae-ok’s mom is and what happened to her.
• Jang Tae-sang’s flashback of a boy in the snow.
• How Jang Tae-sang changed his mind and helped the children escape the hospital.
• Why Yoon Chae-ok continued to insist on looking for Myeong-ja.
• The growing feelings between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok.
• How Dr. Ichiro is trying to train the monster.
• How the monster broke out of her prison and managed to take the elevator upstairs, killing scores of soldiers in the process.
• We now know why Lady Maeda wanted Myeong-ja kidnapped: she wanted the baby!
• The cliffhanger of an ending where Jang Tae-sang is face to face with the creature.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, especially the brewing triangle between Col. Kato. Dr. Ichiro and Lady Maeda.
• What we thought of the title of the episode: Imprinting, Between Causality and Fate.  
• We talk about the amazing and varied career or Jo Han-chul who plays Yoon Joon-won
• Japanese honorifics, specifically the word “san” and “sensei.”

References

• Alabama executes man with nitrogen gas 
• Honorifics in Japanese

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok,  Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Time by Baek A, the acoustic version
• Whether or not we think Jang Tae-sang had an affair with Lady Maeda
• Jang Tae-sang’s plan to re-enter Ongseong Hospital
• The game mahjong
• The drawing of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom and how it landed in Jang Tae-sang’s hands through the tailor
• Jang Tae-sang’s encounter with the samurais who beat him up
• How Sachimoto helped Jang Tae-sang and Kwon Jun-taek  re-enter the hospital
• How Yoon Chae-ok doesn’t hesitate to kill the doctor when she saves the children
• The significance of fireworks to the Korean military and Korean culture
• The amazing cinematography in this episode, particularly during the fireworks scene
• How Dr. Ichiro is trying to train the creature
• What anthrax is really is and Joanna’s anthrax story
• What we thought about the title of this episode: Signal, Between Obsession and Perseverance
• The amazing and beautiful Han So-hee

References

• Rules of Mahjong
• FBI Investigation into Amerithrax Case
• Han So-hee in Wikpedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

• How we are grateful to our listeners! We have listeners all over the world and our audience is growing!
• The song we feature in the recap: Forever by SUHO.
• How the Japanese and Korean characters in this show speak both Japanese and Korean and it can be very confusing.
• How knowing what language our characters are speaking gives you a sense of who has the upper hand in the conversation.
• The sleuths, who are really good, because they figured out where Myeong-ja is and how she got there (she was sent there by Lade Maeda).
• How Mr. Gu wonders if Myeong-ja is another of the many women and girls who have disappeared in Gyeongseong, a reference to the Japanese Army practice of kidnapping women and girls during WWII and turning them into sex slaves, or what they called “comfort women.”
• How we now know that Lady Maeda had a powerful motive for getting rid of Myeong-ja AND she has some relationship with Dr. Ichiro.
• The few lighthearted moments of the show, especially when Jang Tae-sang is dumbstruck when he sees Yoon Chae-ok all dressed up in the light blue suit and pillbox hat.
• The secret hand signal that the Korean independence army members use to signal each other.
• The significance of Manchuria because it shares a border with what is now North Korea.
• The origin story of Sachimoto, including the fact that he drew Yoon Chae-ok’s mom!
• How we know that the creature is Yoon Chae-ok’s mom through her swollen left eye and wooden flower pendant.
• Our thoughts on why Jang Tae-sang decides to go back into Ongseong Hospital.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, especially the triangle between Lady Maeda, Commissioner Ishikawa and Myeong-ja, and the umbrella scene with Lady Maeda.
• The meaning behind the title: Mother, between longing and anguish.
• How the intro scene at the beginning of each episode is NOT the origin story of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom. We made a mistake. The intro is the origin story of the first girl to swallow a najin, turn into a creature, and get captured by the Japanese.
• The amazing and handsome Park Seo-joon, including how his last name is pronounced Pahk, not Pak and not Park.
• How episode 3 has some gory scenes with the creature AND some scenes of cruelty by soldiers against prisoners and other soldiers.

References

• Korean Independence Movement in Wikipedia
• TIME Magazine article on the real history behind Gyeongseong Creature
• Park Seo-joon on Wikipedia
• Come To My Heart from A Witch’s Love sung by Park Seo-joon

Welcome to Season 6 of K Drama Chat! In this season, we will recap and analyze Gyeongseong Creature!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. Gyeongseong Creature was written by Kang Eun-kyung, directed by Chung Dong-yoon and Roh Young-sub. The first seven episodes were released on Netflix on December 22, 2023. The last 3 episodes dropped on January 5, 2024. We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap, Time by Baek A.
• How the setting of this show is personal to both of us because our parents were kids in Asia who lived under the Japanese occupation during WWII.
• The Japanese Army retreating from Harbin, China. Turns out Unit 731 of the Japanese Army, which was based in Harbin and was later discovered to have been doing human experimentation and biological weapons manufacturing. This is absolutely horrifying!
• After the war, the US basically hid the atrocities and pardoned the researchers in exchange for their data because the US was doing its own biological weapons research.
• How Korea had been under Japanese rule officially since the annexation of Korean in 1910.
• The characters who are introduced in this episode, specifically:
  • Jang Tae-sang, the self-made man and owner of the House of Golden Treasure, a successful pawn shop in Bukchong, a fancy neighborhood in Gyeongseong (what we now know as Seoul).
  • The three staff members of the House of Golden Treasure: Manager Gu, Mrs. Nawol, and Beom-o.
  • Police Commissioner Ishikawa, husband of Lady Maeda, who is the daughter of General Maeda.
  • Hospital Dr. Ichiro and Colonel Kato, who look like they run the hospital and are in charge of the human experimentation.
  • Sleuths Yoon Joon-won and Yoon Chae-ok, who are known to never give up when looking for missing persons.
  • Painter Sachimoto, the man that the two sleuths are looking, because he has some kind of connection to a missing mom.
  • Kwon Jun-taek, a nationalist who is also the son of a successful businessman.
• The central plot line of this episode, which is that Commissioner Ishikawa wants Jang Tae-sang to find his mistress Myeong-ja, who disappeared a week before.
• The human experimentation that appears to result in the creation of a scary creature that threatens painter Sachimoto at the end of the episode.

References

• Unit 731 in Wikipedia
• The cast of Gyeongseong Creature
• US Response to Japanese Wartime Inhuman Experimentation

Today, we’re doing a special recap and review of Mr. Queen with Professor Ernabel Demillo. For those of you who don’t know Ernabel, or Ernie as we call her, she is Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. We discuss:

• Why we chose Mr. Queen in the first place for Season 5
• Our favorite scenes from the entire season
• The scenes we found the funniest, all of them involving Shin Hye-sun, of course!
• That we think the show is ultimately about identity, change and transformation
• How every one of the main characters was transformed in some way
• Whether the king will love the queen in the same way, now that Jang Bong-hwan has left her body
• The small issues we had with the show
• How King Cheoljong DID try to enact some reforms, but was not successful
• Asian-American Life (AAL), the only monthly TV show devoted to the Asian-American diaspora, life and experience in the US
• How the theme of identify keeps coming up in episodes of AAL
• Ernie’s favorite AAL segments, how they find stories, how they convince people to be featured, and how they
• How Ernie manages to be a full-time professor at St. Peter’s University AND be a producer and host of AAL; she’s also writing a book loosely based on her mom’s experience as a child in the Philippines during WWII
• Why we chose Gyeongseong Creature, the show that we will recap and analyze in Season 6 of K Drama Chat

References

• Why do some Joseon kings have a title of Jo and other Jong?
• Blog with recipes from Mr. Queen
• The person behind the hanboks and jewelry in Mr. Queen
• Cheoljong of Joseon on Wikipedia
• Asian-American Life on YouTube
• Feedspot's List of Top 40 K Drama Podcasts
• What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 20 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also reveal the show that we will recap and analyze in Season 6 of K Drama Chat.

We discuss:

• Our thoughts on this final episode of Mr. Queen: it was thrilling, satisfying and touching.
• How the king and queen managed to enter the palace, get all dressed up, and fight off guards.
• How the king and queen looked so regal and badass as they walked into the palace courtyard.
• How the scarred eunuch shoots both the queen and the king and it looks like it’s the end for them, until we learn that their bulletproof vests protected them.
• How this real danger situation for the queen sends Jang Bong Hwan back to Seoul, this time for good.
• How the king fights off Kim Jwa-geun and then retakes his throne.
• How Shin Hye-sun does an amazing job of becoming Kim So-yong the minute Jang Bong-hwan leaves her body; her acting was amazing!
• How the queen and baby almost die but recover overnight, and that’s when the king (and us!) start sobbing.
• How the king metes out punishment to the Kim and Jo family ministers by not killing them, but confiscating their assets and letting them lead lives of humiliation.
• How the Grand Dowager Queen and Dowager Queen are banished to the West Palace and will never be allowed to leave again.
• We discuss: Who did the king ultimately fall in love with?
• And now that Jang Bong-hwan is gone, what is Kim So-yong left with? Does she have Jang Bong-hwan’s memories? What about his cooking skills?
• How the combination of Jang Bong-hwan and Kim So-yong is who the king ultimately fell in love with.
• The amazing K Drama elements in this episode, including all the crying, the OST, the resolved triangles, the Google product placement.
• The show that we will recap and analyze in Season 6 of K Drama Chat! (You have to listen to find out!)

Next week, we will have Ernabel Demillo back on to do a full show review of Mr. Queen and discuss identity and belonging through Ernie’s show Asian-American Life.

Listeners, we apologize for some of the issues with Joanna’s audio. We didn’t have time to record because of the holidays! Thanks for your grace!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 19 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also talk about the shows we’re watching now and a couple more shows we’re considering for Season 6 of Drama Chat.

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap:
  • Like a Star by One Star
  • Toy Soldier by Kim Deuk-su
• How the king and queen both found themselves at the cliff, threatened by Kim Byeong-in.
• How emotional we both felt when the queen was found by the king and when the queen dissolved into tears of sadness and guilt.
• How Kim Byeong-in turned on the queen but ultimately saved the queen when he thought that his beloved Kim So-yong was somewhere still inside the queen’s body.
• How the queen has had four attempts on her life: by the king, Prince Yeongpyeong, the scarred eunuch, and Kim Jwa-geun.
• The amazing reunion between the queen, the king, Court Lady Choi and Heong Yon.
• How the king is surprised and amazed by his queen, who left the palace to find him.
• How it was Dam-hyang who saved the king because she recognized him and told her father who she was. So Dam-hyang saved the queen, the king and queen saved Dam-hyang, and Dam-hyang saved the king.
• How the royal chef and the queen come up with a plan for the king and queen to sneak  back into the palace through the gate that will allow food to enter the palace, and the “special” food cart reserved for the kitchen eunuch.
• How the queen tells the king that history tells them that the king will lose, BUT she is “all in” for him; this makes the king reply that he will try his best, even if he loses.
• How Jo Hwa-jin, having been told by the queen that the king is alive, is putting up signs saying the king is alive and accusing the Andong Kim family of corruption.
• How Prince Yeongpyeong and Captain Hong are jailed so they can’t help the king. To keep his friend Kim Hwan safe, Captain Hong breaks ties with him.
•  The title of the episode: The one who came back from hell. This clearly refers to the king, who managed to escape Kim Byeong-in and is now on the cusp of retaking the palace. It could also apply to the queen, who was left wandering the forest on her own and was found by the king himself.
• At the end of the episode, the king and queen are in a food cart. We see Kim Jwa-gun order a food cart searched. Will the king and queen’s plan be foiled?
• The shows we’re watching now and the additional shows we’re considering for Season 6 of K Drama Chat.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 18 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Here I Am by Jo Hyun-ah and Conspiracy by Kim Deuk-su.
• How the episode starts and ends at the cliff and both the king and queen are pursued by Kim Byeong-in.
• How the king has an epic fight with Kim Byeong-in, then he evades being killed or captured by jumping off the cliff!
• The king is found by an herb gatherer, who we suspect is one of the Donghak rebels.
• The queen is upset and confused by the king’s departure; she sees the king everywhere in the palace through her memories.
• The queen embroiders CJ on a silk scarf; this wouldn’t make any sense to anyone in the palace since CJ is in English and the name Cheoljong wasn’t given to the king until after his death.
• How the queen figures out that the dead body that is supposedly the king is NOT the king. Now the queen knows that the king is alive!
• How Prince Yeongpyeong goes to see the queen, threatens her, and ends up imprisoned by Kim Byeong-in.
• How the queen, Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon leave the palace to search for the king.
• Kim Byeong-in traps Kim and Jo family elders into signing a document that admits to their joint intentions to dethrone the king and enthrone a new one. This document is meant to force the two families to continue working together.
• The queen and her companions are discovered by Kim Byeong-in and his men. Court Lady Choi and Hong Yeon sacrifice themselves to try and save the queen.
• At the end of the episode, Kim Byeong-in traps the queen at the cliff and demands to show who she is and what she’s done with Kim So-yong.
• More hats from the Joseon dynasty.
• The ceremony called "a spirit on the roof," which is when the dead king’s eunuch climbs up on the roof of the palace and shouts three times while waving the king’s robe, "High majesty, please come back!"

References

• A Guide to Joseon Hairstyles and Headgear
• Visiting Joseon Royal Tombs and Funeral Customs

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 17 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also talk about the different hats worn by the nobles and court officials during the Joseon Dynasty.

We discuss:

• The songs featured in the recap: Like a Star by Jang Han-byul and Rebellion by Kim Deuk-su
• How we got whiplash from this episode because it started out funny, then turned sweet, then turned sad, then turned dangerous.
• Jang Bong-hwan’s identity crisis over being pregnant. While the king and the court celebrate, the queen is really upset.
• How the king tries hard to understand the queen, even taking her on a horseback ride to visit the royal villa.
• How the queen is now “all in” with the king, even though it may not be a wide decision.
• The king and queen’s hilarious and scandalous PDA (public display of affection) to counter rumors that they were faking their nights together.
• Jo Hwa-jin’s decision to break with the Jo family and do what she can to support the king’s dreams, including asking the king to depose her as concubine.
• The conflict between the king and Prince Yeongpyeong, who still doesn’t believe that the queen is on their side.
• When the Grand Dowager Queen asked Kim Byeong-in to bring her the queen’s head, he took a no-win situation and turned it into a masterful stroke by threatening the king over the codes in the workbook, convincing the king to leave the palace and put down the Donghak Rebellion, restoring the Grand Dowager Queen’s regency, and saving the queen.
• The king leaves the palace without saying goodbye to the queen, who is left confused and sad.
• The king’s guards turn on him and then he battles against Kim Byeong-in.

References

• All About Korean Traditional Hats
• How to make Korean rice wine or yihwaju

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 16 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also talk about the Donghak Rebels. We discuss:

• The songs we feature in this episode: Palace by Howl and Bong Hwan-a by Norajo.
• Why we think the queen hasn’t admitted to the king that she is the girl who saved him from the well eight years ago.
• How the queen has decided to go “all in” with the king, even though Jang Bong-hwan knows the course of history and he knows that King Cheoljong was a terrible king, who died without an heir and without a legacy.
• How the queen has allied herself with the king in a big way: she is teaching him about the future and she teaches him about military tactics from the future.
• How Jo Hwa-jin’s confession was pivotal to this episode: she admits to the king that the children’s workbook belongs to Kim So-yong, and she found the ledger and gave it to the Dowager Queen.
• Jo Hwa-jin’s confession means a permanent rupture with the king and a closer relationship between the king and the queen.
• More information about the book The Mourning Bride by William Congreve.
• How maybe Prince Yeongpyeong has also betrayed the king by not telling him about the ledger and Jo Hwa-jin.
• The queen is back in the kitchen, thank goodness. She learns how to make Yihwaju wine.
• How Kim Byeong-in hasn’t given up on the queen, even though she tells him he’s just not the one.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including Kim Byeong-in’s drinking, the queen and her ramen, the butterfly on the sliding doors at the end, and Jo Hwa-jin’s confession.
• How the queen is taking a chance when she says she’s “all in” with the king.
• How Jang Bong-hwan finds himself in an impossible situation when it’s announced that the queen is pregnant.
• A little information about the Donghak rebels

References

• All In song by Victor Ma
• Donghak Peasant Rebellion from Wikipedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 15 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Toy Soldier by Kim Deuk-su and Keep Going by DINDIN.
• How this was a laugh out loud episode; the queen is showing everyone who’s boss!
• How Dam-hyang is safe and the king planned it all! As a result, the queen is looking at him differently, even if she thinks he’s an idiot who will get killed for his idealistic values.
• How it was the king’s turn to send a secret message, this time through his crossed fingers, that Dam-hyang is alive. The king and queen are starting to understand each other better!
• How the king and queen form an alliance. The queen has decided to go all in with the king, even if Jang Bong-hwan knows the king is on the losing side of history.
• How the queen has decided to become the biggest bitch in the palace. She goes after the Grand Dowager Queen, the Dowager Queen and Jo Hwa-jin.
• The king is ruling the country with great confidence, although the court assembly does appoint Kim Byeong-in as the new Minister of War; Kim Byeon-in makes a deal with both families.
• Jo Hwa-jin’s secrets are out because Prince Yeonpyeong saw her give the ledger to the Dowager Queen, and the queen’s father knows she gave the ledger to the Dowager Queen.
• The lighthearted moments in this episode, including when Captain Hong asks the king to ask the Dowager Queen to join their team since she found the ledger.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including the scene when the queen walks in on the king while he is getting dressed and we catch a glimpse of the king’s impressive abs.
• How we think there are two additional K Drama elements to add to our list: a butterfly and a confession.
• The shows we’re watching now, including Destined With You and A Time Called You.
• The shows we’re looking forward to watching, including Vigilante and Welcome to Samdarli.

References

• Keep Going by DINDIN, with English lyrics
• Destined With You on IMDB
• A Time Called You on IMDB

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 14 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: To My One and Only You by Xiumin and Lost Memory by Howl.
• How the queen is so confused about her feelings toward the king and the night they spent together.
• How the king is confused because the queen saved the banquet and then said she would betray the king.
• The king and queen realized their notes were a result of a misdelivery. The king confesses to the queen that he likes her, but she says she can’t forgive him, and the old Kim So-yong is dead.
• How the Grand Dowager Queen and Kim Jwa-geun decide to kill the queen through arsenic frozen into ice cubes and served during a brunch with the Grand Dowager Queen.
• How the young court lady saves the queen by throwing a rock at her drink, but in the process, gets herself imprisoned.
• How Kim Jwa-geun tells the other Kim family ministers that he has the ledger, or proof of their family’s corruption; as long as he is safe, he will keep the other ministers safe.
• The most important K Drama element in this episode is the king talking to the queen while she’s sleeping. She wakes, confesses to the king (mistakenly) and that’s what leads to their night together.
• How the young court lady is sentenced to death by drinking poison. The queen is furious with the king, until she realizes that the king has crossed fingers behind his back, a sign that what he is saying is a lie.
• Why the title of the episode is “The woman who must die in order to live.”
• A little background about the Joseon Dynasty, which was the period of continuous rule by a line of kings of the Yi family, that started in 1392 and ended in 1910, when Emperor Gojong, whom we met in Mr Sunshine, was forced to abdicate with the Japanese occupation.

References

• Joseon Dynasty Wikipedia page
• Cheoljong of Joseon Wikipedia page

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 13 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We also talk about poison and assassination by poison during the Joseon dynasty.

We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Conspiracy by Kim Deuk-su and Other World by Howl.
• How this episode is so dark when compared with previous episodes.
• How the attack against the king is turning family members against each other.
• The shocking revelation that the king planned the explosion himself.
• How the queen has such ambivalent feelings toward the king, but she is threatened by Kim Jwa-geun, so she decides to live and betray the king.
• The loyalty and steadfastness of the king’s men who were arrested and tortured.
• How the Dowager Queen plants the ledger in the queen’s chambers; the ledger and the notes from the king are found by the Grand Dowager Queen.
• How the queen is now in real danger from the Grand Dowager Queen and Kim Jwa-geun.
• How Kim Jwa-geun seems to be everywhere and sees everything happening in the palace.
• The queen cooks in this episode but she’s cooking as a form of meditation; this cooking scene is not funny for a change.
• Of all the K Drama elements, we almost missed the back hug by Kim Byeong-in against the queen.
• A potential, new K Drama element: looking for, and discovering, your love across a street, bridge or crowded area.
• Why this episode is titled No Tomorrow
• Poison and death by poison during the Joseon Dynasty.

References

• Arsenic: The Poison of Kings

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Toy Soldier by Kim Deuk-so and The Great Recipe by sEODo.
• How this episode started with danger, then both the king and queen are safe, then it gets funny, then the king is beaten by Kim Jwa-geun, then it ends on a cliffhanger, and what a cliffhanger it was!
• How Jang Bong-hwan saved the banquet with his inventive cooking and his experience that cooking and food are political in a place like the palace.
• During the banquet, for the first time ever, the king and queen are on the same page, working together to save the banquet.
• How the king beautifully interprets the queen’s messages about each dish in the meal.
• Court Lady Choi’s words that there are things that are constant in the palace: the secret feud between women, the war of governmental powers, and assassination by poison
• The amazing meal the queen made during the banquet, how clever it all was, and how meaningful every element was.
• How Kim Jwa-geun beats the king down by exposing the 7 king’s guards who had false papers and ordering them beheaded, taking jurisdiction over the men away from Prince Yeonpyeong and the king.
• Why the episode is called Dancing Upon a Knife: because the king and queen are caught in a dangerous and delicate place and they have to act very carefully.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including a piggyback ride that we almost missed (the royal chef gives Court Lady Choi a piggyback ride when she gets ill from the poisoned water).
• The crazy cliffhanger of an ending and the many questions left unanswered, like: Who was behind the bombing? How badly is the king hurt? What about the ledger that the Jo family was supposed to reveal during the banquet?
• Our favorite Korean dishes now that the season is changing and it’s turning colder. Sung Hee likes Seolleongtang while Joanna loves sundubu jjigae.
• The shows we’re watching now: Sung Hee is obsessed with A Time Called You while Joanna has just started watching Destined With You.

References

• The Great Recipe by sEODo with lyrics
• Beef Seolleongtang recipe
• Lighthouse Tofu restaurant in Annandale, VA

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 11 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. Ernabel Demillo guests on this episode!

We discuss:

• The songs we feature during the recap: Like the first snow by Kim Jung-hyun and Rebellion by Kim Deuk-su.
• We finally know what is in the ledger, but we wonder why the queen’s father recorded all of his corrupt transactions.
• How Jo Hwa-jin gives the ledger to the Dowager Queen.
• The problem with revenge is that you never know who you will actually take down.
• How the queen is struggling with Jang Bong-hwan’s spirit and Kim So-yong’s memories.
• How the note exchanges between the king and queen are hilarious and we know this is not going to end well.
• How everyone has something planned for the Suritnal festival: Kim Jwa-geun is going to reveal the king’s incompetence, Jo Hwa-jin plans to take down the queen with a real arrow, Prince Yeonpyeong and Captain Hong will show off their men’s real skills, the scarred eunuch will derail food shipments for the festival, and the Dowager Queen will tell the Grand Dowager Queen that the queen has been deceiving her because she’s been serving the king all along.
• The hunting tournament between the queen and concubines. The queen wins because she makes a deal with one of the eunuchs.
• The amazing martial arts demonstrations during the Suritnal festival, especially the battle with fans between the king and Kim Byeong-in.
• At the end of the episode, Jo Hwa-hin has an arrow pointed at the queen and she lets the arrow fly. The king and Kim Byeong-in leap in to the air in battle.
• The episode is called The Unforgiven because there are so many people who can’t or won’t forgive someone else.
• We share a little bit of history about the Pungyang Jo family.

References

• Tessenjutsu: Why Metal Fans Are So Strong Video
• Pungyang Jo clan in Wikipedia
• Kim Jung Hyun singing Like the First Snow
• CUNY-TV on YouTube; look for the Asian-American Life Playlist
• October 2023 episode of Asian American Life: Asian Americans Lifting NY

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Palace and Secrets of the Well, both by Howl
• How everyone in this episode seems to end up at the well
• How the tiny queen rescued the king from the well by carrying him on her back
• The king’s unsuccessful attempt to retrieve the ledger, but now we realize that Jo Hwa-jin has it!
• Jo Hwa-jin tries to give the ledger to the king, but the Dowager Queen thwarts her by delaying her message to the king
• We have another great cooking scene where the queen cooks a simple but amazing meal for the Grand Dowager Queen
• How this episode cleverly brought the concept of K Beauty to the show through the face mask that the queen made for the Grand Dowager Queen
• Even though it was Kim Jwa-geun who had Oh-wol tortured and possibly killed, it’s now the Jo family that is exploiting the situation by faking Oh-wol’s death 
• Kim Byeong-in suspicions of the king, his conversation with the queen, and his secret meeting with the Grand Dowager Queen
• The lighthearted elements of the show, specifically, the royal chef and Court Lady Choi screaming into the woods over their frustration with the queen, and the queen’s cooking scene
• Our thoughts about why this episode is called Living a Nightmare
• Some background information on the Andong Kim family, including the Grand Dowager Queen and Kim Jwa-geun, who were real people

References

• Howl background and songs
• Life expectancy of Joseon kings and queens
• Andong Kim clan page in Wikipedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: Onestar by Im Han-byul and The Secret of the Well by Howl
• How the king is looking at the queen differently because the queen defended the king when they were eating at the restaurant outside the palace, and because the queen has not reported the incident when the king tried to kill the queen.
• How the queen is looking at the king with pity because his family was brutally murdered, and because the king is such a badass when he goes up against the thugs in the alley.
• How Kim So-yong and Jang Bong-hwan are at war in the queen’s body. We think Kim So-yong was more dominant when the king was kissing her and the queen kissed him back. But later, Jang Bong-hwan realizes what happened and he’s trying to bash Kim So-yong out of the queen’s body.
• The important flashback of the king, queen and Jo Hwa-jim when they were children. Now we know why the young Cheoljong I(his name as a child was Won-beom) was at the bottom of the well, how Kim So-yong climbed into the well to die and be with her mom again, how Kim So-yong saved Won-beom, and how Won-beom mistakes Jo Hwa-ji for Kim So-yong because it’s Jo Hwa-ji at the mouth of the well when he climbed out.
• How the song Here I Am applies to so many characters in the show. There are many characters yearning to be recognized, to be understood, to be loved.
• Now we understand the significance of the children’s book that Kim  So-yong was holding when she went down into the well.
• The ongoing intrigue in the palace, including the Dowager Queen plotting to take down the queen, and the double agent court lady digging up Oh-wol’s norigae or hanbok ornament.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including clothing, food, alcohol, triangles, some connection from the past, quirky best friend, and protecting someone you love at expense to yourself.
• Why we think this episode is called Light and Darkness.
• Some background on Korean rap, which originated in the late 80s and early 90s.

References

• Topic by Bill Stax
• I Want You by Drunken Tiger
• Topline by Stray Kids, feature Tiger JK

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King Cheoljong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Here I Am by Jo Hyun-Ah. It seems both the king and the queen are looking to the other to see them as they really are.
• How the queen’s memories are back and this is really messing with Jang Bong-hwan’s mind.
• How we learn more about the connection between the king, the queen and Jo Hwa-jin from when they were kids.
• The queen accuses Jo Hwa-jin of being the fake Kim So-yong. What does this mean?
• The king now clearly knows that Kim Byeong-in has inappropriate feelings for the queen.
• Kim Byeong-in has basically declared war against the king, in his quest to protect the queen.
• The king is showing more of his true self to Kim Byeong-in when he protects the queen against what he thought was an attacker.
• The Dowager Queen is playing dangerous politics when she gives Jo Hwa-jin a jade phoenix hairpin.
• The ending of the episode when the king fights with the scarred eunuch. The queen, in trying to protect the king, hits him with a ceramic pot. When Kim Byeon-in rushes in, he sees the king and queen kissing, because “there will be no No Touch tonight.”
• Neolttwigi, of the Korean jumping game that girls played to jump on a seesaw and see outside their family compounds.
• The amazing filming locations for Mr. Queen

References

• Korean Board Jumping Game
• Mr. Queen Filming Locations
• Emergency Escape No. 1
• Phoenix Throne

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.. 

We discuss:

• The songs we discuss in this episode: Other world by Howl and To my one and only you by Xiumin.
• Why the episode is titled “The Mask” - lots of people in the palace are wearing masks and those masks are starting to come off.
• How we see the state that Jang Bong-hwan is in, in modern day Seoul. He’s in a vegetative state and Chief of Staff Han tried to kill him.
• We learn that Jang Bong-hwan is either in modern day Seoul or Joseon, so where is the Queen?
• The queen is in a corpse state and the royal physician uses acupuncture to treat her.
• How the king’s feelings toward the queen are changing. He has gone from wanting to kill her, to wanting her to live and wanting to understand her.
• In the confrontation between the king and Kim Byeong-in, the king shows his other side, a side that he had not been showing to others in the palace.
• What shamanism is and how it was prohibited in the palace during the Joseon Dynasty.
• How the king missed his important night with Jo Hwa-jin and this causes her to be more proactive against the queen.
• At the end of the episode, the queen regains some of Kim  So-yong’s memories, the king is thinking about his enemies and goes to train with his men, and Jo Hwa-jin is upset upon finding a book.
• The mysterious and moody Na In-woo, who plays Kim Byeong-in, the queen’s cousin.

References

• Shamanism in Ancient Korea
• Na In-woo on Wikipedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. 

We discuss:

• The songs we featured during the recap: No Touch by Howl and Venus by Moon Jong-up.
• How this episode was aptly named Between Understanding and Misunderstanding; there are so many misunderstandings between nearly everyone in the palace, but especially between the King and the Queen.
• That things are very complicated for Jang Bong-hwan since jumping into the lake clearly won’t bring him back to modern day Korea.
• When the King saved the Queen from the lake, something changed. The King now wants the Queen to live and he wants to try to understand her.
• The King and Queen agree to do No Touch but they have very different understandings of what No Touch means.
• The Jo family tries to depose the Queen but the King shows a different side of his character when he strongly defends the Queen and throws out the petition.
• The palace intrigue continues. Lord Kim Jwa-geun has created a double agent of one of the court ladies. Oh-wol has been stabbed by the eunuch with a scar on his face, the same eunuch who tortured Oh-wol. The Dowager Queen summons her shaman to perform a ritual against the Queen. Kim Byeong-in brings together representatives from the Jo and Kim families and makes a deal with them.
• The queen became an entrepreneur with the creation of her food delivery service. In the process, she used the food palanquin delivery men to spread rumors in the palace, which serve to rehabilitate the Queen’s reputation.
• The education, background and career of the beautiful Seol In-ah.

References

• Venus by Moon Jong-up on YouTube
• Mr. Sunshine Filming Location

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.

We discuss:

• The song we feature during the recap: Puzzle by SoYou and Park Woo-jin
• The Queen or Jang Bong-hwan’s motive in admitting that she tried to commit suicide
• How the queen’s actions continually surprise and confuse the King
• The amazing dancing in the rain scene
• More of the Queen’s back story, which is quite sad because she was in love with the King, but he didn’t love her back. We also learn that she saw the Grand Dowager Queen and Kim Byeong-in the night she tried to commit suicide.
• More great cooking by the Queen.
• All the palace intrigue, including Lord Kim Jwa-geun’s meeting with the scarred eunuch, the Pungyang Jo family’s plot to depose the Queen, the King’s secret activities, and the Kim family’s plot against the Jo family.
• How Prince Yeongpyong is secretly in love with Jo Hwa-jin.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, including all the people talking to people sleeping, the amazing umbrella scene in the rain, and all the crying.
• The story of Achilles, his weak spot, how he died, and how this story is clearly foreshadowing what will happen in this show.
• The ending where Kim So-yong has jumped into the lake,  but she doesn’t go back to modern day Korea. Instead, the King finds her and saves her.
• The amazing, talented and hunky Kim Jung-hyun

References

• “Like the First Snow” on the Mr Queen OST
• Shin Hye-sun’s dancing scene was improvised!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.

We discuss:

• Then songs we played during the recap: Conspiracyby Kim Deuk-su  and Lost Memory by Howl.
• Last week’s episode was so funny, while this episode is really dark and there are bad guys everywhere.
• The Queen has figured out that it was the King who tried to kill her in the alleyway.
• The King is still desperately trying to figure out what the Queen knows.
• The many plots to frame someone for the Queen falling into the lake.
• The Queen accuses the King of going after her because she’s weak; this makes him wonder if the Queen is plotting against him or if she really is someone different.
• Jo Hwa-jin goes to Grand Dowager Queen to confess they she pushed the Queen into the lake
• When the King tries to defend Jo Hwa-jin, Queen Kim So-yong comes forward to confess that she tried to commit suicide. In this instance, it’s really Jang Bong-hwan who refuses to let the King be the coolest person around.
• The triangle forming between Hong Yeon, Captain Hong and Kim Hwan.
• The square forming where the second leads are in love with the first leads.
• A new K Drama element: protecting a love one at potentially huge personal cost. In this episode, the King injured his hand while pushing the sword away from Jo Hwa-jin.
• Joanna’s favorite hanbok in this episode: the pastel green and pink hanbok that the Queen wore at the end of the episode.
• Knee pressing was a real form of torture during the Joseon dynasty.
• The background and career of the amazing and beautiful Shin Hye-sun.

References

• Knee pressing during the Joseon dynasty
• Peine forte et dure
• Shin Hye-sun on Wikipedia
• Sung Hee on Goodpods
• Joanna on Goodpods

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.

We discuss:

• The song we feature, The Great Recipe by sEODo. 
• The awesome puns and double entendres in this show. 
• The Royal chef calls the queen’s ramen Samyang ramyeon, or literally ‘three fragrance small pot ramen’, but this is also the name of a popular ramen brand in South Korea. 
• How inviting someone to have ramyeon with you at your place is an invitation to get physical and spend the night. 
• How the king and queen mistrust each other and this is the central theme of this episode.  
• All the cooking in this episode and the queen’s antics with her cooking. 
• How we learn more about the queen’s past, including that she loved King Cheoljong but the king did not love her back. 
• A new triangle brewing between the king, the queen, and Kim Byeong-in, who has loved the queen for a very long time. 
• How the Queen wins the favor of the Grand Dowager Queen through her cooking. 
• We learn more about how the king lost his entire family, his nightmares, and his secret identity. 
• How everyone is watching everyone else. 
• The amazing court ladies, where they came from during the Joseon Dynasty, why the court needed so many court ladies, and their jobs at the palace. 

References

• Traditional Korean Clothing: K Drama Style
• Wikipedia on Gungnyeo or Palace Women
• Samyang Ramen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.

We discuss:

• The song we feature from the OST, Like a Star is by Hanbyul Jang, an Australian-born singer and songwriter.
• We wonder if modern day Koreans would know about the reign of King Cheoljong, including the Andong Kim and the Pungyang Jo families.
• How nothing happened during the King and Queen’s night; the King even fabricated “the Red” on the bedding with pig’s blood.
• How the King and Jo Hwa-jin appear to be in love, and Queen So-yong finds out, through flashbacks, that she loved the King, but the King did not love her.
• How Jang Bong-hwan is fascinated by the court politics and the history unfolding before her.
• The Queen’s hilarious antics, including how Kim So-yong acts and moves like a man, how he hates the queen’s clothing and headgear, her awkward exit from the palanquin, how he sits with his legs spread while at court, how she flirts with concubine Jo Hwa-jin, and how he hikes up his dress when running around the palace.
• What a gisaeng house is, and how gisaeng are official government entertainers who were trained in fine arts, poetry and prose.
• How King Cheoljong acts the fool in front of the court, and how his facial expressions change depending on who he’s with and the persona he wishes to project.
• The roles of concubine, Grand Dowager Queen, and Grand Royal Dowager Queen.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode: beautiful actors, beautiful court clothing, food, new triangles forming between the characters, flowers, talking to someone while they’re sleeping, and quirky best friend.
• Our favorite lines from this episode.
• The cliffhanger at the end of the episode. Will the King attack the Queen? What did the Queen overhear and did she understand it all?

References

• List (and titles) of Joseon royal consorts
• Hang Hyan-bul

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jyung-hun as King  Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan.

We discuss:

• The historical context for the show. King Cheoljong was a real king! He was illiterate and untrained when he came to power, and was a known womanizer and drinker.
• The name of this K Drama in Korean is Queen Cheorin.
• The different characters in the show, including Jang Bong-hwan, King Cheoljong, Kim So-yong, Jo Hwa-jin, Heon Yeong, Court Lady Choi, and Kim  Byeong-in.
• How Jang Bong-hwan fell into the pool, was kissed by Kim So-yong and ended up in Kim So-yong’s body.
• The hilarious wedding between King Cheoljong and Kim So-yong.
• The two types of concubines in the Korean court during the Joseon period.
• There are so many K Drama elements in this first episode!
• How the episode ends on a cliffhanger. What will happen on King Cheoljong and Kim So-yong’s wedding night?
• How Joanna has discovered C Dramas and is absolutely obsessed with Hidden Love!
• Instagrammer Ina Kim on expressions we hear a lot in K Dramas.

References

• Background on King Cheoljong
• Ina Kim on Instagram

*** We know that the audio quality of this episode is not great. We are sorry! ***

We are in between seasons. In this episode, we recap and analyze the movie “Be With You,” the hit Korean movie starring Son Ye-jin as Im Soo-ah, So Ji-sub as Jeong Woo-jin, and Kim Ji-hwan as Jeong  Ji-ho. Be With You was released in 2018 and directed by Lee Jang-hoon. The film is a remake of the 2004 Japanese film of the same name, which is based on a novel by Takuji Ichikawa.

Special guests Dayna and Carolyn join us for this episode. This episode was filmed while we were in Bélize together for our annual girls’ trip. 

This episode is full of spoilers! If you haven’t watched this movie, drop everything, watch the movie and come back to this episode. If you’ve watched the movie, please listen to this episode and join us!

Next week, we will recap and analyze episode 1 of Mr. Queen, the K Drama we will discuss episode by episode in Season 5 of K Drama Chat. Start watching now!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 16 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. Ernabel Demillo is back as our special guest! She was a reporter and news anchor in New York, AND a reporter in New York during 9/11. This is a long episode, so we hope you stick with us and enjoy this long discussion. We promise some laugh-out-loud moments! We discuss:

• The beautiful songs we hear in this episode: Starlight by O Dong Jun and New Beginnings by Jin Myoung Yong
• Baek Yi-jin’s applying for, and accepting, the correspondent job in New York. What was his motivation for going to New York and staying?
• Ernabel’s experience during 9/11. She was trapped in Italy at first. When she got back to New York, it was chaos and Ernabel and her co-workers worked really long days.
• The crushingly sad scenes between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin: outside Na Hee-do’s house after the luggage mix-up, at the cell phone store, at the tunnel, and then at the bus stop.
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin had numerous opportunities to get back together, but they just could not bridge the gap between them; they just could not understand each other.
• How the creators of K Dramas often give us clues to the show’s ending early in the show. For example, in Episode 2, we learn that Baek Yi-jin is not able to share his sadness and despair; Na Hee-do tells Baek Yi-jin that when they’re together, they should always be happy; Baek Yi-jin tells his father’s creditors that he would never be happy again.
• How Ko Yu-rim and Moon Ji-woong stay strong, despite Ko Yu-rim living in Russia. We cheer when Moon Ji-woong proposes to Ko Yu-rim.
• Ernie’s perspective on being a reporter and news anchor. How reporters are super heroes because they are often running toward danger.
• When Baek Yi-jin asks, “Did I screw this up?” we say YES!
• The amazing friendship between Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim, how being each other’s rival was the proudest moment of their careers.
• How Baek Yi-jin is selected by Shin Jae-kyung to be the news anchor for UBS because he represented youth and innovation.
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin contributed to each other’s success. Despite their sad breakup, they each are now living pretty good lives.
• How Na Hee-do’s diary has been so central in Na Hee-do’s life and how, in the end, it reconnected Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin, and Na Hee-do and Min-chae.
• We speculate about what Na Hee-do would have done after receiving the diary after all these years. Would she call Baek Yi-jin, or do nothing?
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin, through the diary, got to say what they really meant to say to each other at the tunnel that day.
• The show that we will recap and analyze in Season 5 of K Drama Chat.

References

• Things you should know about dating in Korea
• 25, 21 Alternate Ending

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 15 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we feature in this episode: Dreaming Day by Kim Ji Young and Propose by Lim Ha Young.
• How Ko Yu-rim asked Baek Yi-jin to break the story of her move to Russia, and she wants him to say that she is doing it just for money.
• How Baek Yi-jin always hides his pain, something that makes Na Hee-do really unhappy; this echoes episode 2, when Ko Yu-rim complains that Baek Yi-jin hid his family’s financial troubles.
• How Baek Yi-jin ultimately couldn’t manage the distance between himself and his friends, and himself and the victims’ families in New York. He is getting lost in his reporting and suffering as a result.
• How Na Hee-do’s mom lets Baek Yi-jin move to the newsroom after Baek Yi-jin admits to having lost all objectivity when it comes to Na Hee-do.
• How Na Hee-do is the one who always seems to know how to comfort Baek Yi-jin, but later in the episode, when he moves to New York, he grows more distant and she can no longer comfort him.
• The amazing match in Madrid between Ko Yu-rim and Na Hee-do that showed how evenly matched they are. Na Hee-do wins the match but she tops Ko Yu-rim by just a little bit.
• How Ko Yu-rim and Moon Ji-woong’s relationship is so different from that of Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin. Ko Yu-rim and Moon Ji-woong are making it work; he has three part-time jobs; he even visits her in Russia!
• How Na Hee-do is shocked and saddened when she learned from her mom that Baek Yi-jin applied for a position in New York.
• How we’re furious with Baek Yi-jin for the way he is treating Na Hee-do, how he’s distanced himself from her, and how he didn’t even tell her himself that he had applied to the position in New York.
• The K Drama elements in this episode, including clothing, food, alcohol, flowers and product placement.
• We also talk about a new K Drama element: talking to someone while they sleep.
• How Ernabel Demillo will be back on the show next week!

References

• A look at Korea’s social media platforms from the past, including Freechal
• Jaurim’s 25, 21 song, with English lyrics

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we heard during the recap: Their Friendship by Yoo Jong Hyun and Will by Byon Dong Wook.
• Ko Yu-rim’s decision to switch her nationality and fence for Russia because of her family’s financial troubles.
• Coach Yang’s efforts to secure the best deal for Ko Yu-rim and how devoted she is to Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim.
• How Sung Hee blames Baek Yi-jin for not managing the distance between himself and his friends. Now that he’s broken the story of Ko Yu-rim’s move to Russian, he is deeply unhappy and regretful.
• How the two most important people in Na Hee-do’s life, her mom and Baek Yi-jin, have hurt the third most important person in her life, Ko Yu-rim.
• We wonder if it would have made a difference if Baek Yi-jin had NOT been the first to break the story; what if he were second or third?
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-ji as a couple are so different from Ko Yu-rim and Moon Ji-woong.
• Sung Hee’s research into the drinking games that the friends played at the restaurant.
• The K Drama elements we saw in this episode: crying, food, alcohol, holding hands.
• The shows we are considering for Season 5 of K Drama Chat.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we heard during the recap: Missing you by Byon Dong Wook and Whispers of Love by Lim Ha Young.
• How Baek Yi-jin is sending Na Hee-do mixed signals. He’s declared his love for her, he’s affectionate around her, he is very solicitous, and he wants to spend time with her. But when she gives him a kiss, he pulls away from her!
• How Baek Yi-jin is conflicted about his relationship with Na Hee-do, probably because of his job, which lets him make money and gives him a path toward bringing his family back together.
• Na Hee-do is really confused, she’s losing her self-respect, and she wants Baek Yi-jin to try a different type of love with her, or let her go.
• How Baek Yi-jin finally gives Na Hee-do a kiss at the end of the episode; he finally gives in to his love and his longing.
• How Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim lose their individual matches during the tournament, but both girls play really well during the team match, which powers their team to victory.
• How this is the last time that Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim play together on the same team.
• How we learn about how Coach Yang and  Shin Jae-kyung first became friends, how they became close, and how their friendship went out.
• How Ko Yu-rim and Moon Ji-woong finally get to hold hands!
• The K Drama elements in this episode: Crying, alcohol, second couples, clothing, and food.
• The Asian financial crisis, how the IMF imposed several financial reforms on countries throughout Asia, and how a show like 25, 21 shows us the impact of the crisis on regular people.
• How we’re going to start talking about the shows that we’re considering for Season 5 of K Drama Chat.

References

• Asian Financial Crisis: Causes, Response, Lessons Learned
• Asian Financial Crisis

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do  and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The two songs we discuss: Free by Xydo and Free (guitar version) by Jeong Gu Hyun.
• How Koreans believe that blood types are associated with specific personality characteristics.
• How Baek Yi-jin is seeing Na Hee-do in a new light: first, when he sees her speaking French, and later being fierce at the restaurant.
• The French terms we keep hearing during the fencing matches.
• The scene between Baek Yi-jin and Jung Ho-jin, Na Hee-do’s ex-boyfriend. Baek Yi-jin makes it very clear that Jung Ho-jin and Na Hee-do are never getting back together again. Na Hee-do hears everything.
• How we finally get a kiss between Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do - finally!
• Ji Seung-wan’s courage in standing up to the abusive teacher and her beliefs that ultimately led her to leave school.
• Ye-ji’s decision to leave fencing, but how Coach Yang taught her how to create a new opportunity for herself.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode: clothing, food, triangles, umbrella scene
• The powerhouse production company, Studio Dragon, which is behind some of the biggest K Dramas and many of our favorites
• How Sung Hee is watching Healer and Joanna is watching Alchemy of Souls and King the Land

References

• Xydo profile
• Why do Koreans ask each other about their blood types? 
• How Netflix became the go to streamer for K Drama

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 11 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do  and Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The beautiful songs during our recap: Your World by Hoseung and When We Was Young by Byeon Dong Wook.
• How the relationship between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin is getting deeper.
• How Na Hee-do is seeing different sides of Baek Yi-jin, including his life as a student during the concert at the school when Baek Yi-jin wore the school uniform and played Starlight on stage.
• How Baek Yi-jin is doing the goofy things you do when you’re in love, including lying to Coach Yang to bring Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim to the concert, playing game at the stationery store, and using a pink pencil case at work.
• How this was a great episode for Na Hee-do: she’s in love, she’s got a best friend, and she reconciles with her mom.
• How Baek Yi-jn is now a full-time sports reporter, covering fencing.
• How Na Hee-do and Shin Jae-kyung start to reconcile during the death ceremony for Na Hee-do’s dad.
• Jesa, the ceremony honoring ancestors that is practice in Korea.
• How Baek Yi-jin is giving Na Hee-do a different perspective on her mom, and helping Moon Ji-woong and Ko Yu-rim get together as a couple.
• The K Drama elements we saw in this episode: second couple, food, alcohol, clothing, wrist grab, flowers, fireworks.
• Our favorite lines from this episode.
• 90s fashion, including sweater vests, chokers, cargo pants, wide pants, crop tops, and scrunchies.
• The shows we’re watching now, including Weak Hero Class 1, King the Land, and Tune In For Love.

References

• What is a Korean jesa ceremony?
• 90s Fashion for Women
• 90s Korean Street Fashion Is Making A Comeback

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The song With, which is sung by all five stars of the show; how are these actors so talented?
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin’s relationship is continuing to evolve now that Baek Yi-jin has confessed his love to Na Hee-do.
• How Na Hee-do’s life has been transformed by Ko Yu-rim’s friendship and Baek Yi-jin’s love.
• How Ko Yu-rim is less lonely, now that she has Na Hee-do and Moon Ji-woong, but she still carries a sadness that comes from her family’s financial hardships.
• How Baek Yi-jin is still burdened at work and by his promise to bring his family back together.
• How it’s probably not realistic that Baek Yi-jin would take four minors on a work trip, without a crew, and without chaperones.
• How important it is to know how to make rice properly.
• How adult Na Hee-do tells Min-chae that she doesn’t remember the beach trip, remarking that sometimes it’s okay to forget things.
• The K Drama elements that we see in this episode: food, alcohol, the trip and catch, clothing, and the beautiful OST.
• The amazing Choi Hyun-Wook, the actor who plays Moon Ji-woong.
• The different ways that Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin refer to each other.

References

• History of corporate punishment in Korea
• Understanding corporal punishment in Korea
• Honorific forms of address in Korean

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. This is a special episode. Ernabel Demillo is back! Ernabel is Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV.

Ernabel shares her experience being a reporter and news anchor, and provides amazing insight into this episode, including:

• How networks decide to do special shows
• How stories are assigned to reporters, and special projects usually go to special teams, not the day to day reporters
• The journalist code of ethics
• How journalists should recuse themselves from stories when they have a connection to the subjects
• How journalists actually do have editorial differences with their photographers and videographers
• How networks and newspapers don’t allow their subjects to see stories before they are published or aired
• How junior journalists are never tasked with big, important projects
• How shows about TV and print journalism always get it wrong, except for the movies Spotlight and Broadcast News

Listen to this episode to get our take on this episode and laugh your head off. 

References

• Asian American Life website
• Asian American Life on YouTube
• Do Korean women take their husband’s name after marriage?
• Tteokbokki recipe
• Sundae on Wikipedia

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• How Na Hee-do is rescued by Baek Yi-jin again
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin’s relationship is changing and unnerving Na Hee-do
• How Na Hee-do is starting to develop feelings for Baek Yi-jin but he treats her like a kid
• How Na Hee-do is the most honest of all the characters with their feelings
• How Baek Yi-jin goes to see the creditor to whom he promised he would never be happy again; the creditor asked him to take  back that promise and do his  best to be happy
• How Baek Yi-jin and Ko Yu-rim are both full of sadness
• How Na Hee-do is confused by Ko Yu-rim’s diving incident; she wonders what terrible thing happened in Ko Yu-rim’s life to make her this sad
• How Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim decide to meet at a square in town, each of them carrying a yellow rose
• How Ko Yu-rim panics when she sees Na Hee-carrying a yellow rose, and gives HER yellow rose to Baek Yi-jin
• The themes we see running through this K Drama: managing distance, knowing when to share your troubles with others, life lessons from your dad
• The K Drama elements we see in the episode: food, wrist grab, grab and save, the head rest, and triangles
• Lee Joo-myung, the actress who plays Ji Seung-wan
• The shows we’re watching now: Sung Hee is watching The Good Bad Mother, and Joanna is watching Alchemy of Souls

References

• Lee Joo-myung on Wikipedia
• The Good Bad Mother
• Alchemy of Souls

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we featured in this episode: Match by Lim Ha Young and Understand by Lim Seung Bum
• Na Hee-do’s origin story, how she got introduced to fencing, and why her dad means so much to her
• How Na Hee-do’s dad taught her that skills don’t improve in a straight line, but rather in a stair step fashion
• Na Hee-do’s gold medal win against Ko Yu-rim at the Asian Game
• How both Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim both feel like they were robbed at the Asian Games
• How the press takes advantage of the controversy and fans the flames of public opinion against Na Hee-do
• How and why Baek Yi-jin tracks down Alan Smith to get an interview about his call that gave Na Hee-do the gold medal
• How Ko Yu-rim now has a rival in Na Hee-do
• The strained relationship between Na Hee-do and her mom
• The K Drama elements we saw in this episode: food, alcohol, clothing and triangles
• The amazing Bona who plays Ko Yu-rim
• The Korean last names that are often mispronounced: Kim, Park, Choi, Lee and Jung
• The Japanese keiretsu
• The Glory and why Sung Hee is obsessed with the show

References

• The Korean last names we always mispronounce

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• How funny this episode how was
• How we loved the forward momentum of both Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin’s characters
• Why Baek Yi-jin decided to go back to Seoul, apply to become a reporter, and not sell Na Hee-do that he’s back in Seoul
• How Na Hee-do got a boyfriend and then broke up with him as a sort of experiment in love
• How Baek Yi-jin came to Na Hee-do’s rescue once again when he picked her up at the train station, got her to the tournament on time, and helped her get her confidence back
• The massive worker demonstrations in South Korea in 1999
• The prominence of the chaebol companies in South Korea
• The history of the game rock, paper and scissors
• How we finally learn the story behind the break in friendship between Coach Yang and Na Hee-do’s mom
• The amazing cinematography in this episode
• The amazing Nam Joo-hyuk: his background, early start in modeling, rise to fame, awards, and brand ambassadorships
• How Sung Hee is enjoying The Glory
• How Joanna finished One Spring Night but found it a real slog to get through

References

• World Rock Paper Scissors Association
• Nam Joo-hyuk on Wikipedia
• Strikes erupt in South Korea Against Restructuring and Job Losses

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• How Baek Yi-jin has left town without a trace, to the angst and sadness of Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim.
• How Baek Yi-jin and Na Hee-do manage to communicate with each via messages left on each other’s pager voice mail.
• The contrast between Na Hee-do, who is confident and gets what she wants, while Baek Yi-jin has lost all of his confidence, he leaves town, and he can’t find a job.
• How Baek Yi-jin’s mom doesn’t know how to support her sons, while Na Hee-do’s mom can’t find it within herself to support and believe in her daughter.
• When Na Hee-do tells Ko Yu-rim that she didn’t want to be on the national team, but be Ko Yu-rim’s rival, it feels like a threat.
• Na Hee-do has secured a spot on the national fencing team, but her happiness is tempered by Baek Yi-jin’s disappearance, Ko Yu-rim’s coldness, and her mother’s indifference.
• Our surprise when we found out that injeolmi is a real thing! Injeolmi is a type of rice cake, often covered in some type of coating.
• The K Drama elements in this episode: alcohol, the FILA product placement, crying, holding hands, and first snow.
• The gorgeous cinematography in this episode, especially at the end of the episode.
• The background and career of the amazing Kim Tae-ri.
• The shows we’re watching now. Joanna is watching Something in the Rain and One Sprint NIght, while Sung Hee has just finished Divorce Attorney Shin Sung Han

References

• The History of the Two-Way Pager
• Drinking in South Korea: 7 Tips on Handling a Hoesik
• Travel guide to Pohang
• What is injeolmi
• Maangchi’s Injeolmi Recipe

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we featured in this episode: Go by DOKYEOM and Sinin in the Rain by Shin Min Yong.
• How we love Kim Tae-ri’s acting in this episode.
• How Coach Yang’s training regimen, while tough, almost sadistic, is paying off for Na Hee-do.
• How the relationship between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin is changing and we start to see a hint of something developing between them.
• How Baek Yi-jin is really struggling because he can’t land a job.
• The hilarious but awkward scene in Seung-wan’s house when the five young people catch all the loaches and Seung-wan’s mom makes them all soup.
• Ko Yu-rim’s fury at Na Hee-do because she thinks Na Hee-do has been putting pine drinks in her locker. We also learn about her close relationship with her dad and her insecurities about whether or not she’ll ever win a gold medal again.
• How we get a hint of what happens in the future during a conversation between Na Hee-do and her mother in the present day. Her mother mentions that she saw Baek Yi-jin last month, letting us know that Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin are not together today. We also get a sense that Na Hee-do’s relationship with Ko Yu-rim will change.
• Our favorite lines from this episode.
• The Korean snack shops that feature so prominently in Korean shows. 

References

• Loach soup https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chueo-tang
• Korean Snack Bars https://thekrazemag.com/latest-updates/2019/7/28/-korean-snack-bars?format=amp
• Eating and drinking in South Korea https://www.roughguides.com/south-korea/eating-drinking/

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs from our recap: Existence by Wonstein and Warrior by Daniel Ri.
• How Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin’s relationship is getting closer and deeper.
• How this was a tough episode for Baek Yi-jin. He has lunch with his brother, who is getting bullied by classmates. He nearly misses seeing his dad. He gets caught between Na Hee-do and Ko Yu-rim. He is embarrassed when Ji Seung-wan recognizes him and remarks that she thought he was rich.
• The work of Brené Brown on shame, which she calls a master emotion. Shame is the fear that we're not good enough, that we’re not worthy, which is exactly what Baek Yi-jin is feeling and why he promises to never be happy again.
• The contrast between Baek Yi-jin’s stoic and sad countenance, and Na Hee-do’s confidence and unfailingly cheerful personality.
• The big news that Na Hee-do will get to compete for a spot on the national team.
• How Na Hee-do is furious with Ko Yu-rim, so furious that she tosses her Ko Yu-rim scrapbook into the trash and takes down the clippings from her bulletin board.
• The crazy revelation that Injeolmi is Ko Yu-rim!
• The K Drama elements that we see in this episode:
  • Wrist grab
  • (Almost) piggyback ride
  • Product placements
  • Food
• Our favorite lines from this episode
• The comic book Full House and the popularity of movie and book rental shops in S. Korea during the 80s and 90s

References

• Full House on Amazon
• Roger Elbert site  https://www.rogerebert.com/features/we-lost-it-at-our-video-stores-the-writers-remember-rental-havens
• Glossary of French fencing terms

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The songs we feature in this episode: Very, Slowly by BIBI and Shining Man by Shin Min Yong
• The many encounters between Hee-do and Yi-jin in this episode
• The contrast between cheerful and emotional Hee-do and the stoic, sad and burdened Yi-jin
• How we learn more about Yi-jin’s life: how his family split up, his short stint in the military, his little brother, and how he’s been threatened by his dad’s creditors
• How Hee-do has achieved her dream of transferring to Yu-rim’s school and now, Yu-rim is cold and hostile towards her
• The encounter between Hee-do and Yu-rim from five years earlier, when Hee-do beat Yu-rim during a junior fencing competition
• How we get introduced to the other characters, including Ko Yu-rim, Moon Ji-woong and Ji Seung-wan
• The gold campaign and how it turns out that Hee-do’s mom did not turn in her wedding rings
• The K element we saw in this episode is triangles, potentially lots of them!
• Two other K Drama elements that we need to add to our list: 24) when two people turn out to have a connection from their past; and 25) the obligatory abs scene when a man’s amazing abs are displayed
• Our favorite lines from the show
• The song 25, 21 by Jaurim, which was played at the end of this episode, and how it maybe gives us a clue about how this show is going to end

References:

• Sad KDrama Instrumentals on Spotify
• Shin Min Yong on Spotify
• YouTube video with theory about the Jaurim song inspiring the show
• 25, 21 by Jaurim

Today, we’ll be kicking off Season 4 of K Drama Chat by discussing Episode 1 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The song Starlight by Taeil
• The main actors of the show:
  • Kim Tae-ri
  • Nam Joo Hyuk
  • Kim Ji-yeon, better known by her stage name Bona
• How age is calculated in Korea vs. internationally, which is why there’s confusion over how old the actors in this show are
• The origins of the 1990s Asian financial crisis and how it affected South and East Asia
• The impact of an IMF bailout and austerity measures on countries
• The South Korea gold campaign
• The surprising dominance of South Korea in the world of fencing
• Polite language between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin
• The large number of K Drama elements we see in this episode:
  • Beautiful actors
  • Crying
  • Flowers
  • Food
  • Alcohol
  • Wrist grabs
  • Clothing and fashion
  • Umbrella scene
• The challenging mother-daughter relationship between Hee-do and her mom
• Our favorite line
• How much we loved this K Drama from the very first episode

References:

• 25, 21 cast
• Last Sequence by WJSN (featuring Bona)
•  

We’re in between seasons 3 and 4! Today, Joanna and Sung Hee has a conversation with Jeanie Rhim, Sung Hee’s sister. Jeanie specializes in newborn photography and is another K Drama lover. We discuss:

• The K Drama shows we’re watching now.
• Our list of K Drama elements (we’re up to 23!) and examples of these elements in our favorite K Dramas.
• How to say hello in Korean.
• How the subtitles in K Dramas don’t always match what’s actually being said, especially when it comes to characters’ names and titles.
• Some common Korean words and phrases to watch out for.

Here’s our list of K Drama elements to watch out for:

1. Beautiful actors
2. Crying, by both women and men
3. Gorgeous OSTs (original sound tracks)
4. Food; there's lot of eating in K Dramas
5. Alcohol; drinking by both men and women
6. Beautiful fashion
7. The trip and catch
8. Piggyback rides
9. The back hug
10. Product placements
11. Holding hands
12. The wrist grab
13. Flowers
14. Love triangles
15. Umbrella scene
16. Quirky best friend
17. Deep lean
18. Arm rest
19. Talking to someone sleeping
20. Older character trying to keep the main characters apart, or older characters
21. Second male lead
22. Second couples
23. Beach scene or fireworks

Next week, we’ll recap and analyze episode 1 of 25, 21 so get ready!

We’re in between seasons 3 and 4! Today, Joanna has a conversation with Professor Ernabel Demillo, Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. We talk about:

• The many different genres of K Dramas.
• The K Dramas we’re watching now: Tomorrow, Business Proposal, The Glory.
• What Ernabel thought about Mr. Sunshine, including the cinematography, the characters, the music, Korea history, and culture.
• The process that Sung Hee and Joanna use to create our episodes.
• The K Drama elements that we find in most K Dramas, e.g., umbrella scene, piggyback ride, back hug, deep lean.
• How Asian American Life is still the only monthly magazine show on broadcast TV devoted to the Asian American diaspora.
• How Asian American Life explores social issues through the Asian American lens, but also celebrates Asian-American achievements and milestones.
• The themes that “Asian American Life” covers: identity, Asian-American “firsts,” food, entertainment.
• How Asian American Life covers the rise in hate and crimes against Asian-Americans in the US.
• The Hallyu wave.
• Netflix’ investment in K Dramas.
• 25, 21, the K Drama that K Drama Chat will recap and analyze in Season 4.

Next week, Sung Hee, Joanna and Jeanie (Sung Hee’s sister) will talk about K Drama elements, Korean language, and why subtitles on K Dramas often don’t quite match what’s being said.

References:

• Asian American Life on CUNY-TV
• Asian American Life on YouTube
• Asian American Life on Instagram
• Ernabel on Instagram
• Professor Ernabel Demillo on the St. Peter’s University website

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 24 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Hina Kudo, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• How we love this final episode of Mr. Sunshine and will miss these characters, whom we’ve come to love and admire!
• The lovely and amazing music in this K Drama.
• How the ending is heartbreaking but the show’s creators told us all along that we would have a sad ending.
• Ae-shin and Eugene have figured out a way to be together, even though they are not really together.
• Eugene’s final sacrifice is so tragic. He is the man Joseon needed, but didn’t deserve.
• Eugene’s life mission, as well as Dong-mae’s, was to help Ae-shin live.
• Hui-seung found meaning in his life, thanks to the people of Joseon.
• Was Ae-shin’s life path influenced by Dong-mae calling her a spoiled, noble fool so early in her life?
• Ae-shin is a noble who was respected and revered by many in Hanseong; this is why they protected her when Ms. Hamman was killed and Ae-shin was crying over her body.
• Dong-mae died as Dong-mae, not Sho Ishida. 
• The journalist Frederick Arthur McKenzie was a real British journalist who reported on the treatment of Koreans by the Japanese.
• The amazing cinematography in the show, facilitated by its huge production budget.
• Our favorite lines and the K Drama elements.
• The meaning of the elements in the Korean flag.
• A bit of Korean history under the Japanese, including what happened to the Righteous Army.
• Our decision to recap and analyze 25, 21 during Season 4 of K Drama Chat!

References

• Korea under Japanese rule
• Recap of Episode 24 on ReadySteadyCut
• Did the US betray Korean in 1905?
• Matchlock guns
• Article about Frederick McKenzie
• The ancient art of dying fingernails with balsam dye
• The Righteous Army in Korea

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 23 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Hina Kudo, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• The beautiful songs during our recap, especially Glory by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee, the duo responsible for so many instrumental songs on K Drama OSTs
• How we’ve lost so many people in this show: Gunner Jang, Hina Kudo, Ms. Haman, Mr. Haengryan, Hong Pa, Go Sa-hong
• How Eugene has finally found a way to be with Ae-shin
• How Eugene saves Ae-shin from the rubble of the hotel and ends up treating her wounds; he’s saved her again!
• Why Hina Kudo made the decision to blow up the Glory Hotel
• How Dong-mae is back, he takes over control of the Musin Society, but he knows he has just a few days until more samurai arrive to kill him
• Hina Kudo’s sad confession to Dong-mae that she loved him and waited for him
• How Dong-me and Eugene are working together to protect Ae-shin
• How the Musin Society is based on the Black Dragon Society, which was a prominent paramilitary, ultranationalist group in Japan
• Hui-seung’s underground newspaper and how he’s committed himself to documenting the Japanese atrocities
• How the world has abandoned Joseon; the US ignored the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation, also known as the Shufeldt Treaty, the Korea signed with the US
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode: piggyback ride, food, alcohol, crying
• The shows we’re considering for Season 4 of K Drama Chat

References

• Black Dragon Society
• Joseon-US Treaty

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 21 and 22 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Hina Kudo, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• The beautiful song “And I” by Nu’Est W.
• The agonizing scene where Ae-shin asks Eugene to take her with him to America, but what she really wants is to go to Japan.
• The equally heartbreaking scenes when Eugene gives Ae-shin a ring and when Ae-shin asks Eugene for a matching ring.
• How Ae-shin loves Eugene but she loves Joseon more; how can she possibly go to America when all the people she loves are in danger and Joseon needs people to fight for it?
• Whether or not Eugene would have gotten on that boat to America.
• How we have finally met all of the men in the photo from Tokyo because Song Yeong saves Ae-shin, receives the bank certificate, and organizes the plan to save Lee Jeong-moon from the Musin Society.
• How Kyle Moore once again does what he can do save Eugene.
• How Hina Kudo organizes the plan to save Ae-shin; it’s amazing that she can just call the King.
• How the geisha who was forced to escape Joseon is now key to freeing Lee Jeong-moon.
• How Eugene holds up his promise to Go Sa-hong by killing Col. Takashi Mori. Once again, it’s Eugene, the American soldier, who does the killing.
• How Dong-mae is like a kitty cat with nine lives. He is slashed by the head of the Musin Society, and falls into the ocean, but somehow, he survives, ends up in an opium den in Manchuria, and returns to Hanseong.
• A brief history lesson of the Korean Empire
• The crazy end of episode 22 when Eugene and Dong-mae are back in Hanseong, at the time when Hina Kudo and Ae-shin decide to blow up the Glory Hotel.
• The five royal palaces of the Joseon kings.

References:

• Five Eulsa Traitors
• Gojong of Korea
• Explore 5 Beautiful Palaces in Korea

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 19 and 20 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• The beautiful song Paramour by Kim Sejeong, who is a prominent singer and actress; she is the lead in Business Proposal!
• How Ae-shin has lost her grandfather, her family and her home, so now she is going to devote herself to the Righteous Army.
• Ae-shin loves Eugene but she is more devoted to Joseon, so she is going to use Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung in the service of Joseon.
• Dong-mae’s loyalties are shifting; he wants to protect Ae-shin at any cost. The Musin Society is starting to get suspicious of him.
• Major Moore tells Eugene that the picnic is over and sends Eugene back to the US.
• Ae-shin finally gets her revenge against Lee Wan-ik, a death that Hina Kudo covers up by killing Dr. Matsuyama and forging a suicide note.
• Hina Kudo is a secret agent for Joseon and Lee Jeung-moon is her leader, who has been kidnapped and taken to Japan.
• Col. Mori is bent on killing the Righteous Army members, including and especially Ae-shin. He killed Hong Pa, Gunner Jang’s wife, so now Gunner Jang wants to kill him.
• The King is in a tough spot. He is in a weak position but he wants to protect his people and country.
• The Joseon kings, including the kings who we’ve seen in some of the saeguks, including
  • King Gojong in Mr Sunshine
  • King Jeongjo, the prince in Red Sleeve cuff
  • King Cheoljong in Mr Queen, the King immediately before King Gojong
  • King Wang So in Scarlet Heart RYEO
• Our favorite lines and the K Drama elements in these episodes

References:

• Guide to the Joseon Kings
• Paramour by Kim Sejeong on YouTube

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 17 and 18 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• That a solar eclipse has special meaning spiritually and in astrology: this is a time of radical change, you are being called, be ready!
• Hui-seung’s annulment of his engagement with Ae-shin and how it’s really an act of love.
• How Hui-seung, Dong-mae and Hina Kudo are answering the call to be someone else and become a protector of Joseon.
• How Lord Go’s petition to the King was historically correct. During the Joseon dynasty, there would be peasant uprisings and petitions to the King by bowing in front of the King’s palace.
• How the King is protecting the protesting nobles from the Japanese by locking them up, in much the same way that Eugene is protecting Ae-shin by confining her to the legation.
• How Dong-mae is shot and lots of people rush to protect and help him, including Hui-seung, who got him to the hospital, and Hina Kudo, who threatened Dr. Matsuyama should Dong-mae die.
• How Eugene’s lowborn status is now fairly public because he has now told the King and his advisor, Ae-shin, Dong-mae, and the cadets at the military academy.
• How Lee Wan-ik is losing influence and he’s getting more dangerous as a result.
• The K Drama elements from this episode: food, alcohol, clothing, flowers.
• Our favorite lines from the episodes.
• What is happening at the end of episode 18, namely Dong-mae has just cut off Ae-shin’s hair, and Col. Mori now knows that Ae-shin had Eugene’s music box.
• The Hallyu wave across the globe and the enormous popularity of Korean music, dramas, food and movies.

References:

• Hallyu Wave
• Meaning of a solar eclipse in astrology
• The Bulgae legend
• Marriage in Joseon

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 15 and 16 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• How Ae-shin and Eugene are spending a lot of time together at the start of episode 15 but by the end of episode 16, Ae-shin was asked to kill Eugene and then they’re forbidden from seeing each other.
• How Ae-shin and Eugene’s relationship has suddenly become very public.
• Eugene’s decision to stay in Joseon because he’s being pulled deeper into Joseon’s affairs and he wants to protect Eun-san and Ae-shin.
• How Lee Jeong-moon and Eun-san order Eugene killed, and then Lee Jeong-moon asks Eugene to become the Drill Instructor for the Imperial Army.
• How Eugene goes through Joseph’s affairs and discovers a box from Song Yeong, which further proves that Joseph was deeply involved in Joseon affairs and was likely running letters for the King for some time.
• Dong-mae’s release, how he kills Diplomat Suzuki, and how he warns Ae-shin’s grandfather that someone destroyed his letters to the nobles.
• How Hui-seung finally learns Eugene’s story, he decides to cancel his engagement to Ae-shin, and his decision to start a Korean language newspaper.
• How this whole show is about forbidden, unrequited love.
• The continuing bromance between Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung, who are united in their desire to protect Ae-shin.
• Of all the K Drama elements, the most important is the plum blossom flower, which means resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.
• The Korean Empire and the Gwangmu Reform enacted by the King.

References:

• Korean Empire on Wikipedia
• Timeline of the Gwangmu Reform

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 13 and 14 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• How the chameleon plant, which represents change and transformation, is a metaphor for these two episodes.
• How we go from Ae-shin and Eugene spending time together at the ocean, to Eun-san asking Ae-shin to kill Eugene; how did we get here?
• How Eugene has figured out who all four men in the photo are; this investigation is threatening The Righteous Army.
• How Eugene pieced everything together using the letters from Hamgyong province, the telegram from Hamgyong, and Joseph’s death.
• How Lee Jeon-moon and Eun-san see Eugene as a weakness for Ae-shin, as well as a threat to The Righteous Army, so he needs to die.
• We learn more about Ae-shin’s parents and how they died, as well as the reason her grandfather betrothed her to Hui-seung.
• How Hui-seung and Ae-shin’s grandfather both want Hui-seung to protect Ae-shin, but via different means.
• Dong-mae’s imprisonment and subsequent rescue by Eugene.
• The shifting loyalties and identities of Ae-shin, Eugene, Dong-mae, Hui-seung and Hina Kudo.
• How Eugene, Hui-seung and Dong-mae are all now actively helping each other.
• Our favorite lines from the two shows.
• The saeguk (historical) genre of K Dramas and why they are so popular.

References:

• Saeguk in Wikipedia
• Korea’s Fusion Saeguk

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 12 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• How Ae-shin and Eugene start the episode passing each other on the street but end up taking a trip together at the end of the episode.
• How Eugene has changed his mind about leaving Joseon and now wants to teach Ae-shin how to use the Russian bolt action rifle.
• How Minister Allen was bribed by Lee Wan-ik and threw Eugene to the wolves.
• How Dong-mae showed his caring and concern for three of the women in his life: Ae-shin, Hotaru and Hina Kudo.
• How Eugene, Dong-mae and Hina Kudo all wonder why a noble lady would take up arms with the Righteous Army; she is changing all of them.
• All the connections between the characters, including Lee Deok-mun, who is related to both Ae-shin and Hui-seung.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode: food, umbrella scene, clothing, language.
• The amazing Korean hanboks: the pieces of the outfit, what they’re made of, the colors, etc.
• How we both finished watching Prison Playbook and absolutely loved the show

References:

• Modern hanbok brands
• See You Again by Baek Ji-young lyrics

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 11 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

• How Ae-shin and Eugene meet in the snow. Ae-shin apologizes for her reaction to Eugene’s story, for being a spoiled girl who plays at saving Joseon but is a burden to her family.
• How this episode is all about Hina Kudo: she sets up Lee Se-hun’s mistress to get information on Lee Wan-ik’s house, she is the go-to person for intel by all parties, and though she’s impertinent to all sides, she never gets into trouble.
• How Lee Wan-ik has brought two dangerous people to Joseon: Dr. Matsuyama, who has the autopsy report on Hina Kudo’s husband’s death; and Yong-ju, the Joseon man and former member of the Righteous Army who betrayed Ae-shin’s parents. Yong-ju is summoned back from Manchuria to kill the Foreign Minister.
• How Hui-seung has decided to protect Ae-shin. He dresses up in a fashion similar to Ae-shin’s sniper outfit, and he offers to remain her fiance, to be her shadow, to be her protector when things get dangerous.
• How the King wants the Righteous Army to get a message to the missionaries, and to intercept the messages that Lee Wan-ik has been stealing from the interpreters. This request tells us that the Righteous Army is cooperating in some way with the King!
• The amazing fight scene at the end of the show between Ae-shin and Hina Kudo at Lee Wan-ik’s house.

References

• Days Without Tears by Kim Yuna, with English lyrics
• Kim Min-jung on Wikipedia

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episodes 9 and 10 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We’ll also talk about Byun ho-han, the actor who plays Kim Hui–seung. We talk about:

• How episode 9 is about Ae-shin and Eugene seeing more of each other, but in episode 10, they have decided to not see each other.
• Ae-shin’s moral dilemma: What is she really fighting for? Is there a place in Joseon for butcher’s sons? Is there a place for slaves?
• How Eugene has figured out a way to return the document to the King, while getting his revenge against Minister Lee Se-hun.
• The confusing language in these episodes. To whom was Eugene referring when he said, “There will only be 1 traitor tonight” after Lee Se-hun was killed? And what did Eugene mean when he referred to Ae-shin, saying “Where do I lie between her passion and her cruelty?”
• How the King of Joseon and the country are not in strong positions. The US, Japan, Russian and China all have their hooks on the country.
• How Dong-mae is bothered by the Righteous Army man who refuses to give up the names of his comrades, choosing to die rather than betray them. He wonders why he would do this?
• Lee Wan-ik’s lowly origins and his betrayal of Joseon. Also how the King got one on him by appointing him Minister of Farming and Trade.
• How Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung are all trying to protect Ae-shin, even if they don’t all know the full story. They do all know that a person wearing a black, three-piece Western suit, with a limp, is a wanted individual.
• The themes in these shows: Class system, revenge, changing of heart, the importance of language
• The K Drama elements we see in these shows: food, clothing, flowers.
• The wonderful actor, Byun Yo-han, who plays Hui-seung.

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episodes 5 and 6 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix. We talk about:

• How Ae-shin has discovered what “love” is and she’s horrified. She wants to call off what she and Eugene have decided to do.
• How Eugene can’t read Korean, but Dong-mae can, as well as Do-mi, the messenger boy whom Eugene has just hired at the legation.
• How Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung met outside the hotel and Hui-seung has just realized that all three of them are after Ae-shin’s heart.
• The amazing cinematography in Mr. Sunshine, including how the director artfully used laundry during the scene with the three men outside the hotel.
• The document that everyone is looking for, what it is, how valuable it is, and how Major Moore has convinced Eugene that the document properly belongs to Joseon.
• The theme of budding relationships and shifting loyalties among the main characters, especially Eugene’s change of heart about possibly helping Joseon after meeting with the King.
• The shocking revelation that Lee Wan-ik is Hina Kudo’s father.
• All the triangles and squares in this show, including Ae-shin who is surrounded by three men, and Dong-mae, who is surrounded by three women.
• How Ae-shin now knows that Dong-mae is in love with her, and while she can kill him, he can’t kill her.
• How Ae-shin has nerves of steel to be able to walk normally in front of Dong-mae, despite having been shot in the leg.
• Our favorite lines from the show, including “the beginning of revenge and end of jealousy.”
• The amazing Yoo Yeon Seok, who plays Dong-mae in Mr. Sunshine, and who is Ahn Jung-wan in Hospital Playlist.

Next week, we will recap and analyze episodes 9 and 10 or Mr. Sunshine and talk about Byun ho-han, who plays Kim Hui–seung.

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episodes 5 and 6 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix, starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We’ll also talk about Byun ho-han, the actor who plays Kim Hui–seung. We talk about:

• How Ae-shin invited Eugene to “do love” even though she didn’t really know what it meant and how Eugene has finally accepted Ae-shin’s offer. We don’t think Eugene has the best intentions for accepting Ae-shin’s offer to “do love.”
• The three relationships that look like they can never be:
  • Ae-shin and Eugene
  • Ae-shin and Dong-mae
  • Ae-shin and Hui-seung
• The document that everyone seems to be looking for. We finally know what it is and who had it.
• The key themes of identity and belonging and how we have five characters who seem to be part of multiple communities/cultures but don’t really belong anywhere.
• Eugene’s journey to find out what happened to his parents’ bodies after they were killed.
• The brewing bromance between Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode: food, flowers, clothing, quirky friends.
• The amazing and hunky Lee Byung-hun

References:

• Cairns and Korean burial mounds
• Memorial ceremonies in rural Korea
• KEPSO tracing Korea’s electricity history
• Wikipedia page on Lee Byung-hun
• Marriage and family in Korean Society
• Korean Speech and Honorifics

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episodes 3 and 4 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix. Ae-shin and Eugene are trying to figure out if they are comrades, allies or enemies. They keep running into each other: at the riverbank on the way to see Potter Eun-san, at the tailor, and at the train station.

When an American rifle is stolen, Ae-shin is suspected, but turns out it was Gunner Jang who stole the gun. Eugene suspects her, but says he will protect her. We also learn the origin story of Goo Dong-mae. He was the son of butchers, the lowest of the commoners and reviled. His mother forced him to run away from home, to avoid the life of a butcher’s son. When his parents are beaten, Ae-shin saves Yu-jin. We also meet Ae-shin’s fiance, Kim Hui-seung, who has finally come home from Japan. He’s a gambling, good for nothing and Ae-shin does not seem happy to see him. 

We talk about how both Eugene and Dong-mae were victims of abuse, left Joseon and are now back in Joseon, but with loyalties to another country. We also talk about how the mothers of Ae-shin, Yu-ji and Dong-mae all sacrificed themselves to save their child. We also talk about the complicated relationship between Ae-shin and Eugene.

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episodes 1 and 2 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. 

We learn the story of Eugene Choi, a slave from Joseon who stows away to the United States. Even though he is no longer a slave, he has a hard life in New York, getting beat up by bullies and having his money taken away. He decides to join the US military, and becomes a Captain in the US Marines. After the Spanish-American War, he is sent to Joseon with Major Kyle Moore, to work at the US legation and deal with a former US diplomat who is selling secrets to the Japanese.

We spend time talking about the historical context for Mr. Sunshine, including the story of how Korea has struggled for independence as a small country caught between multiple superpowers and the establishment of the Korean Empire. We also talk about how deeply hierarchical Korean society is at the time. 

The first two episodes introduce us to so many characters, so we spend time introducing the primary and secondary characters. We spend time talking about Yu-jin’s journey to becoming an American and what he left behind in Joseon.

We explore the K Drama elements that we saw in the first two episodes. We also decide not to discuss our favorite outfits since the costumes are not about fashion. We will, however, talk about the dresses and outfits: what they were, what they signify, how they change over time.

References:

• Exhibit about the Emperor of Korea’s yellow robe
• Introduction to the Spanish-American War
• Cast of Mr. Sunshine

We’re getting ready for Season 3 where we will recap and analyze Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring  Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin from 2018.

Before we dive into Mr. Sunshine, we did a fun episode with Sung Hee’s sister Jeanie. Jeanie shares her K Drama and Korean language journey. Then Joanna, Sung Hee and Jeanie share their Top 3 K Dramas. Actually, we end up sharing our Top 5 and cousin Linda (through Joanna) shares her Top 9 K Dramas.

Listeners, we will be recapping and analyzing Episodes 1 nd 2 of Mr. Sunshine next week, so get ready!

Joanna and Sung Hee introduce the show that K Drama Chat will cover during Season 3 - Mr. Sunshine. Mr. Sunshine is a hit show on Netflix from 2018. The show is about Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun), who was born into slavery in Joseon. After escaping to the United States at the time of the 1871 Shinmiyangyo, he becomes a Captain in the US Marine Corps. He gets sent to Joseon by President Roosevelt, under the guide of “taking care” of an American allegedly selling secrets to the Japanese. Captain Choi meets and falls in love with Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), an aristocrat’s granddaughter who refuses to sit quietly, marry, have children and embroider butterflies all day.

Jen is taking a couple of months off from the show so Joanna and Sung Hee are taking this opportunity to recap and review a historical (saeguk) K Drama, which Jen is not a fan of. Before diving into Mr. Sunshine, Joanna and Sung Hee are taking it easy for a couple of weeks. In this episode, they talk about Mr. Sunshine, and the shows they are currently watching.

Listeners, start watching or rewatching Mr. Sunshine now so you’re ready when we start analyzing the first two episodes in a couple of weeks!

References:

• Mr. Sunshine on Netfllix
• Korean History series on YouTube from LoonyTricky
• The 2 Koreas according to Crash Landing On You (CLOY)

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 16, the final episode of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the story is Find the Real, Real Faces by Meun Young. Sang Tae convinces Meun Young to publish her final book, which is about three friends (an emotionless princess, a boxed man, and a masked man) whose faces were stolen by an evil shadow witch. After a long journey and meeting many characters, the friends realize that what the shadow witch had stolen from them was not their real, real faces but their courage to find happiness.

This episode was ultimately about Gang Tae, Sang Tae and Meun Young finding the courage to be happy. Gang Tae learned to be vulnerable, to ask for help, to love and be loved, and to believe that he wasn’t born to take care of Sang Tae because Moon Gang Tae belongs to Moon Gang Tae. Meun Young was able to shed the narrative that she is an empty can, unable to care about others’ feelings. Meun Young came to care about the brothers, rejoin the community, love, be loved, and write again. Sang Tae was able to overcome his trauma, paint over the murderous butterfly and paint his own butterflies, and leave Gang Tae to pursue a career as an illustrator.

This episode also revisited the stories of some of the patients at the hospital, including A-reum and Jung-tae, who are finally together; the assemblyman’s song, Kwon Ki-do, who is studying for the national civil service exam; Pil won, who has a new pair of shoes and the courage to leave the hospital for good; and Eun-ja, who has accepted her daughter’s death and has opened up her own restaurant.

Even the second and third couples look like they’re going to make it. The publisher is opening up his new office in Seongjin City to be closer to Ju-ri, and Jae-soo appears to be getting closer to the art director.

At the end of the episode, Joanna, Jen and Sung Hee reveal the show they are going to recap and analyze in Season 3 of K Drama Chat – Mr. Sunshine! We wanted to do a historical show and decided Mr. Sunshine had a lot to discuss, including Korea during the Japanese occupation, how Japan and the US fought over Korea, the rebellion against the Japanese, the role of women during that period of time, gender identity, and Korean language.

We will have a few in between episodes before we start talking about Mr. Sunshine, so keep listening and start watching Mr. Sunshine!

Jen is back, yay!  In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 15 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the story is The Tale of the Two Brothers. We think this story is about how Gang Tae, Sang Tae and Meun Young all love each other and they just need to stop bickering, stop wasting time trying to stay apart, and decide to stay together.

This episode answers questions about Nurse Park and why she killed the Moon brothers’ mom and how she manipulated Park Ok-ran. Nurse Park tries to hurt Sang Tae, Gang Tae and Meun Young, but Sang Tae hits her over the head with a book. The police finally come and take Meun Young away.

Meun Young tells Gang Tae and Sang Tae to move out of the house because she doesn’t think any of them can get over her mom killing the brothers’ mom. But Sang Tae and Gang Tae are determined to stay. The show comes full circle when Gang Tae’s hand is cut again, and this time, it’s Gang Tae who tells Meun Young that he loves her, but she just walks away.

At the end of the episode, Joanna and Jen talk about the three shows they’re considering for Season 3 of K Drama Chat.

Jen is sick, so Sung Hee is filling in. In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 14 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the story is The Hand, The Monkfish. We think this story is autobiographical for Meun Young, whose mom thought she was perfect and protected her and kept her in the cursed castle.

We learn that Nurse Park is Meun Young’s mom and turns out that she killed the Moon brothers’ mom. It also appears that she killed Meun Young’s dad by pulling the plug on the machines keeping him alive. Meun Young runs away when she learns who her mom is. We learn more about Meun Young’s mom, including her medical background and how she stayed at the hospital for 20 years to watch her husband suffer. At the end of the show, Do Hui Jae convinces Sang Tae to go with her and they end up at the cursed castle, with Sang Tae unconscious or dead.

We talk about how Gang Tae, Sang Tae and Meun Young are processing the fact that Nurse Park is Meun Young’s mom and how they are protecting each other. The publisher and Ju-ri are starting to show their feelings toward each other. We also get an update on some of the patients at the OK Hospital.

At the end of the show, Joanna and Jen discuss the shows they are considering for Season 3 of K Drama Chat.

References:

• Butterfly by BTS
• What is makgeolli?

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 13 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the story is The Father of the Two Sisters. There are parallel stories here involving an abuser and someone who allowed the abuse to happen.

We learn that Meun Young’s dad knew that his wife was cruel to Meun Young, but he tolerated it, only reading a single book to Meun Young. There is also a side story about patient Sun-hae. Sun-hae was abused by her mother and her father stood by and did nothing, despite pleas from Sun-hae. We also learn that Meun Young witnessed her father throw her mother over the staircase and then dump her mother’s body in the lake. Similarly, Sang Tae witnessed the murder of his mother.

Meun Young’s dad dies. Before he died, he confessed that he killed his wife and tried to kill Meun Young because he worried that Meun Young would turn into a monster like his wife. At the end of the episode, we have a huge surprise: Nurse Park is Meun Young’s and the murderer of the Moon brothers’ mom. 

In addition to analyzing this episode, Joanna, Jen and Sung Hee also talk about common and useful phrases to use when traveling in Korea or eating at a Korean restaurant. 

References:

• Korean Braised Quail Eggs
• Shamanism in Korean
• Book Series from It’s Okay to Not Be Okay on Amazon

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 12 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the story is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Are Gang Tae and Meun Young fated for each other? Are they in an ill-fated relationship?

In this episode, Gang Tae and Meun Young get closers. Meun Young is happy to have the brothers in the house and she likes her house again. She and Sang Tae are working on her new book. But the episode turns dark when Gang Tae finds a family photo in Meun Young’s room. Meun Young’s mother is obscured in the photo, but Gang Tae realizes she is wearing a butterfly pin.

Later, when Sang Tae recounts to Gang Tae and the directory the story of how their mom died, Gang Tae realizes that Meun Young’s mom is very likely their mom’s murderer. He feels like he was just starting to live a normal life and now he just wants to run away. Worse, he found an envelope on Sang Tae’s desk with a butterfly and a note saying, “I’ll come for you soon.”

There are side stories involving a PTSD patient, Ju-ri and the publisher, Jae soo and Sang Tae, and Meun Young’s dad. We also talk about the low birthrate in Korea, the two numbering systems in Korea, and the BTS members going into the military.

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 11 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the children’s story is The Ugly Duckling. Family comes up a lot in this episode. Jae-soo is upset that Sang Tae doesn’t consider him family, even though he’s been following the brothers around for ten years. Gang Tae wants Sang Tae to be the adult in the family, able to accept others, including and especially Meun Young, who he says is the loneliest person he’s ever known.

This episode opens with Park Ok-ran visiting Meun Young and the two of them getting into a confrontation, which leaves Meun Young with a cut on her hand. Gang Tae rushes to the cursed castle and is relieved to find that Meun Young is okay. When he tries to go after Park  Ok-ran, Meun Young gets upset. Gang Tang tries to calm her down, tells her to count to three, then gives her a long, passionate kiss.

Gang Tae tells Meun Young the story of Sang Tae’s traumatic memory, tells her that he must stay by Sang Tae’s side, and she must stay by his side. Meung Young tries talking to Sang Tae, urges him to come home and be her illustrator, threatens him with breach of contract for moving out, and ultimately asks him to be her older brother. In the end, Sang Tae becomes the older brother to both Gang Tae and Meun Young. 

At the end of this episode, a dark figure enters the cursed castle, sits at Meun Young’s dresser in the basement, and looms over the sleeping figures of Meun Young, Gang Tae and Sang Tae. Who is she? What is the butterfly pin that she pulled out of the dresser? Is it related to the butterfly that Sang Tae is so afraid of?

In this episode, we also talk about the Korean family register and the multi-balms that Korean women put on their faces and necks to make themselves look dewey and glow.

Reference:

• How multi balms became Korea's biggest beauty trend in 2022

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 10 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the children’s story is The Girl Who Cried Wolf, based on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Meun Young says the boy was lonely up on the mountain, which is why he kept crying wolf. When the wolf did come, nobody believed him. Meun Young believes that if even one person had believed him, he would not have died.

The episode opens with Sang Tae announcing to the hospital that Gang Tae wanted him dead and that he pushed him (Sang Tae) into the river. He is eventually given sedatives and put into an isolation room. A devastated Gang Tae pushes Meun Young away, telling her that he has woken from a dream and he should have focused instead on his brother. Sang Tae eventually goes home with Ju-ri’s mom. Whe Gang Tae comes home, he apologizes for lying to Sang Tae, for saying that he wanted him dead, for wishing his brother was normal. Sang Tae comes out of his wardrobe and comforts a sobbing Gang Tae.

Meanwhile, Meun Young threatens Gang Tae, who has rejected him. She goes to Ju-ri’s house, asks Ju-ri’s mom for seaweed soup because it’s her birthday, and then gives the doll Mang Tae back to Sang Tae.

The episode also featured:

• Ju-ri and Meun Young drinking together, and Ju-ri slapping Meun Young in a drunken state
• The publisher and Jae-soo fighting over who is to blame for the debacle between Sang Tang, Gang Tae and Meun Young.
• Meun Young’s dad tried to choke Park Ok-ran, whom he heard singing “Oh my darling Clementine” and reading The Murder of the Witch of the West

At the end of the episode, Park Ok-ran hits a caregiver on the head with a rock and then escapes from the hospital. Gang Tae figures out that she is headed to the cursed castle, so he races to Meun Young. Meun Young answers a knock on the door and finds Park Ok-ran standing on her front step, wishing her a happy birthday.

References:

• How seaweed soup became Korea’s traditional birthday dish
• South Korea’s obsession with fried chicken explained
• 8 restaurants you’ve seen in K Dramas 

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 9 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the children’s story is King Donkey Ears, the story about the King who had donkey ears and told his hairdresser to keep it a secret. After many years, the hairdresser could no longer hold the secret in, so he shouted to the forest that the king had donkey ears.

The show opens with Gang Tae and Meun Young arguing over going on a trip; they clearly have different ideas for this trip. They ultimately go up to the mountains, visit a spectacular suspension bridge, and spend the night at a guesthouse. They even run into A-reum and Jeoung-Tae, who have run away together, but ultimately decide to separate until they are both recovered enough to be together successfully. Before leaving the guesthouse, Gang Tae gives Meun Young a bouquet of flowers, the flowers he was never able to give her when they were kids.

So much happened in this episode, but the most important scene is when Sang Tae confronts Gang Tae and accuses him of lying because Gang Tae and Meun Young went away together without telling Sang Tae the truth. Sang Tae asks Gang Tae who likes more, him or Meun Young, and then shouts that Gang Tae told their mother every day that he wanted Sang Tae to die, and Gang Tae pushed him into the frozen river and left him to die.

This episode also featured:

• The growing relationship between the publisher and Ju-ri
  Meun Young’s dad saying Meung Young’s just like “that woman,” who was a monster who killed someone and whom he killed.
  The mysterious patient Park Ok-ran taking her book “The Muder of the Witch of the West” from Nurse Park

References:

• Filming locations for It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
• What do chrysanthemums mean?
• What do chrysanthemums means? 

Jen is on vacation, so this episode has Joanna and Sung Hee.

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 8 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the children’s story is Beauty and the Beast. Joanna and Sung Hee disagree on the overall theme of this episode: Is it Stockholm Syndrome, where Gang Tae has become enamored of his captor, Meun Young? Or is it a story about how Gang Tae’s love is healing the monstrous Meun Young? We also argue that neither Meun Young nor Gang Tae can be the beast, since they are both so gorgeous!

We talk about how Meun Young and Gang Tae are loosening up, learning to smile, and starting to enjoy each other’s company. But trouble is brewing between Sang Tae and Meun Young. Sang Tae doesn’t like Meun Young’s shorter hair, he is angry that Gang Tae gave the nightmare catcher Mang Tae to Meun Young, and he doesn’t want to share Gang Tae. Meun Young, meanwhile, knows that Gang Tae and Sang Tae will never be separated and she wants to join the brothers under the metaphorical umbrella. 

The poor publisher has become enamored of Ju-ri and he’s now living in Ju-ri’s house, in a bid to win back Meun Young’s favor, save his company, and win Ju-ri’s heart. We meet a mysterious patient at the hospital, who walks the halls at night, singing Oh My Darling Clementine. Finally, when a patient’s ex-husband punches Meun-Young, Gang Tae punches him back and is suspended without pay. He leaves the house, seemingly not upset, but smiling, as he runs to Meun Young and asks her to go on a trip. “Let’s go,” he says!

References:

• Little by Little on YouTube, with English and Hangeul lyrics 
• Jhoon Rhi, the father of American Taekwondo, dies - 
• Quora discussion on the popularity of Taekwondo in the US

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 7 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, the children’s story is The Cheerful Dog. Gang Tae takes care of Meun Young after her nightmare, then takes the day off to spend the day with her. Later, Meun Young’s class at the hospital is canceled and she decides to take Eun-ja’s mink wrap as compensation. When Gang Tae objects, Eun-ja lets Meun Young have it, saying her burden has finally lifted. Gang Tae drinks with Jae-soo and when he comes home to Sang Tae, he has a realization that his mother did love him after all, remembering times when his mother bought him jjampong and invited him under the umbrella with her and Sang Tae.  

The publisher gets drunk at a convenience store and sees an equally drunk Ju-ri, who lashes out at the publisher and then ends up getting a piggyback ride home from him. At the end of the episode, Meun Young’s dad tells Meun Young that she is just like her mom, but Meun Young says no. At home, she cuts off hair, her burden, the hair that her mom would never let her cut. Gang Tae fixes her haircut and then tells her she’s pretty.

References:

• Mang Tae Doll on Etsy
• Oh My Darling Clementine on Wikipedia

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 6 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode Gang Tae and Meun Young admit to each other that they knew each other in childhood, Sang Tae moves in with Meun Young and becomes her exclusive illustrator, Gang Tae eventually moves in to the cursed castle as well, we learn more about the incident where Gang Tae and Sang Tae fell through the ice in the frozen lake, a hospital patient thinks she’s Meun Young’s mom and greatly upsets Meun Young, the hospital director has a clandestine meeting with one of his patients in a linen closet, the publisher and art director try unsuccessfully to convince Meun Young to come back to her old life, and Gang Tae promises Meun Young that he won’t leave her after witnessing her have a terrible nightmare.

Joanna and Jen recap the episode, discuss the show, and then talk about Korean BBQ.

References:

• The Story of Bluebeard
• Korean BBQ vs. American BBQ

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 5 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. In this episode, Gang Tae searches for Meun Young in the pouring rain and finds her. He tries to take her to a motel, but neither has any money, so they end up at Gang Tae’s apartment. Meun Young ends up staying the night, so Gang Tae has to fabricate an excuse to keep Sang Tae and Jae-soo away. When Joo-ri comes home the next day, she confronts Meun Young, who tells Joo-ri that she confessed her feelings to Gang Tae and he is her. They end up fighting and Gang Tae throws Meun Young out. Sang Tae realizes that Gang Tae lied to him to keep him out of the apartment and is once again upset with his brother. We learn more about Meun Young’s dad and Meun Young’s relationship with Joo-ri when they were kids. At the end of the episode, Meun Young convinces Sang Tae to live with her and be her illustrator. When Gang Tae goes looking for his brother, Meung Young invites him to come to the cursed castle. The episode ends with Gang Tae looking up at Meun Young, who is standing on her balcony, echoing the time when she was younger and Gang Tae came to her home’s gate to deliver her flowers, only to be rejected by Meun Young.

References:

• The Story of Rapunzel
• Filming locations
• Moon Gang Tae’s house filming location 
• Meun Young’s cursed castle filming location

Jen is on vacation, so Sung Hee is filling in. In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 4 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix. The children’s story from this episode is Zombie Kid, the boy who couldn’t feel emotion and was only interested in eating. The assemblyman’s son causes havoc at his father’s political rally; he is chastised by his mom and his father tells the hospital director that his son will forever stay in psychiatric hospitals. Meun Young upsets Gang Tae with her talk of parents abandoning useless children, and children pushing away demented parents. But when her father tries to choke her, Gang Tae has a change of heart and goes to look for Meun Young in the rain. We have an important flashback of Meun Young as a young girl, her mom brushing her hair, and her mother lying face down in a pool of blood. 

We do a recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The song Hallelujah by Kim Feel
• The Zombie Kid story and how we think this story is about a boy who ultimately was looking for warmth and love from his mom
• How Gang Tae is going through a transformation; he’s showing more emotion
• How Gang Tae and Meun Young are both childlike and childish in this episode
• Gang Tae’s flashbacks of his mom prioritizing Sang Tae when the boys were younger
• How Sang Tae is infatuated with Meun Young and he has another episode when Gang Tae yells at him
• How this episode is about each character’s need to be seen
• Our thoughts re: why Meun Young’s dad said “die” and “why are you still alive?” when he saw Meun Young
• How we need to know more about Meun Young’s mother, the circumstances of her death, and her relationship with her daughter
• Two characters who we think will become really important: Nurse Park and Ju-ri’s mom
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, namely:
  • Flowers
  • Food
  • Wrist grabs
  • Umbrellas
  • Lots of crying, especially by Gang Tae
• How in Korean slang, telling someone “do you want to come over to my place for ramen” means “do you want to spend the night together.?”
• Our favorite Meun Young outfits
• Our favorites lines from the episode
• The amazing cinematography in this episode
• The wonderful animations in this show

References:

• Magnolia Festival in Taean 
• Cinematography of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
• Filmmaker Reacts to It’s Okay to Not Be Okay Cinematography and Sound Design

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 3 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. Meun Young shows up at OK Hospital because she misses Gang Tae. Her father is at the hospital, but she doesn’t seem to care about him. The hospital director asks Meun Young to teach a literature class and Sang Tae to paint a mural at the hospital. Meun Young kidnaps a manic patient at the hospital, who turns out to be the son of a famous assemblyman. They stop at a campaign event for the assemblyman. The son gets up on stage and tells the residents that he is the assemblyman's son, that he is mentally ill, and the ugly duckling of the family. 

We do a recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The song My Tale by Park Won
• Our impressions of episode 3
• How it’s clear that Meun Young and Gang Tae have known each other since they were kids
• This episode’s children’s story of Sleeping Beauty and the theme of destiny
• The many times that Gang Tae seems to have changed his mind about Meun Young and being with her
• How we see another side of Meun Young, the vulnerable side
• What we think of the OK Hospital Director
• The story of the assemblyman’s son, Min-seok
• Mental illness in South Korea and the US
• The K Drama elements in this episode
• Our favorite Meun Young outfit
• Our favorite lines from the show
• Brene Brown’s work on fitting in and belonging
• Seo yea-ji’s background and acting career

References:

• Brene Brown on True Belonging 

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 2 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. Sang Tae attends a book signing by Meun Young and gets in trouble when he touches a kid wearing a dinosaur costume. Gang Tae comes to his rescue and Meun Young intervenes, causing a huge scene when she gets mad at the child’s parents. While waiting for Sang Tae to calm down, Meun Young asks Gang Tae to be her safety pin. She ends up pushing a book critic, further jeopardizing her career. We also find out that Gang Tae and Sang Tae’s mother was murdered and Sang Tae says it was the butterfly that killer her. Jae-soo and Gang Tae realize it’s time to move again, before the butterflies appear. Sung Hee comes back as our guest!

We do a recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We talk about our first impressions of the show and what we loved about the first episode. We discuss:

• The song Breathe by Sam Kim, a Korean-American singer, songwriter, producer and guitarist.
• What we thought of this episode.
• The children’s story in this episode, namely the Girl with the Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson.
• Obsession and what things in the show cannot be separated.
• How we see the world through San Tae’s eyes as he is walking toward the book signing.
• How Gang Tae, Sang Tae and Mun Yeoung are all distorted in their emotional reactions to the world around them.
• What we think the butterflies mean.
• What we know about the Moon brothers’ mom being murdered.
• How we learn more about Meun Young, specifically about her parents.
• How Meun Young seems to get herself in trouble when Gang Tae is around.
• How Meun Young debated whether or not to help Gang Tae when they were little kids, and at the book signing.
• The triangles forming between the characters.
• The K Drama elements we see in this episode, and there are a lot of them.
• Our favorite Meun Young outfit.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• Kim Soo Hyun, his career, his military service, and how he decided on It’s Okay to Not Be Okay as his comeback show.
• How the South Korean parliament is considering a law that would allow internationally recognized K Pop stars to complete their military service in just three weeks.

References:

• The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson 
• What do butterflies mean in Korean culture? 
• Kim Soo Hyun on his military service
• BTS rekindles debate about military service 

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 1 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, the hit K Drama on Netflix from 2020. In this first episode, we get introduced to celebrity children’s book author Koo Meun Young (Seo Yea-ji), compassionate caregiver Moon Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun), the talented, autistic Moon Sang Tae (Oh Jung-se), and the long suffering nurse Nam Joo-ri (Park Gyu-young). The characters intersect when Meun Young does a book reading at the hospital where Moon Gang Tae works, and when Joo-ri travels to Seoul to get Meun Young’s signature for surgery that her father needs.

We do a recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We talk about our first impressions of the show and what we loved about the first episode. We discuss:

• You’re Cold by Heize, one of the songs from the OST
• The 18 elements that seem to exist in most K Dramas, specifically:
  • Beautiful actors
  • Crying, by both women and men
  • Gorgeous OSTs (original sound tracks)
  • Food; there's lot of eating in K Dramas
  • Alcohol; drinking by both men and women
  • The trip and catch
  • Piggyback rides
  • The back hug
  • Product placements
  • Holding hands
  • The wrist grab
  • Flowers
  • Love triangles
  • Umbrella scene
  • The quirky best friend
  • The Deep Lean
  • Beautiful or arresting clothing
  • The Arm Rest
• Other possible K Drama elements, specifically:
  • A singing or karaoke scene
  • A gazing at some scenery standing side by side scene
  • A conversation about whether it’s okay to talk casually with each other
  • A grandfather or chairman character
• The opening stop motion animation about the girl with no friends
• What we know about Koo Meun Young
• What we know about Moon Gang Tae
• What we know about Moon Sang Tae
• The K Drama Elements that show up in this episode
• Our favorite Meun Young outfit

We close with a discussion about how to refer to older brother or older sister in Korean.

References:

• How to refer to older brother or sister in Korean
• You’re Cold by Heize on YouTube 

We’re still on break after wrapping up with Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, Joanna and Jen have a conversation with Professor Professor Ernabel Demillo, Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. Ernabel talks about:

• Her K Drama journey
• Why she thinks K Dramas are so addicting
• Whether and how the popularity of K Dramas and KPop are affecting American perceptions Asian Americans and Asian culture
• How Asian culture is not monolithic
• How the colorful outfits in K Dramas make her think of bouquets of flowers
• The high production value in K Dramas and how filmmakers and actors in Korea take their crafts very seriously
• How Jokoy is about to release his new movie, “Easter Sunday”
• The newly-designated Little Manila in Queens
• The recurring theme of identity in her show Asian American Life, and so much more.

We laughed nearly the entire episode; come laugh with us! After this episode with Professor Demillo, we will begin Season 2 of K Drama Chat by recapping and analyzing Episode 1 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. If you haven’t started watching, please start now!

References:

• Asian American Life on YouTube
• Asian American Life Website 
• On Demand Korea 
• Top 10 Korean Variety Shows 

We’re taking a short break between seasons after wrapping up with Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, we have a conversation with a couple of friends: Sung Hee, who was our guest in Episode 6, and cousin Linda, who we have mentioned so many times! Be prepared to laugh with us as we discuss our love of K Dramas! We cover:

• Our individual K Drama journeys
• What makes K Dramas so addicting
• How K Dramas are so wholesome
• The invention of the Korean language, Hangeul, and our own languages journeys with Hangeul
• Our favorite shows and actors
• Our favorite K Drama OSTs
• Are Korean really that wonderful?
• What it’s like to be Asian-American and Korean-American at a time when KPop, K Dramas and Korean culture are so popular
• What we thought about Hotel Del Luna
• What we think about our choice of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay as the next K Drama that we will recap and analyze

Listeners, next week, we will have another special guest: Professor Ernabel Demillo is Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV.  

After the episode with Professor Demillo, we will begin Season 2 of K Drama Chat by recapping and analyzing Episode 1 of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. If you haven’t started watching, please start now!

References:

• History of Hangeul
• Korean tofu soup or Sundubu-jjigae 
• DramaCool
• King Sejong from the Joseon Dynasty

In this episode, we recap and analyze Episode 16, the finale, of Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, all of the staff resolve their grudges and move on to the afterlife. Bartender Kim overcomes his shame over being labeled a lewd scholar when Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung convince the author to write a novel about a fictional, but honorable, Kim Si-ik. Guest manager Seo hee learns that the daughter of the eldest grandson in her husband’s family will carry the mother’s name, thus ending the family line. Hyun joong’s sister dies and is reunited with her beloved brother.  

Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung realize that they met nearly 1,300 years ago, when Man Wol became an orphan and Koo Chan Sung and his dad found her and adopted her into their family. Man Wol is able to muster her courage to go into the tunnel to the afterlife, but only after Mago grants their wish of seeing winter together. We see Man Wol, Chan Sung, Bartender Kim, Seo hee and Hyun joong reunite in what might have been a dream or the future. The final scene shows Mago introducing the new owner of the hotel to her sisters; Kim Soo Hyun makes an unforgettable cameo as the owner of Hotel Blue Moon.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Another song from the OST - Happy Ending, written and performed by IU herself!
• Bartender Kim’s story and how he might have been the Shakespeare of Joseon.
• How Man Wol showed her love for Bartender Kim in her actions, but not when he was leaving for the afterlife.
• What cranes represent in Korean culture and how Joanna is obsessed with them.
• The scholar Brene Brown and her work on shame.
• Hyeon mi’s death and her reunion with Hyun joong.
• How forlorn Yuna became at the thought of Hyun joong leaving and the hotel .disappeared, but how she overcame her grief to give Hyun joong a proper sendoff and flowers from Mago.
• How Seo hee overcame her grudge when she learned that her husband’s family line would come to an end.  
• How Seo hee came to the rescue of the pregnant woman and her baby in a way that nobody came to her rescue 200 years ago.
• The benefits of curses.
• The dream that let Man Wol and Chan Sung know they had met in the past.
• Man Wol and Chan Sung’s goodbye at the tunnel to the afterlife.
• How Man Wol walked alone into the tunnel, without assistance from the grip reaper or a limousine.
• What we think will happen to Yuna and Chan Sung in the future.
• The ending scene with the entire cast; is it a dream or the future?
• How we learn that there are 12 Magos.
• The ending scene where the new owner of Hotel Blue Moon is revealed.

References:

• Kim Soo Hyun To Make Cameo Appearance In “Hotel Del Luna” Finale
• Ending of Hotel Del Luna Explained
• Hotel Del Luna delivers spellbinding, cathartic ending
• The Ending of Hotel Del Luna Explained
• What do broken-hearted knitters, urinating goalkeepers and the CIA have in common:
• Philadelphia Museum of Art on cranes in Korean culture
• K Drama’s obsession over books and literature

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 15 of Hotel Del Luna. While Man Wol was gone, Mago gives Chan Sung a task: go back in time to 200 years ago to pick some moon flowers needed to make the wine that will make someone the next owner of the hotel. Chan Sung meets Man Wol, who asks him to stay and become her 85th human manager, but he declines. When he comes back, Mago tells him that Man Wol has come back from the afterlife. Man Wol has a joyful reunion with Chan Sung and her staff. We finally learn Hyun Jung’s back story. He finally confronts Tae sok, who shot him and led his life as Hyun Jung. He also gets to graduate from school. We also learn just a little bit about Bartender Kim’s life. At the end, Man Wol refuses the wine that Yuna has stolen from potion Mago. Chan Sung and Man Wol declare their love for each other.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Another song from the OST - Say Goodbye by Song Haye.
• Mago asking Chan Sung to go back in time to retrieve the moon flowers
• The mind-bending aspects of time travel.
• How Mago has been engineering the whole story of Man Wol and Chan Sung, starting 1,300 years ago.
• How we meet a new Mago, poverty Mago.
• The Korean board game of baduk, or Go in Japan.
• Why Chan Sung didn’t take the medicine that would remove his ability to see ghosts.
• The story of Hyun Jung and how he was shot by his friend Tae sok, who then took Hyun Jung’s name and cared for Hyeon mi his whole life.
• The confrontation between Hyun Jung and Tae sok.
• How we learn a little about bartender Kim’s story.
• How Man Wol decided not to drink the wine that Yuna stole, in effect rejecting the opportunity to remain the hotel manager and stay with Chan Sung.
• The K Drama elements in this episode:
  • Flowers
  • Alcohol
  • The quirky best friend Sanchez
  • The umbrella scenes
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• Second lead syndrome in K Dramas.

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 14 of Hotel Del Luna. Man Wol is convinced that Koo Chan Sung is a reincarnated Chyung Myung. She knows she can’t kill Koo Chan Sung, so she gives the moon ornament to Ji-won to make him stronger, knowing Ji-won will try to kill Koo Chan Sung. Koo Chan Sung battles and tricks Ji-won and is saved by the hotel staff and the grim reaper. As a result, Koo Chan Sung saves Man Wol from being turned to ashes. Chyung Myung finally appears to Man Wol in human form, but instead of bringing him to hell and then vanishing, Man Wol is finally empty and will allow Chyung Myung to go to the afterlife. As a final punishment, Man Wol must accompany Chyung Myung to the bridge to the afterlife. At the end of the episode, Man Wol and Chyung Myung are on the bridge. Man stops, turns around and walks back to Koo Chan Sung.  

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• This week’s featured song from the Hotel Del Luna OST -Can You Hear Me by Ben.
• How Man Wol is convinced that Koo Chan Sung is a reincarnated Chyung Myung because of things he’s done and said, including holding her head a certain way when Koo Chan Sung exited the tunnel.
• How Man Wol betrayed Koo Chan Sung by giving Ji-won the moon ornament so that he would become stronger and be able to kill Koo Chan Sung.
• How Koo Chan Sung battled and vanquished Ji-won by tricking him about the full moon; he was saved by the bartender, bellman, guest manager and grim reaper.
• How Koon Chan Sung saved Man Wol from being turned to ashes by Mago.
• How Joanna is Team Koo Chan Sung and Jen is Team Chyung Myung.
• What it meant when Mago told Man Wol to empty herself  
• The meaning of 666 (the room where Seo-hee brought Ji-won) to Catholics; it’s from the book of Revelation.  
• Hyung Jun’s story and how he is waiting for his sister to die. He finally tells Yuna that he will be leaving the hotel soon.
• How heartbreaking it was to see Koo Chan Sung sobbing at the bus stop after a month of waiting for Man Wol to come back.
• The K Drama elements in this episode:
  • Crying (mostly by Koo Chan Sung)
  • Alcohol
  • Flowers
  • Triangles
  • Wrist grabs
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• The many ways to say Thank You in Korean, including how to say it formally and casually.

References:

• How to say I’m sorry in Korean
• What is 666 in the bible?  

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 13 of Hotel Del Luna. We learn the story of guest manager Seo-hee. 200 years ago, her husband’s family let her baby daughter die, in order to make room for a son to be born. At her death, Seo hee curses the family. When the eldest grandson of the family dies a bachelor and without children, Seo hee is happy. Her happiness is short lived when she finds out the grandson had a pregnant girlfriend. When the girlfriend and her baby are close to death, Seon hee cannot bring herself to let them die, even at the expense of her grudge. The ghost of serial killer Ji won is back and this time, he’s after Chan Sung’s friends: Sanchez, Lee Mi-ra and Yeon-soo. We also finally learn the story of the fateful night when Chyung Myung and Man Wol battle. Chyung Myung stabs himself with Man Wol’s sword and says that he will keep her in his heart and watch her from afar. At the end of the episode, Chan Sung runs into the tunnel to the afterlife (while looking for a lost boy), and is guided by the firefly who has been hanging out in the moon tree for 1,300 years!

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• This week’s featured song from the Hotel Del Luna OST - Remember Me by Gummy.
• How K Drama Chat has gone up in rank on Feedspot’s list of Top K Drama Podcasts!
• We learn more about what happened between Man Wol and Chyung Myung on the wedding night of Chyung Myung and Song Hwa.
• How Chyung Myung killed himself with Man Wo’s sword and pledged to watch her from afar.
• How Chyung Myung is the firefly that has been hanging out in the moon tree for 1,300 years!
• Mago #5 or wealth Mago who brings luck and fortune to people and businesses.
• How we learn about Seo-hee and her backstory from 200 years ago. How her husband’s family left her baby girl to die and in her death, Seo hee cursed her husband’s death.
• How Seo hee couldn’t let the pregnant girlfriend of the eldest grandson, and her baby, die.
• The themes of remembering and forgetting in this episode.
• The East Asian obsession with having sons, which we think is stupid.
• The K Drama elements in this show:
  • The Tansan product placement
  • Beef short rib soup
  • Alcohol, in this case champagne and the Tears drink of Mr. Kim
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• Tiki Taka in K Dramas, or the rapid fire dialogue between the actors
• The K Dramas we're watching now. Joanna is watching The Crowned Clown, while Jen has been busy and not watching much.
• A discussion of the K Drama that we should recap and analyze next season!

References:

• 40 Best Korean Drama Podcasts
• Why wasn’t Chocolate Popular in Korea?
• John Oliver’s K Drama Parody of Subway
• Coca Cola Korea Launches New Carbonated Water - The Tansan

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 12 of Hotel Del Luna. The story of the serial killer plays out as Koo Chan Sung meets Ji-won at the wine bar and confirms that he is the murderer. They fight and Koo Chan Sung is saved by Detective Yeong-soo. An injured Ji-won later confronts Koo Chan Sung on the roof of the hospital and then jumps off the building. Man Wol meets Ji-won, who is now a vengeful ghost who is out to get Koo Chan Sung. There is a side story about a doctor and his wife who have been buying lifelines in order to save their sick son. We also see Sanchez, who has come home because he believes Veronica is still at the hotel. Man Wol tells Koo Chan Sung to let her go and not be sad, but Koo Chan Sung says he doesn’t want to let her go. The episode ends with a passionate kiss!

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• This week’s featured song from the Hotel Del Luna OST - See the Stars by Red Velvet.
• How we’re teaching our kids to be more formal with adults until given permission to speak more casually
• How Man Wol is showing true vulnerability for the first time in 1,300 years
• How to love is to be vulnerable
• How we learn more about Man Wol’s life, including her love with Yeon-u, her love for Chyung Myung, and Yeon-u’s death
• How Chyung Myung is the firefly that has been haunting the Moon Tree for 1,300 years!
• How grudges are so damaging to your health
• The side story with the doctor and his wife who are using their lifelines and purchasing lifelines from other people to keep their son alive
• The themes of forgetting and not wanting to be forgotten in Hotel Del Luna
• The K Drama elements in this episode:
• Wrist grab
• Flowers
• Alcohol
• Triangles
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits
• How most K Dramas just one season
• The male physique aesthetic in K Dramas

References:

• C.S. Lewis quote on vulnerability
• Gong Yoo photo shoot for Monster magazine

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 11 of Hotel Del Luna. We see the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung deepen, take a romantic turn, and become even playful. We revisit the story of the serial killer; Yuna is on Ji-won’s trail. We meet Hwang Moon-Suk, who was the human manager at Hotel Del Luna 30 years ago; she wants to ask Man Wol a favor for her son, who was conceived in Room 404 of Hotel Del Luna. We have the tragic story between Sanchez and Veronica. Veronica dies in a tragic car accident. Thankfully, she is able to say good-bye to Sanchez through the lunar eclipse and Hotel Del Luna. At the end of the episode, Mago visits Man Wol to tell her that her time to leave is coming near and the flowers of the tree will fail when she starts to be afraid.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• This week’s featured song from the Hotel Del Luna OST - Only You by Yang Da-il, singer-songwriter and producer,
• How the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung is changing.
• How individuals by default speak formally to each other in South Korea. It’s the protocol to ask to speak informally before actually doing so.
• The story with the serial killer and how Yuna is on his tail.
• How Mago #4 tells Man Wol that the flowers on the tree will fall once she becomes afraid. Man Wol ends up realizing she is afraid because Chan Sung is in danger.
• The story of the human manager, Hwang Moon-Suk. She wants Man Wol to allow her daughter and son-in-law to spend the night at Hotel Del Luna and hopefully conceive a child there.
• The tragic story of Sanchez and Veronica.
• How Hotel Del Luna has three couples that are not destined to work out: Man Wol and Chan Sung; Hyung Jung and Yuna; Sanchez and Veronica.
• The sad and moving story of the father and son who were killed by the truck driver and how the father used his one dream call to contact the truck driver and ask for forgiveness.
• How we learn a little more about the guest manager, Seo-hee, and how she is waiting for her husband’s family line to die.
• The K Drama elements in this episode: flowers, alcohol, product placement, and second couples.
• Naengmyeon and rice cake noodle soup.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• How to say thank you in Korean formally and informally.
• What we’re watching now: 39 and Revolutionary Love

References:

• Timeless Glamor Inside IU’s Hauntingly Beautiful Fashion From “Hotel Del Luna”
• A discerning eater’s guide to naengmyeon: A cold noodle dish for those deep into Korean food

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of Hotel Del Luna. The main storyline is about the hotel Chairman and the bartender trying to set up Koo Chan Sung with the Chairman’s granddaughter. While the granddaughter is interested, Koo Chan Sung says that his heart is already taken. And even though Man Wol tells him to leave the hotel, Koo Chan Sung decides to stay by her side. In the end, Man Wol allows Koo Chan Sung to take care of her and guide her to the afterlife., causing the Moon Tree to burst with flowers. The hotel moves back to the city, and Koo Chan Sung is reinstated as the manager. There are three important side stories: Yeon-wu has come back as a reincarnated Yeong-su. Yeong-su meets Lee Mi-ra and they start to date. Koo Chan Sung meets his mother, who is a ghost trapped in a library. And we see the serial killer set up a man for his many murders.  

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• This week’s featured song from the Hotel Del Luna OST - So Long by Paul Kim, a South Korean singer and songwriter.  
• The firefly and the green, shadowy character from last week’s episode.
• Whether or not we would make the choice to eat the medicine that would allow us to stop seeing ghosts.
• The love triangle between Man Wol, Koo Chan Sung and the Chairman’s granddaughter.
• Joanna’s grandmother’s visit to her in a dream when she was little.
• The cameo by Sulli, the famous singer/actress and IU’s best friend; she committed suicie in 2019 after filming the cameo.
• How Man Wol accepts that Chan Sung is there to take care of her, and that she will bloom beautifully and then die, like the Moon Tree.
• The side story with Koo Chan Sung’s mom and how we both felt shortchanged by this story, we wanted to know more about his mom and the relationship to develop between them more.
• The side story with the serial killer, and how he knows Sanchez and Koo Chan Sung.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• How food comes up a lot in this episode, especially how Koo Chan Sung used food to save Sanchez’s life.
• Our favorite lines from the episode.
• Why we think K Dramas make us so emotional, from the music, to the beautiful dialogues, pacing, and character development.

References:

• Sulli made a cameo in Episode 10. She played the granddaughter of the Chairman. Sulli is a singer, actor and model. She is a friend of IU. She was found dead in October 2019. 
• Goo Hara committed suicide 
• The last phone booth in America 
• Secrets of K Drama and K Pop Success   
• Why do people get so emotional when watching K Dramas? 
• Experts explain why K Dramas are so addictive
• In memory of the living; discussion about Koo Chan Sung’s mom

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 9 of Hotel Del Luna. At the beginning of the episode, Koo Chan Sung finds that he has been abandoned by Man Wol and her staff. The hotel has moved to the countryside. A good portion of the episode is devoted to Koo Chan Sung trying to get back to the hotel, which he does, after a visit to see Mago, and by accompanying the recently deceased hotel Chairman. There is a side story with a Guardian of the Well, who abandoned his well because he was drying out, and wanted to leave the villagers while they would still miss him. The second side story involves Yoona and Hyeung Jun, who unwittingly discover the mass grave of six victims.  At the end of the episode, we see a reincarnated Yeon-woo, who turns out to be the detective in charge of the murders.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Another beautiful song from the Hotel Del Luna OST. This time it’s “At the End” by Kim Chung Ha.
• How Man Wol abandoned Koo Chan Sung because she didn’t want him to put him in any more danger.
• Koo Chan Sung’s visit to Mago, where they argue about his role in Man Wol’s life.
• How both Koo Chan Sung  and Jang Man Wol are in conflict with themselves and their emotions.
• How we learn a little more about Mr. Kim, the bartender.
• Dan Pink’s World Regret Survey, where you can take the survey and read regrets from around the world.
• How regrets and grudges are so bad for you because they consume you and keep you from moving on with your life.
• How we weren’t crazy about the story about the Guardian of the Well.
• The K Drama elements of the wrist grab and lots of alcohol.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• The gorgeous cinematography of Hotel Del Luna.
• The shows we’re watching now, specifically Selling Sunset and Memories of the Alhambra.

References:

• Comprehensive analysis of Hotel Del Luna’s gorgeous cinematography 
• Gif of some of the Dutch angle shots in Hotel Del Luna 
• Dan Pink’s World Regret Survey 

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 8 of Hotel Del Luna. This pivotal episode is devoted to the relationship between Man Wol and Lee Mi-ra. We learn through flashbacks that Lee Mi-ra is Princess Song Hwa from Man Wol’s past. Princess Song Hwa is the person who ordered all of Man Wol’s gang members killed. In retaliation, Man Wol kills Princess Song Hwa on her wedding night. In modern times, Lee Mi-ra is Koo Chan Sung’s ex-girlfriend from the US. Man Wol invites Lee Mi-ra to the carnival at Hotel Del Luna and tries to ruin Lee Mi-ra’s life through an evil grudge, which Koo Chan Sung blocks. There is also a side story about an old woman who has recently died and an imaginary ghost created by a lonely woman in a loveless marriage.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Another beautiful song from the Hotel Del Luna OST. This time it’s “Can You See My Heart” by Heize.
• What we loved about this episode.
• How Man Wol forced Mago #1 to appear by stopping an old lady from going to the afterlife.
• Man Wol’s grudges against Chyung Mung and Princess Song Hwa, who is Lee Mi-ra in modern times.
• The show’s themes of grudges, regret and forgiveness.
• How we are finally starting to realize the depth of Man Wol’s grudges and regrets.
• The Power of Regret, the new book by Dan Pink, which explores our most common regrets and what we can learn from them.
• Our favorite lines from the episode. Joanna’s favorite is from Mago: For a flower to blossom, she needs to feel the wind and face the rain, too. Jen’s favorite line is from Koo Chan Sung to Man Wol: I don’t care if this is your prison or your fence. I will stay here with you.
• How Hotel Del Luna is both a prison and a fence for Man Wol. It both locks her in and keeps her safe.
• Why Koo Chan Sung took the evil grudge intended for Lee Mi-ra.
• How Man Wol decided to move the hotel and not tell Koo Chan Sung.
• The side story with Gyeong-a, the made up ghost.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• How episode 8 connects with, and brings clarity to, episode 1.
• Korean terms of endearment and the use of “a” at the end of a name to make a name a term of endearment.
• How Filipinos absolutely love nicknames.

References

• Heize on Kpop Fandom
• Philippine People Show a Knack for Nicknames 
• The Power of Regret by Dan Pink 

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of Hotel Del Luna. The bulk of this episode is devoted to the story of the ghost from Room 13, who has escaped the hotel and is killing people. Mago 4 and the Grim Reaper ultimately deal with this ghost, but in the meantime, Man Wol, Koo Chan Sung and Yuna all get involved. There is also a side story about a husband and wife who find themselves at the hotel and discover they had different first loves. Finally, we see more flashbacks from Man Wol’s life and we now know that Lee Mi-ra, Koo Chan Sung’s ex-girlfriend, was the princess from Man Wol’s past.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Another beautiful song from the Hotel Del Luna OST. This time it’s Lean On My Shoulder by 10cm.
• The deepening relationship between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung. One again, Man Wol saves Koo Chan Sung, this time from a grudge by the unhappy husband. Man Wol also seems to increasingly accept that her time at the hotel is coming to an end.
• How Karma ultimately came back around for the men who circulated the illegal video of the ghost from Room 13.
• How Man Wol tricked the CEO and showed the deities how evil he was. As a result, Mago 4 came for the ghost from Room 13 and the CEO.
• The theme of forgiveness, especially in the story between the husband and wife.
• How Man Wol is referred to as a thief several times in the episode.
• How Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung now realize that Lee Mi-ra is the princess from Man Wol’s past.
• The K Drama elements: Flowers, alcohol, the piggyback ride, and the wrist grab.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
• The Korean hanbok, or traditional Korean dress for women and men.
• The Filipiniana and the Barong Tagalog, the traditional dress for women and men in the Philippines.

References:

• Hanbok in Wikipedia
• Modern Filipiniana on Pinterest

We apologize for the echo issues in this episode. Jen was on vacation and not in her normal setup. In fact, she was in a gym in the Outer Banks because the beach house her family was renting was too noisy! So sorry! We will do better next week!

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Hotel Del Luna. In this episode, the relationship between Man Wol and Chan Sung is further developing. Man Wol tells Chan Sung that her time to leave is coming but that Chan Sung should not be sad. When Chan Sung’s ex-girlfriend shows up, Man Wol abandons her plans to go eat webfoot octopus with Chan Sung and sits at the hotel beach by herself. We have two side stories. The first is about an actor who died while playing a king. He arrives at Hotel Del Luna, thinking he is still a king and it’s up to the staff to help fulfill his wishes. The second is about the ghost from Room 13 who is now killing men. Finally, we see three flashbacks from Man Wol’s life.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• Sung Hee, our guest on this show. Sung Hee went to college with Joanna and they studied in Paris during their junior year.
• The growing friendship between Yuna and Hyeon-jung. We also learn more about Hyeon-jung’s life and little sister.
• What hangover soup and webfoot octopus are.
• The baby that brought the restaurant luck and Joanna’s son, who brought their favorite Japanese restaurant luck.
• The K Drama elements in this episode: the back hug, food, alcohol, the wrist grab, flowers.
• The side story with the actor who believed he was a Joseon king.
• The side story with the ghost from Room 13 and how she’s now on a killing spree. Her victims get tricked into clicking a video of what they think will be a beautiful woman in her bedroom, but instead, they get murdered.
• The Korean obsession with perfect skin.
• Man Wol’s outfits and which ones we like best.
• The actor Yeo Jin-goo: his background, his acting, and why we love him.
• Jen and Sung Hee’s weddings (they are Korean-American).
• The Korean terms for “your majesty” or “sire.”

References:

• A Poem Called You by Taeyeon (with lyrics)
• Buena Mano from the Philippines
• Rising cost of living and inflation in South Korea
• Yeo Jin-goo Wikipedia page

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Hotel Del Luna. At the end of Episode 4, Jang Man Wol has saved Koo Chan-Sung from the ghost in Room 13. In this episode, the hotel staff look for other ways to get rid of Koo Chan-Sung, but Man Wol says he’s staying by her side. We see two flashbacks from Man Wol’s earlier life: Man Wol and Yeon-wu under the big tree, and Man Wol in a wedding gown in a large bedchamber. We also have a side story with a ghost bride who doesn’t want to get married but an elderly couple has other plans for her.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• How our podcast made FeedSpot’s list of Top 40 Korean Drama podcasts
• Our new website at https://www.KDramaChat.com
• What Korean brides and grooms wear during weddings.
• The significance of the red string ceremony in Korean weddings.
• The flashback of Man Wol and Yeon-woo at the big tree and how Yeon-woo wants to take care of Man Wol in her old age.
• The flashback of Man Wol in the bedchamber, and the mysterious person in white who enters the room.
• The story of the ghost bride and who is ultimately responsible for trying to marry her to another man.
• The K Drama elements that we see in this show: the Trip and Catch, the Swarovski product placement, and the triangle between Man Wol, Koo Chan-sung and the ghost bride.
• We also talk about other potential K Drama elements: the Quirky Friend, the Deep Lean, and the Arm Rest.
• Our favorite Man Wol outfits from this show.
• Our favorite Korean dishes and where to get them in the DC area.

References:

• Top 40 Korean Drama Podcasts
• Red String Ceremony
• Why Wasn’t Chocolate Popular in Korea?

In Episode 4 of Hotel Del Luna, things are getting complicated between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung. Chan Sung continues to dream about Man Wol, who is upset that Koo Chan Sung is learning about her past life. Through flashbacks, we learn more about Man Wol’s life and we have two side stories. We also learn that the hotel staff are plotting to have Koo Chan Sung removed as manager because they fear his arrival is making the tree come back to life and make time start flowing again for Man Wol.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• How Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung’s relationship is changing as he learns more about her past.
• We see that Chung Myung once again saves Man Wol and is true to his word when he promises to save Yeon-wu.
• How the side story with the blind ghost is not what we expected
• The unexpectedly sweet story of the old man and his dog
• The appearance of the grim reaper
• How Mago is a deity in Korean, Chinese and Japanese mythology, especially as a protector of women
• How the hotel staff try to trick Koo Chan Sung into losing his mind by visiting the ghost in Room 13
• Man Wol’s many outfits and which ones are our favorites
• The famous Korean skin care routine with its 10 steps
• The latest K dramas we’re watching

Show references:

• Magu in Wikipedia
• Grim Reaper in Korean Culture
• Korean Skin Care Routine 
• Techie Helmet for Skin Care

In Episode 3 of Hotel Del Luna, we learn more about Man Wol’s past life, we meet Mago, we learn more about the hotel’s main staff, and we meet Yoona. Through several flashbacks, we learn about two important men in her life, Yeon-Woo, a fellow gang member, and Go Chung Myung, the Captain of the Princess’ Guard. Mago tell Man Wol that she is tied to the tree but she must move on. After putting a blossom on Koo Chan Sung’s heart, Koo Chan Sung starts having dreams of Man Wol’s past life. We also have a new character: Yoona, whose body is inhabited by Soo-Jung, whom Yoona pushed off a bridge.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The triangle between Man Wol, Yeon-Woo and Go Chung Myung, as well as the triangle between Man Wol, Koo Chan Sung and Go Chung Myung.
• The potential for romance between Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung, whose dreams are now filled with Man Wol and her past life.
• The flower element again
• The amazing cameo by Lee Goon-Ji
• How the hotel staff refer to Man Wol as Jang Man Wol and sajangnim.

Show references:

• Lee Goon-Ji makes a cameo on Hotel Del Luna and send a snack cart to the Hotel Del Luna set - https://www.hellokpop.com/kdrama/lee-joon-gi-surprise-cameo-hotel-del-luna-sweet-snack-cart-iu/

In Episode 2 of Hotel Del Luna. we follow Koo Chan Sung as he navigates between his job at the fancy hotel and his (offered) job at Hotel Del Luna. Koo Chan Sung and Jan Man Wol work together to help a ghost tiger find peace and once again, they go out to eat. We learn that Manager Noh is ready to retire and he pays a visit to Koo Chan Sung, to try and convince the younger man to take his job. We also see the guest manager, Seo-hee, fulfilling the wishes of several guests, demonstrating that the hotel helps ghosts fulfill their wishes and overcome their grudges.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

• The ghosts who overcome their grudges or fulfill their wishes in order to move on to heaven
• How ghosts travel to heaven via the bridge over the Samdo River
• How Jang Man Wol is misunderstood; she comes across as materialistic and aloof, but she can also be very perceptive and caring
• The food in this episode, namely red bean porridge and sashimi
• The Baekdu mountain range and its connection to feng shui
• Formal and informal greetings in the Korean language

Show reference:

• Korean Version of Feng Shui 

Episode 1 of Hotel Del Luna introduces the main characters, Jang Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung, as well as some of the hotel staff, mainly the bellman, the guest manager, and the bartender. The episode flips back and forth between the past and the present, and between the main storyline and the side stories. 

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We talk about our first impressions of the show and what we loved about the first episode. We discuss:

• What we know about Jang Man Wol
• What we know about Koo Chan Sung
• What we know about the hotel
• How 3 of 14 K Drama Elements show up in this episode, mainly: flowers, alcohol and food.

We close with a few words about Korean names, including how you address someone formally, informally, and our new Korean nicknames.

Here are some of the websites we referenced:

• What do flowers mean in K Dramas?
• Primrose flowers in a witch’s garden

This is the pilot episode for K Drama Chat. In this episode, we introduce ourselves, Joanna Pineda and Jen McWhorter, and talk about why we love K Dramas and why we decided to create this podcast.

Rather than just review our favorite K Dramas, we want to go deep and analyze each episode of our favorite series. For our first season, we have chosen Hotel Del Luna. This series is on Netflix, so it's easy for everyone to watch. This series features amazing actors, an amazing storyline, gorgeous cinematography, layers of myth and symbolism, and plenty of side stories and surprises.

But before delving in Hotel Del Luna, we talked about the 14 elements that, our experience, exist in every K Drama series. Some of our favorites are:

• Gorgeous OSTs (original sound tracks)
• Food; there's lot of eating in K Dramas
• Crying; there's lots of crying, by both women and men
• Love triangles
• Umbrella scene

K Drama Chat is a weekly series, with new episodes dropping every Friday. 

We welcome your comments about our shows, what we got right, what we got wrong, and what we missed. We also want to hear your insights into the episodes that we cover, and your suggestions for shows to cover in future seasons.