“Itaewon Class”

I. Synopsis
On the first day of attending his new
high school, Park Sae Ro Yi punches his
classmate Jang Geun Won, who was
bullying another classmate. The bully is the
son of CEO Jang Dae Hee. The bully's father
runs restaurant business Jagga where Sae Ro
Yi's own father works. CEO Jang Dae Hee
demands to Sae Ro Yi that he apologizes to
his son, but Sae Ro Yi refuses. Because of
his refusal, he gets expelled from school and
his father gets fired from his job. Soon, an
accident takes place. Sae Ro Yi's father dies
in a motorcycle accident caused by his ex-
classmate Jang Geun Won. Burning with
anger, Sae Ro Yi viciously beats Jang Geun
Won. He is soon arrested and receives prison
time for violent assault. Sae Ro Yi decides to
destroy the Jagga company and take revenge
upon CEO Jang Dae Hee and his son Jang
Geun Won. Once Sae Ro Yi is released from
prison, he opens a restaurant in Itaewon,
Seoul. Jo Yi Seo, who is popular on social media,
joins Sae Ro Yi's restaurant and works there as a
manager.[CITATION Asi \l 1033 ]

II. Rating
Maturity Rating: 13+ Recommended for ages 13 and up.

III. Opinion
“Itaewon Class” is a story about second chances and reaching for your dreams.
Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon), a kind-hearted boy who dreams of
becoming a police officer. His teachers describe Park as socially inept because he doesn’t
interact much with other people, much less have friends. This worries his father (Park Sung-
yeol), an employee at a large food corporation called Jangga. Park’s kind-hearted nature turns
on him as he saves a classmate from being bullied by Jang Geun Won (Ahn Bo-hyun). Little
does he know, Jang’s father is the CEO of Jangga. Park’s school expels him, and Jangga fires
his father. Adding to Park’s miseries, an accident happens, leaving Park an orphan. He
receives prison time for assaulting Jang, killing his dream of becoming a police officer. Park
swears revenge on Jangga — by continuing his father’s dreams of starting a business. It’s not
new to see revenge to play a role in the plot of Korean dramas. For some Korean drama
characters, revenge is the driving force and raison d’etre.[ CITATION Sor20 \l 1033 ]
It’s easy to say that Itaewon
Class is a revenge story, but it’s
not. Instead, it’s a story about
second chances. Despite not being
able to become a policeman, Park
continues to live by principles that
his father instilled in him. After
leaving prison, Park starts a pub
called DanBam. The DanBam
crew are all, by nature, social
outcasts like Park. Cho Yi-seo
(Kim Da-mi), an influencer and
social blogger is described as a
sociopath by her classmates; Jang
Geun-soo (Kim Dong-hee), an
illegitimate son of Jangga’s CEO;
Choi Seung-kwon (Ryoo Kyung-
soo), a fellow ex-convict; the
transgendered Ma Hyun-yi (Lee
Joo-young); Tony Kim (Chris
Lyon), an African-Korean
“foreigner”; and Oh Soo-a (Kwon
Nara), an orphan. DanBam is
home to all these characters who are cast aside by society, whether it’s because of social
status, appearance, or sexuality. Ex-convicts face a lot of discrimination in South Korea, and
often find it hard to look for a job after getting out of prison. In South Korea, there is a law
that bans ex-convicts from taking jobs in the delivery industry. There are plenty of stories
about ex-convicts who would rather stay in prison. South Korea also rarely discusses LGBTQ
issues, and conservative lawmakers have already blocked the passage of nondiscrimination
laws that would protect LGBTQ individuals. Transgender people and sexual minorities are
still treated as if they’re invisible. Meanwhile, biracial people like Tony Kim are labeled as
“foreigners” in the country despite being part Korean— that actually happened in the drama as
well. Like Park’s story, Itaewon Class follows these characters as they receive a second
chance at life, whether it’s small or big. It tells us that we can always start over, somewhere,
and most importantly, with someone.[ CITATION Sor20 \l 1033 ]

Itaewon Class also tells us that there’s no easy way to achieve our dreams. We have to
take small steps. It might be bold of Park to think that his small-time pub can go against the
largest food corporation in the country, but it also goes to show us how determined he is to
follow his dreams. Despite his dark and sad past, Park doesn’t wallow in pity at being an
orphan or an ex-convict; instead, he looks forward to the future, and most importantly, doesn’t
lose sight of the lessons his father taught him. Fans of Park Seo-joon will definitely enjoy
 Itaewon Class as it further reinforces his versatility as an actor. We’ve seen him become the
second lead in Kill Me, Heal Me, a swoon-worthy lead actor in other romantic comedies such
as Fight For My Way and What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim or in more serious roles such as
such in the movie, Divine Fury. Netizens raised some eyebrows at the fact that in the
flashbacks, Park played his younger self despite a 9 year time difference. With even the same
buzz cut, this casting choice didn’t seem that believable. But had someone else played the
younger Park, the same emotions of grief, anger, and hope would not have been portrayed as
effectively as when Park did it himself. Newcomer Kim Da-mi, who gave an impressive
performance as the main female lead in The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, will also delight
Korean drama viewers with her no-fuss-given attitude. Despite her debut small-screen role,
she rises up to the challenge alongside her fellow actors. However, the biggest treat for
audiences is the chemistry between all the members of the DanBam crew. Anyone looking for
a good friendship drama will surely find this appealing. Itaewon Class is unfortunately not
immune to typical Korean drama tropes, but it more than makes up for that. Excellent visuals
filled with vibrant colors bring Itaewon’s nightlife to life. Sprinkle in a good soundtrack and
you have a Korean drama worth your time. Coming from JTBC, known for its Korean dramas
spiced with social commentaries, be sure to expect no less from Itaewon Class.[ CITATION
Sor20 \l 1033 ]

IV. Conclusion

A magical alchemy occurs when the right elements come together in a Korean drama
— a balance between the beautiful and the unbelievable. Itaewon Class, a 16-episode series
that has just completed its run-on Netflix (meaning, it is now bingeable in full), strikes that
note while staying true to the form: There’s a decades-long blood feud, class warfare,
overlapping love triangles, and extra-long pauses that allow you to search each actor’s face
and exclaim, Drop the skincare routine, king! The first television show produced by the film
production company Showbox (known for blockbusters like Taegukgi), Itaewon Class feels
like a remixed classic with amped-up production values and, quite frankly, better writing. And
as the kids say, a bop is a bop.[ CITATION Jun20 \l 1033 ]

The central narrative is a not only a revenge plot but also about second chances
revolving around Park Saeroyi, almost irritatingly dignified young man with a spine of steel
and the haircut of a chestnut. His singular goal is to open a pocha (think a sit-down bar with
food) called DanBam (a punny name meaning Sweet Night, or Sweet Chestnut) and turn it
into the biggest food company in Korea while destroying his enemies. He opens the restaurant
in Itaewon, a neighborhood in Seoul known as the foreigner’s district that has rapidly
gentrified in the past decade. The various interweaving B-plots involve his ragtag crew that
draws from that backdrop — a group of characters still usually not seen on Korean television
— including a fellow ex-convict who spent time in prison with Saeroyi, a trans woman chef,
and a black Korean looking for his father.[ CITATION Jun20 \l 1033 ]