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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 7 of When Life Gives You Tangerines, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Oh Ae-sun, Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik as young adults, Moon So-ri as Oh Ae-sun and Park Hae-joon as Yang Gwan-sik as older adults, and Lee Jun-young as Park Young-beom. We’ll also discuss Yeom Hye-ran, the actress who plays Jeon Gwang-rye, Oh Ae-sun’s mother. We discuss:

• The song featured during the recap: "To the Land of Hope" by Choi Baek-ho, a song that evokes nostalgia and the passage of youth.
• Feedback from our amazing listeners, including a poem shared by Winfor Lam and insights from Malcolm, Seven Seas, and Sue about character development and OST impact.
• How Gwan-sik is portrayed as the "perfect man," which we all think is unrealistic.
• Ae-sun’s powerful transformation, stepping into her role as a leader by lying in front of a government truck to defend the haenyeos.
• The portrayal of Korea during the 1980s, including steps the government took to modernize the country before the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
• The clash between the haenyeos and Bu Sang-gil’s efforts to shut down their market — a symbolic fight for community survival.
• Ae-sun’s eventual election as Chief, her "harvesting season" after years of hardship and injustice.
• The bitter-sweetness of Ae-sun’s triumph because she missed her mother so much.
• Geum-myeong’s dangerous situation in Seoul, being framed while refusing to commit academic fraud under pressure from a wealthy family.
• Eun-myeong’s struggles and acts of rebellion, highlighting the sibling dynamic and the emotional weight of living in Geum-myeong’s shadow.
• The cultural references to "Aegukga," Korea's national anthem, and the interesting use of "Auld Lang Syne" in East Asia.
• The deep camaraderie and subtle politics among village women, including the surprise of Yeong-ran voting for Ae-sun.
• The tradition and symbolism of gifting rice cakes (tteok) when Ae-sun thanks the haenyeos for their lifelong support.
• Spotlight on Yeom Hye-ran, her acting background, her accolades, and her pivotal role as Gwang-rye in When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Next week, we will recap and analyze episode 8 of When Life Gives You Tangerines. We’ll also talk about Park Hae joon, the actor who plays adult Gwan sik. Did you know that he was once named “the nation’s adulterer?”

References

• Aegukga - Wikipedia (South Korean national anthem)
• Aegukka - Wikipedia   (North Korean national anthem)
• Lim Young-woong - Wikipedia
• Trot (music) - Wikipedia
• Choi Beck Ho on Spotify