K Drama Chat

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.

Listeners, we had to republish this episode without the music during the recap. So sorry!

Comment on this episode by going to KDramaChat.com

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.

We had a technical issue and had to re-publish this episode without the recap  music. Find the music on YouTube or Spotify, it's great!

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

Listeners, this episode had to be edited to remove the music during the recap. So sorry!

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