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