Itaewon Class
Itaewon Class (Korean: 이태원 클라쓰) is a South Korean television drama series that aired in 2020, centering on Park Sae-ro-yi, an ex-convict portrayed by Park Seo-joon, who establishes a bar in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood to challenge the dominant Jangga Group, the conglomerate linked to his father's death, amid themes of personal resilience and corporate rivalry.[1] The series, adapted from Jo Gwang-jin's webtoon of the same name, features a supporting cast including Kim Da-mi as the strategic advisor Jo Yi-seo, Yoo Jae-myung as the prison mentor Oh Soo-ah's father, and Kwon Nara as the Jangga executive Jang Da-hee.[2] It premiered on JTBC on January 31, 2020, and concluded on March 21, 2020, with 16 episodes broadcast on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 KST.[3] The narrative follows Sae-ro-yi's entrepreneurial journey, recruiting a diverse team including a transgender woman, a former idol with a hidden past, and a North Korean defector, to build his business while confronting discrimination and ethical dilemmas in South Korea's competitive food industry.[1] Itaewon Class garnered significant viewership, achieving nationwide ratings that peaked at 16.548% according to AGB Nielsen, securing its position as the second highest-rated JTBC drama at the time, surpassed only by Sky Castle.[4] Critically, it received an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb from over 23,000 users and an 84% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, praised for its handling of social issues like class disparity, racial prejudice, and LGBTQ+ discrimination, though some critiques focused on pacing inconsistencies and representational choices, such as casting a cisgender actress for a transgender role.[1][5] Among its achievements, the series won Best Drama Series at the 25th Asian Television Awards and earned Kim Da-mi the Best New Actress award at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, highlighting its impact on elevating discussions of social injustice in Korean media.[6][3] Available globally on Netflix, it contributed to the international surge in K-drama popularity during 2020, emphasizing underdog success against entrenched power structures without romanticizing systemic flaws.[2]Narrative Structure
Synopsis
Itaewon Class follows Park Sae-ro-yi, a determined young man whose life is upended after he assaults a school bully, Jang Geun-won, son of powerful chaebol leader Jang Dae-hee, leading to his expulsion and military service.[3] Following a hit-and-run incident that kills his father—perpetrated by Geun-won—Sae-ro-yi confronts Dae-hee, resulting in his imprisonment.[1] Upon release in 2010, Sae-ro-yi rejects a job offer from Jangga Group and instead opens DanBam, a small bar in Seoul's Itaewon district, vowing to build success through his own principles and hard work.[3][2] Over the course of the 16-episode series, aired from January 31 to March 21, 2020, Sae-ro-yi assembles a team of allies to grow DanBam into a competitive enterprise, clashing with Jangga's dominance in the food industry through strategic expansions, partnerships, and confrontations.[3] The narrative tracks Sae-ro-yi's unyielding pursuit of independence and retribution amid business rivalries, personal setbacks, and alliances tested by ambition and loyalty.[1][2]Key Themes and Motifs
The series underscores entrepreneurship as a mechanism for transcending socioeconomic barriers through individual initiative and market-driven innovation, portraying the protagonist's ascent from incarceration and poverty to competitive viability via persistent effort and strategic adaptation rather than reliance on institutional favoritism or victimhood narratives.[7] This aligns with causal principles where outcomes stem from personal agency—such as identifying high-leverage actions yielding disproportionate results, akin to the Pareto principle applied to business operations—over deterministic structural impediments.[8] The narrative illustrates free-market competition enabling underdogs to challenge entrenched conglomerates by prioritizing customer value and operational efficiency, reflecting real-world dynamics where innovation disrupts monopolistic advantages without presupposing egalitarian interventions.[9][10] Recurring motifs highlight integrity as a long-term causal driver of success, contrasting ethical steadfastness with opportunistic shortcuts that erode sustainability; decisions rooted in core principles, such as refusing compromise for expediency, yield compounded advantages through reputation and team loyalty, grounded in observable business causality where trust underpins repeat patronage and partnerships.[11] This eschews moral relativism, emphasizing verifiable consequences: principled actions foster resilience against adversity, while ethical lapses invite backlash and isolation, as evidenced in the show's depiction of corporate overreach inviting market correction via nimble rivals.[12][13] In Itaewon's multicultural milieu, diversity manifests as a pragmatic business asset, harnessing varied perspectives for enhanced adaptability and broader market appeal—drawing international clientele and innovating offerings—rather than an abstract moral imperative; the ensemble's heterogeneity drives competitive edge through complementary skills, illustrating how demographic variance correlates with empirical gains in customer acquisition and problem-solving in globalized locales.[14] Social dynamics are framed through realism, where interpersonal conflicts arise from clashing incentives but resolve via merit-based alliances, prioritizing agency over collective grievance.[15]Characters
Protagonists and Allies
Park Sae-ro-yi serves as the central protagonist, a former high school student expelled in 2006 for assaulting Jang Geun-won, the son of Jangga Group's CEO, after witnessing bullying. Following his father's death in a hit-and-run incident for which he takes responsibility and serves a prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter, Sae-ro-yi opens DanBam, a bar-restaurant in Itaewon's diverse neighborhood, rejecting offers of subservience to corporate power in favor of independent entrepreneurship built on personal principles and merit.[16][17] His unyielding stoicism and focus on fair competition drive DanBam's growth, emphasizing resilience against systemic advantages held by established conglomerates.[13] Jo Yi-seo functions as DanBam's manager, leveraging her business acumen for strategic planning, marketing, and operational decisions that enable the establishment to challenge larger rivals through innovative positioning in Itaewon's competitive food scene. Joining the team out of admiration for Sae-ro-yi's integrity, she exhibits loyalty and ambition, pursuing professional advancement while navigating unrequited romantic feelings that reinforce her dedication to the group's collective success.[13][18] Her direct approach to challenges, including risk-taking in expansion efforts, underscores a merit-driven ethos that prioritizes capability over connections. Supporting allies bolster DanBam's operations with specialized skills acquired through personal hardships, fostering a team dynamic rooted in mutual respect and competence:- Ma Hyun-yi, the head chef, applies culinary expertise to develop distinctive menu items that differentiate DanBam, drawing on her background to contribute reliably despite societal barriers.[19]
- Choi Seung-kwon, Sae-ro-yi's former cellmate, handles logistical and physical tasks with steadfast loyalty, aiding in daily management and embodying reformed determination.[19]
- Kim To-ni, a Guinean-Korean part-timer, utilizes bilingual proficiency to serve international patrons, enhancing customer reach in Itaewon's multicultural environment amid experiences of discrimination.[20]
- Jang Geun-soo, an illegitimate son of Jangga's CEO, provides insider knowledge of industry practices, applying it to refine DanBam's strategies and operations for competitive parity.[19]