K-Drama School

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Reborn Rich (2022, JTBC) starring Song Joong-ki, Shin Hyun-been, and Lee Sung-min, and how the show has a couple of overlaps with HBO’s Succession although writer San Kyung wrote the web novel Reborn Rich a year prior to Succession airing. Grace dives into how K-dramas that display a giant ego meltdown is what makes it a K-drama. Grace also mentions a categ...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show My Secret Terrius (2018,MBC) starring So Ji-sub and Jung In-sun. She delves into Jung In-sun’s versatile career starting out as a child actor in some dark films like Memories of Murder by Bong John-ho and Han Gong-ju by Lee Su-Jin. Jung In-sun was also on the show Baek Jong-won’s Alley Restaurant as an emcee. Grace is impressed by Jung In-sun’s ability to d...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show One Ordinary Day (2021, Coupang Play) which is a show produced for streaming starring Kim Soo-hyun and Cha Seung-won. Grace discusses the metaphysical meaning behind the characters’ diseases like eczema and asthma, how the show makes hints at the 2016 Gangnam Station femicide Post-it Note protest, and the inevitably insufficient justice system in the face o...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Under the Queen’s Umbrella (2022, tvN) starring Kim Hye-soo, Kim Hae-sook, Choi Won-young and Moon Sang-min. Grace admires Kim Hye-soo and Kim Hae-sook’s veteran performances go head-to-head on this show. She wonders why the actor Moon Sang-min is suddenly popping off. Grace is disappointed by the soundtrack composer of Under the Queen’s Umbrella for copyin...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Moon Embracing the Sun (2012, MBC) starring Kim Soo-hyun and Han Ga-in. Grace’s guest is Berlin-based comedian Julieta Degese (@dgcjulieta on Instagram). They discuss unicorn outfits, drinking vermouth, how inflation is impacting their shopping and traveling habits, the advantages of being labeled a “bitch,” and how to cope with urban loneliness. The two fr...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Was it Love? (2020, JTBC) which stars Song Ji-hyo and Son Ho-jun. She commends both actors’ versatility and mentions how the show points to the stigma that single mothers live with in Korea society. Grace also talks about where all her energy’s been focused on in the month of November. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit https://www...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Avengers Social Club (2017, tvN) which stars Lee Yo-won, Ra Mi-ran, and Myung Se-bin. This is an ajumma drama based on a webtoom that was published on Daum back in 2014. Grace dives into Ra Mi-ran’s career post Reply 1988, the supreme feminism of Avengers Social Club , her love for her favorite neighborhood in Seoul—Buam-dong, and the greatness of Kim Hyang...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace is back from San Diego and she’s back to drinking coffee! Grace discusses the show Tomorrow (2022, MBC) starring Kim Hee-sun, Ro-woon, Lee Soo-hyuk, Yun Ji-on and Kim Hae-sook. Grace appreciates the show’s camp aspects particularly the episode in Tomorrow with a suicidal dog while the rest of the show felt a bit redundant. Grace delves into the prolific career of actress Kim...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace takes a moment to reflect on the tragedy that took place in Itaewon leaving 153 people dead and many others wounded. Her thoughts are with them. Grace discusses the show My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021, tvN and iQIYI) starring Jang Ki-yong and Hyeri, and iQIYI's production on a K-drama since THAAD. She analyzes Shin Woo-yeo’s characteristics as metaphors for male struggles with...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show A Gentleman’s Dignity (SBS, 2012) written by hit-maker Kim Eun-sook ( Secret Garden, Descendants of the Sun, Goblin: The Lonely and Great God, etc) starring Kim Ha-neul and Jang Dong-gun. Grace admires Kim Ha-neul’s comedic performance on this show, placing her up on the mantle alongside Son Ye-jin and Jun Ji-hyun while problematizing Jang Dong-gun’s charac...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show The School Nurse Files (Netflix, 2020) written and directed by Lee Kyoung-mi, based on the book by Chung Serang. Lee Kyoung-mi is a fascinating auteur who brings a unique touch to all of her movies and most certainly on this drama series which unabashedly explores the realm of the gross. The School Nurse Files has some big star hitters like Jung Yu-mi and N...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Little Women (tvN, 2022) written by Jeong Seo-kyung who frequently collaborates with filmmaker Park Chanwook, co-writing for films like Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, I’m a Cyborg but That’s Ok, Thirst, The Handmaiden and his latest movie Decision to Leave which opens this month in US theaters . Little Women stars Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun and Park Ji-hu, and t...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Run On (JTBC, 2021) starring Shin Se-kyung and Im Si-wan. Grace comments on the difficulty of viewing Im Si-wan as a leading man in a rom-com, and how he’s better at playing weirder roles. She also mentions how Shin Se-kyung appears more connected to herself in her performance as Mi-joo in Run On which is refreshing. Grace’s guest is California-based artist...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show A Model Family (2022, Netflix) which she finds lackluster due to the fact that it includes premises and topics already covered by Hollywood like Ozark and Breaking Bad . Grace questions the show’s originality and what its larger purpose is but fawns over Park Hee-soon’s impressive performance. Grace’s guest is New York-based comedian Reggie Kush (@reggie_ku...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Encounter (2018, tvN) written by Yoo Young-ah—the same writer of the series Thirty-Nine . Encounter stars Song Hye-kyo and Park Bo-gum. Grace analyzes the Cinderella-story in a gender-swapped scenario wherein the woman is in a higher income bracket than the man, and what that looks like in a K-drama. Grace’s guest is Berlin-based comedian Saeed Green (@saee...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Narco-Saints (2022, Netflix) which is a Netflix original K-drama written and directed by the prolific filmmaker Yoon Jong-bin. Narco-Saints stars Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin and Yoo Yeon-seok. This episode has no guest today but Grace does chat it up with returning flashcard series pal Marisa Llamas (@dapplegreen on Instagram) who...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Start-Up (2020, tvN) starring Bae Suzy of Miss A, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho and Kang Han-na. She discusses the unconvincing love triangle in the show, wonders what Dal-mi’s real dream is, and the show’s relatable illustration of imposter syndrome among young people trying to pursue their dream career despite their lack of resources and experiences. Grace’s...

Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Another Miss Oh (AKA Another Oh Hae-young) written by Park Hae-young, who also wrote My Mister and My Liberation Notes. Grace sees a consistency in all three of Park’s shows in how they represent the patriarchy, three-sibling dynamics, and women in their 30s and 40s vulnerably expressing their need to be loved. Grace also t...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses Extraordinary Attorney Woo written by Moon Ji-won, and how it weaves in multiple narratives related to politics including disability, misogyny, queerness, religion, childhood, liberation, and more. Grace’s guest is Kristen Cunningham (@kris10cc on Instagram) and they discuss mothers showing up at the house without invitation, negat...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses season 1 of show Penthouse (2020, SBS) written by Kim Sook-ok, and how makjang dramas queer the moral boundary between a villain and a hero by allowing characters to change personas. Grace also compares makjang dramas’ excessiveness to German expressionist cinema. Grace’s guest is comedian Joe Wong (@joewongcomedy on Instagram). Th...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Jealousy Incarnate (2016, SBS) starring Gong Hyo-jin, Jo Jung-suk and Go Kyung-pyo and how the show is based on actual people who work at SBS in the news department. Grace also talks about trying to get closer to gratitude, how she’s working on trying not to lecture so much, and how much this podcast grounds her every single week. She’s grateful to her list...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show My Love from the Star (2014, SBS) starring Gianna Jun (Jun Ji-hyun) and Kim Soo-hyun. Berlin-based comedian Tobias Hauser (@hahahouser on Instagram) answers a few flashcard questions based on the show off the top with hilarious answers. Grace’s guest is veteran Korean American actor and comedian Steve Park (@stephenpark62) on Instagram) who is in Fargo, A S...

Grace has no guest or K-drama to cover today. Instead, she does a short ASMR mukbang video with two cans of soda, talks about the state of academia today, and recommends making lists in the face of nothing mattering. Follow @KDramaSchool on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Visit kdramachool.com to learn more.

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Oh My Baby (2020, tvN) starring Jang Nara, and how the show exhibits challenges faced by single women in their 30s who wish to become single mothers, as well as how the IVF laws negatively impact queer couples who wish to conceive in South Korea. Grace’s guest is LA-based actor, comedian and clown Juzo Yoshida (@juzoyoshida on Instagram). They talk about cl...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses the show Worlds Within (2008, KBS) written by Noh Hee-kyung, and how the show addresses struggles of female TV directors trying to make it in a male-dominated industry in Korea, and Noh’s meta storytelling on the show by including a writer character, and the upsides and downsides of a tightly-knit community that works more like a dysfunctional family. Grace’s guest...