''Itaewon Class'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series starring

Park Seo-joon Park Seo-joon (born Park Yong-kyu; December 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series ''Kill Me, Heal Me'' (2015), '' She Was Pretty'' (2015), '' Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth'' (2016� ...

Kim Da-mi Kim Da-mi (; born April 9, 1995) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for playing the titular role in action-mystery film ''The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion'' (2018). She is also known for her roles in the television series ''Itaewon C ...

Yoo Jae-myung Yoo Jae-myung (; born June 3, 1973) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the series ''Reply 1988'' (2015), '' Stranger'' (2017), ''Life'' (2018), ''Itaewon Class'' (2020) and '' Voice of Silence'' (2020). He won Best Suppor ...

, and

Kwon Nara Kwon Na-ra () (changed her name legally to Kwon Ah-yoon (), known by her birth name Nara), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as one of the original members of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Beginnings an ...

. Based on the

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

of the same name, it is the first series to be produced by the film distribution company

Showbox Showbox Co., Ltd. () is one of the largest film distribution companies in South Korea, founded in 1999. Showbox is the film investment, production and distribution branch of Mediaplex, Inc., entertainment arm of Orion Group. Its main competit ...

. It aired on

JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...

in Korea from January 31 to March 21, 2020, and is streaming worldwide on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. The series won Best Drama Series at the 25th

Asian Television Awards The Asian Television Awards (launched in 1996), is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, the Awards comprises 56 categories across news, documentarie ...

Synopsis

Due to an accident which killed his father, Park Sae-ro-yi (

) attempted to kill Jang Geun-won (

Ahn Bo-hyun Ahn Bo-hyun (born May 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. Early life and career Ahn was born in Busan, South Korea on May 16, 1988. As a graduate from Busan Sports High School, he used to participate in amateur boxing competitions and previousl ...

), the son of Jangga Group's founder, Jang Dae-hee (

). He was jailed and the woman he loved, Oh Soo-ah (

Kwon Na-ra Kwon Na-ra () (changed her name legally to Kwon Ah-yoon (), known by her birth name Nara), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as one of the original members of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Beginnings an ...

), was offered a university scholarship by Jang Dae-hee and later became the Strategic Planning Head of Jangga Group. After his release from prison, Park Sae-ro-yi opens Danbam in

Itaewon Itaewon (; IPA ) is multi-cultural commercial area located in Seoul, South Korea. it is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Seoul, known for its nightlife and trendy restaurants. Etymology The name Itaewon was originally derived from the n ...

. He wants to be successful and seeks revenge towards Jangga Group. However, he is not too smart at managing his business. He then meets Jo Yi-seo (

Cast and characters

Main

as Park Sae-ro-yi :

Proprietor Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

of DanBam, a bar-

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

. In his youth, Sae-ro-yi gets expelled from high school for punching CEO Jang's son Geun-won, who was

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imba ...

a classmate, and becomes bereaved when his father is killed by Geun-won's reckless driving. Angered by the loss, he attacks Geun-won, leading to his three-year imprisonment. Following his father's steps, Sae-ro-yi opens his bar-restaurant DanBam in Itaewon seven years after he is released from jail, with the aim of expanding it into a

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

and defeating CEO Jang's food company Jangga Group. In 2020, he becomes the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of his company IC Group. *

as Jo Yi-seo **

Choi Myung-bin Choi Myung-bin (Korean: 최명빈; born on 15 April 2008) is a South Korean child actress. She made her acting debut in 2016, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She is best known for her roles in historical d ...

as young Jo Yi-seo :

Manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of Sae-Ro-Yi's bar-restaurant DanBam. Yi-seo is a multi-talented and intelligent girl with an IQ of 162. She moved from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to continue her studies in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. She is also famous on

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

as a power blogger and

internet celebrity An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social ...

. Having a crush on Sae-Ro-yi, she offers to become the manager of DanBam. Her lack of empathy and callous behavior has many people believe she is a

sociopath Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been u ...

, but she does end up caring for her DanBam coworkers. She especially has a breakthrough with Hyeon-Yi after initially criticizing her cooking and believing her transgender identity would impede DanBam’s business. Despite being declined by Sae-ro-yi, Yi-seo remains by his side as DanBam’s manager. In 2020, Yi-seo becomes the

CFO The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...

of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group. Eventually, Saeroyi realizes his feelings for Yi-Seo and he confesses his love for her. *

as Jang Dae-hee :

of food company Jangga Group. CEO Jang is a self-made man who, despite the odds, succeeds in turning his once small bar into a large franchise company. In his years of experience leading Jangga, he develops a strong belief in

power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...

and

authority In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...

as a means to achieve his goals. He meets Sae-ro-yi when the latter has a fight with his son Geun-won in high school and expects him to kneel as a submission of his power. However, Saeroryi always resisted kneeling and made his life harder for it. In 2020, he is diagnosed with

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

and doesn't have much long to live. Unfortunately, his illegal activities under Jangga was exposed and ruined his company. Despite kneeling before Sae-Ro-Yi for help, Sae-Ro-Yi absorbed Jangga into his company, leaving Dae-Hee with nothing. *

as Oh Soo-ah **

Ok Ye-rin Ok Ye-rin (Korean: 옥예린; born on 14 December 2011) is a South Korean child actress. She made her acting debut in 2017, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She is known for her various roles as child actor ...

as young Oh Soo-ah : Head of the

strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to attain strategic goals. It may also extend to control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the st ...

team in Jangga Group; Sae-ro-yi's former classmate and first love.

Abandoned Abandon, abandoned, or abandonment may refer to: Common uses * Abandonment (emotional), a subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind, insecure, or discarded * Abandonment (legal), a legal term regarding property ** Chi ...

by her mother, Soo-ah grew up in an

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

and became close with Sae-ro-yi's father Sung-yeol. She becomes acquainted with Sae-ro-yi, who has a crush on her. After Sung-yeol's death, she receives a scholarship offer from Jangga Group and soon becomes an employee in the company. Though passionate about her work, she is torn between her allegiance to Jangga and her love for Sae-ro-yi. Due to their conflicts of interests, the two would hold a long term emotional relationship, but never a true romantic one. Eventually, Soo-ah realizes Saeroyi's feelings have changed and the two remain as friends. She later became a whistle blower to the authorities on the crimes that Jangga have committed in the past during her time in the company and later starts her own restaurant.

Supporting

DanBam staff

* Kim Dong-hee as Jang Geun-soo **CEO Jang's second and

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son; Yi-seo's classmate and staff member at DanBam. Geun-soo has been bullied by his older brother Geun-won and he never felt loved by his parents. Upon turning 17, he left the Jang family and lived by himself from then on. After inconveniencing DanBam in an incident, he decides to work for Sae-ro-yi, whom he considers to be a "real adult." He has a crush on Yi-seo. However, after leaving DanBam, Geun-soo chooses to work at his father's company to become the successor for Jangga Group, and gradually became ruthless towards his former DanBam colleagues due to his thirst to prove himself and win Yi-seo's affections. In 2020, Geun-soo is the director of Jangga Group, and he eventually reconciles with the DanBam staff after realising the error of his ways. *

Ryu Kyung-soo Ryu Kyung-soo (born 12 October 1992) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in the drama series '' Confession'' (2019) and '' Itaewon Class'' (2020). He also appeared in the films ''A Resistance'' (2019) and '' Hostage: Missing Cele ...

as Choi Seung-kwon **Staff member at DanBam. Seung-kwon was Sae-ro-yi's cellmate in prison. Believing that he cannot better his life outside of jail, he became a gangster under a gang leader upon his release. Seven years later, he meets Sae-ro-yi who, to his surprise, had already opened a bar in Itaewon. Deeply respecting Sae-ro-yi and his way to live a better life, he gives up being a gangster and starts working at DanBam. In 2020, he becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group. * Lee Joo-young as Ma Hyeon-yi **DanBam's

chief cook A chief cook (often shortened to cook) is a seniormost unlicensed crewmember working in the steward's department of a merchant ship. The chief cook's principal role is to ensure the preparation and serving of meals that are both delicious and n ...

. Hyun-yi first met Sae-ro-yi in a factory where the two formerly worked, years before the start of DanBam. She was hired as DanBam's cook when Sae-ro-yi liked the food she once cooked for him back then. Hyun-yi is a

transgender woman A trans woman or a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth. Trans women have a female gender identity, may experience gender dysphoria, and may transition; this process commonly includes hormone replacement therapy and so ...

and has been saving money for her

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

. In 2020, she becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group. * Chris Lyon as Kim To-ni **DamBam's

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

part-timer A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. They work in shifts. The shifts are often rotational. Workers are considered to be part-time if they commonly work fewer than 30 hours per week. Accor ...

. Even though he cannot speak and understand

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, To-ni is fluent in speaking

, owing to his Korean father and his one-year residence in South Korea, and French, the language he speaks in Guinea. Eventually, he is able to learn and speak a satisfactory amount of English. He also reunited with his Korean grandmother (a sponsor and investor of DanBam), who acknowledges him as her grandchild.

Jangga Group

as Jang Geun-won **CEO Jang's first son and heir to Jangga Group. Geun-won was Sae-ro-yi and Soo-ah's classmate in high school who frequently

bullied Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an im ...

their classmate Ho-jin. He caused the vehicular accident that killed Sae-ro-yi's father Sung-yeol. Years later when he attempts to recruit Yi-seo into Jangga, his confession to the crime is recorded by her and he attacks her until Sae-ro-yi intervenes and gets him arrested. Dae-hee deserts Geun-won by admitting his son's crimes during his apology meeting and Geun-won was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. In 2020, he is released on parole after serving four years out of his prison term and therefore, alongside Kim Hee-hoon and his gang, Geun-won plans to get revenge on Yi-seo by kidnapping both her and his brother, though he ultimately failed and he was sentenced to incarceration once again. *

Kim Hye-eun Kim Hye-eun ( born March 1, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Kim began working as an announcer for the MBC network in 1997, first at a local affiliate in Cheongju, then later as a weathercaster of the main news desk in Seoul. After eight years ...

as Kang Min-jung **Jangga Group's

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

, who secretly plots to usurp CEO Jang. She is a close friend of Park Sung-yeol, father of Park Sae-ro-yi, which made her willing to ally with Sae-ro-yi against Dae-hee. * Hong Seo-joon as Mr. Kim **Jang Dae-hee's right-hand man. He is very loyal to his boss. * Yoo Da-mi as Kim Sun-ae **Jang Dae-hee's secretary and Kang Min-jung’s spy.

Others

Lee David Lee David (born March 3, 1994) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in ''Poetry'', '' The Front Line'', and Itaewon Class. He has also had starring roles in '' Romance Joe'' and ''Pluto Pluto (minor-plane ...

as Lee Ho-jin :Sae-royi's

investment manager Investment management is the professional asset management of various securities, including shareholdings, bonds, and other assets, such as real estate, to meet specified investment goals for the benefit of investors. Investors may be institut ...

. Ho-jin was Sae-ro-yi, Soo-ah and Geun-won's classmate in high school. After years of bearing the constant bullying from Geun-won, he gets into a prestigious college and takes up

business administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

. He partners up with Sae-ro-yi in taking revenge against Geun-won and CEO Jang. In 2020, he becomes the financial manager for Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group. In one of the flashback scene when he visited Sae-ro-yi in prison; he listed Sae-ro-yi as a friend. *

Kim Yeo-jin Kim Yeo-jin (born June 24, 1972) is a South Korean actress and activist. Kim made her acting debut in the stage play ''What Do Women Live For'' in 1995, and has since remained active in film and television, drawing praise for her supporting role ...

as Jo Jeong-min :Yi-seo's mother, who disapproves of Yi-seo quitting college and working at Danbam. She also did not have a good impression of Sae-ro-yi at first but eventually consents to her daughter's relationship with him. *

Yoon Kyung-ho Yoon Kyung-ho (, born 5 July 1980) is a South Korean theatre, film and television actor. He debuted in 2002 in SBS's documentary drama ''Savage Age''. He came into prominence in KBS's 2017 legal drama ''Witch at Court'' and tvN's 2019 TV series ...

as Oh Byeong-heon :Detective in charge of Geun-won's

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

case which he was pressured to cover up. He quit his job after the case and is now one of Sae-ro-yi's suppliers. * Choi Yu-ri as Oh Hye-won :Oh Byeong-heon's daughter, who is oblivious to Sae-ro-yi's connection with her father. *

Cha Mi-kyung Cha Mi-kyung (Korean:차미경; born on 25 July 1965) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 2007, since then, she has appeared in number of films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''Itaewon Class'' (2020), ' ...

as Kim Soon-rye :To-ni's Korean paternal grandmother. After her son's death, she deeply regrets disapproving of her son's marriage to a Guinean woman (To-ni's mother), as it caused her son to run away. She is a

loan shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

who offers her services to Sae-ro-yi when he moves his bar to a new location. She was also one of the first supporters of Jangga. * Won Hyun-joon as Kim Hee-hoon :Sae-ro-yi's former cellmate and a leader of a group of gangsters. Though initially cordial to both Sae-ro-yi and Choi Seung-kwon, he later allies himself with Jang Geun-won to kidnap Yi-seo and Geun-soo. * Han Hye-ji as Kook Bok-hee :Yi-seo and Geun-soo's former classmate. Her bullying activities were exposed after Yi-seo recorded her performing the act, which publicly humiliated her. After running into Yi-seo months later, she attempted to assault her for ruining her reputation alongside her friends, only to be beaten down by Yi-seo.

Special appearances

Ahn Sol-bin Ahn Sol-bin (; born August 19, 1997), known mononymously as Solbin, is a South Korean singer and actress. She is a member of the girl group Laboum Laboum (; stylized as LABOUM) is a South Korean girl group currently under Interpark Music ...

as Sae-ro-yi's classmate (Ep. 1) :A student who had a crush on Sae-ro-yi and had her confession rejected by him. *

Son Hyun-joo Son Hyun-joo (born June 24, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Since 1991, he has starred in numerous television series and films, such as ''First Love'' (1996), ''To Be With You'' (2002), ''My Rosy Life'' (2005), '' Tazza'' (2008), '' My Too Perfec ...

as Park Sung-yeol (Ep. 1–2 & 15) :Sae-ro-yi's father and former employee in Jangga Group. He taught Sae-ro-yi to stick to his beliefs and to fight for what is right. He resigned from Jangga in defense of Sae-ro-yi's deed of stopping Geun-won's bullying. He died in an accident caused by Geun-won. *

Hong Seok-cheon Hong Seok-cheon (born February 3, 1971) is a South Korean actor, television personality, restaurateur and member of the dissolved Democratic Labor Party. He caused considerable controversy in his home country when he came out as gay in 2000, an ...

as himself (Ep. 2, 4, 9 & 16) :Soo-ah's acquaintance and TV celebrity. He works at a bar that Sae-ro-yi visits twice (years before and after opening DanBam). They meet again after Sae-ro-yi moves the location of his bar. *

Yoon Park Yoon Park (born November 18, 1987) is a South Korean actor. Career Yoon began his entertainment career as a drummer for the band Can't Play Well (), which won the Bronze Prize at the 34th MBC Campus Song Festival in 2010. When his contract with ...

as Kim Sung-hyun (Ep. 3) :Geun-soo's elder friend who goes to DanBam with Geun-soo and Yi-seo where the two get caught for

underage drinking The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between ...

. *

Cha Chung-hwa Cha Chung-hwa (; born on 28 April 1980) is a South Korean character actress who has worked extensively on stage, screen, and television. She has been nominated for Baeksang Arts Awards for her role as court lady in tvN historical drama '' Mr. Q ...

as Bureau Chief's wife (Ep. 3) :Mother of Bok-hee, whose behavior was exposed online by Yi-seo. * Im So-eun as Bok-hee's friend (Ep. 5) :One of Bok-hee's friends. She, alongside Bok-hee and her friend, attempted to assault Yi-seo after running into each other months after high school graduation. * Jung Yoo-min as Seo Jeong-In (Ep. 6) :The daughter of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and Geun-won's blind date. The

blind date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

was arranged by Geun-won's father. *

Seo Eun-soo Lee Jeong-min (; born March 2, 1994) is a South Korean actress and model. Seo made her acting debut in the 2016 television drama '' Don’t Dare to Dream''. Seo received her big break after portraying the role of Seo Ji-soo in the KBS2 family dram ...

as part-time job applicant (Ep. 6) :Sae-ro-yi's acquaintance. She applied for the job that was eventually offered to Kim To-ni. Yi-seo rejected her application out of jealousy of her and Sae-ro-yi's close relationship. * Kim Il-joong as himself (Ep. 11 & 13) :Host of the cooking program show ''The Best Pub''. *

Jeon No-min Jun No-min (born Jun Jae Yong on August 28, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Among his recent roles were the villainous Hwarang warrior Seolwon in ''Queen Seondeok'', and the fictional independence fighter Damsari in '' Bridal Mask''. Filmograp ...

as Do Joong-myung (Ep. 11–12) :CEO of the

investment firm An investment company is a financial institution principally engaged in holding, managing and investing securities. These companies in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and must be registered under t ...

Jungmyung Holdings. He offers Sae-ro-yi to

DanBam. Later he was one of the sleeper agent for Dae Hee to thwart Sae-ro-yi plan to franchise DanBam. * Lee Jun-hyeok as Park Joon-gi (Ep. 11–13) :A contestant on ''The Best Pub''. He represents Jangga Group as the head cook and comes in second to Hyun-yi during the final. He subsequently gets fired. *

Park Bo-gum Park Bo-gum (; born June 16, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his diverse range of roles in film and television, notably, a psychopathic lawyer in '' Hello Monster'' (2015), a genius Go player in ''Reply 1988'' (2015– ...

as Handsome Chef (Ep. 16) :The new chef at Soo-ah's restaurant in which Hong Seok-cheon invested after he passed the job interview. * :

Production

The first script reading took place in August 2019 at JTBC Building in

Sangam-dong Sangam-dong is a legal '' dong'' (neighborhood) of the Mapo District in Seoul, South Korea. In the wake of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, a large apartment complex and DMC business district have been created and developed into the center of western Seou ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. The drama serves as a reunion between

Park Seo-Joon Park Seo-joon (born Park Yong-kyu; December 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series ''Kill Me, Heal Me'' (2015), '' She Was Pretty'' (2015), '' Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth'' (2016� ...

and

who previously worked together in the KBS2 drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.

Original soundtrack

''Itaewon Class: Original Soundtrack''

The drama's

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

is compiled in a four-part

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

released on March 20, 2020. CDs 1 and 2 contain the drama's

theme songs Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at som ...

and their instrumental versions, while CDs 3 and 4 contain the drama's musical score. The following lists are the track listings for the online streaming version of the album.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13 Chart performance

Reception

''Itaewon Class final episode recorded a 16.548% nationwide audience share, making it the third-highest viewership rating in JTBC, and the 12th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, just slightly under '' Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)''. The drama was also praised for its realistic portrayal of subjects such as prejudice and discrimination against foreigners, ex-convicts and

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

people, as well as the portrayal of misbehaviours by ''

chaebol A chaebol (, ; ) is a large industrial South Korean conglomerate run and controlled by an individual or family. A chaebol often consists of multiple diversified affiliates, controlled by a person or group whose power over the group often exc ...

s''. ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

'' included ''Itaewon Class'' on its list of "The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix". ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' included the series on its list of "The 13 Best Korean Dramas Of 2020". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' mentioned the drama in an article recommending

Korean dramas Korean dramas (; Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are Television show, television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, par ...

to watch after finishing ''

Squid Game ''Squid Game'' () is a South Korean survival drama television series created by Hwang Dong-hyuk for Netflix. Its cast includes Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Wi Ha-joon, HoYeon Jung, O Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae, Anupam Tripathi, and Kim Joo-ryou ...

''.

Google Trends Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over time. On August 5, 20 ...

revealed that the series was the #1 most-searched drama/entertainment program of

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, and the fourth most searched domestic search term of 2020 in South Korea.

Awards and nominations

Viewership

International adaptations

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

adaptation, titled as ''Roppongi Class'', was aired on July 7, 2022 via

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

. A British, Chinese, French, German, Indian and Turkish adaptations are in development.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{IMDb title, tt11239552 2020 South Korean television series debuts 2020 South Korean television series endings JTBC television dramas Korean-language Netflix exclusive international distribution programming South Korean LGBT-related television shows Television shows based on South Korean webtoons Television shows set in Seoul Transgender-related television shows Television series by Zium Content Itaewon