Due to an accident which killed his father, Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) attempted to kill Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun), the son of Jangga Group's founder, Jang Dae-hee (Yoo Jae-myung). He was jailed and the woman he loved, Oh Soo-ah (Kwon Na-ra), 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. 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 (Kim Da-mi).
Proprietor of DanBam, a bar-restaurant in Itaewon. In his youth, Sae-ro-yi gets expelled from high school for punching CEO Jang's son Geun-won, who was bullying 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 and defeating CEO Jang's food company Jangga Group. In 2020, he becomes the CEO of his company IC Group.
Manager 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 to continue her studies in South Korea. She is also famous on social media as a power blogger and social mediainternet celebrity. 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, 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 of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group. Eventually, Sae-ro-yi realizes his feelings for Yi-seo and he confesses his love for her.
CEO 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 and authority 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, Sae-ro-yi always resisted kneeling and made his life harder for it. In 2020, he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer 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.
Head of the strategic planning team in Jangga Group; Sae-ro-yi's former classmate and first love. Abandoned by her mother, Soo-ah grew up in an orphanage 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 Sae-ro-yi'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.
CEO Jang's second and illegitimate 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.
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.
DanBam's chief cook. 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 and has been saving money for her sex reassignment surgery. In 2020, she becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-yi's company IC Group.
DamBam's Guinean-Koreanpart-timer. Even though he cannot speak and understand English, To-ni is fluent in speaking Korean, 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.
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 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.
Jangga Group's executive director, 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.
Sae-royi's investment manager. 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. 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.
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.
Detective in charge of Geun-won's hit-and-run 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
CEO of the investment firm Jungmyung Holdings. He offers Sae-ro-yi to franchise DanBam. Later he was one of the sleeper agent for Dae-hee to thwart Sae-ro-yi plan to franchise DanBam.
The drama's soundtrack is compiled in a four-part album released on March 20, 2020. CDs 1 and 2 contain the drama's theme songs 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.[40][41]
Itaewon Class' final episode recorded a 16.548% nationwide audience share, making it the fifth-highest viewership rating in JTBC, and the 14th highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history, just slightly under Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce).[57][58] The drama was also praised for its realistic portrayal of subjects such as prejudice and discrimination against foreigners, ex-convicts and LGBT people, as well as the portrayal of misbehaviours by chaebols.[59]
Time Magazine included Itaewon Class on its list of "The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix".[60]Forbes included the series on its list of "The 13 Best Korean Dramas Of 2020".[61]The Guardian mentioned the drama in an article recommending Korean dramas to watch after finishing Squid Game.[62]Google Trends revealed that the series was the #1 most-searched drama/entertainment program of 2020, and the fourth most searched domestic search term of 2020 in South Korea.[63][64]
Viewershipedit
Itaewon Class : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Season
Episode number
Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1
1.261
1.371
1.977
2.500
2.852
3.085
3.026
3.254
3.612
3.803
3.514
3.530
3.321
3.785
3.841
4.425
3.072
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[65]
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
This drama aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
^The song "Start Over" by Chris Lyon, who played the character Kim To-ni in the drama, is included in the physical CD album version as the 8th track. All succeeding tracks are renumbered accordingly.[40]
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