Itaewon Class, a Korean drama released in 2020 is a Netflix production that has been extremely popular both in Korea and internationally. This drama is based on the webtoon of the same name which I am yet to read. This drama follows the journey of Sae-ro-yi Park, who beats against all odds to create and own the number one food conglomerate in Korea. The drama explores:
Perception of foreigners, racial discrimination, multiculturalism
LGBTQ discrimination and perception
Notions of masculinity and femininity
Social hierarchy and privilege
Issues within the drama:
Glorification of sexual assault
Yi-Seo Jo, the female lead, lacks a dream of her own. Growing up, I heard “behind every successful man there stands a woman” and Yi-Seo is the epitome of this saying.
Diversity or Tokenism?
Lack of actual representation
Other Aspects:
The OST is one of the best in K-Dramas because you can feel a range of emotions from sad to hopeful. “Start” sang by Gaho is my favorite song from the drama.
Yi-Seo Jo, the female lead, is far from perfect. There were times when she made me borderline uncomfortable to watch, which made me wonder why she was the female lead in the first place. However, while reflecting I realized that her character is refreshing because she is not depicted as a saint.
Rating: 4.7/5
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