Netflix has announced the long-awaited premiere date for upcoming romance K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, led by IU and Park Bogum. Here’s everything you need to know about the new series.
What is the plot of When Life Gives You Tangerines?
Billed as a romantic slice-of-life series, When Life Gives You Tangerines is set in 1960s Jeju and follows the adventurous lives of Ae-soon “the remarkable rebel” and Gwan-sik “the unyielding iron” as they weather the trials and tribulations throughout all four seasons on the South Korean island. Its Korean title, 폭싹 속았수다, is Jeju slang for ‘Thank you for your hard work’.
Who wil star in When Life Gives You Tangerines?
Singer-actor IU, real name Lee Ji-eun, will star in the upcoming series as Ae-soon, who dreams of becoming a poet amid circumstances that prevent her from going to school. Starring opposite her as Gwan-sik is Park Bo-gum, a diligent and unwavering man whose love for and loyalty to Ae-soon never threatens to falter.
Playing child and middle-aged versions of Ae-soon are Kim Tae-yeon and Moon So-ri, the latter acclaimed for her performances on The Handmaiden, The Good Lawyer’s Wife and Oasis. Lee Cheon-mu is credited as the child version of Gwan-sik, while The World of the Married actor Park Hae-joon joins the cast as the character’s middle-aged version.
Other actors credited in the supporting cast include Beyond Evil’s Choi Dae-hoon, veteran actress Na Moon-hee, Love and Leashes’ Lee Jun-young and Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Snowdrop’s Baek Ji-won, among others. Kim Seon-ho of Hometown Cha Cha Cha fame and Hospital Playlist’s Lee Soo-mi will also be making special appearances in undisclosed roles.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is notably written by acclaimed When The Camellia Blooms screenwriter Lim Sang-choon and directed by Kim Won-seok, whose previous work includes Arthdal Chronicles and My Mister.
Is there a trailer for the new Netflix series?
On January 23, the streaming service dropped the very first look into When Life Gives You Tangerines through a teaser clip paired with its premiere date announcement.
The minute-long clip begins with a montage of a local street market in Jeju through all four seasons, before the teaser transitions to intimate moments between Ae-soon and Gwan-sik as they walk through a flower field.
Is there a trailer for the new Netflix series?
Per the premiere date announcement on January 23, new K-drama When Life Gives You Tangerines will make its premiere on March 7 exclusively on Netflix.
— Netflix K-Content (@netflixkcontent) January 23, 2025