When Life Gives You Tangerines (Korean: 폭싹 속았수다; RR: Pokssak sogatsuda; Jeju for 'Thank You for Your Hard Work') is a 2025 South Korean romance slice-of-life television series written by Lim Sang-choon, directed by Kim Won-seok, and starring IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, and Park Hae-joon. It was released on Netflix every Friday, from March 7, 2025, to March 28, 2025.
The series received widespread praise for its performances, screenplay, and direction. Among its numerous accolades, the series received a total of eight nominations at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, winning four, including Best Drama. It was also named by Time magazine as the best Korean drama of 2025. The series has been favorably compared to the acclaimed series Reply 1988 (2015–2016), also starring Park Bo-gum, for eliciting nostalgia and warmth rooted in the Korean experience.
Contents
Synopsis
The drama follows the adventurous life and many trials of Ae-sun (IU), a poor girl wanting to become a poet who was born in Jeju in 1951, and Gwan-sik (Park Bo-gum), a young man who cherishes and loves her. The drama is narrated by their daughter, Yang Geum-myeong.
Cast and characters
Main
IU as Oh Ae-sun, the main female character and Gwan-sik's love interest, girlfriend and later wife, and as Yang Geum-myeong, the eldest child and only daughter of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik.
Moon So-ri as middle age Ae-sun
Yoon Seo-yeon as teen Ae-sun
Kim Tae-yeon as child Ae-sun
Shin Chae-rin as child Yang Geum-myeong (4–7 years old)
Ahn Tae-rin as child Yang Geum-myeong (7–10 years old)
Lee A-ra as child Yang Geum-myeong (10–12 years old)
Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik, the main male character and Ae-sun's love interest, boyfriend and later husband.
Park Hae-joon as middle age Gwan-sik
Lee Cheon-mu as child Gwan-sik
Moon Woo-jin as teen Gwan-sik
Supporting
Kim Yong-rim as Park Mak-cheon Gwan-sik's grandmother who is a shaman
Na Moon-hee as Kim Chun-ok, Ae-sun's paternal grandmother
Yeom Hye-ran as Jeon Gwang-rye, Ae-sun's mother who is a haenyeo, and as chief editor Chloe H. Lee in a brief cameo appearance in episode 16
Oh Min-ae as Kwon Gye-ok, Gwan-sik's mother
Cha Mi-kyung as Park Chung-su, a haenyeo
Lee Soo-mi as Choi Yang-im, a haenyeo
Baek Ji-won as Hong Kyung-ja, a haenyeo
Jung Hae-kyun as Oh Han-moo, Ae-sun's paternal uncle
Choi Dae-hoon as Bu Sang-gil, a rich fishing captain
Kang You-seok as Yang Eun-myeong, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's son
Oh Yeon-jae as Hyeon Yi-sook, Han-moo's wife and Ae-sun's aunt
Yoo Byung-hoon as Yang Sam-bo, Gwan-sik's father
Shin Sae-byeok as Yang Dong-myeong, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's son
Jang Hye-jin as Yeong-ran, Bu Sang-gil's wife
Chae Seo-an as younger Yeong-ran
Lee Soo-kyung as Bu Hyeon-suk, Sang-gil and Yeong-ran's daughter
Moon Yu-gang as Bu Seong-yi, Bu Sang-gil's eldest son
Guest appearances
Oh Jung-se as Yeom Byeong-cheol, Ae-sun's stepfather
Uhm Ji-won as Na Min-ok, Byeong-cheol's second wife
Lee Mi-do as Mi-sook, owner of a fortune teller shop
Kim Seon-ho as Park Chung-seop, Geum-myeong's husband
Kim Hae-gon as Kim Hae-bong, CEO of the Cannes Theater
Kang Mal-geum as Geumja, Nampojang motel co-owner
Kim Young-woong as Geumja's husband, Nampojang motel co-owner
Kim Gook-hee as Jeon Ae-kyung, Geum-myeong's professor at Seoul National University
Kim Su-an as Oh Jenny, Geum-myeong's tutee
Kim Jae-young as Jenny's chauffeur
Kim Geum-soon as Mi-hyang
Nam Mi-jung as Mi-hyang's housekeeper
Jeon Bae-soo as Song Yeong-sam, Geum-myeong's boarding house owner
Kim Sung-ryung as Jeong Mi-in, an actress
Lee Bong-ryun as a nurse
Hyun Bong-sik as Mi-in's manager
Kim Kang-hoon as Yang Je-il, Eun-myeong's and Hyeon-suk's eldest son / Ae-sun and Gwan-sik's grandson
Episodes
Presented in a non-linear narrative, the story follows the lives of Ae-sun, Gwan-sik, and their children split between Dodong-ri in Jeju Island and Seoul between the 1950s and the 2000s. Events shown previously are sometimes shown again in later episodes with greater context to show the connection between different events and characters. Narration within episodes is often given by an older Geum-myeong, poetically reminiscing about her feelings on events of the past.
Production
Development
The series was developed under the working title Insaeng (인생; 'Life'). The series was produced by Pan Entertainment and was helmed by director Kim Won-seok, and the script was penned by Lim Sang-choon, marking her return after writing the 2019 KBS drama When the Camellia Blooms. In December 2022, production designer Ryu Seong-hie acknowledged her involvement in the project. The production cost is reported to be around ₩60 billion.
The official Korean title Pokssak Sogatsuda (폭싹 속았수다) was revealed on January 27, 2023. The title is a Jeju language verb for "thank you for your hard work". In Jeju language, sokda (속다), which forms a part of sogatsuda (속았수다), means "trying hard", "taking the trouble" or "having a hard time". Coincidentally, sokda is a linguistic false friend to the standard Korean word for "be deceived", "be cheated" or "be fooled", so Pokssak sogatsuda could be misinterpreted as the standard Korean translation for "heavily fooled".
The official English title, When Life Gives You Tangerines, was announced on January 30, 2023, and is a word play on the proverb "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade"; the fruit that grows in Jeju Island is mandarin orange, however. The Chinese title, Kǔjìngānlái Yùjiànnǐ (Chinese: 苦盡柑來遇見你; lit. 'I finally get to meet you after enduring hardship'), similarly plays on the Chinese proverb Kǔjìngānlái (苦盡甘來; 'After the bitterness comes sweetness'); here, the Chinese character for either "mandarin orange" or "tangerine" (柑; gān) replaces similarly sounded character for "sweetness" (甘; gān) in the original proverb. A representative for Netflix's Globalisation Team stated that "When giving a title in English, the goal is to localize the creator's intention and cultural nuance in the original title to suit the culture of English-speaking countries".
Filming
Aside from filming in Jeju, the production also filmed in Andong in 2023.
In 2023, the series faced controversy over nuisance filming. A visitor to the Gochang Academy Farm Green Barley Field Festival reported being restricted from entering a rapeseed flower field due to ongoing filming. When the visitor attempted to photograph the flowers from a distance, a staff member reportedly shouted at them to stop taking pictures. Allegations of bullying by staff members toward extras surfaced in May 2025. In response, Netflix stated that it was investigating the allegations.
Casting
On January 27, 2023, IU and Park Bo-gum were confirmed in the roles of the main characters Ae-sun and Gwan-sik respectively. IU and Park Bo-gum, both born in 1993, have been friends since starring in a television commercial together in their teens, with Park Bo-gum making a cameo in IU's drama The Producers (2015) in their twenties.
This is the second collaboration between director Kim Won-seok and IU after the 2018 tvN drama series My Mister. On January 30, 2023, Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon were officially confirmed to play the older versions of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, respectively. This marks the fourth appearance of Park Hae-joon in a Kim Won-seok-directed drama following Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014), My Mister (2018), Arthdal Chronicles (2019). Choi Dae-hoon's casting was confirmed in October 2023, with filming for the series reportedly commencing in March 2023.
The first script reading took place in March 2023, together with the confirmation of the casting of Na Moon-hee, Kim Yong-rim, and Lee Jun-young. Lee Soo-kyung's casting was confirmed in May 2023, with Baek Ji-won's being confirmed the following month. In July 2023, Oh Jeong-se was confirmed to join the cast, with Kim Seon-ho making a guest appearance. Jung Yi-seo's casting was confirmed in August 2023, with Lee Soo-mi and Yeom Hye-ran joining the series the following month.
Release
In April 2023, it was announced that PAN Entertainment signed a production contract with Netflix, and the series was planned to be released in 190 countries in 2024 through the platform. On January 30, 2024, media outlets shared the script reading photos of the drama and confirmed its exclusive release on Netflix worldwide. In January 2025, Netflix confirmed that the series will be released in four volumes comprising four episodes with each volume starting March 7, 2025. Netflix hosted a press conference at the Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul on March 5, 2025. Director Kim Won-seok, along with IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, and Park Hae-joon, were present at the event.
Marketing
IU and Park Bo-gum appeared in KBS1's Gayo Stage to promote the series. They performed a duet of "Mountain Boy's Love Story" while wearing the traditional high school uniforms of their characters. The idea to appear in the show came from Park Bo-gum, stating that it was a way to appeal to a wider generation of audience.
Netflix Korea generated additional revenue through intellectual property collaborations aimed at drama enthusiasts. A partnership with Yuhan-Kimberly resulted in the launch of a limited edition Kleenex Moisturizing Essence Lotion, with packaging featuring the drama; this product sold out during the pre-order phase. Collaboration with design studio Oimu produced stationery items, including notebooks, letter paper, and rapeseed bookmarks, which quickly sold out at the Inventario stationery fair. Official merchandise including keychains and plushies of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik, was also released. The platform also partnered with a life insurance company to feature quotes in the series as the company's advertising material.
Netflix held the event "Well Done! Well Done! Geumeundong Village Feast" on March 30, 2025, at the Myeonghwa Live Hall. The event was attended by IU, Park Bo-gum, Park Hae-joon, Oh Min-ae, Jang Hye-jin, Kang You-seok, and Lee Soo-kyung. It featured an awards ceremony and a reading session, where the actors read the winning works selected by writer Lim Sang-choon from submissions to the When Life Gives You Tangerines 100-day event, held both online and offline. They also joined a panel discussion with the actors moderated by Movement CEO Jin Myeong-hyeon.
In February, Netflix organized an early screening of the series for nine grandmothers from Seonheul-ri, who then created paintings inspired by the story. The Social Museum is hosting an art exhibition titled "Pokssak Sogatsuda, Doldo, Eomeongdo, Halmangdo" from May 2 to June 29, 2025, at the Seonheulri Painting Workshop and Nonghyup Warehouse in Jeju. The exhibition showcases paintings by the nine grandmothers and their art teacher, Choi So-yeon. IU attended the exhibition in June.
Original soundtrack
Reception
Critical response
The series was a domestic and international hit. It received plaudits for its performances, screenplay, and direction, and has been favorably compared to the acclaimed period drama Reply 1988 (2015–16), for eliciting nostalgia and warmth rooted in the Korean experience. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.9/10.
Time magazine praised the series for being "devastatingly profound", showing not only "the story of one family" but also "the story of Korea's modernization from the postwar period to today" and highlighting "a rich and distinct cultural history" of Jeju island. India Today stated that the series "isn't just a love story, nor is it merely a historical drama. It's a meditation on time, on love, and on the quiet labor of care that stretches across lifetimes." Per South China Morning Post the series "masterfully bridged past and present, blurring the line between nostalgic reverie and pressing reality" calling it "one of the very best K-dramas of all time – and quite possibly the most Korean of them all." The series was also praised by the Chinese Communist Party-owned daily tabloid Global Times.
Viewership
The series was in Netflix's Top 10 Non-English Shows for nine weeks.
Impact
Following its release in the first week of March, the series topped the Good Data Corporation's Top 10 TV-OTT Drama Topicality Ranking for seven consecutive weeks. During this period, IU ranked first in the buzz-worthy drama performer category. Park Bo-gum rank second for six consecutive weeks and third the following week. In the third week of March, Lee Jun-young was fourth, and Kim Seon-ho was tenth. In the fourth week, Kim Seon-ho ranked third, Lee Jun-young eighth, and Kang You-seok tenth.
In addition, the series ranked first in Gallup Korea's nationwide survey of favorite TV programs for March, April, and May 2025. It was Netflix's fifth series to rank first for three consecutive months. It was also the first drama to surpass a 10% preference rating since January 2013. Park Bo-gum was named Gallup Korea's Television Actor of the Year, with IU in second place; he became the first artist to top the poll for an OTT release.
According to the mobile big data platform Mobile Index, Netflix reported 14 million monthly active users (MAUs) in March 2025, reflecting an increase of over 640,000 from the previous month. This marked the first time Netflix's MAUs exceeded 14 million since January 2023, when the drama The Glory gained significant popularity. Following the initial public release of the series, Pan Entertainment's stock price rose by 22.12%. Ahead of the second release, the stock reached 3,930 won, surpassing its 52-week high.
The show had a major influence on popular culture, resulting in the creation of the term "Pokssak Sogatsuda Craze" (Korean: 폭싹 속았수다 열풍) shaping trends in furniture, fashion, food, and tourism. The mother-of-pearl chest treasured by Ae-sun in the drama prompted a trend of refurbishing similar chests on social media. The fashion styles of Ae-sun and Gwan-sik in the drama led to a resurgence of retro chic, also known as Grandmacore. Online shopping sites reported a spike in searches for these styles after the drama's release, with items like pearl hairpins, dot scarves, checkered ties, and floral shirts experiencing a notable increase in sales. A school lunch menu with dishes inspired by the series, such as barley and pea rice, squid, and croaker, gained popularity on social media. These dishes subsequently appeared in various cafeterias, including Hybe's cafeteria, further increasing online interest. Sales of sesame oil, perilla oil, soju brands, fried chicken brands, and snacks from the show have also experienced a significant boost.