4.1 - Episode 1 of 25, 21

Today, we’ll be kicking off Season 4 of K Drama Chat by discussing Episode 1 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

• The song Starlight by Taeil
• The main actors of the show:
  • Kim Tae-ri
  • Nam Joo Hyuk
  • Kim Ji-yeon, better known by her stage name Bona
• How age is calculated in Korea vs. internationally, which is why there’s confusion over how old the actors in this show are
• The origins of the 1990s Asian financial crisis and how it affected South and East Asia
• The impact of an IMF bailout and austerity measures on countries
• The South Korea gold campaign
• The surprising dominance of South Korea in the world of fencing
• Polite language between Na Hee-do and Baek Yi-jin
• The large number of K Drama elements we see in this episode:
  • Beautiful actors
  • Crying
  • Flowers
  • Food
  • Alcohol
  • Wrist grabs
  • Clothing and fashion
  • Umbrella scene
• The challenging mother-daughter relationship between Hee-do and her mom
• Our favorite line
• How much we loved this K Drama from the very first episode

References:

• 25, 21 cast
• Last Sequence by WJSN (featuring Bona)
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