Top 2 in Top 10 Best Korean Romance Movies in the First Half of 2025.
When Life Gives You Tangerines - Top 10 Best Korean Romance Movies of the First Half of 2025.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a slice-of-life Korean drama set on Jeju Island in the 1950s and 1960s, where nature is peaceful but life is full of challenges. The film revolves around Oh Ae‑sun, a poor country girl who aspires to become a poet, with a dream of living differently in a conservative and restrictive society. Her heart is always full of passion and faith in the future, even though reality is full of hardships..
Growing up with Ae‑sun is Yang Gwan‑sik, a gentle, quiet boy who lives simply and silently spends his youth protecting the girl he loves. In the midst of the ripe tangerine season, their love blossoms quietly, simply but firmly, although there are many conflicts due to differences in thinking, circumstances and dreams.
When Ae‑sun decides to leave Jeju to pursue her own ideals and dreams, while Gwan‑sik chooses to stay and take care of her family and her homeland, their relationship enters a challenging period. The film takes viewers through a journey of more than half a lifetime, witnessing the changes, losses, and the endurance of a wordless but powerful love.
When Life Gives You Tangerines is not only a love story between two people, but also a profound symphony about memories, youth, family, and the little things that make up happiness. The work makes a strong impression thanks to its gentle storytelling, delicate dialogue, poetic images of Jeju Island, and emotional performances from IU and Park Bo-gum.
Basic Information
Drama Name: When Life Gives You Tangerines (폭싹 속았수다)
Genre: Romance, slice of life, healing
Duration: 16 episodes
Broadcast schedule: Every Friday (4 episodes per week)
First broadcast date: March 7, 2025
Broadcast channel: Netflix
Director: Kim Won-seok
Screenwriter: Lim Sang-choon
Producers: Pan Entertainment, Baram Pictures
Main cast:
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IU as Oh Ae-sun (youth)
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Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik (youth)
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Moon So-ri as Oh Ae-sun (middle-aged)
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Park Hae-joon as Yang Gwan-sik (middle-aged)
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Yeom Hye-ran as Jeon Gwang-rye (Ae-sun's mother)n)
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Choi Dae-hoon as Bu Sang-gil (Gwan-sik's childhood friend)