Itaewon Class follows Park Saeroyi, a man whose life is upended when the heir of a food conglomerate kills his father in a hit-and-run and faces no consequences. After serving time in prison for assaulting the heir, Saeroyi opens a small bar in Seoul’s Itaewon district, beginning a fifteen-year plan to build his own business empire and destroy the corporation from the inside. The show adapts a popular webtoon, blending revenge narrative with entrepreneurial coming-of-age.
The show was a massive hit in South Korea and internationally, with Park Seo-joon’s performance generating a devoted following. Community response is warm toward the first half and increasingly divided about the second, reflecting a common K-drama pattern of strong setups with uneven payoffs.
An Underdog You Can’t Help but Root For
Park Seo-joon brings an unwavering determination to Park Saeroyi that makes the character impossible not to root for. His refusal to compromise his principles, even when doing so would make his path easier, gives the show a moral center that anchors all the corporate scheming and romantic subplots around it. Saeroyi’s stubbornness is both his greatest strength and his most distinctive character trait, and Park plays it with enough warmth to keep it from becoming tiresome.
The Itaewon setting and the multicultural cast of the bar add freshness to what could have been a standard revenge drama. The show populates its supporting cast with characters from different backgrounds, including a transgender woman, a former gang member, and a Guinean-Korean, and treats each with more respect and dimension than K-drama typically manages. The bar itself becomes a symbol of Saeroyi’s values: a place where merit matters more than background.
The early episodes establish an effective emotional foundation. The sequence of events that destroys Saeroyi’s life is depicted with restraint and impact, making the audience understand his motivation without needing to oversell it. The corporate villain is drawn with enough menace and specificity to make the revenge stakes feel deeply personal.
The Second Half Problem
The most consistent criticism targets the show’s decline in its second half. The business strategy elements that drove the early episodes give way to romantic triangle drama and increasingly implausible plot developments. The show loses focus on what made it compelling, spending too much time on a love story that divides viewers and not enough on the corporate chess match that generated its best tension.
The character of Jo Yi-seo, the sociopathic genius who becomes Saeroyi’s business partner and love interest, splits the audience sharply. Some viewers find her compelling and entertaining, while others feel her character dominates the show’s second half in ways that unbalance the narrative. The romance between her and Saeroyi doesn’t convince everyone, and some viewers feel it undermines the show’s themes of principled determination.
The corporate villain also becomes less interesting as the show progresses. The antagonist’s motivations simplify from truly threatening to cartoon-villain levels, and the final confrontation between Saeroyi and the conglomerate resolves through plot convenience rather than the strategic maneuvering the show initially promised. The ending feels rushed compared to the methodical setup.
Principle as Strategy
Itaewon Class makes its most interesting argument when it suggests that unwavering principles can be a business strategy rather than a liability. Saeroyi’s refusal to cut corners or mistreat people isn’t just moral but practical, building loyalty and creating opportunities that ruthlessness couldn’t. The show is at its best when it explores this idea through concrete business challenges.
Should You Watch Itaewon Class?
If you enjoy underdog stories with business elements and don’t mind if the ending doesn’t match the beginning, the first half of Itaewon Class is truly compelling television. The show’s diverse cast and Itaewon setting give it a distinctive flavor. Skip it if you’re frustrated by shows that set up better stories than they deliver, or if romantic subplots that overtake main narratives are a persistent annoyance.
The Verdict on Itaewon Class
Itaewon Class starts strong with a compelling revenge setup, an appealing lead performance, and a diverse, interesting world. Its decline in the second half, where romantic drama overtakes business strategy, prevents it from reaching the heights its early episodes promise. It remains a pleasant and sometimes powerful viewing experience, but the gap between its potential and its execution keeps it a step below the best K-dramas of its era.