logo
'When Life Gives You Tangerines' presents ways to grow stronger: actors

'When Life Gives You Tangerines' presents ways to grow stronger: actors

Korea Herald03-04-2025
Lee Ji-eun, Moon So-ri discuss becoming main leads Geum-myoung, Ae-sun in hit human drama
March in Korea has been swept by the emotional powerhouse drama, "When Life Gives You Tangerines," a Netflix original that peels back the lives of Koreans as they navigate everyday struggles, tangled family dynamics and heartfelt romance.
Lee Ji-eun, who takes on the dual role of Ae-sun in her youth and her daughter Geum-myoung, emphasized the series' central message: 'Life goes on if you keep living.'
'I felt that the series conveys a sense of resilience, encouraging audiences not to give up but to endure and overcome sadness and farewells. It seems to instill strength in people,' Lee said during a group interview Wednesday in Jung-gu, Seoul.
'I see this as a work that presents a way for people to grow stronger,' she added.
She also noted that the series conveys its message with warmth.
'There's a fable where the wind and the sun compete to make a traveler take off his coat. Instead of using force like the wind, the sun shines warmly, making the traveler remove his jacket voluntarily. In the same way, this story suggests a gentle but powerful way for people to find strength,' she explained.
'Whether someone is going through a difficult time or feeling lost in today's world, questioning why they should keep going, or believing that life is meaningless or unfair -- this drama offers them a reason to think, 'Maybe I should try living a little longer,'' she continued.
Lee shared that her own experience as a daughter helped her fully embody Geum-myoung.
''You're annoying,' that's something Geum-myoung often says to her parents. But in reality, it comes from a place of deep love, guilt and worry. She just can't express all of those emotions properly, so it comes out as 'annoying.'"
'I can relate to that. Even when my own parents were sick, they would still clean and cook meals, and all I could say was that they were 'annoying.' I know that kind of frustration all too well. I think I was the same way -- especially as a child and even into my early twenties. I completely understood that feeling,' she added.
"When Life Gives You Tangerines" marks another milestone in Lee's extensive career, which includes standout roles in "Dream High" (2011), "Producer" (2015) and "Hotel Del Luna" (2019). When asked if she feels she's grown as an actor, Lee admitted she isn't sure how to define growth in this industry.
'The word growth feels somewhat vague. Since I've been consistently working in this field, there isn't a clear moment where I can definitively feel, 'I've grown.'' she said.
'If my next project doesn't turn out well, does that mean I've regressed? Even after doing this job for over ten years, I still don't really know the standard for growth and decline,' she reflected.
Moon So-ri, who portrays Ae-sun in her middle age, said she thought that the series' core theme centers around the idea that no one lives in isolation.
'Stories about people helping each other could have been dull, but the way this drama delivered it so emotionally was truly impressive,' the seasoned actor said.
'What allowed Ae-sun to keep going was the unwavering love of the haenyeo (female divers) she was close to, Gwan-sik's unchanging love and the love for her children. Without that, Ae-sun would have collapsed long ago,' she said.
Moon also highlighted the series' broad emotional reach.
'Some may relate to the story of Gwang-rye, Ae-sun, and Sae-bom -- mothers and daughters connected through generations -- and some viewers focus on (Sang-gak's) growth and how significant that is in the context of modern Korean society. Others are deeply moved by Eun-myoung's story or the struggles of second-born children,' she said during the group interview held on Wednesday.
'This drama offers a wide range of emotional anchors for different people to connect with,' Moon added.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'Don't forget me': Astro's Cha Eunwoo set for enlistment
'Don't forget me': Astro's Cha Eunwoo set for enlistment

Korea Herald

time18 hours ago

  • Korea Herald

'Don't forget me': Astro's Cha Eunwoo set for enlistment

Cha Eunwoo of Astro recently bid fans farewell ahead of his enlistment in the military, asking them not to forget him. He begins his mandatory military service on Monday as a member of the Army marching band. He thanked fans through From, an online communication platform, telling them he has been doing well. 'I will miss you a lot, won't I?' wrote Cha, admitting that it still feels surreal. The singer and actor asked fans not to forget him and mentioned that he has an album, a movie and a TV show that will be released during his absence. Though the Netflix show, "The Wonder Fools," and the movie, "The First Ride," are set to premiere soon, the release date of the album is yet to be announced. Cha Eunwoo held a solo concert in June and fan meetups in July, both in Korea and Japan.

Liquid Sound strips traditional street performance to its core
Liquid Sound strips traditional street performance to its core

Korea Herald

time2 days ago

  • Korea Herald

Liquid Sound strips traditional street performance to its core

Performance collective reimagines pungmul through contemporary movement In pungmul, a traditional Korean form of folk music and dance, the performer leading the troupe wears a hat called sangmo topped with a long paper streamer known as piji that can stretch nearly 180 centimeters. As the drumming builds and the rhythms swell, the streamer whirls in perfect arcs and waves, never tangling, serving as a kinetic emblem of pungmul's identity. But what happens when you take away that visible identity, wondered Lee In-bo, director of the performance collective Liquid Sound. What remains in the body? And how can it expand from there? To find an answer, Liquid Sound deconstructs elements of pungmul and rebuilds them through the language of contemporary dance in 'OffOn: Yeonhee Project 2,' presented Friday and Saturday at Seoul's Sejong Center for the Performing Arts as part of its summer festival, Sync Next. Yeonhee, also spelled yeonhui (literally "play" or "performance" in Korean), is a broad term for traditional performing arts such as pungmul, mask dance, shamanistic rituals, puppet theater, traditional circus and folk music, and dance often rooted in folk rituals and community celebrations. 'From the very beginning, we asked our performers, 'What if we took away your instruments, your costumes — everything you're most confident in. Could you still exist onstage, purely as movement?'' Lee said in an interview with The Korea Herald last week. He called their creative process the 'OffOn' approach: taking something 'off' from traditional performance and attaching it 'on' to something new, in search of what Lee calls the DNA of traditional performance. It is the group's second contemporary dance project following 'Long: Yeonhee Project 1,' which they showcased last year at the Aurillac International Street Theatre Festival in France. In this genre-crossing Yeonhee Project series, traditional pungmul artists and dancers deconstruct movements that once flowed instinctively, studying them bit by bit, without the familiar music, rhythms, costumes or instruments. 'It's challenging even for seasoned performers,' said choreographer Shim Ju-young. 'They have to search for the movement itself — down to the core of their bodies. But it's also fascinating: you realize that spinning the sangmo requires precise, rhythmic head movements executed in distinctly different ways.' The show draws on various elements of pungmul and folk performance. One segment focuses on seoljanggu, traditionally a solo janggu drum showcase, reinterpreting its rhythmic footwork through hand gestures. Another segment references piroji, a moment in folk performance when female dancers take the stage, but here, male dancers join them, layering the rhythm with new textures. Shim, who trained in both Korean and contemporary dance, said she was fascinated by the possibilities. 'Even just visually, there's so much to play with. Each traditional element holds endless creative potential once you break it apart.' Founded in 2015, Liquid Sound aims to explore traditional Korean arts with diverse genres, from melding avant-garde gugak with electronic music, to contemporary dance, installation art and Western classical traditions. The name Liquid Sound reflects the group's sensory ambition of merging tactile fluidity with the auditory experience of music. 'It's about how we meet the audience,' Lee said. 'Traditional performers used to approach audiences in very direct, interactive ways. We're asking how to do that now — whether by adopting new methods or, sometimes, returning to older, simpler ones.' Next year, the company plans to continue its experimental exploration of traditional performance with the third edition of the Yeonhee Project. The two envision a future performance in which yeonhee artists and dancers blend so seamlessly that they create an entirely new genre. 'Rather than a technical blending of traditional and modern elements, I hope for a day when the fusion is so natural that you can't tell them apart," Shim said. Liquid Sound will take its work to several major festivals later this year, including the Busan Street Art Festival in September, the Performing Arts Market in Seoul in October, and an outdoor performance in Myeongdong hosted by the National Theater Company of Korea.

Actor Park Bo-gum new face of Korea tourism
Actor Park Bo-gum new face of Korea tourism

Korea Herald

time2 days ago

  • Korea Herald

Actor Park Bo-gum new face of Korea tourism

Following BTS, Lee Jung-jae and NewJeans, Park joins Korea's tourism efforts as honorary ambassador Actor Park Bo-gum has been appointed as the honorary ambassador for 2025 Korea Tourism, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. A teaser video for the upcoming global promotional campaign was unveiled on the ministry's official YouTube channel 'Imagine Your Korea,' revealing Park as the new face of Korean tourism. The ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have consistently tapped top-tier Hallyu stars to front their annual campaigns — BTS in 2022, Lee Jung-jae in 2023 and NewJeans in 2024. Park, widely loved for his nuanced acting, most recently in the Netflix hit 'When Life Gives You Tangerines,' will now lead efforts to promote Korea abroad over the next year. As global travelers increasingly seek personalized, emotionally resonant journeys rather than conventional sightseeing, this year's campaign encourages visitors to take charge in their own Korean travel stories. In the teaser clip, Park extends an invitation, asking, 'Will you be the main character of this story?' The message kicks off the 'Never Ending Korea' campaign, aimed at showcasing the country's charms and immersive travel experiences. The ministry and the tourism authority will officially appoint Park as the ambassador on Tuesday and unveil two campaign films along with a behind-the-scenes clip. The ads -- produced in the style of a short film and music video -- feature both Park's real-life persona and an alter ego. Adding to his involvement, Park also recorded the campaign's official theme song, 'On My Way,' composed and written by KZLAB, a team led by renowned K-pop producer Kenzie of SM Entertainment. The song will be released Thursday on major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Melon. In collaboration with Netflix, the ministry has also produced tourism-themed videos inspired by global Korean hits 'Squid Game' and 'All of Us Are Dead.' The 'Squid Game' version, titled 'Escape to Korea — Better Run,' has drawn more than 8.4 million views since its release on July 3. The 'All of Us Are Dead' campaign video, 'Escape to Korea — Better Together,' is slated for release on Aug. 7. According to Netflix, 72 percent of Korean content viewers expressed interest in visiting Korea, nearly double the 37 percent among non-viewers. 'More than 85 percent of this year's eight campaign videos were filmed outside Seoul, emphasizing hidden gems and lesser-known destinations in a bid to boost regional tourism,' a ministry official said in a statement. As part of efforts to support regional tourism, the campaign also includes theme ads spotlighting the Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces, which suffered recent setbacks due to natural disasters and transportation incidents. The Gyeongsang video, 'Where Energy Never Sleeps,' focuses on Gyeongju, the host city for the upcoming APEC summit, while the Jeolla provinces' 'Where Beauty Moves Hearts' highlights the region's artistic allure through music and dance. The campaign videos will be screened on landmark billboards in 16 major cities including New York's Times Square, Tokyo, Beijing and Bangkok through November. Additional promotions will run across YouTube and Netflix, targeting over 20 key global tourism markets.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store