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Itaewon Class (이태원 클라쓰): Plot, Characters and Cast
Itaewon Class (이태원 클라쓰, Itaewon Keullasseu) is a drama of revenge, business and romance that JTBC aired in 2020, with 16 episodes. It's based on the webtoon of the same name by Jo Kwang-jin, who also wrote the script under the pen name Gwang Jin, and it was directed by Kim Seong-yoon. It's the story of a young man who turns a small bar into his weapon against a giant. Here you have the plot, characters, cast and each one's Saju.
- Cast
- Park Seo-joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-myung, Kwon Nara, Ahn Bo-hyun
- JTBC
- 2020 · 16 episodes
Official video
![Itaewon Class | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NeaHNQJ1kCo/hqdefault.jpg)
Official video by Netflix K-Content on YouTube. It only loads if you press play.
Plot (no spoilers)
Park Sae-ro-yi's life collapses all at once: his father is killed by a hit-and-run driver, and the person responsible is Jang Geun-won, the spoiled, violent son of the chairman of Jangga Group, a food industry giant. Sae-ro-yi tries to get justice, but the attempt fails and he ends up in prison.
When he gets out, he doesn't go after quick payback. He has a long-term plan. In Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood he opens a small bar-restaurant called DanBam and gathers a team of people who don't fit in anywhere else. His goal is huge for such a small place: to build a company that can take on Jangga as an equal.
For that he has Jo Yi-seo, a brilliant, unfiltered influencer who becomes his ambitious manager. Facing them is Jang Dae-hee, the ruthless founder and chairman of the group. And in between is Oh Soo-ah, Sae-ro-yi's first love, who happens to work for Jangga. Ambition, pride and loyalty collide in a story that asks how much someone who refuses to bend can endure, and how long they are willing to wait to win.
Characters and their Saju
Park Sae-ro-yi 박새로이
Park Seo-joon · Yang Wood · The Great Tree
Sae-ro-yi is stubborn and has principles he won't negotiate, not even when they cost him dearly. He walks out of prison with a single idea in mind and opens a bar in Itaewon as the first step. What he has plenty of is patience: he is willing to wait years to carry out his plan.
If Sae-ro-yi had a Saju card, it would be Yang Wood · The Great Tree: he grows straight even when the wind blows against him and doesn't bend to please anyone. He takes a while to give shade, but when he does, he covers his whole team.
Jo Yi-seo 조이서
Kim Da-mi · Yang Metal · The Sword
Yi-seo is a brilliant influencer, blunt to the point of harshness and with an unusually strategic mind. When she decides to join DanBam, she becomes the ambitious manager the bar needed. She doesn't ask permission to give her opinion or keep quiet about what she thinks, even if it makes people uncomfortable.
If Yi-seo had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword: she cuts straight to the problem, no detours and no sugar. Her truth can sting, but in a battle against a giant nobody would want any other weapon at their side.
Jang Dae-hee 장대희
Yoo Jae-myung · Yang Earth · The Mountain
Jang Dae-hee is the founder and chairman of Jangga Group, a food empire. He is a ruthless businessman who built his company and protects it without blinking. For Sae-ro-yi, he and his group are the mountain he will have to face sooner or later.
If Dae-hee had a Saju card, it would be Yang Earth · The Mountain: enormous, motionless and sure nobody can move him. His strength is his weight; his weakness is believing mountains don't wear down over time.
Oh Soo-ah 오수아
Kwon Nara · Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine
Soo-ah is Sae-ro-yi's first love and works for Jangga Group, the very company he wants to take on. She stands between her past and her career, and her decisions can always be read two ways. She is one of the most ambiguous characters in the series.
If Soo-ah had a Saju card, it would be Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine: she knows how to adapt to the wall she grows on and climb wherever she can. It isn't weakness, it's survival, even if it's sometimes hard to tell which way she's leaning.
Jang Geun-won 장근원
Ahn Bo-hyun · Yang Fire · The Sun
Geun-won is the spoiled, violent son of Jangga's chairman. He is used to getting away with everything, and the hit-and-run he causes is the starting point of the story. He represents everything Sae-ro-yi wants to confront: privilege that never pays the consequences.
If Geun-won had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun, but a midday sun that burns without looking at whom. Lots of energy and few brakes. In Saju, that kind of fire needs water and earth to give warmth instead of starting blazes.
And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.
Why so many people fell for it
Itaewon Class is a revenge story that feels like an underdog story. Watching a group of rejected people build a business out of a tiny bar hooks anyone who has ever been underestimated. Netflix released it in Latin America with Spanish subtitles in 2020, with episodes arriving alongside the Korean broadcast. Its finale hovered around a 16.5% rating, one of the highest for a cable drama at the time.
Facts
- Based on the webtoon by Jo Kwang-jin, who also wrote the script.
- Directed by Kim Seong-yoon, in 16 episodes.
- Japan made its own version: "Roppongi Class" (TV Asahi, 2022).
Ending (spoilers)
Show the ending
Spoiler: Sae-ro-yi turns DanBam into IC Group and ends up bringing down Jangga when its wrongdoings come to light. On the personal side, the story closes with him together with Jo Yi-seo. Revenge arrives, but not by force; it comes through years of work and patience.
If you liked it, watch next
- Business Proposal 2022 · SBS
- Queen of Tears 2024 · tvN
- Twenty-Five Twenty-One 2022 · tvN
Frequently asked questions
What is Itaewon Class about?
Park Sae-ro-yi gets out of prison determined to take on Jangga Group, whose heir caused his father's death. He opens the bar DanBam in Itaewon and wants to grow it until it defeats the giant.
Is Itaewon Class based on a webtoon?
Yes. It's based on the webtoon of the same name by Jo Kwang-jin, who also wrote the series script under the pen name Gwang Jin.
Who's who in the Itaewon Class cast?
Park Seo-joon is Park Sae-ro-yi, Kim Da-mi is Jo Yi-seo, Yoo Jae-myung is Jang Dae-hee, Kwon Nara is Oh Soo-ah and Ahn Bo-hyun is Jang Geun-won.