“Welcome to Samdal-ri” (웰컴투 삼달리)

By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
January  30, 2024

☆☆☆☆
Jo Yong-pil  (played by Ji Chang-wook)
Cho Sam-dal (played by Shin Hye-sun)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

tags: include star rating

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Set in Jeju Island

Sam-dal always wanted to escape to Seoul. Yong-pil followed her and returned after they broke up.

Her boyfriend cheats on her with her assistant, Eun-ju (Jo Yun-seo) — who is a piece of work. Eun-ju sets her up, saying that Sam-dal abused her powers at work and abused her. When she “attempts” suicide — and I believe she never intended to die by suicide, but wanted to set Sam-dal up — the media, her clients and everyone turns on her.

made her life miserable.  ends up fabricating a lie that Sam-dal abused her as an underling and she

2 Mijas are OG fangirls of Cho Yong Pil

 

Airdates: Sixteen 70-minute episodes aired on JTBC from December 2, 2023 through January 21, 2024. (I watched this on Netflix.)

Best of: This show was one of my picks for the best K-dramas of 2024 for Teen Vogue:

This K-drama explores the romance between childhood friends Yong-pil (Ji Chang-wook) and Sam-dal (Shin Hye-sun), but it’s their ongoing friendship that ties this series together. Their relationship is complicated by the death of one of their mothers and a bitter father who blames the survivor (and her innocent child). Secrets are kept to the detriment of everyone involved. As an adult, Yong-pil is a weather forecaster in his hometown. Though he has opportunities to work in a higher profile position in Seoul instead, he chooses to stay home. As for Sam-dal, she left for Seoul after high school and is now a prominent fashion photographer. But after a jealous former assistant accuses Sam-dal of abuse, her career is destroyed. Welcome to Samdal-ri moves at a pleasantly languid pace, showcasing the beauty of Jeju-do. But even more importantly, it depicts the emotional growth of these characters, whose friendship is unconditional. Welcome to Samdal-ri aired from December 2023 to the end of January 2024. (Netflix)

Spoiler Alert:

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