10 Best Business KDramas to Binge-Watch
22 October 2022If you don't watch Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas or KDramas, you're not only wasting your Netflix subscription but also missing out in a variety of ways. They have a long list of genres and plots that spans from comedy, romantic, action, political, and medical to period drama. However, if you want to learn business, investment, and money lessons, these 10 business kdramas will surely ignite your entrepreneurial passion.
1. Business Proposal (2022)
Plot Summary:
Let's begin with one of the best and most popular tv dramas in South Korea this 2022. "Business Proposal," based on the webtoon of the same name, is a cute rom-com and workplace drama starring Ahn Hyo-seop as Kang Tae-moo and Kim Se-jeong as Shin Ha-ri.
Tae-moo agrees to go on an arranged date at the request of his grandfather to find a suitable woman to marry so he no longer needs to go on dates, and Ha-ri agrees to fill in for her best friend and scare off her date. Their date turns disastrous and the events that follow are hilarious, with plenty of swoon-worthy moments.
Business Lessons from The series
All work and no play leave you wealthy but single, prompting concerned family members to intervene and arrange a blind date for you. So, don't work so hard that you lose sight of what truly matters!
They also say you can't mix business and love. Sure, it can be difficult to navigate at times, and there will always be risks. But it is possible, and love can triumph over all.
2. Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)
Plot Summary:
Aside from the relatable slice of life and love story of the main characters, "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" is also a great South Korean series about business. Yoon Hye-jin (played by Shin Min-a), an ambitious and perfectionist dentist, ends up leaving Seoul to establish her own dental clinic in Gongjin, a quiet and conservative seaside village. There she meets Hong Du-sik (Kim Seon-ho), a lovable jack-of-all-trades who is also well-liked by the locals. Hye-jin grows her fledgling dental practice with Chief Hong's assistance and falls in love with Gongjin along with its residents, especially Chief Hong himself.
Business Lessons from The series
Not everything is about making money. One of the reasons Hye-jin left her successful practice in Seoul was the pressure to be wealthy and successful at the expense of others. By locating her clinic in an area where residents desperately needed dental services, she can help the community while also earning a decent living.
Running your own business is also not as glamorous as it sounds. Hye-jin had no patient bookings in the early days of her clinic's operation. The residents were even hesitant to visit her clinic because she was not a local. With some encouragement from Chief Hong, Hye-jin go out, try to mingle, and get to know her neighbors to gain their trust.
It's hilarious to see Chief Hong wear so many hats, including being a barista, handyman, tour guide, personal shopper, and so on. It makes no difference whether you have one or ten jobs if you enjoy being of service to others. Fancy university degrees and big-city jobs aren't always indicators of success. Sometimes, working in a small town with everyone and everything you care about would suffice.
3. Start-Up (2020)
Plot Summary:
Third on this list is Start-Up which narrates the story of 4 young individuals in the fast-paced and cutthroat world of start-up businesses. It is situated in a fictitious location called Sandbox (inspired by California's Silicon Valley).
Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) is an ambitious and smart woman who aspires to be as successful as Steve Jobs in a start-up company. Nam Do-san (Nam Joo-hyuk) is a math genius who was once his family's pride. Kim Seon-ho plays the no-nonsense, sharp-tongued Han Ji-pyeong. He makes difficult decisions as the SH Venture Capital's team leader. And last but not least is Kang Han-na, who plays Seo Dal-older mi's sister, Won In-jae who possesses everything necessary for success in life: wealth, education, beauty, and wit. In the extremely competitive world of Korea's high-tech industry, these young entrepreneurs aspiring to turn virtual dreams into reality compete for success and love.
Business Lessons from the series
If you truly wanting to understanding a Korean entrepreneur's life, game-changing business lessons, and selfless love, you got to add it to your list of Korean dramas. While watching this K-drama, you will be reminded that dreams will remain dreams unless they are pursued with tenacity. However, realizing your dream will take time. Years of study and learning will be required. And you can't do it all alone. You'll need people to help you attain your goals and level up your business.
4. Itaewon Class (2020)
Plot Summary:
While most people are driven by passion for financial success when commencing a business, Park Sae-ro-yi, played by Park Seo-joon makes revenge his driving force to succeed. This popular drama tells the journey of a man who takes a decision to open his own bar restaurant, DanBam in the bustling district of Itaewon.
After completing his sentence in prison for a series of misfortunes caused by an exploitative CEO, he decides to open a restaurant that he hopes will eventually become a franchise. Sae-ro-yi, along with his partner Jo Yi-seo (played by Kim Da-mi), takes the helm in establishing a business that will destroy the rival company, Jangga Group.
Business Lessons from the series
This TV series is jam-packed with business lessons and so much more. It is, first and foremost, a moving underdog story. The odds are stacked against the protagonist. Despite his limited resources, his ambition, determination, and thirst for vengeance keep him going.
You can't help but admire Sae-ro-yi as a principled person. In a world where people are easily swayed, bullied, or corrupted, he stands firm in his beliefs, even if it makes life more difficult.
"Itaewon Class" also demonstrates the significance of having the right people on your team. They will love you and your company if you invest in them. And, regardless of your different social classes, history, or shortcomings, you can find your own happiness and success if you work hard enough for it.
5. Crash Landing on You (2019)
Plot Summary:
A Korean drama with a storyline about love, family business, and power struggle? Your Korean culture experience won't be complete without one! "Crash Landing on You" is another successful business K-drama that tells the story of a beautiful chaebol heiress and entrepreneur.
Son Ye-jin portrays Yoon Se-ri, a woman who forges her own path and launches her own fashion and beauty company, Se-ri's Choice. She also has to deal with the pressure to take over her father's company as a chaebol heiress, as well as conflict and hostility from her own family. However, she has temporarily forgotten all those problems when she gets caught in a freak tornado while paragliding. She lands over the Korean Demilitarized Zone where she crosses paths with Ri Jeong-hyeok (played by Hyun Bin), a soldier from North Korea.
Business Lessons from the series
As part of her commitment to providing only the top-rated products to her consumers, Se-ri ensured to personally test her brand's extreme sports apparel line, despite the fact that she is not a paragliding pro. Se-ri's Choice became a global brand due to her attention to detail and ability to put herself in the shoes of her customers.
Even though Se-ri is a chaebol heiress, she makes sure that she knows the inside and out of her own business. She's hands-on and knows everything that goes into her products. And you can only have this level of commitment if you genuinely love what you do and believe in your product or service.
6. Best Chicken (2017)
Plot Summary:
This Korean drama about business and romance features everyone's favorite: fried chicken. Park Sun-ho portrays Park Choi-go, an employee turned chicken restaurant owner in a middle-class Seoul neighborhood. Despite knowing nothing about cooking or fried chicken, he quits his job and rents a sauna for his chicken restaurant.
However, Choi-go's landlord makes an unusual request. He should hire the landlord's granddaughter as a part-time employee in exchange for a lower rent. Bo-ah (Kim So-hye) had been hating the world while hiding out in the sauna after failing to become a webtoon artist. Grandpa hopes that this job at the restaurant will help her rediscover her former self while Bo-ah seems to have other plans.
Business Lessons from the series
Fried chicken might always be a good business idea but you should at least know how to cook it. Or create a unique fried chicken recipe that will leave an impression on people's tastebuds.
Also, quitting your job and starting your own business is a risk, especially if you have no prior experience. While jumping into something new without prior experience may sound exciting, it can also end in disaster and leave you bankrupt. In the dog-eat-dog world of business, every businessman must be prepared with everything you'll need to succeed. Adversaries are bound to appear sooner or later. All these challenges will set you up to fail, doubt your worth, and make you second-guess your decisions but keep going, anyway!
7. Strongest Deliveryman (2017)
Plot Summary:
If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, this 2017 business-related K-drama is another must-watch. Go Kyung-pyo plays a quirky restaurant food deliveryman named Choi Kang-soo. Kang-soo enjoys his job and is quite good at it. The kicker is that he only stays for two months. He'll then move to another community to work for a new restaurant. His methodical approach to working in Seoul's various suburbs serves a more profound and significant purpose.
Kang-soo then meets Lee Dan-ah (Chae Soo-bin), a feisty and legendary delivery woman who wishes to leave Korea. She's had enough of living in a world where the poor stay poor and the rich get richer. Kang-soo creates a successful business with his newfound friends and fellow delivery workers, saving the small neighborhood restaurants from corporate takeover.
Business Lessons from the series
This drama showed that in business, being big and flashy does not always translate into sales. Some customers prefer the classics, the originals, and the tried and true. They go to places where they can feel love and sincerity, and where they are treated like family.
Also, never put all your eggs in one basket. Your company will fail if this client withdraws. Planning and analytical skills are essential for business owners. Understand your competitors. Discover how they can outperform or even destroy your company.
8. I Am Not A Robot (2017)
Plot Summary:
Here, you'll meet the reclusive Kim Min-kyu (played by Yoo Seung-ho), who is severely allergic to people. A single touch can trigger an allergic reaction that will kill him. He could have the worst allergy in the world. But he is the chairman and majority owner of the Santa Maria team. This team secretly created Aji 3, a humanoid robot modeled after the team leader's ex-girlfriend Jo Ji-ah (played by Chae Soo-bin).
Jo Ji-ah is stunning, ambitious, and determined. This go-getter attitude also gets her into trouble when she fakes herself as the Aji 3 robot after its battery dies just before a crucial demonstration. This will allow the design team to repair the real Aji 3 robot. And she can put that money to good use. So what's the harm in saying yes, right?
Business Lessons from the series
The plot may appear illogical, but its lessons are grounded in reality. The most critical business lesson here is that in desperate times, desperate measures are required. Pretending to be a humanoid robot in order to make money is surely a desperate measure.
But this is also because Jo Ji-ah is a driven entrepreneur. Even if people didn't think her creative ideas would work, it didn't stop her from coming up with clever inventions that would make people's lives better. This is how you should be in life and business. Even if it's difficult, keep going after your dreams!
9. Revolutionary Love (2017)
Plot Summary:
This story is not your typical rom-com but you'll surely love it if you like the rich guy-poor girl storyline combined with company politics and business and labor issues.
Byun Hyuk (Choi Si-won) is a wealthy, well-meaning third-generation chaebol heir. With his wealth and privilege, however, comes hatred for his older brother and resentment for those wronged by his family's Gangsu Group. Kang So-ra portrays Baek Joon, the female lead. She is bright and hardworking. Even if she graduated from a prestigious university, she's stuck in doing part-time work.
In an unexpected turn of events, Byun Hyuk finds himself residing in a small studio apartment in the same poor neighborhood as Baek Joon. Being in the trenches with ordinary working people opens Byun Hyuk's eyes to a shocking reality: Gangsu Group has oppressive business practices that must be ended.
Business Lessons from the series
This drama series puts focus on resistance and the fight for the rights of Gangsu Group's irregular workers. It also depicts the struggles of ordinary workers and how large corporations exploit them in a variety of ways. It also highlights the toxic corporate cultures and politics. That is why you will require game-changing, revolutionary ideas to break the cycle and introduce something new and better.
Some businesses will seek to control the entire market. But this must not be the case. Consumers have different needs and preferences, businesses can coexist and remain profitable without totally eliminating competition.
10. Coffee Prince (2007)
Plot Summary:
Coffee Prince is an oldie-but-goodie Korean drama. Choi Han-kyul, the grandson of a coffee shop owner, is played by Korean superstar Gong Yoo. His grandmother then assigns him the responsibility of running their run-down coffee shop. Han-kyul takes over and renames the shop "Coffee Prince" where he decides to hire only attractive male employees in order to attract female customers.
Go Eun-chan, played by Yoon Eun-hye, on the other hand, is struggling to make ends meet despite working multiple jobs. So when Eun-chan runs into Han-kyul and he asks her to pretend to be his gay lover (so Grandma won't set him up on blind dates), she says yes. She even begs him to let her work at his coffee shop as long as she can pretend to be a guy.
Business Lessons from the series
With its many fun, amusing, touching, and romantic moments, "Coffee Prince" also brings to light the struggles of working and providing for a family, especially if you don't have many options. Some people will take any job they can get, even if it means pretending to be someone they are not.
Being financially stressed and overwhelmed all of the time is also unhealthy. As Eun-chan demonstrated, it can basically drive you to do outrageous things like disguise yourself as a man in order to get a job.
And lastly, even if you're wealthy, this business K-drama emphasizes the importance of hard work and responsibility. And sometimes all we need is a gentle nudge to get us going in the right direction.
Spark off Your Ideas to Find Financial Freedom
When you say K-drama, you're guaranteed to have various genres, interesting storylines, soul-stirring soundtracks, and characters you wish to meet in real life. The first few episodes would surely be quite intriguing while the last episode would make you wish for a second season. Once in a while, you’ll stumble upon a Kdrama that will not just make you feel good, fall in love, and leave you craving for more Korean dramas. Some will also inspire you to pursue your dreams, save, invest, and start planning your own businesses.
So if you're feeling motivated to begin your journey to financial freedom, Lumina Homes offers investment opportunities like an affordable house and lot for starters like you.
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