Welcome to Samdalri Korean Drama
Network: jTBC, Netflix
Episode: 16
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Life, Drama
Aired: Dec 2, 2023 – Jan 21, 2024
Aired Days: Saturday, Sunday
Grade: B+
“But when that silliness disappears from the boy and girl, will they realize it? Perhaps a dream is most beautiful when it remains a dream.”
Cho Yongpil
Welcome to Samdalri Korean Drama about two childhood friends who eventually started dating each other after parting their ways one started to live in Seoul and the other in Jiju island. Both of them wanted to avoid each other so one lived in the mainland and achieved her dreams and another lived in the village, achieved his dreams, and also took care of his loved ones.
Main Characters
Ji Chang-wook as Cho Yong-pil
He is a weather forecaster at Jeju Island’s Meteorological Administration. He is so capable that he always gets offers to join headquarters but he refuses to go. Everyone on the island likes him because of his jolly and caring nature.
Shin Hye-sun as Cho Sam-dal / Cho Eun-hye
She is a famous photographer and her artist name is Cho Eun-hye. She is very passionate about her dreams and through hard work she made her place amongst famous people.
Highlights of Welcome to Samdalri Korean Drama
Bring her down:
Bang Eun-ju who is the assistant of Cho Eun-hye wants to bring her down at any cost. She stole her boyfriend and even faked her suicide to ruin Cho Eun-hye’s career and she succeeded. Cho Eun-hye is a very famous and in-demand photographer she is working with famous actors and out of jealousy Bang Eun-ju plots all this against her.
Back to Jiju:
Cho Eun-hye came back to Jiju with her sister and niece. She was depressed about someone trying to kill her because of her, she couldn’t digest that fact so she confronted her and got to know that she did it purposely. No one was ready to hear her side of the story so she stopped explaining and went back to her hometown.
Talk of the town:
Soon everyone finds out why Cho Eun-hye came back except her mother but the gossip is so loud so she comes to know about it but she trusts her child and supports her. Her friends also wanted to meet her but she ignored them because she was afraid of being called a failure.
Reunion:
Finally, they met Cho Eun-hye and Cho Yong-pil, they had been avoiding meeting each other for the past seven years but eventually, they met. Cho Yong-pil did not date anyone after the breakup but she dated a few guys to forget him but failed. Later she also met with her other friends in childhood they used to call themselves powerrangers. She ranted and cried in front of them.
Family:
Her father is a bus driver, her mother is the leader of haenyeo, her elder sister used to be a flight attendant and divorced and known for her bold behavior, her younger sister used to be a state-level swimmer who gave up on her dreams when her husband died and she gave birth to a child, and her niece who is very mature and intelligent.
Cho Yong-pil’s mother and her mother are best friends they even share the same name but due to her mother’s stubbornness, his mother died. But he still loved her so much and called her mother, although his father hated her family.
Comeback:
She is trying to come back with her original name and everyone in the town helping her. But Bang Eun-ju always created a problem so her friends together worked and taught her a good lesson. Finally, she showcase her first exhibition for her people. It became a hit and she finally made a comeback.
Dating:
They both tried hard but started dating because they always had feelings for each other. They broke up because of their family issue but they tried hard for his father to give them his approval and he did. They became a lovey-dovey couple later she came to know about his dream of going to Switzerland and she insisted he go there.
Happy ending:
This drama has a happy ending for everyone. She made a comeback, Cho Yong-pil got his dream job, her elder sister started dating his ex-husband (they broke up because of his family), and her younger sister joined her mother’s group and found someone who likes her. Their friends who became failures and came back to Jiju now opened their business in Seoul.
Overall Thoughts on Welcome to Samdalri Korean Drama
I found this drama kind of clingy. I know all the Ji Chang-wook fans will get offended by this but trust me I am his fan too and honestly I didn’t like the drama. But other elements in the drama like a family of Cho Sam-dal and her sisters added a flavour to the drama. Five friends and their bond has shown, supporting as well as gossiping neighbors has shown. Many elements make this drama watchable for me.
I think Ji Chang-wook is made for action dramas like K2 and Healer.
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