Spoiler-free!
While BPI online banking was down, I scrolled through my K-Drama app and sites to binge some Kdrama titles I watched in the past year. I did not watch as many shows as I wanted to last year. I only watched a few and was surprised to see a lot of themes and scenes that resonated with me as a personal finance advocate and insurance advisor.
While I do not actively look for money themes in the shows I watch—I do love a good k-drama romance on the side—I take note when it presents lessons that inform people to make good choices. It nice to see such themes reach a wide audience!
I listed some below and I might update this article as I encounter a new kdrama to watch. Please feel free to recommend more shows, too!
I tried my best not to add spoilers. Please know that I purposely did not add the episode number for specific moments listed below.
I came for (GOT7) Park Jinyoung’s Gaon and stayed for the amazing judge that Jisung played (Kang Yohan). Like any legal drama series, the three main judges including Gaon and Yohan hold trials for each high-profile case that they take on. Eventually, they go head-to-head against corrupt officials and big corporations.
photo credit: WeTv
Yohan himself is a rich man with a tragic family history. In one scene, he had to bargain with a henchman of another enemy. This scene was so profound for me because instead of bargaining to give MORE money, he kept decreasing the gold until their hostage gave them what they wanted. Fear of loss was in action in this scene and it was so good!
There was also a scene where a man opted to save lots of burning cash than his family locked in the burning building beside the money pit. This drama was such a wild ride.
Do you agree with him when he said fear of loss is a tool? It can help one manipulate other people, too!
Congratulations to Yoona and Lee Jongsuk for bagging awards for this drama! I knew this show was good because my brother (who did not originally watch Korean shows) suddenly got hooked on this and told me to watch it!
Lee Jongsuk plays the role of Park Changho, a lawyer with a 10% winning rate framed by a corrupt system and was jailed. He is married to Yoona’s character, a nurse named Ko Miho. I loved this series because they are such a power couple who worked together to uncover many harsh truths!
photo credit: Big Mouth on Disney+
A little tidbit that surprised me was when Changho said he opened a law firm so he can apply for a life insurance plan with Miho as the beneficiary! It was so crazy that Miho had HUNDREDS of chances to be rich because Changho’s life was always on the edge while in prison! Watch the scene here. But anyway, insurance is a great gift to give to your wife. Just don’t die early so you can enjoy the dividends and fund value once it begins earning!
Sample insurance a husband and wife can get.
photo cred: When the Camellia Blooms
I am a Gong Hyojin and Kang Haneul fan so this show was one of the best treats for me! This drama falls more into the mystery genre with Hyojin’s character, Dongbaek, threatened by an unknown killer. The money lesson profound for me here was when her mother (who appeared to have abandoned her many years ago) put her hard-earned money to pay for insurance with Dongbaek as a beneficiary.
photo cred: Netflix
It means that when the old mother dies, Dongbaek will have the money. It can symbolize the mother’s atonement for leaving her all those years ago and a way to take care of Dongbaek financially when the mother dies. There was so much drama about the insurance money in this episode!
Attorney Woo was a crowd favorite among K-Drama fans this year! The light-hearted legal drama showcases the law firm that Attorney Woo works in and the cases they defend. You can bet there is bound to be an episode involving money in this series, and this particular episode did not disappoint 😘 If you know what I mean!
credit: ENA
As a quick recap on this episode, Attorney Woo (Park Eun-bin) and Joonho (Kang Tae-oh) were working on a case of a lottery winner who cheated on their spouse. One party died then the other got insurance money from the deceased. Karma worked a little too fast in this case!
Squid Game is a series filled with people needing money or a better life. It’s such as great show to show how people see money as a means to “fix” their lives and problems. Most of the time, it was true. Money can fix some of our problems. Maybe that was why the participants returned to the game willingly.
credit: Netflix
The early part of the show featured Gi Hun’s old and ailing mom refusing medical care because they cannot afford it. When Gi Hun asked about her mom’s insurance, she cleared him and said that Gi Hun previously withdrew the money and terminated the plan effectively.
Lesson learned, do not terminate a health insurance plan for old people (especially if it has been in force for a long time). It’s nearly impossible to get another insurance plan for them at an older age, let alone a health insurance one.
Kim Go Eun once again delivered a great performance as Oh In-joo in Little Women. While I have questions about how In-Joo’s identity was easily used for illegal means abroad—
‘wag pirma ng pirma without understanding first!)— the drama was such a treat in showcasing the reality of a family’s financial challenges.
credit: TvN
The story revolved around finding where a character in the show laundered 70-Billion Won. Along the way, the innocent In-Joo instantly received 2-Billion Won from a deceased friend. The said friend is also allegedly the one behind the money laundering.
The Oh family was poor with parents who abandoned them in Korea. After receiving her surprise 2-Billion won, she contemplated. She used to dream about having lots of money. When she had it, she bought all the stuff she could not afford before (lots of ice cream, lip gloss, and a nice coat). But she felt empty—either because the person who left it to her is dead or because she knew the money was not clean.
Who will be when we suddenly receive millions worth of money? For comparison, 2-Billion Won is around 87 Million Pesos. How will you spend it?
Dramas I have not yet watched but saw people talk about: Itaewon Class and Money Heist. What else is there that has financial wellness themes or story lines?
About France Afulugencia
Coach France is a Sun Life Macaulay Club member (Sun Life's elite advisors all over the country). A personal finance advocate, she dreams of helping clients achieve their personal goals through habit building. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas and worked as a senior marketing and public relations associate before being a full-time financial advisor.
Comments