PremiumKing the Land on Netflix - the impression so far of the K-drama: Loaded with cute moments that keep you going back for more
The series, which stars 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho and Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah, was the most-watched non-English show on Netflix earlier this month
Last Updated: 04.58 PM, Jul 22, 2023
When you have two K-pop idols as lead actors in a K-drama, you already know that you’re in for a treat. The fact that King the Land, which stars 2PM’s Lee Jun-ho and Girls’ Generation’s Im Yoon-ah, was the most-watched non-English show on Netflix earlier this month is more reason to watch the series. Need another reason to watch it? Jun-ho and Yoon-ah are rumoured to be dating in real life!
So, as a K-drama fan, I obviously watched it. And the following are my first impressions of the show. I’ve also thrown in some reasons that may entice you to watch this funny and cute rom-com.
If you are a K-drama veteran, then you know not to expect anything too out of the ordinary as far as the plots of rom-coms go. King the Land sticks to the tried, tested, and loved formula: a good-looking, extremely wealthy man with a secret heart of gold and a simple, beautiful, and equally kind-hearted hardworking woman, who belong to two completely different worlds and whose paths would otherwise never cross, are first at loggerheads and then become fond of each other before falling in love. The backstory and the karmic connections are different, of course, but you know what you’re in for and what to expect, and you’re not disappointed.
I don’t know if this is just me (at least two other people agree, but that’s barely a percentage to go by considering the number of K-drama fans across the world), but with every K-drama I watch, the first couple of episodes are not much to write about. But I still feel compelled to watch the series (and not just for the sake of reviewing it), and I am completely hooked by episode 4 or 5. Things are no different with King the Land.
While Jun-ho looks every bit the son of an extremely wealthy hotel chairman, Yoon-ah’s casting required a little bit of justification for me. She’s pretty and talented, no doubt, but I still can’t help feeling that someone else could be a better fit to play the hotel staff member who is the ‘smile queen’ and ‘best talent’. Personally, I feel that Oh My Venus’ Yoon Hye-jin is a better fit.
But as the episodes roll on, this casting call can easily be overlooked because you get so invested in Goo Won and Cheon Sa-rang’s stories and their cute moments together that you cannot wait for the next episode to air.
And not to mention Jun-ho’s dreamy smile, which definitely deserves at least one paragraph. Although he plays someone who detests smiles (fake smiles, but just about anyone who smiles) and doesn’t smile himself, when a much-in-love Goo Won does smile, it will make anyone go weak in the knees and pink in the cheeks!
Of the total 16 episodes of King the Land, 10 are available to stream on Netflix. One episode will be released every Saturday and Sunday until August 6.
Make sure you come back to OTTplay to read the full review of King the Land once all the episodes have been released.