It Ended Weeks Ago—So Why Is This ₩60 Billion K-Drama Back at No.1?

After a relatively quiet period, one drama is making a powerful comeback in public discourse: Netflix’s original series 'When Life Gives You Tangerines'. Nearly two months after its final episode aired, the show has climbed back to the top, regaining attention and sparking renewed discussion.

According to Gallup Korea’s survey conducted from May 13 to 15 among 1,004 Korean adults, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' ranked No.1 in the “Favorite TV Program” category for the third consecutive month, securing 5.2% of the vote.

The drama, a massive production with a reported ₩60 billion budget, tells the life story of a girl and a boy from Jeju Island over several decades. Starring IU and Park Bo-gum in their youth roles, with Moon So-ri and Park Hae-joon portraying their older selves, the series received critical acclaim for its nuanced emotional storytelling and a plot that weaves together personal and historical narratives with a poetic sensibility.

Initially released in March 2025 in a format of four episodes per week across four weeks (16 total episodes), the drama lingered in viewers’ minds long after it ended. With its emotionally delicate direction, lyrical visuals, and authentic Jeju dialect, it gained momentum on social media, prompting many fans to revisit the series. That growing word-of-mouth helped 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' return to the No.1 spot in Gallup’s rankings—an impressive feat considering it had already concluded.

The show's success isn’t just due to star power or production scale. By following the lives of protagonists Oh Ae-soon and Kang Gwan-sik, both born and raised in Jeju, the drama realistically explores key elements of Korea’s modern history: industrialization, military service, rural-to-urban migration, and the pressure of education. Viewers praised the way it tied individual stories to collective memory. Combined with thoughtful cinematography and a hauntingly beautiful score, the result is a piece of television that feels deeply lived-in.

Among Netflix original series, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' is now the fifth to top Gallup Korea’s monthly TV popularity survey. Previous chart-topping titles include 'The Glory', 'Culinary Class War', 'Squid Game Season 2', and 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call'. Even before its release, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' generated buzz as a “₩60 billion epic,” and it has now delivered on that promise, becoming a benchmark for how expectations can translate into impact.

What’s especially notable is how the series has also influenced how audiences consume content. With each batch of episodes, the show quickly dominated Netflix Korea’s domestic rankings. Its success suggests that Korean dramas don’t necessarily need season-based structures to have longevity—a single, well-told narrative can continue to resonate long after its release.

In Gallup Korea’s same survey, the runner-up was tvN’s weekend drama 'Resident Playbook' (3.8%), a spin-off of 'Hospital Playlist', which centers on the lives of OB-GYN residents and maintains a loyal fanbase. Following closely were KBS2’s 'For Eagles Brothers' (3.6%) at No.3, SBS’s fantasy sageuk 'The Haunted Palace' (2.8%) at No.4, and JTBC’s afterlife-themed 'Heavenly Ever After' (2.0%) at No.5.

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