IU, Park Bo-gum’s ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’ to premiere on March 7

IU and Park Bo-gum in a teaser for “When Life Gives You Tangerines.” Image: Courtesy of Netflix Korea

IU and Park Bo-gum will captivate hearts in the upcoming slice-of-life Korean drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” which is set to premiere on March 7.

The premiere date of “When Life Gives You Tangerines” was announced by a streaming platform in a teaser clip, while giving a glimpse of IU and Park’s characters, who will portray Ae-soon and Gwan-sik, respectively.

The clip showed IU running her hands through a flower field before linking her arms with Park. It then shifted to glimpses of Jeju Island, where their characters interact on multiple occasions.

Set in the 1950s, “When Life Gives You Tangerines” tells the story of Ae-soon (IU), who was tagged as the “remarkable rebel” of Jeju due to her stubborn and bold personality. Her constant companion Gwan-sik (Park), was dubbed as the town’s “unyielding iron,” although he tends to be very fragile around Ae-soon’s presence.

IU and Park will be joined by Choi Dae-hoon, Na Moon-hee, Kim Yong-rim, Lee Jun-young, Baek Jung-won, and Oh Jung-se. According to multiple reports on South Korean media outlets, “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” star Kim Seon-ho and “Hospital Playlist” star Lee Yoo-mi will make a special appearance in the series.

The upcoming K-drama is directed by Kim Won-suk, who’s best known for directing “Sungkyunkwan Scandal,” “Misaeng,” “My Mister,” and “Arthdal Chronicles.”

Meanwhile, Lim Sang-choon, whose notable works include “Fight for My Way” and “When the Camellia Blooms,” was in charge of the storyline.

Production for the upcoming drama kicked off sometime in 2023, with IU and Park being confirmed as the lead stars in January of the same year.

Born Lee Ji-eun, IU started her entertainment career as a singer-songwriter in 2008 through her first single “Lost Child” and extended play (or EP) “Lost and Found.” She is known for her high voice and songwriting ability that touches on the unseen hardships of growing up, as seen in her hit songs “Palette,” “23,” “Lilac,” and “Blueming,” to name a few.

IU debuted as an actress in the 2011 K-drama “Dream High,” and went on to be the lead in the hit series “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo” and “Hotel del Luna,” among others.

Meanwhile, Park made his acting debut in 2011 in the film “Blind.” He is best known for his lead roles in “Reply 1988,” “Love in the Moonlight,” and “Record of Youth,” as well as the film “Wonderland.”