King the Land: Korean Drama Series Streaming on Netflix

King the Land is a K-drama series that is the familiar Cinderella trope: rich guy / poor girl. As corny as the storyline for this romantic-comedy-drama sounds, it’s an enchanting modernized version of the Cinderella story, and the character changes are much better than the old fairy tale.

♦ Meet Cinderella Cheon Sa-Rang

In “King the Land”, Cheon Sa-Rang has a wonderful childhood memory of her mother taking her to the King Hotel. She was struck by its awesome grandeur. Right then she made up her mind that when she got older, she would work at the King Hotel.

Most qualified candidates who landed a job with the King Group, at minimum, had a 4-year degree. Cheon Sa-Rang was so determined to start work that she applied for the job, even though she had only completed 2 years of college. The hiring official was impressed with her interview and hired her! Of course, the employees who had 4-year degrees were not exactly welcoming. Nevertheless, if the higher-ups said she was qualified for the job, then … I guess the only thing her fellow employees could do is be jealous and envious!

Getting the job even though she only had 2 years of a college education was just the first reason her fellow employees looked at her with a green eye. She was an exceptional employee and for her hard work, she was rewarded with a promotion. She started as a concierge in the King Hotel, wiping “butt sweat”, and was promoted to King the Land. That was the section of the King Hotel that only serviced VIP customers. All of the employees knew what it took to get promoted and wondered what she had that they didn’t have.

No matter what her fellow employees did to thwart her success, things always worked in her favor. She never planned to get involved in a romantic relationship with the son of the man who owned the King Group, but it happened.

♦ A Modern Spin to the Old Cinderella Fairy Tale

The cool thing about this modern version of this Cinderella story was the character replacements.

• Instead of 2 wicked stepsisters, she had 2 BFFs (best friends forever) who always had her back.
• Instead of a wicked stepmother or a fairy godmother, she had a wise, industrious, and generous grandmother who raised her to be independent, taught her useful life and work skills, always gave her good advice, and supported her endeavors.

♦ Meet Prince Charming Gu Won

Gu won had been sent away to be educated in Europe. But his father called him home and threw him into the hotel business. His older sister had been managing the business, but the father wanted to give his son a chance. If he succeeded, management of the King Group would be his inheritance. The sister was not pleased. You could say that the Prince Charming in this Cinderella story had a very wicked stepsister.

Gu Won did not want to come home, but once he arrived he set out to prove his competence. When he met Cheon Sa-Rang, he immediately hated her smile and told her it was fake. Cheon Sa-Rang insisted that her smile was genuine and there was nothing he could say or do that would change that. She was also not afraid to speak her mind to Gu Won and scolded him about how he treated the employees. Being a son from a chaebol family is not a reason to be rude and disrespectful to hard-working employees. If it were not for them, would the King Hotel be so awesome and grand?

When Gu Won’s character is first introduced, he seems to be a prince with a bad attitude.  There is a back story which is the reason why he believes people only show him their fake smiles. It seems his mother was once a hotel employee and his father fell in love with her. Their marriage union resulted in his birth. His father-mother relationship was a Cinderella story that did not end well. One day his mother left home. He did not know why and felt hurt, confused, and abandoned. But now that he was an adult, he decided to figure out the rest of the story.

Main Characters:

• Cheon Sa-Rang (played by K-pop star Im Yoon-ah aka Yoona)
• Gu Won (played by K-pop star Lee Jun-ho)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb Rating: 4.3 out of 10 stars (130,000+ viewers)
• My Drama List: 8.4 out of 10 stars (58,000+ viewers)

I have no idea WHY the ratings on IMDb and My Drama List are so dramatically different!

If King the Land should only be rated 4.3 out of 10 stars, WHY are there talks about a Season 2 for 2025? View a concept trailer for “King the Land season 2”. The only thing that seems to be hindering the release of a second season are the work schedules and contractual commitments of the 2 K-pop stars. Even though it looks like a Season 2 may never materialize, fans are still hoping production companies can work something out.

If you watched this series because you were expecting an intense plot that has you sitting on the edge of your seat, then yes … you’d probably give King the Land a low rating. However, if you knew it was going to be a lighthearted and very predictable rom-com, then you should not have been disappointed.

When I watched the series the storyline was what I expected, so my personal rating aligns with the MDL rating of 8.4 out of 10 stars.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

This series has 16 episodes; was released in 2023; and Netflix added it to its database after it had finished airing on Korean TV.

• “King The Land” Ends On Its Highest Ratings Yet | Soompi
• REVIEW: ‘King The Land’ Delivers Predictably Delicious Rom-Com Vibes | But Why Tho?
• King the Land: a hit Netflix Korean drama about workplace love and labor rights | Vox

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “King the Land | Official Trailer | Netflix.” YouTube, 5 June 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF16szMOmo.‌