When Life Gives You Tangerines: Meet Hong Kyung Ja, Real-Life Inspiration Behind IU's Character

Meet Real Couple Of When Life Gives You Tangerines: 2025 has been all about When Life Gives You Tangerines. The Korean drama lovers have been talking about the show ever since its release. But do you know that Netflix's famous show When Life Gives You Tangerines is based on the story of a real-life couple? Let us take a look at whose life Park Bo-gum and IU portrayed in Netflix's show:

When Life Gives You Tangerines: Meet Real-Life Couple That Inspired Gwan-Sik & Ae-Sun Role

Do you know that When Life Gives You Tangerines's characters Gwan-Sik & Ae-Sun played by Park Bo-gum and IU, are inspired by real-life people? As per KBIZoom's report, Ae-sun's character is based on Hong Kyung Ja, a female from Jeju Island. As per the reports, Hong Kyung Ja faced many difficulties in her life. She looked after her mother at 5, took responsibility for her siblings, and started diving for a living at a very early age. In the show, it is shown that Ae-Sun's stepfather took care of her financially, but in real life, Hong Kyun Ja's was taken care of by her stepmother. The makers added some fiction story to the original one to spice up the setting.

Gwan-sik's character, on the other hand, is inspired by Hong Kyun Ja's husband, who grew up with her. They fell in love with each other and got married after dating each other for almost 6 years. Same as Gwan-sik, Hong Kyun Ja's husband also did all he could to support his wife in life.

Where To Watch When Life Gives You Tangerines Online?

All the episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines are available to stream on Netflix. But you will need a subscription plan in order to watch the movie.

How To Watch When Life Gives You Tangerines On Netflix?

Follow these steps to watch When Life Gives You Tangerines on Netflix:

Step 1: Log in to your Netflix account
Step 2: In case you don't have a Netflix account, download the app, choose the needed plan, make the payment, and log in again
Step 3: Search for "When Life Gives You Tangerines" in the search bar
Step 4: Click on the "play" button beside the episodes
Step 5: Click on the "Download" button if you want to download the episodes and watch them later. These episodes will then appear in the downloaded section of your app

To note, Netflix's subscription plan starts with Rs. 149/month

Will There Be When Life Gives You Tangerines Season 2?

When Life Gives You Tangerines turned out to be a super hit show on Netflix. Fans would love to see makers making season 2 of When Life Gives You Tangerines. Sadly, the same is not happening. Generally, the K dramas are limited versions, and the same is When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Paying homage to Jeju Island, Netflix wrote, "When Life Gives You Tangerines (WT) chronicles the adventures of Ae-sun, "the remarkable rebel," and Gwan-sik, whose nickname means "unyielding iron," in Jeju Island, including Gwan-sik's long-standing crush on Ae-sun since they were young. The series' Korean title pays homage to the Jeju dialect, translating to "thank you for your hard work," lending cultural authenticity to the narrative (sic)." When Life Gives You Tangerines stars IU as young Ae-sun and Moon So-ri as old Ae-sun. Park Bo-gum plays the role of young Yang Gwan-sik and Park Hae-joon plays the role of old Gwan-sik.