If you want to see a girl fight off her enemies using walnuts and police officers track down criminals, you should watch “Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon.” I love Korean dramas because they’re romantic, cute, dramatic and creative. Yet, it’s sometimes hard to find one that perfectly embodies all these great features. The K-drama, “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon,” definitely went above and beyond my expectations as it was the perfect mixture between romance and crime.
This series stood out to me right away when I found out there would be some crime involved since that’s rare for K-dramas. It follows the life of a young woman, Bong-soon (Park Bo-young). Bong-soon has superhero strength which she inherited from her family line. After being caught using her powers, she is hired to be a bodyguard for AINSoft’s President, Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik), because he has been receiving death threats. Additionally, Bong-soon uses her strength to help her childhood crush and current police officer, Gook-doo (Ji Soo), find a dangerous kidnapper in her neighborhood. The plot mainly follows the different kidnapping cases in the neighborhood and what the police do to prevent them while Bong-soon and Min-hyuk keep up with the cases as well and come to their own conclusions.
While I usually watch dramas for the romance, this one kept me interested because of the action. The constant anticipation on who the culprits were and whether they were going to be tracked down in time always kept me interested. The actors were engaging and kept the show lively, natural and genuine. The directing made me feel like I was actually there with them and we were going through the same problems and accomplishments. Whenever there was an investigation in the police office, the camera showed an overview and focused on each member so it felt like I was actually there in the conversation and making eye contact with each of them. Whenever someone slammed on the table or fell down, I could also feel the intensity with how the sound effects were created. The soundtrack always came in during the right moments and always made the scene feel extra special. During romantic scenes, soft songs played such as “You’re My Garden” by Jeong Eun Ji, while upbeat songs like “Super Power Girl” by Every Single Day played during fight scenes to hold the excitement and intensity.
The way the action and romance related made me keep up with the different relationships as well. Bong-soon and Min-hyuk were truly partners in crime because they would track down the culprits together. I loved Bong-soon’s personality and how she is sweet, yet strong and powerful. Bong-soon complements Min-hyuk’s character, as he is funny and sensitive. While it is Bong-soon who has the strength, it was cute to see how the two interact in a friendly manner. With Min-hyuk’s joking personality and Bong-soon’s superwoman characteristics, it was obvious this drama would involve some comedy.
The fights Bong-soon was involved in were funny and enjoyable to watch. However, there were some comedic aspects I didn’t find funny. At the beginning of the show, Bong-soon continues to call Min-hyuk gay which then becomes a joke in a few episodes. Later on, there is a gay character that appears but he is shown as weak and is ridiculed. Bong-soon’s mother also acts abusively to her husband which I didn’t find funny either. Homophobia and abusive relationships haven’t been something joked about before in the previous K-dramas I’ve watched, and I felt that the drama could’ve been a lot better without these sorts of jokes.
This K-drama was also very unique with how the roles and characters were cast. Usually, if there is a male character in business, like President Min-hyuk, the woman character would usually be a worker in the office or a secretary. This was not the case for this drama. Bong-soon is a bodyguard which is really different from what I’ve seen before. With Bong-soon in power, I believe this gave the message of women having the strength and being looked up to. I saw Bong-soon as a superhero. The casting for Bong-soon as the main character with great strength coming from a long line of women in her family is empowering.
The show also brought up the real-world issue of human trafficking when they showcased the kidnapping crime that went on throughout the series. The kidnapping case gave insight into the culprit’s actions and we were able to see his motives. There are multiple cases of women kidnapped in the neighborhood, and they’re all taken to a secret location. These cases allowed the audience to be aware of the issue of human trafficking and to gain a better understanding of how to stay safe and contact the police if they ever found themselves in that situation.
While this drama was always captivating, some scenes were scary and it would’ve been appreciated if there were occasional trigger warnings. This wouldn’t be a good drama for people who are scared of kidnapping and fights, so I would say to watch with caution.
Overall, I’d recommend this drama because it’s thrilling and romantic, which makes it fun to watch. With previous dramas I’ve watched, none of them had action and romance as high quality as “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon.” It followed a unique structure that wasn’t predictable. Many K-dramas follow a cliché storyline that mainly focuses on romance. “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon” is going to be a K-drama I’ll rewatch for years to come.
All episodes of “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon” are rated PG-13 and are available on Viki.
All episodes of “Strong Woman Do Bong-soon” are rated PG-13 and are available on Viki.