K Drama Chat

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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 6 of Hospital Playlist, starring Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun, Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won, Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan, Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong, and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa. We discuss:
Two songs from this episode:“In Front of City Hall at the Subway Station” by Kwak Jin-eon, a remake of the 1990 song by Zoo
“Beyond the Rainbow Forest” by DANI

How “In Front of City Hall at the Subway Station,” a melancholy song about unexpectedly encountering an old love years later, beautifully mirrors this episode’s themes of old relationships, roads not taken, and looking back at the person you were 20 years ago.
The medical cases in this episode, including a baby in liver failure who desperately needs a transplant, a pregnant woman with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome who has suffered two miscarriages, and Jang Gyeo-ul’s dangerous anaphylactic reaction to pain medication.
Kim Jun-wan’s complete transformation after Lee Ik-sun says yes to dating him and declares that it is their “Day One.”
Lee Ik-jun’s reunion with his former girlfriend Go Ara and how reconnecting with someone from your past can make you reflect on why a relationship ended and how much both people have changed.
The flashback revealing that Yang Seok-hyeong confessed his feelings to Chae Song-hwa years ago and was devastated when she rejected him—and that Lee Ik-jun may have been planning to confess to Song-hwa that very same night.
Chae Song-hwa finally telling her friends that she found a breast lump, had a biopsy, and is waiting for the results.
Lee Ik-jun quietly showing up to accompany Song-hwa when she receives her biopsy results, knowing that the fiercely self-sufficient Song-hwa would never ask anyone to come with her. Thankfully, her biopsy is benign.
Kim Jun-wan giving resident Do Jae-hak the opportunity to perform his first ASD closure, then delivering a very Jun-wan-style compliment: “You did better than I thought. What’s gotten into you?”
Kim Dae-myung, the actor who plays Yang Seok-hyeong, including his theater background, his breakout role in Misaeng: Incomplete Life, his extensive film career, and his return as Seok-hyeong in Resident Playbook.
What we’re watching and reading now, including East Palace, Run With the Wind, The Affair Was Just the Beginning, and Mad for Each Other.
References
K Drama Chat Hospital Playlist OST Playlist
In front of city hall at the subway station by Mido and Falasol
In front of city hall at the subway station by Kwak Jin Eon
In front of city hall at the subway station by Zoo Kim Chang Gi
Improving self-sufficiency in organ transplantation in Korea - PMC
Biliary Atresia Symptoms & Causes
Atrial Septal Defect | American Heart Association
Antiphospholipid Syndrome and Pregnancy: Background, Etiology, Pathophysiology
Anaphylaxis Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment & Management
Pneumoperitoneum - Wikipedia

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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 5 of Hospital Playlist, starring Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik Joon, Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong Won, Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun Wan, Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok Hyung, and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song Hwa. We discuss:

Two songs from the episode:

“Oh? What a Shiny Night” by Mido and Falasol

“Beautiful My Love” by Urban Zakapa



The meaning behind the name Mido and Falasol, the group credited with the Hospital Playlist OST songs, and why so many of their songs became huge hits in Korea.

How this episode shows that medicine can’t be separated from people and emotions—the patients, their families, and the doctors and nurses caring for them.

The heartbreaking child abuse case, how Ahn Jeong Won recognizes the warning signs, and why doctors are responsible for reporting suspected abuse rather than proving it.

The congressman’s elaborate scheme to disguise the identity of his liver donor, and why modern hospital identification and transplant procedures would make such a switch extremely difficult.

The baby with moyamoya disease, why Chae Song Hwa orders that the baby not be allowed to cry, and how hyperventilation could further reduce blood flow to the brain.

The complicated ways families respond to illness: a daughter willingly donating part of her liver to her father, a wealthy son refusing to donate to his father, and a father insisting that Kim Jun Wan give his son the most expensive heart valve available.

Do Jae Hak’s excitement over his matured jeokgeum, or installment savings account, and his plans to use the money for a jeonse lease—and the ominous warning that he should read his lease very carefully.

Divorce in Korea and the very different experiences of Lee Ik Jun, Yang Seok Hyeong, and Seok Hyeong’s mother, who refuses to divorce her unfaithful husband even after his mistress announces that she is pregnant.

All the developing romances: Jang Gyeo Ul pining for Ahn Jeong Won, Chu Min Ha beginning to see Yang Seok Hyeong differently, Ahn Chi Hong confessing to Chae Song Hwa, and Kim Jun Wan finally confessing to Lee Ik Sun.

The alarming ending in which Chae Song Hwa becomes the patient after discovering a suspicious mass and is told she needs a biopsy.

Jung Kyung Ho, the actor who plays Kim Jun Wan.

References

K Drama Chat Hospital Playlist OST Playlist

Beautiful My Love by Lee Jung Yeol

Beautiful My Love by Urban Zakapa

What is TAVR? (TAVI) | American Heart Association

Moyamoya Disease | National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Living Liver Donation - American Transplant Foundation

Evaluating Young Children With Fractures for Child Abuse: Clinical Report | Pediatrics

How to Play Mafia Game, a Korean Game

Koreans are staying married, but not for love

'Divorce is not good in Korean culture': Why mum and I never talked about dad leaving - ABC News

DIVORCE IN SOUTH KOREA | Facts and Details

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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Hospital Playlist, starring Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik Jun, Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong Won, Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun Wan, Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok Hyeong, and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song Hwa. We also discuss Jo Jung Suk, the actor who plays the general surgeon Lee Ik Jun. We discuss:

The songs featured during the recap: Pachelbel’s Canon in D, played in rock fashion by our five doctors, and Confession Is Not Flashy by Kyuhyun, a remake of Lee Seung-hwan’s 1993 ballad.

The demands being placed on K-pop performers, inspired by Joanna’s experience at the BTS concert, and why the physical and mental health of performers needs to come before tours, albums, and fans’ expectations.

Our change in how we feature music on the podcast because of licensing concerns, and our new playlist of Hospital Playlist songs that listeners can play along with during the recap.

The episode’s many stories about parents and children—and how those relationships can be loving and protective, but also abusive, exploitative, complicated, and heartbreaking.

Dr. Bong’s entertaining description of the five friends as “The Lacking Five” and what his stories reveal about Chae Song Hwa, Kim Jun Wan, Yang Seok Hyeong, Lee Ik Jun, and Ahn Jeong Won.

The tragedy in Yang Seok Hyeong’s family—his sister’s death, his father’s affair, and his mother’s stroke—and how those experiences transformed his relationship with his mother and help explain the quiet, devoted man he is today.

The baby born with anencephaly and Yang Seok Hyeong’s decision to honor the mother’s request that she not hear her baby cry, leading to a fascinating discussion about how hospitals and families handle the birth of a baby who will not survive.

How the five doctors started their band in medical school, their hilarious younger hairstyles and clothes, their attempts to master Pachelbel’s Canon, and our own memories of orchestras, family bands, Rock Band, and Dance Dance Revolution.

Matters of the heart: Lee Ik Jun tries to play matchmaker, but it’s Kim Jun Wan who appears increasingly interested in Ik Jun’s sister Lee Ik Sun—and who ultimately travels to her military base claiming he just wants to eat jajangmyeon.

Jo Jung Suk, the actor who plays Lee Ik Jun: his beginnings in musical theater, his breakout film role in Architecture 101, his many dramas and films, his award-winning performance in Pilot, and his journey toward becoming a singer-songwriter through A-List to Playlist.

References

K Drama Chat Hospital Playlist OST Playlist

Confession is not flashy by Kyuhyun on YouTube

Confession is not flashy by Lee Seung Hwan on YouTube

Living Organ Donation | organdonor.gov

Becoming a Living Donor | National Kidney Foundation

Institutional standard framework and experience of living donor liver transplantation for overseas non-Korean patients at Asan Medical Center - PMC

Singer-actress IU cancels concert, postpones album release due to worsened ear disorder - The Korea Herald

Eustachian Tube Dysfunction | Johns Hopkins Medicine

Stroke - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Massive biomolecular shifts occur in our 40s and 60s, Stanford Medicine researchers find

Jo Jung Suk’s self-titled debut album

Listeners, we were supposed to publish episode 15.4 today, the episode where Sung Hee and I review episode 4 of the hit K Drama Hospital Playlist on Netflix.

Unfortunately, Joanna's travel schedule has been brutal this summer, and we just couldn't finish the 15.4 recording this past week.

So instead, we’re re-running the episode where Sung Hee, Ernabel and I recap and analyze Bon Appétit, Your Majesty. This is a really popular episode in our catalog, and a really fun one as well. If you haven't watched Bon Appetit Your Majesty, we highly recommend it. It's got everything: a great king, a fantastic chef, delicious food, romance, palace intrigue, and a fabulous OST.

Thanks for understanding. Join us next week for our review of episode 4 of Hospital Playlist. I’ll leave you with this question: Who is your favorite doctor in Hospital Playlist and why?

Original show notes:

Today, we’re doing a special episode on Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Chae Min as King Yi Heon and Im Yoon A as Yeon Ji Yeong. We are joined by the amazing Ernabel Demillo to discuss:

The featured song during the recap: I Find You by Do Young.

How Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a light-hearted, romantic, and food-filled drama inspired by the dark reign of King Yeonsangun.

The show’s unique blend of historical fiction, time travel, romance, and culinary arts — with food as a central character and storytelling device.

The story of King Yeonsangun, the real tyrant who inspired the fictional King Yi Heon, and how the drama reimagines his story.

A comparison to Mr. Queen and why this show, though similar on the surface, is more about food, love, and redemption than gender-bending comedy.

Im Yoon A and Lee Chae Min’s incredible chemistry, with Lee Chae Min’s breakout performance being especially notable given his short preparation time.

The standout supporting characters, including Gil Geum, Gong Gil, Kang Mok Ju, and the Chinese chefs — each representing different cultural and culinary dynamics.

The symbolic power of food in the drama, showing how it connects people, heals trauma, and even saves nations.

The use of the Mangunrok as the show’s MacGuffin — both a literal time travel portal and a symbolic love letter from the king.

The drama’s conclusion, including how the king travels to the modern day, and the emotional payoff of their reunion through food.

A discussion of Michelin-starred restaurants in Asia, the rise of Korean cuisine globally, and personal dining experiences from Ernabel.

Gong Gil’s deeper role and edited-out storyline — including a potential love triangle that was ultimately minimized.

The theme of finding your destined love across time, emphasized through the OST lyrics and repeated motifs of reunion and promise.

What we’re watching now — from Because This Is My First Life to Would You Marry Me and The Uncanny Counter — and a preview of Season 13 of K Drama Chat, where we will recap and analyze Startup.

References

From The Tatler: The true story about the fictional king in ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’

From TIME: The Real History Behind the Time Travel K-Drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty

From Reddit: Summary of the ending of the book “Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Cher”

Asian American Life website and recent episodes

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Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Hospital Playlist, starring Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-jun, Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won, Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan, Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong, and Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa. We discuss:

The songs we featured during the recap:

Aloha by Jo Jung-suk

Sorrowful by Kim Jin-hak



How this episode shows that hospitals are places where some of life’s most emotional moments happen, and how the five doctors balance their medical responsibilities with deep compassion for their patients.

Kim Jun-wan’s gruff exterior versus the care he shows his patients, especially the young mother terrified about her baby’s heart surgery.

The baby born with transposition of the great arteries, why the baby’s chest had to remain open after surgery, and how doctors can safely touch a beating heart.

How Kim Jun-wan inspires two medical students to pursue cardiothoracic surgery by letting them touch a beating heart, just as his own mentor once did for him.

Lee Ik-jun’s devastating discovery that his wife wants a divorce—and that she has apparently been seeing another man while living abroad.

Jang Gyeo-ul’s crush on Ahn Jeong-won and how she uses Lee Ik-jun to learn more about him, only to discover that Jeong-won wants to become a priest.

The heartbreaking story of Lee Ik-jun’s former patient, who becomes brain dead after a traffic accident, and our discussion of how organ donation works in South Korea and the United States.

The significance of jesa, the Korean tradition of honoring deceased family members, and how it influences Lee Ik-jun’s decision about the timing of his patient’s death.

The episode-ending surprise when Kim Jun-wan treats an injured soldier in the ER and realizes that she is Lee Ik-sun, Lee Ik-jun’s younger sister.

Jeon Mi-do, the actress who plays Chae Song-hwa, including her career in musical theater, her television roles, and how she originally auditioned for a patient role in Hospital Playlist before being cast as one of the five leads.

What we’re watching now, including Agent Kim Reactivated and The King’s Warden.

References

Korea loosens organ donation rules amid deadly shortage