Boys Over Flowers (Korean: 꽃보다 남자; RR: Kkotboda namja) is a 2009 South Korean television series. It stars Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon. The show is based on the Japanese manga series Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), created by Yoko Kamio. Directed by Jeon Si-Kang, the series follows a working-class girl who becomes involved with a group of wealthy young men at her elite high school. It aired for 25 episodes on KBS2 from January 5 to March 31, 2009.

The series is often considered one of the first Korean high school dramas and helped increase the popularity of the "Korean Wave." It received high viewership ratings in South Korea and became widely known across Asia. Lee Min-ho’s role as the leader of F4 was very different from his role in Mackerel Run, which helped him gain popularity outside of South Korea.

Synopsis

Shinhwa Group is one of South Korea’s largest companies, managed by Chairwoman Kang Hee-soo (Lee Hye-young). Her son, Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), who will one day lead the company, attends Shinhwa High School, a private school for children of wealthy and powerful families. Jun-pyo is the leader of F4, a group of four influential students at the school, along with Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi-jung (Kim Bum), and Song Woo-bin (Kim Joon).

Geum Jan-di (Koo Hye-sun), the daughter of a dry-cleaner, becomes famous nationwide after helping a student at Shinhwa High who tried to hurt themselves. Because of public criticism, Chairwoman Kang arranges for Jan-di to attend the school for free. At Shinhwa High, Jan-di quickly argues with Jun-pyo after refusing to accept the school’s culture of bullying, which F4 enforces. She faces harsh treatment, including being given a "red card," but continues to stand up for herself.

Jan-di becomes friends with Ji-hoo, who still feels sad about his past relationship with Min Seo-hyun (Han Chae-young), a former student who left Korea to pursue a career. Seo-hyun returns briefly to reconnect with Ji-hoo before leaving again.

At first, Jun-pyo is angry with Jan-di, but he slowly starts to care for her. He later announces publicly at school that Jan-di is his girlfriend. However, Oh Min-ji (Lee Si-young), a friend of Jan-di who becomes jealous of her growing attention and connection to Jun-pyo, creates a situation that falsely suggests Jan-di had relationships with others. Believing the lies, Jun-pyo feels betrayed and stops spending time with her, while other students resume bullying Jan-di. The truth is later uncovered, and Min-ji’s actions are exposed. Jun-pyo apologizes to Jan-di and defends her in front of the school, which strengthens their relationship, while Min-ji leaves the school.

As Jan-di spends more time with Ji-hoo, she feels confused about her emotions, especially after they share a kiss. Jun-pyo sees the kiss and feels hurt and betrayed, leading to a fight between him and Ji-hoo. This causes tension within F4. Jun-pyo distances himself from both Jan-di and Ji-hoo, while Jan-di struggles with guilt and confusion about her feelings. Ji-hoo later acknowledges Jun-pyo’s feelings for Jan-di and decides to step back to protect their friendship.

Meanwhile, Jan-di’s best friend, Chu Ga-eul (Kim So-eun), begins a relationship with F4 member So Yi-jung, who has difficulty with emotional commitment. As their relationship grows, Yi-jung faces his fear of commitment, and the two develop a meaningful connection that continues throughout the story.

Chairwoman Kang strongly disapproves of Jun-pyo and Jan-di’s relationship because of Jan-di’s background and repeatedly tries to separate them, even interfering with Jan-di’s family and closing their dry-cleaning business.

Later, Jan-di is kidnapped by a student seeking revenge against F4. While trying to protect Jun-pyo, she suffers a serious shoulder injury that ends her swimming career. This event makes Jun-pyo more determined to protect Jan-di, while increasing Chairwoman Kang’s efforts to keep them apart.

After Jun-pyo’s father falls into a coma, Jun-pyo must prepare to take over the Shinhwa Group. Under pressure from his mother, he leaves Korea for Macau and cuts contact with Jan-di and his friends. Chairwoman Kang later arranges for Jun-pyo to marry Ha Jae-kyung (Lee Min-jung), the daughter of a wealthy family. Although Ha develops feelings for Jun-pyo, she cancels the engagement after realizing he loves Jan-di.

Jun-pyo later loses his memory in a car accident while saving Ji-hoo. At first, he cannot recognize Jan-di, but his memories return over time. The two reunite and decide to focus on their personal goals before marriage. Years later, Jun-pyo returns as a successful businessman and reunites with Jan-di and the members of F4, where he proposes to Jan-di at the seaside.

Cast

• Park Ji-bin plays Geum Kang-san (금강산), the younger brother of Jan-di. In the manga, this character is named Susumu Makino.
• Kim Ki-bang plays Bom Choon-sik (봄춘식), the boss of Jan-di and Ga-eul.
• Jung Ho-bin plays Jeong Sang-rok (정상록), the secretary to Jun-pyo's mother. In the manga, this character is named Nishida.
• Song Suk-ho plays Butler Lee, the butler for Jun-pyo's family.
• Kim Young-ok plays the head maid of Jun-pyo's family. In the manga, this character is named Tama.
• Seo Min-ji plays Jang Yu-mi (장유미). In the manga, this character is named Umi Nakajima.
• Lee Jung-gil plays Yoon Seok-young (윤석영), the grandfather of Ji-hoo.
• Lim Ju-hwan plays So Il-hyun (소일현), the older brother of Yi-jung.
• Park Soo-jin plays Cha Eun-jae (차은재), Yi-jung's first love. In the manga, this character is named Sara Hinata.
• Gook Ji-yun plays Choi Jin-hee (최진희) (also known as Ginger). In the manga, this character is named Yuriko Asai.
• Jang Ja-yeon plays Park Sun-ja (박선자) (also known as Sunny). In the manga, this character is named Erika Ayuhara.
• Min Young-won plays Lee Mi-sook (이미숙) (also known as Miranda). In the manga, this character is named Minako Yamano.
• Jung Eui-chul plays Lee Min-ha (이민하) and Lee Jae-ha (이재하). He also develops feelings for Geum Jan-di because of her actions. In the manga, this character is named Junpei Oribe.
• Jung Chan-woo plays young Gu Jun-pyo (not credited).
• Kang San plays young Yoon Ji-hu (not credited).
• Moonbin plays young So Yi-jung.
• Kang Yu-seok plays young Song Woo-bin (not credited).
• Kang Han-byeol plays child Gu Jun-pyo.
• Nam Da-reum plays child Yoon Ji-hoon.
• Jung Tae-ho plays child So Yi-jung (not credited).
• Lee Eun-soo plays child Song Woo-bin (not credited).
• Lim Si-eun plays young Min Seo-hyun.
• Kim Young-sun plays Fishing village resident 3 (appeared briefly).

Reception

In October 2020, Elle Magazine listed Boys Over Flowers as number 6 on its list of the 10 Best K-Dramas to watch on Netflix. The show was very popular in South Korea when it aired in 2009, with many people watching it. The actors became well-known and gained fame quickly. After the show ended, several cast members became famous faces in advertisements and endorsements. The lead actor, Lee Min-ho, started his career with this show after appearing in only a few low-budget high school dramas before.

During its broadcast, the show influenced South Korean men to care more about their appearance, trying to look like the "pretty boy image" of the F4 characters in the drama. This led to more men wearing makeup, clothing styles like preppy outfits, and colors such as pink or floral patterns. Locations where the show was filmed, such as the Damyang Dynasty Country Club in South Jeolla Province, the Ragung Hanok Hotel in Silla Millennium Park in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Hilton Namhae Gold & Spa Resort in South Gyeongsang Province, the Grand Hyatt Seoul ice rink, the Lotte Hotel World Emerald Room, Farmer’s Table in Heyri, and Yangpyeong English Village, became popular tourist spots. Other locations shown in the drama, like New Caledonia and Macau, also became popular travel destinations.

The show became popular worldwide, including in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Zambia. The cast members held many events across Asia, such as concerts and fan meetings. The Seoul chapter of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) criticized the show for promoting materialism and the idea that women need a rich man to be happy. The report also said the show included examples of school violence and unfair treatment of others based on appearance or social class. It pointed out that the main female character, Geum Jan-di, was shown as passive and dependent.

Ratings

In the table below, blue numbers show the lowest scores, and red numbers show the highest scores.