From the U.S. to Taiwan, 'Weak Hero' takes over Netflix worldwide upon Season 2's release
On the morning of April 2, an interview with IU of the Netflix original When Life Gives You Tangerines was held in Seoul.
When Life Gives You Tangerines unfolds the story of the rebellious yet endearing Ae Soon and the diligent Gwan Sik as they navigate the seasons of life, facing challenges and trials along the way.
The production budget totaled approximately 60 billion Korean won, featuring performances by IU, Park Bo Gum, Moon So Ri, Park Hae Joon, Yeom Hye Ran, Oh Jung Se, Lee Jun Young, and special appearances from Kim Seon Ho, Kim Jae Young, and others.
In a bold departure from Netflix's usual release strategy of dropping entire series at once, When Life Gives You Tangerines premiered with streaming Part 1 (episodes 1-4) on March 7, followed by four episodes weekly over four weeks, totaling 16 episodes. It achieved the top spot in the Global Top 10 (non-English) category in its third week of release and garnered 6 million views after Part 4's release, securing the third spot in the Global Top 10 (non-English) category from March 24-30. IU portrayed two roles: Ae Soon in her teens and her daughter Geum Myeong.
Previously, in December of last year, IU was swept up in a controversy for prepaying 200 pieces of bread, 200 cups of beverage, and 200 bowls of gukbap for people attending a rally in Yeouido, Seoul, calling for the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Some supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol called for a boycott of brands IU endorses, and even created a list of impeachment supporters to report to the CIA. Additionally, the star was even called 'leftist IU'.
Regarding this, IU commented, "Saying that I'm upset wouldn't be entirely wrong, but I've never actually watched any of the videos or content myself. I've also never thought, 'Why is this happening only to me?' I feel like this is just something I have to deal with. In a way, it means that people are paying a lot of attention. I found myself thinking, 'Since when did I become someone who receives so much attention, whether in a positive or negative way?'"
She continued, "I just tend to think of it that way. But at the same time, if there are incidents [where people] seriously cross the line or attempt to create major misunderstandings — things that my agency also feels 'shouldn’t be overlooked' — then I believe some form of action is always necessary. But I don't really think, 'Why is this happening only to me?'"
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