LayarHijau – JTBC’s acclaimed drama Itaewon Class is getting new life through local adaptations in the Philippines and Vietnam. The remake rights have officially been sold, and production teams in both countries are preparing to reinterpret the beloved story for their own audiences.
All eyes are now on the casting process — particularly on who will play Park Saeroyi, the determined and principled main character originally portrayed by Park Seo-joon. Fans across Southeast Asia are already speculating on which local actors could best embody Saeroyi’s mix of grit and sincerity.
More Read
Originally based on a popular Kakao Entertainment webtoon of the same name, Itaewon Class tells the story of Park Saeroyi, a young man whose life takes a sharp turn after he’s expelled from school for punching a bully, Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun), the privileged son of a powerful businessman. After the tragic death of his father, Saeroyi opens a small restaurant in the vibrant Itaewon district, beginning a long and uphill battle against the Jang family’s massive food conglomerate.
Premiering in January 2020, the series quickly captured viewers’ attention. According to Nielsen Korea, it started with a modest 5 percent viewership rating and ended with an impressive 16.5 percent peak for its finale. Thanks to Netflix, Itaewon Class became a global hit, remaining a favorite on international streaming charts long after it ended. Fans often refer to it as “a drama fossilized in our hearts” — a symbol of how deeply it resonated with audiences worldwide.
In Vietnam, Itaewon Class became the most-searched drama on Google in 2020, showing its massive cultural impact. Many Southeast Asian fans have shared how the show inspired them to stay resilient and chase their dreams. One fan from Manila posted on Facebook, “Park Saeroyi reminds us to dream bigger and work harder,” quoting one of the series’ most famous lines. Another viewer wrote on Reddit, “What I loved most was watching imperfect characters grow together through their struggles.”
The drama was previously remade in Japan in 2022 under the title Roppongi Class, starring Ryoma Takeuchi as the lead. Although some critics found the adaptation slightly less powerful than the Korean original, it still achieved respectable results with a 10.7 percent local rating.
With both the Philippine and Vietnamese versions now in development, audiences are eager to see how this story of courage, integrity, and perseverance will be reimagined through the lens of different cultures.
