"Chasing 70 Billion Won, Wanted to Trace the Life of Money"

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Writer Jeong Seo-kyung. Photo by tvN

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “I wanted to show the fight of the younger generation battling various challenges such as lack of opportunities and poverty.”

The recently concluded tvN drama Little Women, which recorded an 11% viewership rating, ended with the three sisters overcoming evil. Screenwriter Jung Seo-kyung, who captivated audiences with compelling scripts in collaboration with director Park Chan-wook on films such as Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and the recent Decision to Leave, took on her second drama project with Little Women following the 2018 tvN drama Mother.

Regarding her choice of the original novel Little Women as the source material, Jung explained, “The original Little Women were kind sisters, but I wondered if they had grown up in Korea, wouldn’t they have been a bit more rebellious? From that thought, I wanted these sisters to be more challenging toward the world they belong to, which led me to conceive the work.”

In the drama, the three sisters grow up in poverty, but each is portrayed as dealing with poverty differently. Jung said, “Poverty is not the opposite of abundance; it acts as an obstacle in the sisters’ growth process.”

She added, “For In-kyung, poverty is something she refuses to lose to; for In-joo, it is the opposite of the family she wants to protect and happiness; for In-hye, it becomes a limit that restricts her talent. Through these portrayals, I wanted to show that poverty has many faces.” The writer’s view of poverty is that it cannot be enjoyed in any way, and in Little Women, it functions as a realistic limitation closest to the protagonists.

Among fans who completed the drama, Won Sang-ah (played by Um Ji-won) is often considered the true protagonist rather than the three sisters. Jung agrees, saying, “The center of the world in the work is Won Sang-ah, and the story started from her perspective.”

To depict the wealthy Won Sang-ah, who stands in stark contrast to the poor three sisters, as a villain, the writer recalled Sleeping Beauty. “In Sleeping Beauty, the most evil character is the fairy who was not invited,” she explained. “Won Sang-ah is like the uninvited fairy, and Um Ji-won expressed well the feeling of suppressed emotions exploding.”

In the drama, the 70 billion won slush fund created by Wonryeong Group is portrayed as the most important theme running throughout the story. At the center of that money is General Won Ki-seon, a soldier who participated in the Vietnam War. However, some of his lines, such as “A Korean soldier can kill 20 Viet Cong soldiers. Some soldiers killed up to 10,” sparked controversy, leading the Vietnamese Broadcasting and Electronic Information Agency to request Netflix to ban the airing of Little Women, causing a stir.

Regarding this, Jung said, “I wanted to talk about money, and in explaining the origin of the money in the work, I set the starting point at the Vietnam War. Since Korea’s economic revival began by earning foreign currency through the Vietnam War, I handled the story in that context, but I realize now that I lacked understanding of the local perspective on the war.”

She continued, “There was no intention to distort or define the facts about the Vietnam War, so I did not anticipate the local Vietnamese reaction, but I understand that such a response is quite possible. Writing a drama for the global market, I think I need to pay closer attention to viewers’ reactions in the future,” she expressed her feelings.

Little Women realistically depicts themes that run through modern Korean history, such as the savings bank crisis, slush fund embezzlement, and real estate issues, through the fictional organization “Jeongranhoe.”

Jung said, “Through the story chasing 70 billion won, I wanted to trace the origin and life cycle of money. When we watch the news, each incident seems separate, but I thought that behind the scenes, they might be connected, based on a conspiracy theory.”

She added, “Connecting these, I created the fictional organization ‘Jeongranhoe.’ If they became rich through war in their own way, then today’s younger generation is fighting an invisible war against lack of opportunities, poverty, and various other challenges.” Ultimately, Little Women is a story about the conflict between the older and younger generations, with the three sisters winning the war in the end.

Among the responses to the work, the comment “crazy drama” left the strongest impression on the writer, who expressed gratitude. She confessed that when creating characters, she starts from scenes or flaws in characters that audiences might not like, saying, “Despite these flaws, I wanted the characters to be loved.”

Her wish was answered with the drama’s viewership rating starting at 6.4% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide paid households) in episode 1 and reaching a personal best of 11.1% in the final episode 12, receiving enthusiastic public attention.

Having written Little Women over two years and six months, Jung cites professionalism as her driving force. Even after 20 years since her debut, she emphasizes the importance of professionalism, saying, “I have never gone a day without working, and if I don’t work, I don’t know who I am. I believe every Korean lives each day with professionalism.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.