Boys Over Flowers () is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Koo Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong, Kim Bum, and Kim Joon. Based on the Japanese manga series which was written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio, the series, directed by Jeon Si-Kang, tells a story of a working-class girl who gets tangled up in the lives of a group of wealthy young men in her elite high school. It aired for 25 episodes on KBS2 from January 5 to March 31, 2009.
It is often regarded as a pioneer in Korean high school series, as well as to have helped the proliferation of the "Korean Wave". The series earned high viewership ratings in South Korea, and became a cultural phenomenon throughout Asia. Lee Min-ho's role as the leader of F4 completely contrasted his role in Mackerel Run, which earned him overseas popularity.
Synopsis Shinhwa Group is one of South Korea's largest conglomerates, led by Chairwoman Kang Hee-soo (Lee Hye-young). Her son, Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), the heir to the Shinhwa empire, attends Shinhwa High School, an elite institution for the children of the wealthy and powerful. Jun-pyo leads F4, the most influential group at the school, alongside 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, draws national attention after saving a Shinhwa High student from attempting suicide. In response to public backlash, Chairwoman Kang arranges for Jan-di to enroll at the school on a scholarship. At Shinhwa High, Jan-di immediately clashes with Jun-pyo after standing up to him and refusing to submit to the school's culture of bullying enforced by F4. She becomes the target of severe harassment, including the issuance of a "red card", but continues to resist.
Jan-di grows close to Ji-hoo, who remains emotionally affected by his first love, Min Seo-hyun (Han Chae-young), a former Shinhwa student who left Korea to pursue a career. Seo-hyun later returns to Korea, briefly reconnecting with Ji-hoo before leaving again.
Although initially hostile toward Jan-di, Jun-pyo gradually develops feelings for her. He later makes a public declaration at school, announcing that Jan-di is his girlfriend. Following this announcement, Oh Min-ji (Lee Si-young), a friend of Jan-di who becomes resentful of her growing attention and association with Jun-pyo, orchestrates an incident that falsely implies Jan-di had slept around. Believing the allegations, Jun-pyo feels deeply betrayed and distances himself from her, while the student body resumes bullying Jan-di. The truth is later revealed, and Min-ji's actions are exposed. Jun-pyo realizes his mistake, apologizes to Jan-di, and publicly defends her, strengthening their relationship, while Min-ji leaves the school.
As Jan-di spends more time with Ji-hoo, she becomes emotionally conflicted, particularly after the two share a kiss. Jun-pyo witnesses the kiss between Jan-di and Ji-hoo, leaving him feeling deeply hurt and betrayed. This leads to a confrontation between the two friends, straining the bond within F4. Jun-pyo distances himself from both Jan-di and Ji-hoo, while Jan-di struggles with guilt and confusion over her feelings. Ji-hoo later acknowledges Jun-pyo's feelings for Jan-di and chooses to step aside, prioritizing their friendship.
Meanwhile, Jan-di's best friend Chu Ga-eul (Kim So-eun) becomes involved with F4 member So Yi-jung, a womanizer with unresolved emotional trauma. As their relationship develops, Yi-jung gradually confronts his fear of commitment, and the two form a meaningful bond that continues throughout the series.
Chairwoman Kang strongly opposes Jun-pyo and Jan-di's relationship due to Jan-di's social status and repeatedly intervenes to separate them, going as far as interfering with Jan-di's family and shutting down their dry-cleaning business.
Jan-di is later kidnapped by a student seeking revenge against F4. While attempting to protect Jun-pyo, she sustains a serious shoulder injury that permanently ends her swimming career. The incident strengthens Jun-pyo's determination to protect Jan-di, while escalating Chairwoman Kang's efforts to keep them apart.
After Jun-pyo's father falls into a coma, Jun-pyo is forced to prepare as the successor to the Shinhwa Group. Under pressure from his mother, he leaves Korea for Macau, cutting off contact with Jan-di and his friends. Chairwoman Kang later arranges his engagement to JK Group heiress Ha Jae-kyung (Lee Min-jung). Although Ha develops feelings for Jun-pyo, she later calls off the engagement after realizing his feelings for Jan-di.
Jun-pyo later loses his memory following a car accident while saving Ji-hoo. Initially unable to recognize Jan-di, his memories gradually return. The two reunite and decide to pursue their individual goals before marriage. Several 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
Main Actor Drama character Manga character Characteristics Koo Hye-sun Geum Jan-di () Tsukushi Makino A dry cleaner's daughter, who is offered a scholarship to attend the prestigious Shinhwa High School. Her name translates as "lawn/grass". Headstrong, optimistic, stubborn, and kind-hearted, Jan-di readily stands up for her friends when they are being bullied. She gets on Jun-pyo's bad side when she stands up to him, but he soon professes his feelings for her. She also seems to initially like and have a crush on Ji-hoo. But after many complications in her life she realises that she loves Gu Jun-pyo wholeheartedly. Lee Min-ho Gu Jun-pyo () Tsukasa Domyoji The leader of the F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group, one of the biggest companies in South Korea. His mother is a cruel woman who believes that only beneficial relationships are allowed. He is hot-tempered and believes that there is nothing that money can't buy. Though he's unable to express his feelings, deep down, he has a heart of gold. He always tries to protect Jan-di even if it means hurting his own feelings. He torments Jan-di after she stands up to his bullying ways, but ends up falling in love with her and does everything to protect her. Kim Hyun-joong Yoon Ji-hoo () Rui Hanazawa A member of the F4 and the grandson of a former president of Korea. He has a driving phobia after being involved in a car accident that killed his parents and left him the only survivor. He is initially in love with his childhood friend Seo-hyun, who helped him overcome his social anxiety. Calm and gentle, his musical talent catches Jan-di's attention and she begins to develop feelings for him. After spending time with Jan-di on his returning he falls in love with Geum Jan-di. He tries to express it several times but Jan-di refuses, but he loves her till the end. Kim Bum So Yi-jung () Sojiro Nishikado A member of the F4 and a skilled potter. His family owns the country's biggest art museum. After losing his first love to his brother, he becomes a womanizer. He eventually changes his playboy ways when he realizes that he likes Ga-eul, Jan-di's best friend. Kim Joon Song Woo-bin () Akira Mimasaka A member of the F4, his family runs the country's largest construction company, which Woo-bin later admits has strong connections to organized crime. He also likes to mess around with girls since he was hurt by a previous woman in his life. However, he has excellent business sense and is very charismatic.
Supporting Actor Drama Character Manga character Characteristics Ahn Suk-hwan Geum Il-bong () Haruo Makino He is Jan-di's father. Although a loving father, he brings financial problems to the family. Im Ye-jin Na Gong-joo () Chieko Makino She is Jan-di's mother. Desperate to get Jan-di married to a rich man, she forces Jan-di to attend Shinhwa High School.Kim So-eun Chu Ga-eul () Yuki Matsuoka She is Jan-di's best friend. She is quite devoted towards her friendship with Jan-di. Along with the series she later develops romantic feelings towards So Yi-jung. Han Chae-young Min Seo-hyun () Shizuka Todo Ji-hoon's first love. Lee Si-young Oh Min-ji () Sakurako Sanjo She at first seems to be Jan-di's only friend at school, but later betrays her. Kim Hyun-joo Gu Jun-hee () Tsubaki Domyoji She is Gu Jun-pyo's elder sister. As the elder child, it fell upon Gu Jun-hee to raise Jun-pyo as their parents were largely absent. She did so through aggressiveness, which included hitting and kicking him. She is the only person who can control him, as he listens to her. She also defies their mother by openly supporting his relationship with Jan-di, and they become close friends. Lee Hye-young Kang Hee-soo () Kaede Domyoji She is Jun-pyo's mother. A leading businesswoman in South Korea, she uses a number of methods to separate Jan-di and Jun-pyo (a technique which she used to successfully destroy Gu Jun-hee's relationship with her boyfriend many years before). Lee Min-jung Ha Jae-kyung () Shigeru Okawahara She is Jun-pyo's fiancée. She is a strong-willed girl who is pressured into an arranged marriage with Jun-pyo by both of their families in order to merge companies. She asks to be Jan-di's friend and Jan-di cannot say no. Ha Jae-kyung does all she can to get Jun-pyo to love her, but gives up when she knows that he will always love Jan-di.
Extended Park Ji-bin as Geum Kang-san (), Jan-di's younger brother / Manga character: Susumu Makino Kim Ki-bang as Bom Choon-sik (), Jan-di and Ga-eul's boss as Jeong Sang-rok (), Jun-pyo's mother's secretary / Manga character: Nishida Song Suk-ho as Butler Lee, Jun-pyo's family's butler Kim Young-ok as Jun-pyo's family's head maid / Manga character: Tama Seo Min-ji as Jang Yu-mi () / Manga character: Umi Nakajima Lee Jung-gil as Yoon Seok-young (), Ji-hoo's grandfather Lim Ju-hwan as So Il-hyun (), Yi-jung's older brother Park Soo-jin as Cha Eun-jae (), Yi-jung's first love / Manga character: Sara Hinata as Choi Jin-hee () (aka Ginger) / Manga character: Yuriko Asai Jang Ja-yeon as Park Sun-ja () (aka Sunny) / Manga character: Erika Ayuhara Min Young-won as Lee Mi-sook () (aka Miranda) / Manga character: Minako Yamano Jung Eui-chul as Lee Min-ha () / Lee Jae-ha (). He also falls for Geum Jan-di for her behaviour. / Manga character: Junpei Oribe Jung Chan-woo as young Gu Jun-pyo (uncredited) Kang San as young Yoon Ji-hu (uncredited) Moonbin as young So Yi-jung Kang Yu-seok as young Song Woo-bin (uncredited) Kang Han-byeol as child Gu Jun-pyo Nam Da-reum as child Yoon Ji-hoon Jung Tae-ho as child So Yi-jung (uncredited) Lee Eun-soo as child Song Woo-bin (uncredited) Lim Si-eun as young Min Seo-hyun Kim Young-sun as Fishing village resident 3 (cameo) Source: HanCinema
Original soundtrack
Reception Elle Magazine ranked Boys Over Flowers #6 (out of 10) on the October 2020 10 Best K-Dramas To Binge-Watch On Netflix list. Boys Over Flowers attracted high viewership ratings and buzz throughout South Korea during its broadcast in 2009. The cast members became household names and shot to stardom overnight, and after the series ended, several of them became the faces of various endorsements and advertisements. The show is credited with launching the career of its lead actor, Lee Min-ho, who had previously appeared in a small number of low-budget high school dramas.