On March 29, art director Ryu Seong-hee shared an emotional behind-the-scenes look into the making of “When Life Gives You Tangerines” via her personal social media. She posted several photos and wrote,
“For 15 months, our art team slept, woke up, and breathed within the world of When Life Gives You Tangerines.”
Ryu revealed detailed set sketches of Jeju’s villages, homes, and markets that appear in the drama, which is set across multiple decades.
“From memories of 1950s Jeju to the present day in 2025, we built landscapes that transcend time, and carefully crafted spaces where emotions could settle.”
She also reflected on the unique creative process:
“One of the most rewarding parts of this job is seeing people from their early 20s to 50s come together in one space—talking, listening, and collaborating deeply to build a single world.”
“For our younger team members, this historical drama might have felt like working on a sci-fi set.”
Reportedly produced on a massive budget of ₩60 billion KRW (approx. $45 million USD), When Life Gives You Tangerines is a Netflix original directed by Kim Won-seok, with Ryu Seong-hee as art director and Choi Yoon-man as cinematographer. The production team devoted immense effort to authentically recreate the passage of time from 1960s Jeju to modern-day Korea.
Known for her work on “Decision to Leave” and “Alienoid”, Ryu added her artistic touch to various settings, including Dodong Village, fields of bright yellow canola flowers, and 1970s Seoul.
“From Jeju’s traditional thatched-roof houses to old flooring, wallpaper, and even notebooks with unfamiliar handwriting—every item was crafted. We even made individual volcanic rocks, worn smooth by the island winds,” she said.
“To our younger team, these elements may have felt like landscapes of Mars, emotionally and physically unfamiliar. Watching them bring such a foreign world to life, I felt not just awe—but deep respect.”
She concluded with hopeful words:
“Though we’re all still building our own systems, if this industry can remain healthy, these young superheroes will go on to create deeper, more extraordinary worlds.”
When Life Gives You Tangerines**, which premiered its **final episode on March 28, follows the epic life journeys of Ae-soon (played by IU and Moon So-ri), a spirited rebel born in Jeju, and Gwan-sik (played by Park Bo-gum and Park Hae-joon), a devoted and loyal man. Told across four seasons, the story blends romance, history, and adventure into a heartfelt Netflix series.
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