Karma (South Korean TV series)
| Karma | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 악연 |
| Lit. | Ill-fated Relationship |
| RR | Agyeon |
| MR | Agyŏn |
| Genre | Crime thriller |
| Based on | Karma by Choi Hee-seon |
| Written by | Lee Il-hyung |
| Directed by | Lee Il-hyung |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Hwang Sang-joon[1] |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 47–61 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Netflix |
| Release | April 4, 2025 |
Karma (Korean: 악연) is a 2025 South Korean crime thriller television series written and directed by Lee Il-hyung, and starring Park Hae-soo, Shin Min-a, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Kwang-soo, and Gong Seung-yeon.[2] Based on the Kakao webtoon of the same name by Choi Hee-seon, the series is about people who are entangled in an unexpected ill-fated relationship and destroy each other while pursuing their own desires. It was released on Netflix on April 4, 2025.
Plot
Park Jae-young has heavy debts with a loan shark. He hires Korean Chinese coworker Jang Gil-ryong to kill his father, Park Dong-sik, in hopes of getting the life insurance payout. Gil-ryong murders Dong-sik, but has to dispose the body elsewhere instead of staging a hit-and-run.
Traditional medicine doctor Han Sang-hun and girlfriend Lee Yu-jeong are driving home after a romantic getaway, when Sang-hun hits Dong-sik's body with his car. Sang-hun believes he killed Dong-sik, and he almost kills Kim Beom-jun, a nearby witness. Sang-hun has Beom-jun help him bury Dong-sik in the mountainside and pays Beom-jun for his silence.
Dong-sik's body is found by a hiker, but Jae-yeong fails to get the insurance payout as the investigation is ongoing. Gil-ryong threatens Jae-yeong with violence, demanding payment immediately as he needs to flee the country since he was seen at the scene of the crime and killed a police officer who was following him.
Sang-hun checks his car's dashcam and discovers that Beom-jun staged the accident. He informs Yu-jeong, who turns out to be working a con with Beom-jun. Yu-jeong and Beom-jun kidnap Sang-hun, and Sang-hun kills Yu-jeong before Beom-jun kills Sang-hun. The murders are photographed by the employees of private detective Hwang Cheol-mok, who had been hired by Sang-hun's wife to find evidence of his infidelity. Cheol-mok reports the murders and a manhunt starts for Beom-jun.
Beom-jun has also been working with Gil-ryong, his friend from prison. Beom-jun helped Gil-ryong murder Dong-sik in return for part of the payout, and took the body away for the con with Sang-hun.
Jae-yeong arranges to meet Gil-ryong, intending to murder him. Beom-jun follows them, but realizes at a police checkpoint that he is wanted for murder. Jae-yeong takes Gil-ryong to an abandoned building and attacks him, but Gil-ryong overpowers him. Beom-jun arrives and decides to take Jae-yeong's identity. Beom-jun kills Gil-ryong and Jae-yeong and sets the building on fire.
A severely burned Beom-jun is brought to the hospital, where he claims to be Jae-yeong and tells the police that he was kidnapped. He is tended to by Dr. Lee Ju-yeon, who was gang raped by Jae-yeong and other boys when they were teenagers. Ju-yeon follows Beom-jun when he leaves the hospital, intending to kill him, but her fiancé Dr. Yoon stops her by asking her not to throw her life away. Beom-jun later remembers Ju-yeon from school; he was friends with Yu-jeong, who hated Ju-yeon, and he suggested that Yu-jeong arrange the gang rape.
The police realize that Beom-jun's statement doesn't match the crime scene. Beom-jun tries to flee, but is picked up by the loan shark who's looking for Jae-yeong. Yoon is the surgeon working for the loan shark to harvest organs, and he starts work on Beom-jun, ignoring his claims of mistaken identity.
Cheol-mok visits Ju-yeon to tell her an update about Jae-yeong, but Ju-yeon decides she does not need to know, as she has let go of the past.
Cast and characters
Main
- Park Hae-soo[3] as Kim Beom-jun
- Shin Min-a[3] as Lee Ju-yeon
- Lee Hee-joon[3] as Park Jae-yeong
- Kim Sung-kyun[3] as Jang Gil-ryong
- Lee Kwang-soo[3] as Han Sang-hun
- Gong Seung-yeon[3] as Lee Yu-jeong
Special appearance
- Kim Nam-gil[4] as Yoon Jeong-min
- Park Ho-san as Hwang Cheol-mok
Production
Development
In July 2023, it was reported that the Kakao Webtoon Ill-fated Relationship by Choi Hee-seon, which was serialized in 2019, would be made into a drama with six episodes and is directed and written by Lee Il-hyung, who helmed A Violent Prosecutor (2016) and Remember (2022). Moonlight Film, Baram Pictures, and Kakao Entertainment managed the production.[5]
Casting
In August 2023, Star News reported that both Shin Min-a and Park Hae-soo would be starring in the series.[6] In response to the report, both agencies of Shin and Park stated that they were positively reviewing the offer.[7] A month later, Netflix confirmed the ensemble cast of the crime thriller series with Park, Shin, Lee Hee-joon, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Kwang-soo, and Gong Seung-yeon.[8]
Release
Karma was released exclusively on Netflix on April 4, 2025.[9]
Reception
Critical response
Karma received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 83% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10.[10]
Joel Keller of Decider wrote: "Karma has the potential to be a fine series with intertwining plots, but it could also be an exercise in frustration, depending on how long those plots take to develop."[11]
Accolades
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2025 | Best Drama | Karma | Pending | [12] |
| Best Actor | Park Hae-soo | Pending | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Lee Kwang-soo | Pending | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Gong Seung-yeon | Pending |
References
- ^ @hwang_sang_jun; (March 3, 2025). 넷플릭스 시리즈 <악연> 4월 4일 스트리밍 [Netflix series <Karma> streaming on April 4th] (in Korean). Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via Instagram.
- ^ "Karma". British Board of Film Classification. April 4, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Ziwei, Puah (November 10, 2023). "'Squid Game' star Park Hae-soo to lead new Netflix K-drama, 'Karma'". NME. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Jung, Esther (March 29, 2025). 김남길, 신민아 연인이었다..."밝고 편하게 해 줘" (악연) [Kim Nam-gil and Shin Min-a were lovers..."Make it bright and comfortable" (Karma)]. MHN Sports (in Korean). Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ Chae, Sung-oh (July 3, 2023). [단독] 웹툰 '악연' 영상화...IP부터 제작까지 '카카오 DNA' 총출동 [[Exclusive] Webtoon 'Ill-fated Relationship' to be made into a video...'Kakao DNA' all out, from IP to production]. Bloter (in Korean). Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Seung-hun (August 30, 2023). [단독]신민아·박해수, 범죄 스릴러 '악연'으로 만난다 [종합] [Exclusive] Shin Min-a and Park Hae-soo to meet in crime thriller 'Karma' [Comprehensive]]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Ha-young (August 30, 2023). 신민아x박해수 측 "'악연' 출연, 긍정 검토 중" [Shin Min-a x Park Hae-soo's Side: "Positively Reviewing Appearance in 'Karma'"]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Jung, Seung-min (November 9, 2023). 박해수→신민아...넷플 새 스릴러 시리즈 '악연' 캐스팅 [Park Hae-soo→Shin Min-a...Casting for Netflix's New Thriller Series 'Karma']. MHN Sports (in Korean). Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Kim, Ji-ye (March 4, 2025). "'Karma' hits Netflix this April as crime thriller series arrives". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "Karma: Season 1 (2025)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
- ^ "'Karma' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". 2025-04-04. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
- ^ Moon, Ji-yeon (2025-06-27). [공식] '폭싹 속았수다'·'SNL코리아' 최다노미..제4회 청룡시리즈어워즈 후보 경쟁 시작됐다 [[Official] 'When Life Gives You Tangerines'·'SNL Korea' Most Nominations. 4th Blue Dragon Series Awards Nominee Competition Begins]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-06-27.