Typhoon Family

Presentation

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Overview

Synopsis

In 1997, Kang Tae Poong’s father passes away and his company is hit by the IMF crisis. Determined not to let the company go bankrupt, he steps in as the CEO. To save the company, he’s helped by his family and his employees, like bookkeeper Oh Mi Sun. She dreams of becoming a career woman.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

This drama reminded me of Reborn Rich and the Reply Series. I’m a huge fan of shows that take place in the 1990s in South Korea and Typhoon Family didn’t disappoint at all. The depiction of the IMF crisis and its consequences on the country, the economy, businesses, families and people in general is credible and quite realistic. You root for Tae Poong and wish for him to overcome all the obstacles he faces. And there are plenty. This character is the perfect embodiment of resourcefulness, determination and optimism. He’d do anything to protect his father’s legacy and his employees. The romance is amazing. The chemistry between Lee Jun Ho and Kim Min Ha is so good. I loved seeing these two navigate their dreams, life and their feelings in the most sincere way possible. Not going to lie, I wanted to destroy Kim Hyun Jun at some point. But at least, his intentions and his story were understandable. Finally, I loved the references here and there to the technologies that are normal to us now, but seemed completely far-fetched at the time (the MP3 player, mobile phones, Korean skincare, computer games…). The drama has a retro vibe, is carried by solid characters and is an ode to resilience. I highly recommend you watch it!

Analysis

• The 1990s
  The IMF crisis
  Technologies
• Typhoon Trading
  Being a trader
  Opposite views on business
  A tumultuous journey
• Characters
  Kang Tae Poong
  Oh Mi Sun
  Pyo Hyun Jun
• The romances
• Family
  

The 1990s: The drama takes place in 1997, shortly before the IMF crisis hits South Korea, and comes to an end in 2001, slightly before the World Cup. This time period is concomitant with economic changes, social struggles, but also the rise of new technologies adapting to a more globalized world.

The IMF crisis: From the first episode on, Typhoon Family immerses us into the IMF crisis by depicting its impact on the country and the economy: Businesses are forced to close, employees are laid off, citizens are asked to make an effort by selling their gold, and many families end up in the streets. Kang Tae Poong’s (Lee Jun Ho) situation is a perfect representation of the suffering many South Koreans experienced. In a blink of an eye, suppliers and banks demand payback from his father’s company, while employees quit, convinced that he will declare bankruptcy. That’s the case of Koo Myung Gwan (Kim Song Il), who ends up in a cult, or Cha Sent Taek (Kim Jae Hwa), who betrays her former partners for money. But consequences of the IMF crisis are not just economic, they are also personal. Tae Poong loses his house because he’s unable to pay the bills. Others, like Wang Nam Mo’s (Kim Min Suk) mother, are fired from their job (she was a bank employee) and fall prey to scammers who take advantage of people’s despair to extort their remaining savings. It takes until 2001 for the country to recover and for people (Tae Poong and his team) to get back on their feet.

Technologies: Typhoon Family has this retro vintage vibe of the 1990s that transpires on screen – and I’m not just talking about fashion. The show highlights the premises of important technologies such as: computers and the internet set to replace pens and papers, MP3 players for music, or mobile phones for an enhanced communication. Even the different products sold by Typhoon Trading give us an idea of the regulations, trends and overall atmosphere of the late 1990s in South Korea and abroad. In Thailand, authorities are more conscious of the dangers on the road and thus impose bikers to wear a helmet; Europe is keen on keeping its construction workers safe using solid equipment like protective shoes; developed countries send humanitarian help to under-developed regions in Africa like surgical gloves; the most technologically advanced countries (like the US) are looking for clever inventions like cooling fans for computers. All of these references transport us at the beginning of the technology era that we know today, but that was only blooming in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Typhoon Trading: Interestingly, the name Typhoon Trading echoes the male lead’s name, as ‘Typhoon’ in Korean is ‘Tae Poong’. This ingenious play on words shows the profound connection that exists between the main character and his father’s company. He’s the only one who can take over and weather the storms that come his way.

Being a trader: This is the essence and motto of the drama. Being a trader is in Tae Poong’s genes, but also Oh Mi Sun’s (Kim Min Ha). Here, we can understand the job as explained by the lead character himself at the end of the drama. When discussing with an American investor, the latter asks Tae Poong why he’s helping the company Dabontech on the verge of bankruptcy. The CEO answers: ‘I am a trader. I sell goods not technologies‘. This one sentence sums up the philosophy of characters, Typhoon Trading, and the drama in general. Traders invest in goods that bring value (to their owners, but also to others), no matter what they are. They believe in the products they trade and are willing to put their life on the line to honor their deals. Once a partnership is signed, they do everything in their power to export/distribute the good.

Opposite views on business: There is a clear clash in values between the CEO of Pyo Merchant Marine, Pyo Bak Ho (Kim Sang Ho), and Tae Poong. On the one side, CEO Pyo only cares about profit. He sees the world as a battlefield where people should destroy others to win the game. He plays dirty, lies, conceals, cheats and doesn’t honor his words. His son, Pyo Hyun Jun (Mu Jin Sung), has been taught that your own interests prevail. That’s why, he reproduces his father’s doctrine against Kang Tae Poong. On the other side, the main character embodies a righteous, respectful and trustworthy business philosophy. Money doesn’t drive his investments, people and their goods do. He wants to play fair and square, sees long-term and believes gains will thus follow. The final dialogue between CEO Pyo and Kang Tae Poong is the perfect representation of these two opposite views. Tae Poong gives him back the promissory note instead of using it against him. He explains that his father has raised him in a world of flowers, whereas Hyun Jun was told the world was a horrible place. This education twisted him and led him to own demise.

A tumultuous journey: The least we can say it that the team goes through many ups and downs like a tentative scam, a warehouse fire, loan sharks pursuing them, the destruction of their goods by foreign authorities, prison, accusation of bribery, loads of betrayal, etc… Some mishaps are due to employees’ mistakes like Go Ma Jin (Lee Chang Hoon) who signs an unfair contract to stock goods in a warehouse only to lose them afterwards, or when he bribes a custom officer in Thailand and ends up in prison. Cha Seon Taek also bears a part of responsibility regarding the fire in the warehouse that almost cost Oh Mi Sun her life, as she informed Hyun Jun of the time and location of the delivery. But the majority of their problems stems from Hyun Jun’s devious intervention. For example, he destroys their merchandise in the warehouse, bankrupts Dabontech, enters the auction to send the surgical gloves to Africa, etc… Nevertheless, the team is resilient and manages to overcome these obstacles.

Characters: The lead trio is excellent. They each have their red thread and don’t deviate from it in the drama. Even secondary characters are worth it, though some will infuriate you. But they’re human beings, simply trying to survive amidst a crisis.

Kang Tae Poong: Tae Poong is an immature and overprotected young man at the beginning of the show. He enjoys his father’s wealth, parties with his friend and constantly fights with Hyun Jun. But his world comes crashing down with the IMF crisis and his father’s sudden passing that force him to become an adult. He now has to assume the role of head of his family and CEO of Typhoon Trading. Though Tae Poong knows nothing about business at first, he has all the qualities of a great leader and respectful businessman. He’s kind, fair, resourceful, determined, intuitive, optimistic, resilient and full of brilliant ideas. He’s got the empathetic side of his mother and his father’s business philosophy which confirms that he was born to be a trader. Although he dreamed of having a greenhouse and growing domestic roses before, he realizes that people are flowers worth caring for too. His main goal in the drama is to protect his father’s legacy whether it’d be the business or the employees of the company.

Oh Mi Sun: Oh Mi Sun embodies the condition of women in the workplace in the late 1990s. Then, they were belittled and considered as mere assistants only good at making coffee. Moreover, Mi Sun is hindered by her modest background. She doesn’t have a college degree (she couldn’t afford tuition) and takes care of her 2 siblings and demented grandmother. However, she never complains about her position. On the contrary, she absorbs any valuable information, teaches herself and tries to learn from other employees. Her dream is to become a trader like her fellow male colleagues. Oh Mi Sun is an amazing character with an impressive set of qualities: she’s very clever, excellent with numbers and can adapt to any situation. She’s got great business acumen, understands the economy better than anyone else, and always finds a way to achieve her goals no matter what. She’s also kind, loyal, and upright which proves to be vital to Kang Tae Poong. Indeed, she’s the only one who remains in the office out of loyalty for his father. At the end, she’s achieved a new dream by becoming a trusted member of the team and a manager respected by her peers. Her voice and ideas are finally heard.

Pyo Hyun Jun: Pyo Hyun Jun is like an immature kid, craving for his father’s affection, praise and recognition. To do so, he targets Kang Tae Poong who represents the son his father would’ve wanted. He’s jealous of him and has developed an inferiority complex. Not to mention that his father constantly compares him with Tae Poong. Paired with his parent’s mindset (crush your opponent to win), Hyun Jun works hard to bring Tae Poong down. He wants to win over him, but in reality he’s just trying to win against himself. He doesn’t feel up to par, hence his numerous misdeeds towards others. I felt empathetic towards this character at the end. It was clear that he was not a bad person, but his jealousy blinded him and caused a lot of suffering. He almost kills Oh Mi Sun and his own father, destroys his company and ends up with nothing. Pyo Hyun Jun’s storyline highlights how your parents’ education shape you and your future. Compared to Tae Poong, he was neglected and his actions criticized. His worth was dependent on his achievements, whereas Tae Poong was loved unconditionally, mistakes or not.

The romances: There are 2 main romances in the show. The first one is between Oh Mi Sun and Kang Tae Poong. From the get-go, Tae Poong has a crush on Mi Sun and woos her. He is sincere and confesses his feelings without overthinking. He doesn’t pressure her either. Oh Mi Sun is however harder to convince. She has a family to take care of, wants a career, and fears people’s judgement if she were to date the CEO. She doubts and thus prefers to push him away. When she faces death, she realizes that she needs to be true to her feelings otherwise she’d regret it forever. Their romance is so good and their chemistry is amazing. I enjoyed every scene between these two. The second love line is between Oh Mi Ho (Kwon Han Sol) and Wang Nam Mo. Though they seem to be polar opposites at first, they have the same softness and sweetness. But Nam Mo’s mother wants a better person for her son because she considers Mi Ho too poor. Nam Mo confronts his mother, emphasizing that they are not better financially. He loves Mi Ho and couldn’t care less about money. Despite a short breakup, the two lovebirds can’t live without each other and reunite. Wang Nam Mo’s mother also gives in, seeing how much they care about each other.

Family: Typhoon Family rewrites the definition of family – as it is actually suggested by the title of the show. Though blood is the primary link between people to create a family, events and feelings are secondary ones. Typhoon Trading is like a big family in which its members help, hate, love, and scold each other like real siblings. On another note, we can mention the recomposed family formed by Mi Sun’s siblings and grandmother and Tae Poong’s mother. When the CEO and his mother end up in the streets, Mi Sun takes them in. This cohabitation makes their bonds even stronger. Even Tae Poong’s mother ends up taking care of Mi Sun’s siblings as if they were her own children. At the end, she goes to the class presentation during which Mi Sun’s younger brother receives an award for drawing his family. In that instant, she’s like a proud mother, applauding her child. That’s the beauty of the drama: hardships unite people and turn them into actual families.