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In the hit Netflix K-drama Can This Love Be Translated?, a gifted polyglot and a global celebrity discover that love may be the hardest language of all. Kim Seon-ho (Start-Up, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, When Life Gives You Tangerines) stars as Joo Ho-jin, a multilingual interpreter who encounters unknown actress Cha Mu-hee (played by Go Youn-jung of Moving and Sweet Home fame) while in Japan. After a breakthrough role in a blockbuster zombie film turns her into a global star overnight, Mu-hee reunites with Ho-jin when he appears as her interpreter during a press interview. The two later find themselves working together again while filming a reality show that takes them to various countries. During their travels, their relationship grows increasingly complex as they start to fall for each other.
Directed by Yoo Young-eun and written by the renowned Hong sisters (My Girl, You're Beautiful, Hotel del Luna, Alchemy of Souls), Can This Love Be Translated? premiered on Netflix about two months ago and topped the streamer's global chart of the most watched non-English shows for two weeks. I honestly hadn't planned to write an explainer for this K-drama (since explainers are usually not my most popular content, and I've received feedback that they're too lengthy and detailed), but since several readers requested one for this series, I figured it might not be too late to post it. (I guess this means that there are still readers out there who appreciate these types of articles? Yay!)
Although the show is pretty accessible to audiences with little or no knowledge of Korean culture (it's not chock-full of Korean puns and hidden meanings like, say, the K-drama Love Next Door), there are still some moments that might have left some viewers confused. So here's an explainer on some of the Korean cultural references and other Easter eggs found in the first half of the series (I'll be doing a separate one on the second half next week).
Warning: Major spoilers ahead for 'Can This Love Be Translated?'!
Episode 1
- KakaoTalk: When Mu-hee sees Ho-jin sitting next to her in a ramen shop in Tokyo, she thinks he's Chinese at first because he's holding a Chinese-language pamphlet (the scene is even accentuated with traditional Chinese music).
But when she hears the KakaoTalk notification sounds on his phone, she immediately realizes -- to her dismay -- that he's Korean (this time the moment is punctuated by traditional Korean music playing in the background).
While many other countries tend to use other messaging apps like WhatsApp (or, in Japan's case, LINE, which was actually launched by the Japanese subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Naver), KakaoTalk is still by far the most popular messaging app in South Korea, with a 97% market share according to some estimates. Many members of the Korean diaspora also use the app to stay in touch with friends and relatives in Korea. Hearing KakaoTalk's default "kka-kkung" sound on someone's phone is almost a dead giveaway that that person is of Korean descent. - Papago: Papago (named after the Esperanto word for "parrot") is the most popular translation app used by Koreans. Owned by Naver, Papago is widely considered to provide more accurate translation between Korean and other languages compared to most other translation apps such as Google Translate.
- The Crooks: The Crooks is an obvious reference to the actual Korean movie The Thieves, a 2012 heist comedy starring Lee Jung-jae and Jun Ji-hyun that became one of the highest-grossing films in Korean box office history with about 13 million tickets sold. Although Korea has produced a slew of heist flicks over the years, The Thieves remains arguably the most iconic one and has often been likened to Ocean's Eleven for its theme and all-star cast.
Episode 2
- The Crooks (again): The movie The Crooks is brought up again at the beginning of Episode 2, and the mention of Lee Jung-jae leaves no doubt that the film being referenced is The Thieves.
- Nuances in the Korean language: In this scene, Mu-hee's manager Yong-u (Choi Woo-sung) actually uses the Korean word hyungnim (형님) to refer to Ho-jin. Hyungnim is a term used by Korean men to address older men in a polite, respectful manner. For older women, they would use noonim (누님). Yong-u adds that he always addresses loyal people as hyungnim or noonim as a sign of respect.
If a Korean man feels close to the older person, he might use hyung (형) or noona (누나) instead as a sign of affection and friendship (note that these words are also used by men to refer to their older brother or older sister, respectively). When Mu-hee asks Yong-u why he addresses her as "noona" and not "noonim," he aptly replies that it's a sign of how close they are.
Episode 3
- The rise of Korean-Japanese collaboration in TV: Can This Love Be Translated? features some Japanese actors as part of its cast, including Sota Fukushi, who plays Japanese star and second male lead Hiro. (In the above image from Episode 3, Hiro is seen catching Mu-hee just as she faints.)
Korean-Japanese coproductions have seen an uptick in recent years, fueled by rising production costs in Korea, Koreans' increasing interest in Japanese culture and Japan's desire to globalize its content by leveraging Korean know-how and streaming platforms like Netflix.
Episode 4
- Why Koreans like to eat Korean food while traveling abroad: Writer Cho (Baek Joo-hee) and Producer Park (Kwak Min-gyu) seem stunned when Yong-u shows them his suitcase filled with Korean snacks and beverages. But perhaps they shouldn't be so surprised, as Korean tourists are notorious for bringing Korean food like ramyun and even kimchi wherever they go. When visiting a popular tourist city, many Koreans also like to stay at a Korean-run minbakjip (민박집, meaning bed and breakfast), where Korean meals are served.
I cannot tell you how many Koreans I've run into during my overseas trips who'd stay at a minbakjip AND bring a suitcase of Korean food. I used to think this was rather rude (after all, if you're visiting another country, shouldn't you be more willing to eat the local food?), but some of them told me they found the local cuisine to be too heavy and needed something with a spicy kick to settle their stomachs, while others said they simply craved food that was familiar to them. Well, considering how addictive certain types of Korean food can be, I suppose it makes sense. - Neoguri, a favorite among Koreans: Producer Park asks Yong-u why he didn't bring any Neoguri. While Samyang’s Buldak noodles and Nongshim’s classic Shin Ramyun remain the most popular types of Korean instant ramyun outside of Korea, there are still many Koreans who prefer the taste of Neoguri. Also developed by Nongshim, it came out several years before Shin Ramyun and has thicker noodles and a seafood-based broth.
Episode 5
- The Northern Lights: Mu-hee really wants to see the Northern Lights, and she finally gets her wish when she and Ho-jin gaze at an aurora together. However, in reality, the Northern Lights rarely appear as vivid as they do in photographs; instead, they typically exhibit a faint, milky white color when observed with the naked eye. Understanding how cameras and human vision perceive light and colors differently can help set realistic expectations for anyone wanting to view the Northern Lights in person.
Episode 6
- "Cory Lane" is actually Hodge Kim: The song that's played in this scene is titled "Waltz for Moon," and as listeners to the show's soundtrack will have noticed, in real life it's sung not by a Canadian artist named "Cory Lane" but by Hodge Kim, a Korean singer-songwriter who's appeared on soundtracks to other K-dramas like Love Alarm and Dali and Cocky Prince.