Suits: Does K-Drama Measure Up to Megan Markle Version?

K-Drama

Jul 13

Suits is a K-drama I put off watching. I knew it existed but having watched and liked the original show on the USA Network, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to see the Korean version, wondering how it would measure up. As a stand alone I would recommend you watch if you like legal shows. If you’re a fan of the original which stars Megan Markle (pre-Duchess days) try not to measure it by the American version, if for no other reason—it’s only one season compared to nine. Another thing that makes a difference is the fact the original cast is so diverse, and the lack of diversity in the Korean version definitely impacts character development and the storyline.

I am a fan of Park Hyung-Sik even though I’m not fond of his character in The Heirs (I found him to be a bit annoying). In Hwarang he was a bit older and had more depth (and it was just fun to see him with all the other guys), Juror 8 his character was serious and somewhat angsty, and as president of a tech company in Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon he had the opportunity to play a romantic lead. Suits gave Park Hyung-Sik the opportunity to be dramatic—not in the angsty way of Juror 8 because Go Yeon-Woo had more depth and we saw more sides of him. Intelligent, humorous, serious, emotional, romantic, caring. If you could cast him with Megan Markle and she could speak fluent Korean, I feel like he could hold his own against the original actor Patrick J. Adams’, Michael Ross character.

On the flip side, I wasn’t impressed with Ko Sung-Hee’s character Kim Ji-Na but I would put that mostly on the writing. This character was not as deep or developed as her counterpart, Rachel Zane aka Megan Markle. Because of this the chemistry between Yeon-Woo and Ji-Na really wasn’t that great either. But that is only an issue if romance is your priority in this series. If it’s not, then keep watching.

This is the first K-drama I’ve seen Jang Dong-Gun who plays Choi Kang-Seok, the Harvey Specter of the series. He also holds his own even though it took me at least an episode to not compare him with Gabriel Macht. The relationship between Kang-Seok and Yeon-Woo was on-par with Specter and Ross. If memory serves me correctly Kang-Seok had a bit more heart from the get-go than Harvey so in some ways it was easier to cheer him on.

This series was definitely more focused on the men so another character that doesn’t translate well if comparing to the original is Hang Da-Ham. She’s Kang-Seok’s executive assistant but sadly she’s no Donna Paulsen. There is definitely cultural differences when it comes to men and women in the work place so maybe this is why some of the female characters are not given the level of significance in the K-drama version.

Ultimately, Suits the K-drama should be judged on its own and not in comparison to the American version. It’s a decent legal drama with plenty of intrigue.

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Released: April 2018, Episodes: 16

Cast: Choi Kang-Seok Jang Dong-Gun, Go Yeon-Woo Park Hyung-Sik, Kang Ha-Yeon Jin Hee-Kyung, Hong Da-Ham Chae Jung-An, Kim Ji-Na Ko Sung-Hee, Chae Geun-Sik Choi Gwi-Hwa, FULL CAST