# Record of Youth (2020)

> Three ambitious young people in a cutthroat Korean society fight to overturn the class destiny they were born into while navigating love and rivalry.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/83280

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 70 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Created by: Ha Myung-hee, An Gil-ho
- Network: tvN
- Cast: Park Bo-gum, Park So-dam, Byeon Woo-seok, Lee Chang-hoon, Jo Yoon-jung, Kwon Soo-hyun, Ha Hee-ra, Shin Ae-ra
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12850322/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, melancholic, hopeful, intense, emotional

## What critics say

Audiences broadly rate the series positively, praising its cast and its emotionally driven portrayal of youths striving against class-bound success.

## Synopsis

Record of Youth (2020) is a South Korean drama series created by Ha Myung-hee and An Gil-ho for tvN, produced by Studio Dragon. Its ensemble centers on aspiring photographer Sa Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) and An Jeong-ha (Park So-dam), two young people determined to escape the rigid social hierarchy that decides success by birth, alongside Won Hae-hyo (Byeon Woo-seok) and his sister Won Hae-na (Jo Yoon-jung). Their pursuit of careers in a cutthroat Seoul shaped by money, family pedigree and inferiority complexes drives each episode, while a tangled love triangle and old resentments keep the stakes personal. The single 16-episode season unfolds as one continuing story, with its emotional weight carried by dysfunctional family ties, friendship and the cost of ambition. Set in present-day South Korea, the tone is earnest, melancholic and hopeful, with a strong sense of youthful longing. Viewers who enjoy Reply 1988, Itaewon Class and Sky Castle will find resonance in its portrait of class mobility and romantic yearning. The show treats regret and perseverance with warmth, and its rags to riches arc speaks to anyone who has struggled to rise above circumstance.

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