For all the appeal that Netflix’s Love Alarm has for western fans of Korean Dramas, it’s still very much rooted in the culture that originated the show. While this seems obvious, since the show is set in South Korea, there are cultural elements that western audiences might not pick up on.

Because unless one is Korean, or knows the culture very well, these elements will probably slip by the average western viewer in the blink of an eye. Yet they are a part of the show’s identity, which makes understanding them all the more relevant for Korean fans of Love Alarm.

Love Alarm Is Based On A Webtoon

In recent years, webtoons have become increasingly popular, which are digital manhwa (aka comics) that originate from South Korea. Because of this, the famous anime licensing and streaming service Crunchyroll is teaming up with publishing portal Webtoon to adapt the latter site’s digital manhwa as animated series. 

These webtoons have even been adapted into live-action TV shows with Love Alarm being one of them. Originally titled Joahamyeon Ullineun in Korean, it was published as a webtoon on the South Korean web portal Daum which is still ongoing with no definitive end yet. Additionally, English versions of the webtoon are available on sites like YouTube.

The Chopsticks Are Made Of Metal

During all the food-related scenes in Love Alarm, an observant viewer may notice the chopsticks used to eat certain meals are made of metal instead of wood. Now, this may seem strange from a western perspective, but it’s the traditional utensil of Korea as a whole.

Also known as ‘jeotgarak,’ the reason Korean chopsticks are metallic is that in Ancient Times the wealthy used silver ones under the assumption their color would change if the food was poisoned. So the common folk adopted this practice as well by using ones made of steel since it was a cheaper metal than silver.

The Restaurant Jo-jo Works For Serves Korean Barbecue-Style Meals

While Love Alarm’s female protagonist Kim Jo-jo is attending high school in the first half of the series, she works two jobs with one of them being at a restaurant. But this particular restaurant is shown to serve Korean barbecue-style meals as indicated by the tables with grills on them.

For those who don’t know, Korean barbecue is a type of cuisine where various meats are cooked over a grill that’s built into the table where people sit at or over a portable stove. These meats are either pre-marinated or cooked as they are and served with additional side dishes.

Jo-jo’s Actress Has The ‘Nation’s Little Sister’ Title

Much like America’s entertainment industry, South Korea’s often likes to promote young and attractive people in various media. An example of this is the Nation’s Little Sister title, which is informally given to young actresses and actors who are considered cute in general.

One of the actresses that currently has this title is Jo-jo’s actress Kim So-hyun, who started acting since she was a child in the mid-2000s. While she’s mainly appeared in Korean Dramas of the historical genre like Moon Embracing the Sun, So-hyun has also starred in other series based on webtoons prior to Love Alarm.

Compared to So-hyun, Hwang Sun-oh’s actor Song Kang hasn’t had much experience in terms of acting in a lead role. Until Love Alarm, he appeared in other Korean Dramas but in a supporting role and even as a co-star in a movie called Beautiful Vampire.

Kang has also appeared on non-drama shows such as Inkigayo. A South Korean music show that originally began in the 1990s, it features performances by popular artists who also act as hosts. In 2018, Kang was one such host for several months alongside Mingyu of the boy group Seventeen and Chaeyeon of the girl group DIA.

Most Of The Show Was Shot On Location In Seoul

Much like Tokyo, Japan, the city of Seoul is not only South Korea’s capital but also a popular setting for many modern Korean Dramas. After all, Seoul is an internationally-recognized place, and it’s where most of the entertainment companies in South Korea are based.

This, in turn, makes filming on location in Seoul easier, and Love Alarm is no exception. But what makes Love Alarm’s shooting locations unique is that some of them are famous landmarks. A few examples include the Seoul City Wall that was used for defensive purposes in the Middle Ages, and the Seoul Plaza near Seoul’s City Hall.

Jeju Island Is Known As The ‘Hawaii of South Korea’

A major plot point in the first-half of Love Alarm is the school trip to Jeju Island, which Jo-jo hesitates to participate in because of the island’s significance to her traumatic past. But Jeju Island itself is more significant culturally as it is often called the Hawaii of South Korea.

The reason for this is that it’s a popular tourist destination which includes beaches and volcanic landscapes, though there’s never been an eruption on the island for thousands of years. It even has a slightly warmer climate than the Korean mainland since it’s further south with rainy summers and mildly cold winters.

Jo-jo’s Cousin Was Auditioning To Be A Backup Dancer For A Boy Band

Besides the main love triangle that takes up most of Love Alarm’s story, there are several subplots, including one that involved Jo-jo’s cousin Park Gul-mi. In particular, her audition to be a backup dancer for a boy band that briefly show up in the series and then wasn’t seen again in the second half.

Now, this isn’t unusual, as many Korean boy bands have female backup dancers that perform alongside them during music videos and concerts. Some of them even get enough attention to become K-Pop idols in their own right due to their good looks and dancing skills.

In an age where ordering food online is possible, the average western otaku can obtain authentic snacks from the Asian continent in general. But it can be harder to get snacks that promote popular Japanese anime series, which were briefly seen in the shop Jo-jo’s aunt owns.

The specific series the snacks were promoting was Haikyu!!, which is about a middle school student that joins a volleyball team despite being short in height. This does make sense, as Japanese anime is watched in South Korea despite historical and current tensions between the two countries. By contrast, Korean anime doesn’t get as much attention.

The Paper Frog Jo-jo Created Was Done Using Jong-i jeobgi (Or Origami)

Aside from anime, Korea borrows other cultural elements from Japan, including origami (though the art of folding paper, in general, was simultaneously developed in western and eastern countries). Known in Korea as jong-i jeobgi, it’s often taught to children in school and uses hanji paper instead of Japanese washi paper.

In the first episode of Love Alarm, we see Jo-jo make a paper frog using jong-i jeobgi at the bus stop she waits at after working at the restaurant. Thus, it’s implied she learned jong-i jeobgi in school at some point, though probably at a younger age.