When Life Gives You Tangerines crew and extras allege mistreatment on set

India Today

29-05-2025

The hit K-drama 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' has recently become the centre of controversy following allegations from crew members and extras. Complaints have surfaced about rude behaviour and mistreatment on set, particularly directed towards the prop team and background actors.
A production team member posted on X accusing the makers of damaging set properties and reacting harshly when questioned about it. Additionally, an extra revealed they were treated like slaves and even forced to shave their heads. The reason, they claimed, was the production's unwillingness to spend money on anyone other than the lead actors. These allegations have raised serious concerns about the working environment behind the scenes.
An X account shared a first-hand account of the prop team, stating, "Here's an interesting thing to tell you. Since the crew doesn't have the ability to handle the old buses or large accessories that we rent or manufacture anyway, it damages almost all of our personnel on site for the purpose of management/operation (monitoring under the guise of). Most of the reasons are 'ignorance' or 'no sense of responsibility'."
The prop team member also recalled an incident, saying, "I still remember it vividly. They were caught trying to stencil the bus using lacquer from an ironworks store. When confronted, the person responsible casually responded, 'Can't you just use lacquer thinner to remove it?' He showed no remorse and was harshly scolded. This clueless guy genuinely believed lacquer thinner was some kind of magic solution that could cleanly remove just the spray paint and continued to behave foolishly around the set."
The extras also spoke out about the mistreatment they endured, stating, "There's a notorious schedule amongst the extras for WLGYT... They were forced to shave their heads, and despite being a Netflix production, nothing was provided for them. The team refused to spend any money on anyone aside from the main cast. Elderly extras were left out in the cold during winter, and no proper meals were arranged. There were no food trucks or craft services. Instead, we were sent to a random restaurant and told to eat within 30 minutes."
The extras also revealed they were denied necessities. On top of that, they weren't given thermals during the freezing winter because the production team claimed it would ruin the costume fit. They summed up their experience by saying they were "treated like slaves."
The production team of the series has not yet issued a response regarding the brewing controversy. As the X posts continue to gain traction, viewers are urging Netflix and the show's producers to launch a thorough investigation.
'When Life Gives You Tangerines' is a K-drama directed by Kim Won-Seok, starring IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, and Park Hae-joon. The series follows Ae-sun, a poor girl aspiring to become a poet, and her love story with Gwan-si, a young boy. Set on Jeju Island, their relationship unfolds over five decades, against the backdrop of South Korea's political unrest and evolving family dynamics.