Why did When Life Gives You Tangerines cancel South Korea's star lecturer Jeon Han-gil's cameo in episode 15?

Netflix’s popular K-drama series When Life Gives You Tangerines removed a cameo by South Korean history lecturer Jeon Han-gil from episode 15.

On April 3, 2025, Chosun Biz reported that Netflix confirmed that the South Korean star lecturer filmed his scene in the series. However, changes were made to provide a better quality of the story.

"It is true that Jeon Hangil made a special appearance, but various edits and reshoots were conducted to present a higher quality work."

In When Life Gives You Tangerines episode 15, Geum-myeong starts her business, EverStudy, which parallels Jeon Han-gil's own ventures in the education space. The show's creators wanted to show Jeon Han-gil join Geum-myeong's (IU) EverStudy as a lecturer and become a celebrity tutor. The series attempted to create a lighthearted parody between the reel and the real.

Jeon Han-gil, known in South Korea for his work in education, was in the spotlight after he discussed the martial law crisis of 2024. Chosun Biz reported that Jeon Han-gil expressed surprise over President Yoon Suk-yeol's impeachment on April 4, 2025.

Chosun Biz and Pinkvilla reported that Jeon Han-gil's cameo was replaced in the series due to his political views regarding President Yoon Suk-yeol.

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When Life Gives You Tangerines finale: A poignant conclusion to a generational saga

When Life Gives You Tangerines finale focuses on Yang Gwan-sik (played by Park Hae-joon) dying at the age of 56 due to cancer. After dedicating his entire life to his family, Gwan-sik approaches his end with dignity. He decides to stay at home and fills his days with familiar tasks, like fixing things around the house and spending quality time with his loved ones.

A heartfelt moment comes when his wife, Oh Ae-sun (Moon So-ri), gifts him a copy of the local Jeju magazine where one of her poems was published. The poem was her sweet farewell to her husband, who was already on his last few days of borrowed life after 24 sessions of chemotherapy.

In his final moments of When Life Gives You Tangerines, Gwan-sik looks at Ae-sun's smiling face, reminding viewers of their strong bond.

Their daughter, Yang Geum-myeong (IU), is on her own path of finding herself and dealing with love from When Life Gives You Tangerines episodes 9 to 13. She starts off in a complicated relationship with her classmate, Park Yeong-bum (Lee Jun-young), but they face challenges from society and their families.

After a seven-year relationship, the differences in their backgrounds and outside pressures push them apart. Afterward, Geum-myeong finds comfort and a new connection with artist Park Chung-seob (Kim Seon-ho). Their relationship grows and eventually leads to marriage and the arrival of their daughter, marking a fresh start and the circle of life.

When Life Gives You Tangerines also touches on aging, especially through Ae-sun's reflective moments. In a heartfelt chat with Geum-myeong, she shares that getting old is only special if one gets to live their life with a loved one. For Ae-sun, it was Gwan-sik.

The series ends with a 73-year-old Ae-sun's heartfelt poem, which was again dedicated to her late husband.

“To my love, from age nine to now, my life was always in spring because of you. This book wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for you. I will live my life as though every day is spring until we meet again.”

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South Korea's 2024 martial law crisis and its aftermath: A comprehensive overview

On December 3, 2024, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law and sent armed troops to surround the National Assembly. He said it was to break a legislative deadlock, but many in South Korea and abroad quickly criticized the move.

People felt it was an overreach of power since there wasn’t any real national emergency. This declaration split South Korean society. Some people thought Yoon was just trying to guard the country against alleged election fraud and outside meddling. While others saw the military presence around the Assembly as a threat to democracy.

This sparked major protests all over, with many folks demanding a return to democracy and calling for Yoon Suk-yeol to step down. As the situation got worse, the South Korean National Assembly quickly kicked off impeachment proceedings, claiming that the President's use of the military against civilians was unconstitutional.

On December 14, 2024, they voted strongly in favor of his impeachment, leading to his immediate suspension. During this period, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo took over as acting president while the Constitutional Court looked into the impeachment case.

On April 4, 2025, they unanimously backed the Assembly’s decision, stating that Yoon had breached the trust of the people by declaring martial law without solid reasons, thus going against his constitutional duties. This was only the second time in South Korea's history that a sitting president was removed through impeachment.

After being removed, Yoon Suk-yeol faced several legal issues and was arrested for insurrection and abuse of power concerning the martial law declaration. If found guilty, he could be looking at a long prison sentence, potentially even life.

Yoon Suk-yeol’s removal has now led to a snap presidential election, which must happen within 60 days of the court’s ruling.

If Jeon Han-gil's cameo had gone ahead as planned, it might have tied When Life Gives You Tangerines to the country's critical political issues.

Jeon Han-gil has been vocal in favor of President Yoon Suk-yeol's return to the presidency and is known for joining anti-impeachment protests, so his appearance in When Life Gives You Tangerines could have come off as a political statement, which might have turned off some viewers.

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When Life Gives You Tangerines features a stellar cast including big names such as IU, Park Bo-gum, Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Jun-young, and a cameo by Kim Dae-young.