Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (2017) Review: Muscle Meets Charm

Is Strong Woman Do Bong-soon worth watching?

Yes. Strong Woman Do Bong-soon is one of the most likeable Korean romantic comedies of its era, a daft superhero premise turned into something warm and genuinely funny by Park Bo-young. The chemistry between its leads is easy and playful, and the show has a real affection for its oddball supporting cast. The reservation is tone: a grim serial-kidnapper storyline runs alongside the comedy, and the two halves never fully mesh.

What is Strong Woman Do Bong-soon about?

Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) looks small and sweet, but she has inherited a family gift that passes down only through the women: superhuman strength. There is a catch. If she ever uses it to harm an innocent person, she will lose it. Broke and dreaming of designing video games, she keeps her ability hidden until a public display of it catches the eye of Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik), the eccentric chief executive of a gaming company who has been receiving threats and wants a bodyguard nobody would suspect.

Meanwhile, a string of kidnappings has frightened her neighbourhood, and her childhood crush In Guk-doo (Ji Soo) is the police officer assigned to the case. That sets up a love triangle, a workplace comedy and a crime story all at once.

Strong Woman Do Bong-soon was written by Baek Mi-kyung and first aired on JTBC in 2017. It is a South Korean series in Korean, now widely available on Netflix in many regions. This review covers the complete show, one season of 16 episodes; the story is finished.

Park Bo-young makes the gimmick sing

The premise could easily have been a one-joke sketch, and the show milks it for plenty of slapstick: bent metal, flying thugs and doors that do not survive being opened. What makes it more than that is Park Bo-young’s performance. She plays Bong-soon as bright, stubborn and occasionally insecure, a young woman whose greatest problem is not her strength but a world that keeps underestimating her. Her timing is precise, and she can switch from broad physical comedy to real vulnerability without the gear change showing.

The series also has fun with gender expectations. The inheritance skipping the men, Bong-soon protecting a wealthy man rather than the other way round, and the running tension between how she looks and what she can do give the comedy a gently subversive edge.

A romance built on banter

Park Hyung-sik is an excellent foil. Min-hyuk is spoiled, childish and funny, but the performance lets his interest in Bong-soon grow out of genuine curiosity and respect, which makes the romance feel more equal than many rom-coms of the period. Their office scenes, full of teasing and competitive one-upmanship, are the show’s most reliable pleasure.

The supporting players add colour, including a gang of hapless heavies whose running gags provide some of the broadest laughs, and Bong-soon’s family, whose chaotic home life brings a separate strand of comedy.

Where the thriller subplot jars

The kidnapping story is the weak link. It is surprisingly dark and violent for a show this sunny, and its scenes of threat against women sit uncomfortably beside the slapstick and romance. The villain is thinly drawn, and the investigation often feels like a device to put characters in danger rather than a story in its own right. The love triangle is also lopsided, since the show makes its preference clear early and Ji Soo’s character suffers for it.

Who should watch Strong Woman Do Bong-soon?

It is a great fit for romantic comedy fans, viewers who like a heroine with some punch, and newcomers looking for a light, accessible K-drama. Sixteen hour-long episodes make it a moderate binge. The crime subplot includes violence, abduction and menace towards women, so it is darker than the bright poster suggests; the rest is gentle.

Three good follow-ups:

• Healer for another Korean series that mixes action, a secret identity and romance.
• Alchemy of Souls, a fantasy romance that also pairs supernatural power with slow-burn chemistry.
• Crash Landing on You for a bigger, more sweeping romantic comedy with a similarly strong heroine.

The verdict

Strong Woman Do Bong-soon is lightweight, sometimes uneven and consistently delightful. The darker crime plot never quite belongs, but Park Bo-young’s star turn and her sparkling partnership with Park Hyung-sik make it an easy recommendation for anyone who wants a rom-com with a little muscle.

Rating: 4/5