The Complex Big Picture Of “Uncle SamSik” & The Captivating Dichotomy Of Song KangHo & Byun YoHan | Kpopmap Reviews

The legendary godfather, the face of Korean cinema, Song KangHo, making his K-Drama debut after 35 prolific years of being an actor. I felt the need to bow to my TV screen before I started watching “Uncle SamSik”, simply because it is an honor, as a K-Drama fan, to have Song KangHo’s first-ever drama in our Hallyuscape. The man, who has dominated Chungmuro for as far back as we can remember, gracing our screens every week – of course, we’re feeling lucky! 

“Uncle SamSik” is a period piece with universally resonant sentiments that ring true even in contemporary times. Starring a luxurious cast of actors, including the man, the myth, and the legend, Song KangHo, alongside Byun YoHan, Jin KiJoo, Lee KyuHyung, Seo HyunWoo, Joo JinMo, Yoo JaeMyung, Oh SeungHoon, and Tiffany Young, among others, “Uncle SamSik” is set in the turbulent 50s and 60s of South Korea. 

The name “Uncle SamSik” is inherently Korean, with “SamSik” meaning “3 meals a day”. Uncle SamSik or Park DooChil (played by Song KangHo), is someone who makes sure that his loved ones are provided with three meals a day, regardless of the times they live in. Uncle SamSik comes across the bright visionary Kim San (Byun YoHan), a Doctor in Economics with big plans for national industrialization. SamSik approaches San to make their shared dream come true. 

 

The Historical Context Of “Uncle SamSik”

Based on information from the first five episodes of “Uncle SamSik”, the drama covers three major South Korean historical events: the rigged elections of March 1960, possibly the April Revolution which followed, and the May 16 military coup d’état in 1961. Certain story elements in the drama are inspired by the above historical events, but the places, persons, organizations, settings, and events depicted in the drama are fictional created. By the 2nd episode, it is clear that Uncle SamSik, along with Kim San and Jung HanMin (Seo HyunWoo), are being investigated for SamSik’s involvement in acquiring an illegal loan from the Development Bank, election fraud in collusion with Kang SeongMin (Lee KyuHyung), and planning a military coup d’état. A brief study of the historical context of the drama may be beneficial if you’d like to understand certain nuances better, but even if that isn’t of particular interest to you, the drama remains immensely gripping nonetheless.

 

The Dichotomy Of Uncle SamSik & Kim San

Perhaps the best way to approach “Uncle SamSik” or rather, analyze the writing, is to confront the dichotomy between Uncle SamSik and Kim San. The synopsis will have you believe it’s a bromance, but that is truly no match for the deeply intricate, convoluted, and complex web of emotions that tie SamSik and San together.

Uncle SamSik is, as his nickname suggests, an Uncle to all. Yet, he is not known around the neighborhood among ordinary people. This is to say that Uncle SamSik is a friend to the rich and powerful, who derives a certain narcissistic pleasure in being called “Uncle”. He loves his nickname, but more than that, he loves the power it holds. Rather than being warm, Uncle SamSik is intimidating, to say the least, and Song KangHo’s piercing gaze is enough to get that point across.

On the other hand, Kim San is an elite scholar of economics yet also an ordinary young man. He’s an Uncle to one – his niece, and has the responsibility of a single household over his shoulders. He strongly feels the absence of a father figure, which makes it easier for Uncle SamSik to manipulate him. Byun YoHan is passion incarnate as he plays Kim San, imbuing the character with utmost fervour.

San aspires to industrialize the nation so the people don’t have to starve, SamSik aspires to create a nation where the rich get richer. In this respect, both individuals use the metaphor of American pizza. SamSik holds pizza as an ideal, where one has not only enough to eat but also to throw away. San, on the other hand, having studied abroad, knows the reality of pizza, and in turn, the American dream. For Uncle SamSik, pizza stands for luxury and capitalism, whereas for San, it is an economy where there’s no hunger. If San is economics, for his nation and for its people, SamSik is politics for power, and yet, one cannot exist without the other.

As the episodes go on, we quickly realize that San and SamSik are two sides of the same coin, teetering on the line between good and evil. San’s idyllic dream cannot amount to something without SamSik’s realistic, and at times even cruel, politics. SamSik tempts San, and corrupts various other key characters, with power, offering what may be seen as a “shortcut” to their desired destination. This is why San’s lover, Choo YeoJin (Jin KiJoo), calls his dream “hypocrisy”. Still, there is no inherent good or bad guy here, but simply people who chose their identities and stance during a tumultuous time. They’re not mighty heroes or evil villains but mere chess pieces in the grand scheme of history.

 

The Complexity Of Uncle SamSik

Upon rewatching “Uncle SamSik”, first as a viewer, and then as a reviewer, the complexity of the character unveiled itself gently. Park DooChil was a young boy who killed a man at 16 for food. According to actor Song KangHo, “Uncle SamSik” is a drama that starts at the stomach, that is, from emotions of hunger, impulse, and need, then goes to the head, symbolizing strategy, politics, and power play, and finally ends at the heart, representing fiery passion and determination to rebuild the nation. This trajectory mirrors Park DooChil’s character arc too.

Park DooChil’s transformation was prompted by hunger, which made him kill a man, then survival made him into the Uncle SamSik we know today, and finally, upon meeting Kim San, SamSik gets closer to realizing the dream he held close to his heart.

Episode 5 ends with a line that hits the audience like a ton of bricks. Uncle SamSik says, “Did I shape this world? No, the world shaped me”. Uncle SamSik is a product of the times, and he will do what it takes to get what he wants. There is no scope for judgment, no moral patronizing, when it comes to Uncle SamSik. He chose his identity when the time called for it and he’s sticking with it.

 

The Biggest Round Of Applause For The Cast

In the first five episodes of “Uncle SamSik”, our titular anti-hero is very carefully arranging his chess pieces on the board. The variables are far too many to control, and each character is charged with their own ideology, intentions, and morality. As such, a major part of the immersion of the drama is owed to the cast’s outstanding synergy and tension, which could very well be cut with a knife.

We have Jin KiJoo as a righteous, intelligent, and independent young woman, Choo YeoJin, daughter to Choo InTae (Oh GwangRok), Leader of the Innovation Party. She tries to dissuade San from entering the world of politics, perhaps because she has first-hand experience of how elusive, corrupt, and dark it can get, given her father’s political career. However, lured by SamSik, San betrays YeoJin for his “dream”, but YeoJin is quick to shut down his noble act.

Jin KiJoo is so brilliantly sharp as Choo YeoJin that she makes the audience root for her without a second thought. YeoJin is unshakeable. She speaks less yet speaks with conviction and purpose, and she is honest. If there’s any character that can be categorized as objectively good in “Uncle SamSik”, it is Choo YeoJin, and that is not only because of how the character is written but predominantly because of how Jin KiJoo brings her to life.

Lee KyuHyung plays Kang SeongMin, the personification of privilege. He is rich, wealthy, influential, and on his way to becoming President. The only thing stopping him is the blood on his hands. Kang SeongMin is consumed by anxiety and apprehension, which is only allayed when he eliminates the root cause. This, in most cases, means more bloodshed, and hence, the cycle continues. Lee KyuHyung, who has made a reputation for himself playing the most versatile and layered characters, creates such an unbelievably fine balance between the greedy, blood-soaked SeongMin and the chronically uneasy side of him, that both become equally convincing.

Seo HyunWoo, who is enjoying immense popularity from global fans after “A Shop For Killers”, another Disney Plus drama, is impressing once again in “Uncle SamSik”. This time, he plays the straitlaced soldier Jung HanMin, another young man hypnotized by Uncle SamSik’s great plan. Uncle SamSik corrupts him with the promise of military reform, and it is truly regrettable to see the man lose himself in the eye of the storm. Still, there is something truly likable about HanMin, because of his one-dimensional focus on change, which he hopes will be for the better. Seo HyunWoo endearingly brings out this humanity in HanMin, evoking genuine empathy, which speaks volumes of how extraordinary he is as an actor.

In addition, veteran actors like Yoo JaeMyung and Joo JinMo up the ante, indulging the audience with their remarkable acting, leaving us wanting more. Oh SeungHoon is expected to have more of a role in the coming episodes and Girls’ Generation‘s Tiffany, who has not made her entrance yet, will definitely be a crucial player in Uncle SamSik’s grand plan.

“Uncle SamSik” is now streaming on Disney Plus.