K-drama bosses are rarely nice to start out with, whether they are men or women. They are often ruthless if they had to claw their way to the top or spoiled if they inherited their position. The women executives portrayed in k-dramas are no less hard-hearted than that of their male counterparts but there are also less of them.
Choi Ji Woo's president in "Temptation" is a subtler more nuanced character than most lady k-drama bosses. She's kind to her employees and supportive of their efforts. She rewards good work. Privately, she's lonely, because she married her work. Yet viewers could easily hate her for stealing a married man and breaking up his marriage.
Yoon Eun Hye was a corporate princess in "My Fair Lady," but to be fair she was no worse than the typical male chaebol. When the drama starts she has not yet met a man she does not want to humiliate. That is until she meets Yoon Sang Hyun, who plays a former gigolo turned chauffeur. She becomes a nicer person through her interactions with him.
In "I Do I Do," Kim Sun Ah plays a shoe designing boss who is such a terror her employees call her Medusa. She's driven to succeed. She harasses a younger man, who works for her, but their romance eventually helps her to become more human and a better employer.
Oh Hye Won, played by Kim Hee Ae is a competent and considerate director at an arts foundation in "Secret Love Affair" but her superior Han Sung Sook, played by Shim Hye Jin is a cruel, cold woman who thinks nothing of sacrificing Oh Hye Won to line her own pockets. Whereas Oh Hye Won sees a mission in her work recruiting talented young musicians, Han Sung Soo is all about the handouts and paybacks. She has no qualms about crushing a promising career.
The worst k-drama lady boss may be Gu Jun Pyo's mom in "Boys Over Flowers." You don't see her interact too much with her employees but given the way she treats Geum Jan Di and her own son, she's probably ruthless in the boardroom.
The nicest k-drama bosses are usually grandmas. Two that come to mind are the grandma boss, played by Ban Hyo Jung in "Brilliant Legacy" and Ban Hyo Jung again playing her counterpart, Chairman Yeo, in "Rooftop Prince." Both are shrewd businesswomen that occasionally place business before family. But they are both sincerely concerned about their heirs shaping up and living right. And if that means they have to meddle in the heir's dating life, so be it.
Who's your favorite k-drama lady boss?
