Until recently k-drama moms tended to fall into two categories. There was the sweet self-sacrificing mom like Park Shin Hye's mom in "The Heirs" or Han Ji Min's mom in "Rooftop Prince." They worked hard and always placed the welfare of their children ahead of themselves. But in many ways they were powerless.
Then there were the terrible moms, who were very often powerful and rich. Lee Min Ho's mom in "Boys Over Flowers" was not content just to warn Gu Hye Sun's character not to date her son, she had to destroy the girl's family. And what about Hyun Bin's mom in "Secret Garden?" She barges into Ha Ji Won's house to shrilly berate her for liking her son. And Km Jaejoong's mom in "Protect The Boss" is pretty horrible too. She cannot stop making trouble and scheming no matter who she hurts.
However, there is a new kind of mom in k-dramaland. She's angry and she's going to stand up to protect those she loves. K-drama fans saw this new kind of k-drama mom in "God's Gift - 14 Days" when Lee Bo Young did not care how crazy anyone thought she was. She was going to do what it took to finds her lost daughter and keep her from getting killed. She did not care if she had to cross her husband, the rich and powerful and even the police. It is her superhuman efforts that save her daughter.
"Angry Mom" is the latest drama in which a mom will do what it takes to protect her daughter. Kim Hee Sun's character Jo Gang Ja doesn't have a lot of self-respect when this drama starts. She was tough and self-confident when she was in high school. Then a tragic accident ruined her life. She doesn't have high hopes for her own life and does not stand up for herself because she feels she does not deserve it.
But when her daughter Oh Ah Ran, played by Kim Yoo Jung, is threatened, she becomes a warrior. After desperately trying to find justice and protect her daughter using conventional means, she enrolls in her daughter's school and sets about finding out who is targeting her. On her first day back in school, she starts fights and shows no fear.
Although the drama is still fairly new Jo Gang Ja is already one of the strongest moms ever to appear in k-dramaland. While there have been long-suffering moms, no one can rival her for fearlessness.
It's hard not to cheer her on when she stands up to her daughter's bullies. And hopefully, she will inspire more fearless k-drama mom characters in the future.
