''Samjin Company English Class'' () is a 2020 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Lee Jong-pil, starring

Go Ah-sung Go Ah-sung is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress, notably in '' The Host''. Her other notable works include ''Snowpiercer'' (2013), '' Samjin Company English Class'' (2020), as well as the TV dramas '' Master of Stu ...

Esom Lee So-young (January 30, 1990), known by her stage name Esom, is a South Korean actress and model. Career She gained recognition for her leading role in the 2014 film '' Scarlet Innocence'', for which she was nominated for Best New Actress in ...

and Park Hye-su. It was released on October 21, 2020.

Plot

In 1995, three female employees at Samjin Company, who are given the opportunity to be promoted if they score at least 600 points at the

TOEIC The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native speakers. It is intentionally designed to measure the everyday English skills of people working in an ...

test, enroll in English classes. Lee Ja-young from the production management department, Jung Yu-na from the marketing department and Shim Bo-ram from the accounting department had joined the company straight out of high school and are still low-level employees despite being with the company for eight years and possessing necessary practical "street smarts". One day, Ja-young notices polluted waste water leaking from a factory where she had been sent to. Being a lover of mystery novels, she decides to investigate and Yu-na and Bo-ram join her quest to find out what illegal activities their company might be involved in. The challenge remains for them to find and expose the truth without losing their jobs.

Cast

as Lee Ja-young *

as Jung Yoo-na * Park Hye-su as Shim Bo-ram *

Cho Hyun-chul Cho Hyun-chul () is a South Korean actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the television series ''Hotel del Luna'' (2019), '' D.P.'' (2021), ''Inspector Koo'' (2021), as well as the films '' The First Lap'' (2017) and ''Samjin Company Eng ...

as Choi Dong-soo * Kim Jong-soo as Bong Hyun-chul *

Kim Won-hae Kim Won-hae (born April 6, 1969) is a South Korean actor. He is best known as a former cast member of '' SNL Korea'' (season 1–4). Personal life In August 2020, it was reported that Kim tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus di ...

as Ahn Gi-chang *

Bae Hae-sun Bae Hae-sun is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Hi Bye, Mama!'', ''Hotel del Luna'', ''All of Us Are Dead'', and '' Don't Dare to Dream''. Biography and career She was born on May 8, 1974 in Seoul. She com ...

as Ban Eun-kyung *

David Lee McInnis David Lee McInnis (born December 12, 1973) is an American actor based in Seoul. He has worked in South Korea since 1999. Early life McInnis is the only child of an American father of German and Irish descent and Korean mother who is a native of ...

as Billy Park * Baek Hyun-jin as Oh Tae-young * Lee Sung-wook as Hong Soo-chul * Choi Soo-im as Jo Min-jung *

Jung Yi-seo Jung Yi-seo (; born 13 August 1993) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Tale of the Nine Tailed'', '' Mine'', ''Snowdrop'', and ''All of Us Are Dead''. She also appeared in movies such as ''Parasite ...

as Audit office employee * Lee Joo-young as Song So-ra * Tyler Rasch as English instructor

Production

Principal photography began in late October 2019.

Release

The film was theatrically released on October 21, 2020. It was invited at the

20th New York Asian Film Festival The 20th New York Asian Film Festival was held in New York from 6 August to 22 August 2021. The opening film of the festival was '' Escape from Mogadishu'', a South Korean film by Ryoo Seung-wan. Seventy titles were screened both online, as well ...

. It was featured in 'Standouts’ strand and screened at

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

and

SVA Theatre The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in the two-week festival held from August 6 to 22, 2021 in New York.

Reception

Box office

The film topped the South Korean box office for six days following its release.

Accolades

References

External links

* * * 2020 films 2020s Korean-language films 2020s feminist films South Korean comedy-drama films Films about whistleblowing Films set in 1995 Films set in Seoul Lotte Entertainment films 2020 comedy-drama films Environmental films South Korean films based on actual events {{Baeksang Arts Award Best Film