Koreans Drawn to Drama About Corporate Doldrums

Cable network tvN's series "Mi Saeng" has become a sensation for what fans say is a realistic depiction of Korean corporate culture.

The show focuses on a 26-year-old named Jang Geu-rae ? played by Yim Si-wan from idol group ZE:A ? who has no job experience to speak of and struggles through her internship at a heartless corporation.

Viewers were drawn to seeing how such an inept character might find his way at One International, a fictional representation of Korea's notoriously rigid corporate culture.

"Mi Saeng" ? which roughly translates to Before Birth ? is based on an online cartoon with the same name.

The director of the show, Lee Jae-moon, told a local vernacular that he "wanted to show viewers a unique perspective towards the suffocating corporate life via security cameras."

Many netizens have said they related to the show, which for them recalled painful and sometimes traumatic memories.

Some said they cried watching Jang cry when...