# Iron Family
**Iron Family** (Korean: 다리미 패밀리; revised romanization *Darimi Family*) is a South Korean weekend television drama that aired on KBS2 from September 28, 2024 to January 26, 2025, consisting of 36 episodes broadcast Saturday and Sunday at 19:55.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) It is a romantic black comedy about a working-class family that has run a laundry for three generations and, after a windfall of stolen money, ends up pressing banknotes instead of clothes.[2](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2242) A separate 2022 American documentary of the same title is described at the end of this article.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | Iron Family (English and literal title); 다리미 패밀리 |
| Network and slot | KBS2, Saturday and Sunday 19:55, September 28, 2024 – January 26, 2025[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) |
| Episodes | 36[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) |
| Writer / directors | Seo Sook-Hyang; Sung Joon-Hae and Seo Yong-Soo[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) • [3](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11125251) |
| Leads | Kim Jung-hyun as Seo Kang-joo; Geum Sae-rok as Lee Da-rim[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11125251) |
| Ratings | Average 16.4% nationwide and 15.1% in Seoul (Nielsen Korea); finale reached 19.7%[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Iron_Family/Episode_Ratings) |
| Awards | Best Screenplay for Seo Sook-Hyang at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards[5](https://www.kdramalove.com/Iron_Family.html) |
## Premise and characters
The story centers on Cheongryeom Laundry, run by Lee Da-rim's family for three generations, whose members work hard to make ends meet while hoping to "iron out their dreams."[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) Da-rim (Geum Sae-rok) lost her vision while growing up; her family finds a large sum of money that could fund an eye operation, and she later regains her sight without knowing the secret behind the money spent on her surgery.[2](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2242) Seo Kang-joo (Kim Jung-hyun) is the son of the wealthiest family in the Cheongryeom neighborhood and works as a senior director of the Jiseung Group; the two attended the same university, and eight years earlier, before his military enlistment, he had an unforgettable experience with her.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) KBS's character profile states that he cut off contact after concluding his feelings for the visually impaired Da-rim were pity rather than love, and now faces losing his heir position because of money his mother misappropriated.[2](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2242)
**The stolen money.** A core plot engine is a 10 billion won theft that generates conflicts and hidden secrets across the run.[6](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/11216146) In a December 2024 episode, Da-rim, suffering and conflicted over the stolen money, tried to return 6.2 billion won before collapsing on learning that the money her grandfather Lee Man-deuk ([Park In-hwan](https://www.edgepedia.org/park-in-hwan)) had hidden under his bed had disappeared; Kang-joo persuaded her to bury the money on Mt. Uak rather than expose its whereabouts.[7](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11189344)
**Supporting cast.** Shin Hyun-jun plays Ji Seung-don, the chairman of Jiseung Group and Kang-joo's stepfather, and Kim Hye-eun plays Baek Ji-yeon, Kang-joo's biological mother and Seung-don's wife; the ensemble also includes Park Ji-young, Choi Tae-joon, and Yang Hye-ji.[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1687810wpp/3-reasons-to-anticipate-the-complicated-relationships-in-kim-jung-hyuns-family-in-iron-family) • [3](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11125251) Reviewers gave particular attention to the three-generation household, with an elderly couple determined not to be a burden and a widowed mother who runs the laundry as the family's sole income after her husband died following ten years of failed bar exam attempts.[9](https://blog.kocowa.com/why-the-kbs-family-weekend-drama-iron-family-is-becoming-everyones-new-favorite/)
## Production
Screenwriter Seo Sook-hyang, known for *Pasta*, *Don't Dare to Dream* (*Jealousy Incarnate*), and *Wok of Love*, joined director [Sung Joon](https://www.edgepedia.org/sung-joon)-hae, whose credits include *Please Summer* and *My Life*.[10](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11124663) Seo has been described as a master of romantic comedy, and Sung as a specialist in family drama.[3](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11125251) Production companies were Keyeast Entertainment and Monster Union, and each episode runs 80 minutes.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33085643/) The production presentation in Seoul on September 25, 2024 framed the show as "a very pleasant drama" with "a calm family love story inside."[10](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11124663)
## Ratings and reception
The drama debuted at 14.1% nationwide and finished its run at 19.7%, averaging 16.4% nationwide and 15.1% in Seoul according to Nielsen Korea, ranking first in its time slot for nearly every episode.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Iron_Family/Episode_Ratings) On October 20, 2024, it set a then personal record of 16.2% and was the most-watched program to air that entire week.[12](https://www.soompi.com/article/1696698wpp/jeongnyeon-the-star-is-born-a-virtuous-business-and-iron-family-hit-new-all-time-ratings-highs) Ratings of that scale are unusual for weekend dramas in the streaming era; a reviewer called its figures "rare high ratings of up to 20%" and gave the series an A grade, praising the pairing of Kim Jung-hyun and Shin Hyun-joon and noting that many KBS Drama Awards were given to the series in 2024, with both actors winning acting awards.[5](https://www.kdramalove.com/Iron_Family.html) On IMDb it holds 6.8/10 from about 1,200 votes.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33085643/) Seo Sook-hyang received the Scriptwriter Award at the 2024 KBS Drama Awards for the script.[1](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family) • [5](https://www.kdramalove.com/Iron_Family.html)
Commentary on Korean weekend family dramas notes a structural pattern relevant to the series: scholarship on KBS2 weekend soap operas argues that the genre reflects real changes in family relationships while leading family-liberal discourse by presenting solutions to those problems within a traditional concept of the family.[13](https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002530503)
## Other works of the same name
**Iron Family (2022 documentary).** A 1 hour 30 minute American documentary with this title follows Jazmine Faries, a 32-year-old woman with [Down syndrome](https://www.edgepedia.org/down-syndrome) in Iron River, Michigan, whose family has performed her original stage plays for five summers; the film covers the writing, rehearsal, and performance of the sixth season, alongside her search for independence and a romantic partner.[14](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_family)
## References
1. [Iron Family profile, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Iron_Family)
2. [Iron Family program page, KBS WORLD TV](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2242)
3. [The main characters of "The Iron Family" revealed, Maeil Business Newspaper (MK)](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11125251)
4. [Iron Family/Episode Ratings, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Iron_Family/Episode_Ratings)
5. [Iron Family 다리미 패밀리 – KBS Korean Drama Review, kdramalove.com](https://www.kdramalove.com/Iron_Family.html)
6. ["The Iron Family" raising dramatic tension over the 10 billion theft, MK](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/entertain/11216146)
7. [The family's move because of the missing money, MK](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11189344)
8. [3 Reasons To Anticipate The Complicated Relationships In Kim Jung Hyun's Family, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1687810wpp/3-reasons-to-anticipate-the-complicated-relationships-in-kim-jung-hyuns-family-in-iron-family)
9. [Why The KBS Family Weekend Drama "Iron Family" Is Becoming Everyone's New Favorite, KOCOWA+](https://blog.kocowa.com/why-the-kbs-family-weekend-drama-iron-family-is-becoming-everyones-new-favorite/)
10. [Seo Sook-hyang's family drama "The Iron Family" is coming, MK](https://www.mk.co.kr/en/broadcasting-service/11124663)
11. [Iron Family (TV Series 2024–2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33085643/)
12. ["Jeongnyeon," "A Virtuous Business," And "Iron Family" Hit New All-Time Ratings Highs, Soompi](https://www.soompi.com/article/1696698wpp/jeongnyeon-the-star-is-born-a-virtuous-business-and-iron-family-hit-new-all-time-ratings-highs)
13. [Yun, Suk-jin (2019). A Study on the Aspects of Family Liberalization in Korean Television Family Drama, EOMUNNONCHONG 34: 37–79](https://www.kci.go.kr/kciportal/ci/sereArticleSearch/ciSereArtiView.kci?sereArticleSearchBean.artiId=ART002530503)
14. [Iron Family (2022 documentary), Rotten Tomatoes](https://static.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_family)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series › Family and weekend serials*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license