Super Rich in Korea (슈퍼리치 이방인) is a South Korean reality show stepping into the opulent world of Korea’s elite and explores the lavish lifestyles of the world’s wealthiest in the heart of this bustling country. Produced by Mystic Story, the show is directed by Yeo Woon-hyuk and Park Hye-seong. It includes 6 episodes with a runtime of about 30 minutes each.
The reality show is hosted by popular MC Jo Se-ho, GOT7’s BamBam and Oh My Girl’s Mimi. The cast includes Singaporean business tycoon David Yong, Korea’s sole client ambassador Yoo Hee-ra, Italy’s fashion heir Teodoro Marani, the Arab world’s social media influencer Noor Naem and Kim Anna – a noblewoman from Pakistan.
Dive into the extraordinary, real-life tales of multibillionaires indulging in luxurious lifestyles in this unscripted show. Featuring a Singaporean tycoon, an heir to an Italian fashion empire, a member of a Pakistani noble family, a social media sensation dubbed as the Kim Kardashian of the Arab region, and a shopping enthusiast reminiscent of Paris Hilton, these elites could live anywhere in the world, yet they have chosen Korea as their beloved home. Explore the world of these ultra-rich expatriates in the upper echelons of society. Witness how they navigate their lives in Korea, as the reality series Super Rich in Korea provides a glimpse into their lavish lifestyles.
Super Rich in Korea Review
We have been long fascinated with the luxurious lifestyles of riches around the world and Super Rich in Korea is another addition to the list of shows like Bling Empire. The only difference is the lack of drama or maybe that’s because of the limited cast and they don’t know each other well enough as well. The first cast member whom we meet is Yoo Hee-ra aka Aren Yoo, Korea’s sole client ambassador for various luxury brands.
She is the only Korean cast among the five but has been brought up in the USA. She pursued Hotel Management from Cornell University and the only thing you need to know about her is – she LOVES clothes. To prove how deep her bank account is, she states several times that she only wears clothes once. More like a collector or beautiful dresses or Haute couture. Expectedly, her favourite place in her 5-story family house is her closet, which is apparently bigger than her own bedroom.
She is joined by the Iraqi American social media influences Noor Naem, at her house. It seems like two strangers meeting for the first or second time, as Aren shows her around the house. While Aren is into clothes, Noor is obsessed with bags. She claims that if there’s only one chair in the room – she would place her bag on it and stand instead. Even she finds Aren’s ideology of only wearing clothes once but goes along with her rich people’s shenanigans. On a personal note, I guess we all need some reason to justify constant/unnecessary spending.
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Then we meet Singapore’s top 1% super-rich guy, David Yong. Based on the first impression, he acts like a typical obnoxious, out-of-touch, rich guy. You would expect him to just whip out his unlimited black card in every conversation (which he does quite often) but over the course of 6 episodes, you would either pity him or face-palm on his behaviour. He is also paired with Teodoro Marani, heir of the brand Henry Beguelin but trying to make his own path in Korea. Compared to Aren and Noor, they seem better acquainted if not the best of friends.
To highlight how rich David Yong is, we follow him on his house hunting. As someone who is a lawyer by profession and runs an investment company, he is quite impulsive in buying anything. So much so that he is willing to buy the first apartment worth 16 million won within 5 minutes of touring it. His impulsiveness is put on a break by Teodoro, acting like a broke guy who can’t afford the same (which he can easily) but gently flirting with any lady in sight. Whereas David is having a hard time getting a girlfriend and even if he tries, they get dazzled by wingman, Teodoro.
Lastly, we meet Kim Anna, a native of Pakistan who immigrated to South Korea as a kid and became a citizen. However, in a turn of events she married a royal from Pakistan, Malik Muhammad Qamar Hayat Tiwana and has been living there mostly. Super Rich in Korea follows her around in her massively large and lavish house, manors etc around Pakistan. Her definition of wealth is having wild animals like lions and tigers as her pets. She does travel to Seoul but quite briefly to meet all the other cast members.
Super Rich in Korea is more like an introductory pilot testing the waters, to see if expanding the show will have potential or not. Bling Empire has already made a prominent image which also features rich individuals of Asian descent and comparatively the South Korean version is a bit mellow. Firstly, the cast is limited and doesn’t have many interactions or activities to keep the audience engaged. David Yong is definitely a stand-out character, due to his deliberate or awkward personality but the ladies are quite boxed in the same rich fashion/beauty influencer landscape.
Kim Anna’s royal life in Pakistan does bring a new and different perspective on wealth but it looks nothing more than a PR film for them. Many might even point out that shows like these are like a mockery in the contemporary volatile world with deteriorating economic conditions and standard of living. But that’s the world we have always lived in, rich flaunting their riches and competing with others of the same social status to show who’s better. In this case, maybe none of them. Aren Yoo is the face of a spoiled child, disguising her personal ambitions behind wanting to represent Korea in fashion events.
Noor Naem is like every opportunistic influencer trying to find her footing in the K-world because it’s trendy. David Yong’s motive behind his appearance looks like an appeal to find a suitable ‘Korean’ partner and Teodoro Marani seems to want to show his family that he has the same influence in a foreign country. While it’s predictable that he will join the family business once is done playing around, seeking validation of ‘self-made’. And for Kim Anna, it’s more or less a way to attract attention towards her newly-found cosmetic company and make a name. Overall, it’s an okay-ish reality show to watch while eating or mindless scrolling.
Rating: 2.5/5
Super Rich in Korea is available to watch on Netflix.
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