The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

25 April 2, 2025April 2, 2025

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

by SailorJumun

The Divorce Insurance is tvN’s newest romantic comedy, and ironically, it’s here to prepare people for the end of romance. This cast of characters has been through plenty of heartbreak and financial woes, so they think it’s about time that they save clients from falling into the same path. And with all the failed relationships happening around them, they’re sure to get plenty of business.

Editor’s note: Weekly coverage will continue.

EPISODE 1

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

It feels like it’s been forever since the last time Lee Dong-wook was in a romantic comedy. He’s impressed as multiple anti-heroes, and as a charming nine-tailed fox, but it’s nice to have him back as the everyday bumbling office worker. He certainly seems to be having fun with the role, as we see in the very first scene.

We’re dropped into a wedding fair filled with happy(-ish?) couples, when NOH KI-JOON (Lee Dong-wook) comes bursting in to introduce a new product — divorce insurance. He explains to the confused crowd that divorce has become a common disaster and one that they must prepare for.

The crowd is baffled that Ki-joon would promote divorce to newly engaged couples, but he makes the fair point that “life insurance doesn’t promote death.” He’s just trying to help and encourages everyone to take advantage of it. This, naturally, leads to him and his team being chased out of the fair.

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

We rewind to three months prior, when Ki-joon is still a struggling actuary trying to figure out his next project. He has a dream of his insurance idol asking him what his greatest risk in life was, and he wakes up knowing exactly what he wants to do. He hurries over to his workplace, Plus General Insurance, to pitch the idea of divorce insurance to his boss.

Unbeknownst to Ki-joon, his boss NA DAE-BOK (Kim Won-hae) was literally just threatened with divorce over the phone, so this insurance idea is sounding mighty tempting. Ki-joon takes his time doing research and crunching numbers, and then he presents the project to the entire company. Some people are skeptical, but the presentation is able to convince Team Leader Na (whose divorcee life is flashing before his eyes). Project Divorce Insurance is a go!

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

The next step is putting a task force together. Ki-joon approaches his prickly co-worker AHN JEON-MAN (Lee Kwang-soo), who happens to be his childhood friend, as well as a fellow divorcee. (I love that he surprise-attacks him with a bubble gun, lol.) The only way Jeon-man will join the team, though, is if Ki-joon finally explains why he got divorced a whopping three times.

Ki-joon’s answers? Ex number one had different marriage views, ex number two had different world views, and ex number three had different life views. Wah-wah-wahhh… Jeon-man looks at his friend like he’s an idiot, but he holds up his part of the bargain and agrees to work with him. They seal the deal with some drinks.

Elsewhere, we meet KANG HAN-DEUL (Lee Joo-bin), an underwriter who is currently going through a messy divorce. The poor girl isn’t used to grocery shopping for only one person and has to go around the store returning items. When she returns home, her ex is moving everything out, having left her with nothing but the apartment.

It turns out that Han-deul’s ex is a total tool — on top of being a cheating cheater, he also bought the apartment on loans and purposely put it under her name. Rather than be concerned for her, he only worries about finding the missing screw to his bidet (not surprised, seeing that he’s full of shit).

Luckily, Han-deul has a good friend named JO AH-YOUNG (Chu So-jung), who gets her hyped up for her upcoming interview at Plus General Insurance. Ah-young suggests that she should start anew and that she should ditch her sweet, reserved personality for a more edgy weirdo vibe.

Later, Han-deul decides to stop moping and to take her old mattress out to the trash. This is, of course, right as a drunk Ki-joon comes stumbling over. Han-deul freaks out at the sight of him, falling backwards onto the mattress and pulling him down with her. If that wasn’t awkward enough, a resident’s sheet comes flying down and covers them just as a biker’s radio starts playing jazzy Let’s-get-it-on music.

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

Um, yeah… that earns Ki-joon and Han-deul a trip to the police station for public indecency. They bicker over who’s at fault, but when Ki-joon gets a really good look at Han-deul, he recognizes her as the woman he saw crying at the grocery store. The memory reminds him of someone, so he gives in and apologizes.

Outside the station, the couple agrees that it would be best if they don’t meet again. Ki-joon notes that the chances of running into each other aren’t likely, and that they have a better chance of running into an albino raccoon. Ah, if only he knew they were in a K-drama.

In fact, they reunite not too soon after, when Ki-joon is doing interviews for his task force. Han-deul has dressed for the part of the edgy weirdo, but even so, Ki-joon sees the potential and brings her aboard. With that, the team makes up of Ki-joon, Jeon-man, Han-deul, Ah-young, and Team Leader Na.

However, Team Leader Na reveals that there’s one more person they’re waiting on — the assigned senior managing director. Said director comes strutting into the building, coming face-to-face with the team in the elevator. And whataya know, Ki-joon already knows who she is. It’s none other than JEON NA-RAE (Lee Da-hee), his ex-ex-ex wife.

Well, this should be fun. I was already hooked by Ki-joon’s energy and by the task force’s strong dynamic, but I’m all in now that one of his exes has been thrown into the mix. I’m curious to learn about their history and their real reason for getting a divorce. Because it was clear that Ki-joon was holding a lot back when his friend asked about them.

The comedic hijinks in this episode were right up my alley, but you know what? All jokes aside, I get the need for this kind of insurance. Ki-joon made a lot of solid points in his pitch, and if I were in the crowd, I would’ve taken him seriously. It’ll be interesting seeing how he’ll get others on his side, how he’ll work alongside an ex, and how he might approach love in the future.

The Divorce Insurance: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

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1 jerrykuvira

April 2, 2025 at 11:41 AM

The com was way evident than the rom that I tuned off minutes in. But, I sure know this is a drama I'll end up catching up with as it goes on.

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2 Blue (@mayhemf)

April 2, 2025 at 12:10 PM

I am here for the relunctant bromance..
also, I didnt feel much chemistry between the leads.. on the other hand, Lee Da-Hee just clicked with the ML right off the bat. Hope the writers convince me of the ROM. right now, the COM is working for me..
I do not enjoy the Kim Won-hae casting - I always worry a toilet humor joke is right around the corner.

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3 Kafiyah Bello

April 2, 2025 at 12:46 PM

This is cute. I enjoyed the first 2 episodes enough to keep going. There was one thing I wasn't a fan of, but we shall see in episode 3.

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4 welh

April 2, 2025 at 2:05 PM

The first episode tried to grab the absurdist nature of the premise. The second episode suddenly pulled back from that to have character feelings about their own divorces. I just get the impression that they have reined in Kwang-soo to be too serious.

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5 hacja

April 2, 2025 at 2:32 PM

I'm not sure I'll continue with this show--the humor of the first episode didn't really hit with me, and I'm getting a little tired of weakly written rom-coms, so I didn't watch the second. I might tune in, based on what I read here. I have great faith in DB recaps and comments.

However, believe it or not, I did get interested in the feasibility (or what I see as the lack of feasibility) of this type of insurance.

I looked up to see if divorce insurance exists in real life, and, as I suspected, there are very few standard products that would be like life insurance or auto insurance, for several reasons.

1. There already exists prenuptial agreements, that you can sign if you were worried about the legal costs of fading love—prearranging the division of assets, or declaring alimony payments. These do not require monthly premiums.

2. Marriage rates in Korea are low in Korea and declining. Concurrently, divorce rates are declining. The market for this insurance would be a shrinking market, especially for newer marriages. For new marriages, as well, you’d have to set the premiums high, because statistically those are the ones which fail most frequently.

3. But then, for already existing marriages, why would a company be willing to offer coverage to a couple that suddenly signed up for divorce insurance? Wouldn't that be a sign of a troubled marriage, wanting a payout? So you'd have to set premiums really high for existing marriages as well, or alternatively require the couple be married for 5 years before a payout. Again, not something a couple would be attracted to.

4. For these reasons the underwriters would require high premiums and limited payouts. Companies just couldn't make a profit on this type of insurance.

5. Also, I can imagine marketing for this to be really difficult. Unlike life insurance, which has been sold as a way to insure your death won't be financially devastating to your family beneficiaries, compensating for the loss of your income, the only way of marketing divorce insurance would be to say that your spouse might be a deadbeat and refuse to support you and your family. I could see this appealing to women, especially to women who might bear the brunt of childcare costs, say. But those are precisely the concerns which are lowering the desire for marriage among Korean women in the first place! Your very marketing would then would further shrink your market! Because, in the end, unlike insurance against death costs, medical costs, property damage costs, etc. you can just avoid the whole matter entirely, and save your money.

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roko

April 2, 2025 at 6:20 PM

wow, you really thought this through. I'm impressed.

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hacja

April 2, 2025 at 7:08 PM

Thanks, but don't be! I'm retired and obviously have too much time on my hands!

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roko

April 2, 2025 at 8:37 PM

well I know a few retired people with questionable analytical skills ^^ and in any case I appreciate the post!

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Kathryn51

April 2, 2025 at 7:12 PM

Thanks for your assessment. It sounds as if this drama is one for which one must suspend reason. I've been lectured in the past that I must simply go along with contradictory or irrational plots but some of us think rationally - that's how we are wired. Plus, it's on Prime which means I have to look up my password and it's such a hassle. I'll wait for more recaps.

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hacja

April 3, 2025 at 10:10 AM

While I do not think the product they are marketing is anything that's going to emerge in real life, I have to admit I'll be interested in the conclusion since it is billed as a romance.

In Strangers Again, because they divorced and were divorce lawyers, the writer could not put them together at the end. They had a better understanding of each other, and that was the "happy ending" but they weren't going to make the same mistake twice.

For this one, will the seller of divorce insurance give it a 4th try, this time presumably fully insured against failure and therefore with his marriage more likely to succeed?

Will he fall in love and not get married, and therefore not be a purchaser of his own product?

Or will he marry, and the show will end with him getting divorced, and collecting, in a humorous way?

Its hard to say any of those will be too satisfying, but again, I only saw the first episode!

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roko

April 2, 2025 at 8:48 PM

My advice for minimizing conflict and self-protection in worst case scenarios for couples wanting to co-habitate, married or not, would be
1- if both partners are working keep separate financial accounts except for one joint to be used for shared expenses. The contributions from each can vary according to circumstances, but the individual accounts provide a safety net.
2- if one partner is not working and dependent on the other, this being okay needs to be clear from the start and an iron-clad protective pre-nup should be de rigueur, taking into consideration all the non-financial ways the non-working partner is contributing to their shared life.

just my 2 cents ^^

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hacja

April 3, 2025 at 12:32 PM

One thing that your wise advice brings up is how impressed I am by the financial savvy of my children and their friends, prior to their marriages. Its true, they (I should say we, their parents, following their wishes) spent way too much on their weddings--in fact I offered to put up a ladder up to my daughter's bedroom for her fiance, so they could elope in the dead of night--to no avail, alas!

But both my children and their spouses have been incredibly financially savvy in the first years of their marriage, so I think its almost a prerequisite topic of discussion prior to weddings these days.

Whereas, financial matters were the last thing on my mind when I asked my wife to marry me. But that was partly because neither of us had any money at all, so it would have been like discussing how we were going to manage our holdings of unicorns and rainbow ponies.

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Procrasti-NationFirstCitizen

April 3, 2025 at 9:59 PM

I keep telling the young'uns around me to not spend so much on their weddings, and travel the world instead on that money. Preferably *before* they sign on for a lifetime, so they see whether they travel well together... so important, and a metaphor for life, especially if one is a planner and the other, a sit on the beach and don't move type 😂
But alas, the curse of Pinterest/ Instagram is that they have to have the whole Big Fat Wedding that they spend so much on, and they're shackled together just for ROI.

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welh

April 3, 2025 at 5:43 AM

I have written my own thesis on the premise which I may post later.
In the US, one company sells "divorce" insurance but in reality it is a very narrow litigation cost payout with severe restrictions (4 year exclusion of benefits, short term 8-10 years, premiums of $4k for a max payout of $12k). Life insurance is normally used as security for alimony, child support and college expenses.

TDI show thinking about coverages for living expenses, costs, alimony, etc. is unrealistic and cost prohibitive. The current divorce rate in SK is 49 percent.

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hacja

April 3, 2025 at 9:51 AM

@welh Not that this has much to do with anything, but I'm wondering where you got that 49% figure, which is way higher than anything I've seen. Its true in 2023 there were 92,400 divorces, and 192,700 NEW marriages. But I everywhere I look, divorce rate is considered either per thousand inhabitants, which is 1.8, or, in percentage of ALL marriages, which is about 28%. Both of these represent declines from the peak in 2003. It is true, the number of marriages jumped up in 2024, but that still represents a significant decine from 2003, so until this trend continues beyond a couple of years, I wouldn't base any new insurance service on it!

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welh

April 4, 2025 at 5:03 AM

It is the ratio between new marriages and new divorces that governments use as a comparison tool. Most countries including SK do not cross-reference vital statistics such as number of married people to divorced people or whether singles are married or divorced. I checked the SK vital statistics bureau and could not find census figures on marital status.

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OldLawyer

April 3, 2025 at 9:58 AM

You are right that the actual proposed insurance plan would in real life be unworkable. The writers know this too. It is absurd - but that simply tells us what kind of comedy we have.

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6 Procrasti-NationFirstCitizen

April 2, 2025 at 8:25 PM

The second I see toilet humour in a show, it's a sign for me to duck out. I still waited until a bit through ep 2 to see if it got better because of LDW, but nope.

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Blue (@mayhemf)

April 3, 2025 at 8:20 AM

This is my biggest gripe.

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7 Mina00

April 3, 2025 at 12:50 AM

How come he said "yes" to that script! I could not even finished the first episode.

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8 Nastrella

April 3, 2025 at 2:34 AM

I liked the humour and the absurdity of the show so far, the way it's filmed is different than recent drama I've seen.

Started it because of LDW but I don't regret it.
Not a fan of the constant repetition of "I am a nutcase with a big smile", I think I am not getting that joke and she's really not convincing at it.
As for the rest, waiting to see how this goes on but so far so good.

Also, 2 characters are KNITTING and that's just a big plus :D Also, pretty sure they are in the yarn shop called Banul (at least it really looks at it) and it's a really cute and nice place for crafty people ˆˆ

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Blue (@mayhemf)

April 3, 2025 at 8:21 AM

I don’t understand the nutcase with smile thing either. It’s not like she can shift her personality like that. And she didn’t. She is being herself. So what was the point of that??

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Nastrella

April 3, 2025 at 6:53 PM

Exactly! Except for the interview day, where she dressed differently but actually acted the same.
Maybe it makes more sens for Korean viewers if it's a very common expression there? Unless it's just about her saying what she thinks, but there's nothing very nutcas-y about it xD

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9 OldLawyer

April 3, 2025 at 10:13 AM

I liked the first two episodes. As Hacja has pointed out the actual proposed insurance policy is absurd and impractical IRL. To me that simply tells me that this show is serious about the 'comedy" part of a romcom.

Meeting the second ex-wife was quite poignant. When our ML divorced her, it was in fact a loving act of setting her free to live the life that she wanted. Which is another way of saying that this show also has a heart. All good comedies have a strong sense of humanity.

Lee Dahee as the first wife is going to be fun.

Bottom line is that this show has a lot of promise, and I will continue watching.

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10 Mrs Buckwheat

April 3, 2025 at 4:28 PM

I love watching LDW, it's like seeing an old friend.
I look forward to the bromance with the other ML.
Not a fan of toilet humour so hoping it doesn't return in the next episodes.

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