About A Virtuous Business
A Virtuous Business is a South Korean period dramedy that aired on JTBC in 2024 and streamed internationally on Netflix. Set in the fictional rural town of Geumje in 1992, the series follows four very different women who band together to sell intimate household products door to door at a time when such commerce was considered scandalous in conservative small-town Korea. What begins as a desperate scramble for income gradually grows into a tight-knit business partnership and an unlikely sisterhood.
Han Jeong-suk, a soft-spoken housewife with an unexpected gift for sales, becomes the heart of the operation after her family falls on hard times. She is joined by the brash and street-smart Oh Geum-hui, the no-nonsense Lee Ju-ri, and the reserved Seo Yeong-bok, each of whom carries her own private struggle. As the women learn to pitch, persuade, and support one another, the show balances warm humor with a frank but tasteful look at the social pressures, gossip, and double standards they navigate in a tradition-bound community.
Beyond the comedy of awkward sales calls and small-town scandal, A Virtuous Business is a story about female friendship, economic independence, and quietly defying expectations. A parallel mystery thread involving Jeong-suk's search for answers about her own past adds emotional weight, while the period setting lets the series explore how much, and how little, has changed for women in the workplace. Critics praised its tender tone, period detail, and the chemistry of its ensemble cast.
