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Karma
A suffocating noir labyrinth of escalating desperation and dread, where fragile moral compromises ignite an uncontrollable chain of dominoes across rain-slicked asphalt.
Karma
Karma

악연

"Twisted by fate. Doomed by destiny."

04 April 2025 — 04 April 2025 South Korea 1 season 6 episode Ended 7.5 (112)

Cast: Park Hae-soo, Shin Min-a, Lee Hee-jun, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Kwang-soo

Drama Crime The Retributive Cycle of Bad Faith Desperation, Debt, and Commodification Unresolved Trauma and Vengeance Complicity and the Illusion of Choice Class Inequality and Disposable Lives

Karma — Characters & Cast

Character Analysis

The Eyewitness

Park Hae-soo

Archetype: The Opportunistic Antihero / Catalyst Key Trait: Cold pragmatic adaptability under pressure

Motivation

Driven by sudden self-interest and survival after stumbling upon a deadly crime scene.

Character Arc

Evolves from a seemingly detached observer into an active orchestrator whose calculated blackmail entangles him in the very nightmare he attempted to exploit.

Lee Ju-yeon

Shin Min-a

Archetype: The Traumatized Seeker / Wounded Healer Key Trait: Hyper-vigilant resolve masked beneath clinical stoicism

Motivation

To overcome debilitating childhood trauma and confront the architect of her past suffering.

Character Arc

Transitions from a guarded surgeon haunted by recurring nightmares to a determined agent seeking justice when fate places her past abuser directly in her path.

Park Jae-young / "The Debtor"

Lee Hee-jun

Archetype: The Desperate Gambler / Instigator Key Trait: Reckless, tunnel-visioned desperation

Motivation

Eliminating catastrophic financial debts following a cryptocurrency collapse.

Character Arc

Spirals from an ordinary person crushed by debt into a man willing to contract patricide for insurance proceeds, triggering the series' deadly domino effect.

Jang Gil-ryong

Kim Sung-kyun

Archetype: The Discarded Pawn / Reluctant Hitman Key Trait: Suppressed rage paired with moral compromise

Motivation

Financial survival after being unfairly terminated from his job.

Character Arc

Moves from a disenfranchised worker into a compromised killer when hired to assassinate Dong-sik, struggling with the botched aftermath of his assigned crime.

Han Sang-hun / "Glasses"

Lee Kwang-soo

Archetype: The Privileged Impostor Key Trait: Superficial charm covering profound vulnerability and panic

Motivation

Protecting his comfortable Gangnam medical clinic, social reputation, and fraught relationship.

Character Arc

Unravels completely after an accidental hit-and-run on a deserted road, revealing cowardice and duplicity beneath his polished facade.

Cast

Park Hae-soo as Kim Beon-jun
Shin Min-a as Lee Joo-yeon
Lee Hee-jun as Park Jae-yeong
Kim Sung-kyun as Jang Gil-ryong
Lee Kwang-soo as Han Sang-hoon
Gong Seung-yeon as Lee Yoo-jeong
Choi Hong-il as Park Dong-sik
Park Ho-san as Hwang Cheol-mok
Lee Seo-jun as Baek Ji-hun
Bae Yoon-gyu as [Teen] Park Jae-yeong
Shin Do-hyun as Young Lee Joo-yeon
Jeong Han-bin as Police Officer
Byun Yun-jeong as Clinic Patient
Han Ji-hyo as Lee Mi-Rae
Yoo Dong-Hun as An Sung-Min

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