The Divorce Insurance K-Drama review: Lee Dong-wook's show is so calm that it dozes off mid-plot

You have to hand it to Lee Dong-wook. It’s as if he just thought, “Alright, done with the bad and crazy. Done with the serial killer plots. Done with playing deities. How about we just…you know sink into a quiet, minimalistic divorce insurance drama, that’s so minimal that it will just slip through the cracks?”

It’s fun to picture the ever-scathing Dong-wook, who always has a befitting and mischievous reply to everything—opting for a sober, paperwork-heavy series full of adult conversations and niche insurance policies. The show’s premise: A thrice-divorced insurance agent comes up with a product that protects people from financial ruin after divorce. He builds a team, pitches it, faces hurdles, and eventually sees it succeed. There are light comedic moments, fun cameos (Hello Jo Bo-ah), and yes—a slow-burning romance.

The Divorce Insurance never quite lands. It began with low ratings and somehow dipped lower, barely making a sound in the K-drama community. It’s not that the show is bad—it just feels too grounded, too technical, and honestly, too flat for most viewers to invest in.

On Twitter (all eight tweets of it), fans confessed to fast-forwarding anything that didn’t involve Dong-wook’s romantic scenes. That’s telling, as while the romance is indeed tender and wholesome, it takes time to build and doesn’t exactly deliver the swoon-worthy highs that some viewers might expect.

To its credit, the show attempts something rare in K-drama land: It avoids melodrama, prolonged twists, and loud emotional spirals. It aims for mature storytelling, where people talk through their issues. It’s admirable. It’s entertaining. But…only if the writing sparkles—which, unfortunately, it doesn’t. The dialogues lack bite, the pacing drags, and there’s little in the way of sharp comedic relief to keep it afloat.

Still, The Divorce Insurance isn’t a total wash. If you’re in the mood for something mellow, something you can have on in the background while folding laundry or baking, this might just hit the spot.

It’s banana bread: not exciting, not bad, just there. And if it’s on the counter, sure—you will eat it.