# Samjin Company English Class

Samjin Company English Class (Korean: 삼진그룹 영어토익반; RR: Samjingeurup Yeongeotoikban; lit. Samjin Group English TOEIC Class) is a 2020 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Lee Jong-pil, starring Go Ah-sung, Esom and Park Hye-su. It was released on October 21, 2020.

## Plot

In 1995, three female employees at Samjin Company, who are given the opportunity to be promoted if they score at least 600 points at the TOEIC test, enroll in English classes. Lee Ja-young from the production management department, Jung Yu-na from the marketing department and Shim Bo-ram from the accounting department had joined the company straight out of high school and are still low-level employees despite being with the company for eight years and possessing necessary practical "street smarts". One day, Ja-young notices polluted waste water leaking from a factory where she had been sent to. Being a lover of mystery novels, she decides to investigate and Yu-na and Bo-ram join her quest to find out what illegal activities their company might be involved in. The challenge remains for them to find and expose the truth without losing their jobs.

## Cast

* Go Ah-sung as Lee Ja-young
* Esom as Jung Yoo-na
* Park Hye-su as Shim Bo-ram
* Cho Hyun-chul as Choi Dong-soo
* Kim Jong-soo as Bong Hyun-chul
* Kim Won-hae as Ahn Gi-chang
* Bae Hae-sun as Ban Eun-kyung
* David Lee McInnis as Billy Park
* Baek Hyun-jin as Oh Tae-young
* Lee Sung-wook as Hong Soo-chul
* Choi Soo-im as Jo Min-jung
* Jung Yi-seo as Audit office employee
* Lee Joo-young as Song So-ra
* Tyler Rasch as English instructor

## Production

Principal photography began in late October 2019.

## Release

The film was theatrically released on October 21, 2020.
It was invited at the 20th New York Asian Film Festival. It was featured in 'Standouts’ strand and screened at Lincoln Center and SVA Theatre in the two-week festival held from August 6 to 22, 2021 in New York.

## Reception
### Box office

The film topped the South Korean box office for six days following its release.

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| 2020 | Women in Film Korea Festival | Technical Award | Bae Jung-yoon | Won |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Park Hye-su | Nominated |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Esom | Won |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Art Direction | Bae Jung-yoon | Won |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Music | Dalpalan | Won |
| 2021 | 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards | Technical Award | Yoon Jeong-hee (Costume Design) | Nominated |
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Samjin Company English Class | Won |
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director | Lee Jong-pil | Nominated |
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Screenplay | Lee Jong-pil | Nominated |
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Go Ah-sung | Nominated |
| 2021 | 57th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Esom | Nominated |
| 2021 | 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Director | Lee Jong-pil | Nominated |
| 2021 | 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Screenplay | Lee Jong-pil | Won |
| 2021 | 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actress | Go Ah-sung | Nominated |
| 2021 | 26th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Esom | Nominated |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Actress | Go Ah-sung | Nominated |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Esom | Nominated |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Popular Star Award | Esom | Won |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Screenplay | Lee Jong-pil | Nominated |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Music Award | Dalpalan | Nominated |
| 2021 | 30th Buil Film Awards | Best Art/Technical Award | Bae Jeong-yoon | Nominated |