In the tangled web of vengeance, deception, and poetic justice that is Netflix’s latest Korean thriller “Karma” (악연), the final episode delivers a masterclass in narrative closure that leaves viewers both satisfied and stunned. Released on April 4, 2025, this six-episode series based on Choi Hee-sun’s webcomic “Akyeon” weaves a complex tale of six individuals whose lives are bound by past crimes, present greed, and inevitable retribution.
Directed by Lee Il-hyung and featuring a stellar cast including Park Hae-soo of “Squid Game” fame and the versatile Shin Min-a, the series explores how seemingly random events are actually interconnected threads of fate. What begins with a man engulfed in flames in an abandoned building culminates in a perfect circle of karmic justice, where every character’s choices lead to consequences that reflect their own moral failings.
For those left reeling from the shocking finale, this comprehensive breakdown will unravel the intricate connections between characters and explain how justice is ultimately served in this dark meditation on consequence and cosmic retribution.
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The Convergence of Six Fates: Karma Character Connections Explained
At the heart of “Karma” lies a masterfully crafted web of interconnections that only becomes fully visible in the final episode. The series revolves around six main characters whose past and present actions create a perfect storm of retribution. Park Jae-yeong (Lee Hee-joon) initiates the chain of events by planning to murder his father for insurance money, hiring Korean-Chinese construction worker Jang Gil-ryong (Kim Sung-kyun) to do the deed. Gil-ryong, in turn, brings in con artist Kim Beom-jun (Park Hae-soo), creating the first three points of this deadly constellation.
Kim Beom-jun operates with his partner Lee Yu-jeong (Gong Seung-yeon), who specializes in seducing wealthy men like Han Sang-hun (Lee Kwang-soo), their next target. The sixth main character, Lee Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a), initially appears disconnected from this criminal enterprise, working as a doctor at the hospital where a severely burned man is brought after the fire that opens the series. However, the finale reveals her as the central point connecting all storylines.
The brilliance of the narrative lies in how these seemingly separate story threads are gradually revealed to be part of a single tapestry of fate. When Park’s father survives the initial murder attempt, Kim Beom-jun arranges for Han Sang-hun to appear responsible for the killing, manipulating him through fear and blackmail. Meanwhile, the private investigator hired by Han’s suspicious wife, Hwang Cheol-mok, documents everything, creating yet another layer of surveillance and consequence.
The most devastating connection emerges when we learn that Park Jae-yeong, Lee Yu-jeong, and Kim Beom-jun were all involved in the traumatic sexual assault of high school student Lee Ju-yeon 13 years earlier. This revelation transforms what initially appeared to be a crime thriller about insurance fraud and murder into a profound meditation on long-awaited justice. Each character who participated in Ju-yeon’s assault meets a violent end through a series of events that, while appearing random, form a perfect circuit of retribution.
The Final Deception: Kim Beom-jun’s Identity Theft and Ultimate Fate
The climax of “Karma” centers on con artist Kim Beom-jun’s desperate attempt to escape his circumstances by adopting Park Jae-yeong’s identity. After killing Gil-ryong, Kim decides to murder Park and assume his identity to claim the 500 million KRW insurance money. He ties Park to a chair in an abandoned warehouse and sets it ablaze, but in a karmic twist, becomes trapped himself when gas cylinders explode, leaving him severely burned and unrecognizable.
When rescued and taken to the hospital, Kim claims to be Park Jae-yeong, unaware that his attending physician, Lee Ju-yeon, was Park’s victim years ago. This cruel coincidence places Kim in the crosshairs of Ju-yeon’s trauma-fueled vengeance. Fearing recognition by Park’s aunt, Kim leaves the hospital prematurely, still believing he can claim the insurance money.
The narrative delivers another layer of cosmic justice when Kim discovers that Park’s father had changed his will just a week before his death, making his church the beneficiary instead of his son. This revelation means that the murder that set everything in motion was ultimately pointless—Park killed his father for money he would never receive, and now Kim, posing as Park, faces the same disappointment.
As Kim stumbles away from the church, drugged by medication that Ju-yeon had switched through the private investigator, he encounters her holding a surgical knife. In a pivotal moment that speaks to the theme of breaking cycles of violence, Ju-yeon’s boyfriend-colleague Yoon Jeong-min intervenes, reminding her of all she’s overcome and persuading her not to stain her hands with murder.
The final twist reveals that while Ju-yeon chooses mercy, fate does not. Kim, believing he’s escaped, is kidnapped by loan sharks coming to collect Park’s debt on its due date. In a darkly poetic turn, the doctor performing the illegal organ harvesting on Kim (still believed to be Park) is none other than Ju-yeon’s boyfriend Yoon Jeong-min, who performs the procedure without anesthesia as punishment for what he believes was done to Ju-yeon.
Kim pays the ultimate price for crimes he participated in years ago, while Ju-yeon, having chosen a higher path, finally finds peace and sleeps without nightmares for the first time in years.
| Character | Actor | Role in Story | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Beom-jun | Park Hae-soo | Con artist who assumes Park’s identity | Dies during organ harvesting, mistaken for Park |
| Lee Ju-yeon | Shin Min-a | Doctor and sexual assault survivor | Chooses mercy over revenge, finds closure |
| Park Jae-yeong | Lee Hee-joon | Original plotter seeking insurance money | Killed by Kim in the warehouse fire |
| Jang Gil-ryong | Kim Sung-kyun | Hired killer | Killed by Kim in the warehouse |
| Lee Yu-jeong | Gong Seung-yeon | Con artist and Kim’s partner | Dies during confrontation with Han |
| Han Sang-hun | Lee Kwang-soo | Doctor tricked into covering up murder | Killed by Kim after Han kills Yu-jeong |
Karma’s Ultimate Message: Justice Through Interconnection
The brilliance of “Karma’s” ending lies in how it delivers justice without resorting to simplistic moral solutions. Instead of Ju-yeon directly avenging her trauma by killing who she believes is her attacker, justice arrives through an intricate network of consequences stemming from each character’s own choices. This structure reinforces the show’s central theme: that we are all connected in ways we cannot fully comprehend, and our actions create ripples that eventually return to us.
Park’s decision to kill his father for insurance money ultimately leads to his own death. Kim’s participation in Ju-yeon’s assault and subsequent criminal lifestyle ends with him dying under the knife of a doctor performing illegal surgeries. Yu-jeong, who orchestrated the assault out of jealousy, dies at the hands of one of her marks. Even Han, who tried to cover up a crime rather than taking responsibility, pays with his life. The only character who breaks this cycle is Ju-yeon, who chooses mercy over vengeance and is rewarded with peace.
The morning after Kim’s death, Ju-yeon wakes up having slept properly for the first time in years. When she tells the private investigator she no longer wants information about “Park,” it symbolizes her decision to move forward rather than remain trapped in her past trauma. This resolution suggests that while karma may eventually catch up to everyone who commits evil, our own healing doesn’t depend on witnessing that justice—it comes from releasing the need for personal vengeance.
The series concludes with narrative symmetry as perfect as its thematic execution. Every major plotline is resolved, every character receives a fate appropriate to their actions, and the interconnected nature of human experience is powerfully affirmed. It’s this completeness that makes a second season unlikely and unnecessary—the story of these six characters has been told in full, with no loose ends requiring further exploration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who survived at the end of Karma on Netflix, and what happened to them?
The only main character who truly survives the events of “Karma” is Lee Ju-yeon (Shin Min-a), the doctor who was sexually assaulted in high school. By choosing not to kill Kim Beom-jun (whom she believes is Park Jae-yeong), she breaks the cycle of violence and finds inner peace. Her boyfriend, Yoon Jeong-min, also survives, though the series reveals his dark secret as an organ harvester for loan sharks.
Private investigator Hwang Cheol-mok lives as well, having served his purpose in documenting the crimes and helping Ju-yeon discover the truth. All other major characters meet violent ends: Park Jae-yeong dies in the warehouse fire set by Kim, Jang Gil-ryong is killed by Kim before the fire, Lee Yu-jeong is murdered by Han Sang-hun, who is subsequently killed by Kim, and Kim himself dies during organ harvesting, mistaken for Park by the loan sharks. These deaths represent karmic justice for each character’s moral failings and past crimes.
Will there be a Karma Season 2 on Netflix?
A second season of “Karma” is highly unlikely for several compelling reasons. Primarily, the narrative reaches complete closure with all major plotlines resolved and most characters deceased by the finale. The story’s perfectly constructed circle of karmic justice leaves no loose threads requiring further exploration. Additionally, the series was adapted from a completed webcomic (Akyeon by Choi Hee-sun) that concluded its run in January 2020, providing no source material for continuation.
From a thematic perspective, extending the story would undermine the powerful message about cosmic justice and fate delivered in the finale. Netflix and the production team have made no announcements suggesting plans for a continuation, further supporting the conclusion that “Karma” was designed as a self-contained, single-season narrative. Viewers seeking similar content might instead look forward to new Korean thrillers that explore themes of justice, revenge, and moral consequences.
