What happens to Jung-ho's banquets in Aema? Here's what we know

Netflix’s K-drama, Aema, premiered on August 22, 2025. The six-part Korean series narrates the story of two Korean actresses who stand up to the abusive film industry and take matters into their own hands to make sure to put an end to it.

It follows the lives of Jung Hee-ran (Lee Hanee), a veteran actress, and Shin Joo-ae (Bang Hyo-rin), a new actress, as they join forces to bring producer Gu Jung-ho (Jin Seon-kyu) down and end his banquets. In Aema, Jung-ho is a powerful producer and owner of a big production company. For years, he has been bringing young and aspiring actresses and musicians to his label, promising a thriving career.

However, instead of helping them have a successful career, he makes the women victims of s*xual abuse by powerful men in his banquets, which is later revealed to be conducted by none other than himself. Hee-ran and later Joo-ae have both been victims of these banquets, which makes the actresses take a step to destroy the

banquets and the reputation of Jung-ho, which they successfully do at the end of Aema.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.

Aema: What are Jung-ho’s banquets?

Netflix’s Aema depicts a tale of how the film industry uses and abuses women, making them just objects of desire and nothing more than that. The terrifying thing shown in the film is how Jung-ho makes the women he brings feel helpless and forces them to be a part of the banquets, where they are abused. He also shows himself to be powerless in front of them, who have no power but to take them there.

Just like Hee-ran and Joo-ae, numerous women have big dreams of making a big name in the industry, but have to go through the abusive banquets where men treat them as objects. Some get to make their lives better as they begin to get work, while others remain in the horrifying cycle.

For instance, Min-a, Jung-ho’s girlfriend, who couldn’t get away from the banquets like Hee-ran and Joo-ae did and died due to an overdose. Perhaps her last resort to get out of the horrifying mess her life had become.

This becomes the ultimate trigger for Hee-ran to take action against Jung-ho in Aema.

Aema: Does Hee-ran ruin Jung-ho’s banquets?

As the series progresses, Hee-ran learns that Jung-ho is the one who organizes the banquets, and wants to reveal his truth in front of everyone. After Min-a dies on the dance floor, Hee-ran’s anger and guilt of not doing anything before drives her to take drastic actions.

She decides the perfect place, the Daejong Awards, to speak up for herself and many aspiring actresses. While she takes the opportunity and asks director, Kwon Do-il, to let her speak after he received his lifetime achievement award, Journalist Yang Seok-won collects evidence against Jung-ho and the reality of the banquets that would support what Hee-ran reveals in the Award show.

Further, she also gathers evidence against the powerful people, which also includes detectives who have appeared in Jung-ho’s banquets, and uses them to her advantage to bring Jung-ho and his banquets to an end.

At the end, Hee-ran did not think about her own reputation and whether it would be disadvantageous to her profession, and bravely spoke the truth about the sufferings of many women.

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