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Disney+ announces lineup of Korean series set to premiere this year
Disney+ announces lineup of Korean series set to premiere this year
Disney+ unveiled the list of Korean series that will be premiering on the video streaming platform this year.
Last November, Manila Bulletin covered the Disney+ Originals Preview 2025 in Hong Kong where upcoming titles were unveiled.
“A Shop for Killers,” “Battle of Fates”
“A Shop for Killers,” named one of The New York Times’ Best TV Shows of 2024, will be returning with season 2 this year.
Season 2 will star Lee Dong-wook, Kim Hye-jun, Jo Han-sun, Geum Hannah, Lee Tae-young and Kim Min together with series newcomers Hyunri (“Tokyo Vice Season 2”), Masaki Okada (“Drive My Car”) and Jung Yoon-ha (“Big Bet”),
The new season of “A Shop for Killers” will follow Jian and her uncle Jinman as they turn the tables on their attackers and pursue the mercenary group Babylon. It will debut later this year on Disney+.
Meanwhile, in the first half of the year, Korea’s top fate readers – masters of shamanism, saju, tarot, foot reading, and more–are put to the test in a first-of-its kind reality series called “Battle of Fates.” From the creator of “Culinary Class Wars,” the upcoming series will pit 49 contestants against each other to see who’s the real deal in a series of challenges that will select the winner.
“Gold Land,” “Made In Korea”
Also coming to Disney+ this year are “Gold Land” and season 2 of “Made in Korea.”
Featuring the Disney+ return of actress Park Bo-young, “Gold Land” follows Heeju, a woman who manages to escape the sleepy backwater town she grew up in, only to find herself in a world of trouble after discovering a coffin full of gold.
Heeju finds herself consumed by greed and driven by the prospect of a life she always dreamed of. Forced to run from the dangers that surround her, Heeju flees to the one place she swore she’d never return.
It will also star Kim Sung-cheol (“No Way Out: The Roulette”), and Lee Hyun-wook (“Mine” and written by Hwang Jo-yoon (“Old Boy”) and directed by Kim Sung-hoon (“Confidential Assignment”).
Later in 2026, Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung will be coming back to Disney+ for “Made in Korea” season 2. After a dramatic season 1 that saw the corrupt KCIA powerhouse Baek Kitae repeatedly clash with the unyielding and tenacious prosecutor Jang Geonyoung, one unexpectedly came out on top. But with the victor now rapidly rising through the ranks, will the loser accept defeat or attempt to claw his way back into the ring?
Romantic dramas
Premiering on Disney+ on Feb. 20, “In Your Radiant Season” is a heartwarming romance series about Chan, a man with a charming personality, and Haran, a cold professional struggling with her past.
After they meet, something begins to change in both of them. Starring Lee Sung-kyung (“Dr. Romantic”) as Song Haran, a luxury fashion house designer; and Chae Jong-hyeop (“Eye Love You”) as Sunwoo Chan, a character designer at a global animation studio, the series is written by Cho Sung-hee (“Thirty But Seventeen”) and directed by Jung Sang-hee (“Wonderful World”).
In April, “Perfect Crown,” one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated romantic dramas starring IU (“When Life Gives You Tangerines”) and Byeon Woo-seok (“Lovely Runner”), will premiere on Disney+.
Set in an alternate 21st century where Korea is a constitutional monarchy, the romantic series follows a popular prince and the heiress to one of Korea’s biggest conglomerates as they scheme together for personal gain, only to later discover the meaning of true love.
Slated to debut later this year, “The Husband” (working title) is a romantic thriller about a man forced to face off against a ruthless criminal to rescue his kidnapped wife. Starring actor Namkoong Min (“Our Movie”) as Kang Taejoo, a neurosurgeon turned hospital director, and Lee Sul (“The Devil’s Call”) as his kidnapped wife Ko Seyoon, the series is directed by “Hyper Knife” director Kim Junghyun.
Webtoon adaptations
With audiences across the globe falling in love with “Moving,” “Light Shop,” “Vigilante,” and “Low Life” and other webtoon adaptations, this year, Disney+ will be building on the exciting legacy by working with creators to bring to life two popular webtoons–”The Remarried Empress” and “Portraits of Delusion” (working title).
Set in a fantasy world, “The Remarried Empress” tells the story of Navier, a perfect empress whose husband shocks her one day when he returns home with a mistress and demands a divorce.
Unwilling to let the Emperor ruin her life, Navier grants his request but, in return, asks to marry the rival prince of the Western Kingdom - igniting a tale of political intrigue, romance, and a fight to reclaim her stolen power.
It will star Shin Min-a (“Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”), Ju Ji-hoon (“Light Shop”), Lee Jong-suk (“Big Mouth”) and Lee Se-young (“The Red Sleeve”). The series is written by Yeoh Geena (“The Uncanny Counter”) and Hyun Choong-yeol, and directed by Cho Suwon (“Today’s Webtoon”).
Based on the popular Naver Webtoon ‘Delusion,” “Portraits of Delusion” is a romantic mystery series about a heartbroken vampire in mourning.
Hidden away from the world for the past 50 years, Jeonghwa regularly commissions portraits for her own use. One day, Iho, a painter with a past, arrives at the hotel to begin his commission, but what he sees shocks him.
Starring Suzy (“Genie, Make a Wish”) as Song Jeonghwa and Kim Seon-ho (“The Tyrant”) as the painter Yoon Iho, the upcoming series is directed by Han Jae-rim (“The King”) and will debut in late 2026 exclusively on Disney+.
