“Disney+ announced a buzzy new original Korean drama and a surprise renewal at the company’s Asia Pacific content showcase event held at Hong Kong Disneyland. On Thursday, the streamer gave itself a well-deserved victory lap for its deep library of acclaimed Korean dramas launched in recent years before running through its new and upcoming slate”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
On Thursday, the streamer gave itself a well-deserved victory lap for its deep library of acclaimed Korean dramas launched in recent years before running through its new and upcoming slate from the country. Disney+ revealed that the much-talked about MBC drama Perfect Crownstarring the in-demand pair of IU and Byeon Woo-seok, will hit the streamer in 2026 for global audiences, although an exact release date was not shared. The logline for the drama reads, “Perfect Crown is set in a reimagined modern-day Korea that operates under a constitutional monarchy. A touching romantic comedy, the series follows the people’s favorite royal, Grand Prince Wan, as he becomes embroiled in a power struggle with other members of the royal family. With pressure on the prince to marry, he strikes up a marriage of convenience with Heeju, the heir to a Korean conglomerate, but while the pair will work together to advance their own ends, things don’t go quite as smoothly as planned.”
The two lead actors, individually, are coming off big recent successes, with Kpop singer and actress IU featuring in the Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) and model-slash-actor Byeon starring in the drama Lovely Runner (2024).
Perfect Crownpreviously titled Wife of a 21st Century Grand Prince and one of the most talked about shows in Korea in 2025, is directed by Park Joon-hwa (Alchemy of Souls, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim) and is written by Yu Ain.
Disney+ also revealed that the upcoming prestige drama Made in Korea has been renewed for a second season, with production underway for a 2026 release. The period political drama stars Korean A-listers, Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung, both of whom elicited whoops of delight from the showcase audience in Hong Kong when they appeared on stage to talk about their show. The first season of Made in Korea will debut with a two-episode premiere on Dec. 24.
The logline for the show reads, “Set in 1970s Korea, Made in Korea season one follows Baek Kitae, an ambitious KCIA agent who’s living a double life. Driven by his thirst for power, Kitae works as an agent by day and a smuggler by night. Smart, suave, cunning and capable, Kitae rapidly moves up the ranks after using his smuggling operation to consolidate power, protect his brother, and generate vast sums of money for the agency. Seemingly unstoppable, only one thing stands in his way – a tenacious prosecutor who can’t be bought, bribed or reasoned with. With everything at stake for both men, the series will follow the duo as they look to take each other down.”
The streamer also revealed more details on the new period mystery drama Portraits of Delusionwhich is currently shooting in Korea and Europe. The series, based on the webtoon, stars Suzy, Kim Seon-ho and is directed by Han Jae Rim.
Another new Korean original from Disney+ is the fantasy drama, The Remarried Empressthat like Perfect Crown is a lavish royal drama shot in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. As well as the exotic locations, the series features extravagant sets and production design and exquisite costumes. According to Disney, the series is the most expensive Korean drama it has ever produced. Directed by Cho Su-won and starring Shin Mina, Lee Jong-suk, Ju Ji-hoon and Lee See-young, the series is an adaptation of the webtoon of the same name.
Other Korean originals showcased on Thursday included The Manipulatedthe action drama starring Ji Chang-wook and Doh Kyung-soo that is now streaming; Battle of Fatesan intriguing reality competition pitting fortune-tellers and oracles against each other to see who is telling the truth; Gold Landa crime and action drama starring Park Bo-young, Kim Sung-cheol and written by Oldboy scribe Hwang Jo-yoon; and season two of the critically-acclaimed action thriller A Shop for Killers starring Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun, with Masaki Okada and Hyunri also joining the lineup. There was a look at season two of Are You Sure?! the documentary series featuring Jimin and Jungkook, two of the stars of the international K-pop group BTS, which debuts on Disney+ on Dec. 3.
Also at the Hong Kong showcase, Disney+ revealed that it was working with legendary Japanese video game developer Hideo Kojima for an anime series based on his groundbreaking game Death Stranding. The 2D animated series, Death Stranding Isolations (working title), is set to hit the streamer in 2027.