TL;DR
- Agent Kim Reactivated hits 21.6% nationwide rating on episode 4, climbing steadily from its 9.5% premiere.
- Hope becomes July's box office juggernaut with 1.5M admissions in five days, eighth biggest Korean film of 2026.
- Spooky in Love simulcasts globally on Netflix; The East Palace and Agent Kim Reactivated join the July global slate.
- Love on the Menu premieres July 25 on KBS2 with 50-episode run through January; multiple dramas launch through July 31.
On air now
Agent Kim Reactivated crosses 20 percent and keeps climbing
The spy thriller has soared nearly 12 points from its July premiere, while Spooky in Love stakes Netflix's global bet on Korean supernatural romance.
Agent Kim Reactivated posted a 21.6% nationwide rating for its fourth episode, according to Nielsen Korea, after a 9.5% premiere and steady climbs to 15.7%, 18.8%, and now past 20%. The JTBC spy thriller shows no signs of cooling as it enters its second week of broadcast. (via Dramabeans)
Spooky in Love surges to number one. The Netflix supernatural romance starring Park Eun Bin drew 1.343 million viewers on episode 2 and claimed the #1 position across South Korea for the weekend, marking Netflix's global bet on Korean horror-romance as it simulcasts with tvN's broadcast. The series airs new episodes Saturday and Sunday. (via Soompi)
Dream to You settles in after July 13 debut. The ENA series follows a screenwriter and music director seeking second chances at life and work. Alongside Recipe for Love and the ongoing runs of The Husband (KBS2, Saturday-Sunday) and Love in Sync (Lifetime, Saturday-Sunday), this weekend carries a full slate of romance and drama across multiple networks. (via Soompi)
Casting and line-ups
Jung Ho-yeon in talks to return to scripted drama with Outback
The Squid Game star may anchor Netflix's new series, while other major casting calls set the stage for late 2026 and 2027 productions.
Jung Ho-yeon has been offered a role in the Netflix series Outback, marking what would be her first leading part in Korean scripted television since her breakout in Squid Game. Ryu Jun-yeol and Hong Kyung are also reported in talks for the project. (via Soompi)
Kim Tae-ri considers return with I'm the Queen in This Life. The actress is weighing an offer for the drama, which would mark a major project for the latter half of 2026. (via Soompi)
Lee Jun Ho and Hong Hwa Yeon lead Embassy for Foreign Monsters in Korea. The fantasy romance cast was announced July 24, with the pair heading the new series. Separately, actor Seo Ye Ji signed an exclusive deal with B.Wave Entertainment on July 18, and Kwak Dong Yeon announced his mandatory military service will begin later this summer. (via Soompi)
Premieres and dates
Love on the Menu airs July 25 on KBS2; three more dramas follow through month end
A 50-episode romance returns a wealthy man to his first love eight years later, while fresh series launch on streaming and broadcast through July 31.
Love on the Menu premieres July 25 on KBS2 with Ha Seok-jin and Ahn Hee-yeon (known as Hani) as leads. The 50-episode series follows a man who disappeared eight years ago after falling in love with a woman from a poor family; he returns as a chef in Italy with a new restaurant, only to reunite with her working at a side dish store. New episodes air Saturday and Sunday, continuing through January 10, 2027. The drama also streams on Wavve. (via allkpop)
A Shop for Killers 2 launches July 22 on Disney+. The second season of the thriller series returned to the platform for international viewers alongside its Korean broadcast. (via Soompi)
Two dramas close out July 31. The Affair Was Just the Beginning arrives on Coupang Play, while A Bona Fide Killer debuts on MBC, rounding out a busy month of premieres. (via Soompi)
Korean film
Hope arrives as Korea's box office titan with 1.5 million admissions in five days
Na Hong-jin's sci-fi survival thriller shatters the Korean market after its July 15 release, with an international cast and apocalyptic story centered on a remote village.
Hope, directed by Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), opened July 15 to become Korea's biggest box office event of 2026. The sci-fi survival thriller earned 1.5 million admissions by July 19 (its fifth day in release), claiming a 64.74% revenue share across 2,334 screens and hitting the eighth position on Korea's all-time 2026 rankings. The film premiered in Competition at Cannes and marks Na's first feature since 2016. (via Variety)
International ensemble takes Korean apocalypse story global. The cast pairs Korean stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon with Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell, and Cameron Britton in a narrative set in a remote village near Korea's DMZ where a police chief faces off against otherworldly creatures. (via Screen Daily)
Streaming and abroad
Netflix and global streamers vie for Korean July releases with simultaneous broadcasts
The East Palace and Spooky in Love roll out worldwide with their Korean airings, while Love in Sync reaches Southeast Asia and Japan through Viu and Disney+.
The East Palace premieres July 17 on Netflix, following a police chief who traverses the ghost world and a court lady who hears them as they investigate a cursed palace. The fantasy mystery stars Nam Joo Hyuk, Roh Yoon Seo, and Cho Seung Woo in a high-concept supernatural plot. (via Soompi)
Spooky in Love simulcasts worldwide as Netflix stakes its July bet. Park Eun Bin and Yang Se Jong lead the occult romance, which airs simultaneously on tvN and Netflix beginning July 18, making it immediately available to international audiences on the platform's global day-and-date strategy. (via Soompi)
Love in Sync reaches regional audiences through international partnerships. The July 4 premiere lands on Viu across Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East, while Disney+ handles distribution in Japan, ensuring a multi-platform global rollout for the Lifetime/U+ Mobile TV/Disney+ romance. (via Soompi)