Ryu Jun Yeol's Mousetrap thriller streams August 28 as August K-drama slate swells
Plus: Kim Se Jeong confirmed for High School Queen reincarnation drama, Lee Min Jung and Kim Ji Suk wed and divorce in new KBS romance, and Park Hae Il investigates a historical coverup in Assassins.
TL;DR
- Ryu Jun Yeol leads Netflix's Mousetrap mystery-thriller August 28, pairing a novelist and loan shark hunting an identity thief.
- High School Queen confirmed with Kim Se Jeong as a Joseon queen reincarnated as a high schooler; action, romance, and fantasy collide.
- Lee Min Jung and Kim Ji Suk play wedding shop owners heading for divorce in KBS romance OK, Let's Get Divorced, August 19 premiere.
- Kim So Hyun and Song Kang are in talks for White Scandal, a separate romance drama about a former child actress and a top star.
Casting and line-ups
High School Queen confirms Kim Se Jeong, new romance dramas build casts
Studios lock in casts for fantasy reincarnation and romantic comedies arriving in the next two months.
Kim Se Jeong, Bae Hyun Sung (Hospital Playlist), and Jo Han Gyeol are confirmed to star in the webtoon-based fantasy High School Queen, a reincarnation drama centered on a feared Joseon-era swordswoman who wakes as a modern high schooler. Directed by Yoon Sung Sik and written by Lee Jung Tae, the series blends action, romance, and school-life comedy. (via MyDramaList)
White Scandal assembles romance cast in talks. Kim So Hyun and Song Kang are in talks to reunite for White Scandal, a web-novel adaptation set apart from Kang's confirmed August 29 Netflix role in Four Hands, Two Sonatas. Ryu Hye Young has received an offer and is positively considering the role of a prosecutor and chaebol heiress. The romance follows a former child actress working as a road manager who meets a top star tied to the incident that ended her career, entering a contract relationship to uncover buried secrets. Director Kim Cheol Kyu (Flower of Evil) helms the project, with writer Kim Ga Eun (Call It Love) penning the script. (via Soompi)
Premieres and dates
August packed with Netflix thriller, KBS romance, and historical dramas
Three major new series lock premiere dates as the month fills with fresh genre variety across streamers and broadcast.
Ryu Jun Yeol leads Netflix's Mousetrap, a mystery thriller set to premiere August 28, opposite Sul Kyung Gu as a loan shark. The series follows a novelist who loses everything—his name, identity, and fortune—to a mysterious figure known only as "The Rat"; he partners with the loan shark to track down the man who erased him and reclaim his life. The boundary between reality and deception collapses as deeper truths emerge. (via Soompi)
OK, Let's Get Divorced heads to KBS August 19. Lee Min Jung and Kim Ji Suk confirmed their roles at a July 31 script reading for the 12-episode KBS romance premiering August 19 on Wednesday and Thursday at 11 p.m. KST. Directed by Joo Sung Woo and written by Hwang Ji Eon, the series follows two wedding experts running a bridal boutique who decide to divorce after years of marriage and confront the real reasons their relationship fractured. (via Soompi)
Korean film
Assassins brings Park Hae Il to historical murder mystery
The thriller investigates a shooting that shocked South Korea, arriving in September.
Park Hae Il (Broker) stars in the historical thriller Assassins, set for September 2026 release, playing Jae Hwan, a newspaper editor in the social affairs department pursuing the truth behind a shooting incident that occurred on August 15 and rocked the nation. Despite censorship and external pressure, the character drives the investigation deeper into the mystery at the film's heart. (via Soompi)