K-drama casting news about Lee Min-ho, Han Hyo-joo, Moon Ga-young and more

This week’s casting updates are dominated by one major broadcaster as MBC recently confirmed the casts for its 2026 drama line-up.\nRead on to find out more.\n1. Scent of the Night\nLee Min-ho (Pachinko) and Moon Ga-young (True Beauty) have been approached to headline the coming romantic period drama Scent of the Night.\nBased on a webtoon, the series will take place during the Joseon era (1392-1897) and focus on the struggles of Seo Hong, a woman who rejects the lowly status imposed on her gender in society.\n\nMoon is weighing the offer for Seo Hong – described as a woman who remains true to her desires – while Lee is considering playing Seo Jae-ha, the man who loves her but suppresses his feelings while accepting his fate.\nJae-ha was born the son of a butcher, but his life fell apart following the death of his father. Later, after being adopted by Seo Dong-won, the wealthiest man in Hanyang (the former name of Seoul), he reinvents himself to climb the social ladder.\nLee Eung-bok, known for hit dramas such as Sweet Home, Descendants of the Sun and Mr Sunshine, is attached to direct.\n2. Your Ground\nEarlier this year, Han Hyo-joo (Happiness) was reportedly in talks for the romantic drama Your Ground. MBC has now confirmed Han’s participation and revealed that the male lead is Gong Myung (Way Back Love).\n\nTaking place in the world of baseball, the story will focus on a lawyer-turned-agent (played by Han) and her dynamic with a baseball player (Gong), who tries to mount a comeback after an incident that brought his career to a halt.\nGong has had a busy year, starring opposite Kim Min-ha in Way Back Love, while also appearing in the Netflix action series Mercy for None, the romcom Second Shot at Love and the Netflix film Love Untangled.\nMeanwhile, Han recently featured in the Netflix series Romantics Anonymous, a Korean-Japanese co-production. She will soon return to set to film the second season of the hit superhero drama Moving.\n\nHelming the series will be Lee Sang-yeob, who was responsible for the colourfully produced webtoon adaptation Yumi’s Cells. The third season of the Kim Go-eun-led show, once again directed by Lee, is due out in the first half of next year.\n3. A Bona Fide Killer\nCurrently on Korean screens in the raunchy comedy film The People Upstairs, which drew positive notices at this year’s Busan International Film Festival, Gong Hyo-jin (When the Camellia Blooms) will next appear opposite Jung Joon-won (Resident Playbook) in the webtoon adaptation A Bona Fide Killer.\nGong and Jung will play Yoo Bo-na and Kwon Tae-sung, a couple married for five years who are raising a four-year-old daughter. Unbeknown to her husband, Bo-na is secretly a hit woman who works for a contract killing syndicate, eliminating vicious criminals.\n\nFollowing a lengthy maternity leave, Bo-na returns to work, resuming her duties as the company’s top sharpshooter, nicknamed “Kingfisher”. Meanwhile, reporter Tae-sung is tasked to investigate a mysterious assassin, with only the name “Kingfisher” to go on.\nLovely Runner director Yoon Jong-ho will be in charge of production.\n4. Liar\nYoo Yeon-seok confirmed his appearance in the SBS legal drama Shin Yi-rang’s Law Firm earlier this month and now he has joined the cast of the MBC psychological thriller Liar.\n\nSharing the screen with him will be Seo Hyun-jin, who is currently starring in the drama Love Me and featured alongside Gong Yoo in the Netflix original The Trunk last December. Yoo and Seo previously worked together on the hit medical drama Dr Romantic.\nMin Jun-ho (Yoo), a cardiothoracic surgeon, is a widower raising his son and seems like the perfect man, while Kang Ji-seon (Seo) is a middle school writing teacher who is highly perceptive of truth and lies.\nAfter the pair share a perfect first date, they emerge the following day with vastly different accounts of what happened, sending their entangled lives in unexpected directions.\n\nYoo began the year with the drama When the Phone Rings, following which he briefly appeared in Tastefully Yours and Resident Playbook, reprising his Hospital Playlist role. He also appeared in the Park Chan-wook film No Other Choice, which has been gaining traction on the American awards circuit.\nJo Young-min, who drew praise for this year’s You and Everything Else, will direct the series.\n