The Scandal: Son Ye-jin and Ji Chang-wook's New Netflix Period Romance, Everything We Know

Some source material is so durable it survives being remade every couple of decades in a different country entirely. Choderlos de Laclos's "Dangerous Liaisons" has been adapted as an 18th-century French period piece, a modern American teen drama, and now, with "The Scandal," a Joseon-era Korean political drama built around three of the country's biggest current stars.

🎬 Quick Facts

International streaming	Confirmed — Netflix Original, releasing globally in Q3 2026 (specific date not yet locked)
Lead cast	Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana
Format	8-episode limited series
Director	Jung Ji-woo ("Somebody")
Source material	A reimagining of the 2003 Korean film "Untold Scandal," itself based on the French novel "Dangerous Liaisons"
Setting	Joseon-era Korea, in place of the original film's period setting

Narrow traditional alleyway at dusk, evoking a Korean period drama setting — Photo via Unsplash

The Plot: A Dangerous Bet Between Two Manipulators

"The Scandal" centers on a calculated, high-stakes game between two aristocrats: Lady Cho, a woman whose intelligence and social maneuvering far exceed what the constraints of her position in Joseon society would normally allow, and Cho Won, the era's most notorious playboy. Their private wager — essentially daring each other into an act of seduction and betrayal — ends up ensnaring a third woman, Hui Yeon, who becomes collateral damage in their escalating game of deceit. It's the same emotional architecture that made "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Untold Scandal" so compelling in their original forms: two people treating another person's heart as a prize in a competition neither of them fully understands the cost of.

Transplanting that story into the Joseon period rather than keeping the 2003 film's original setting is a meaningful choice. It puts the drama's themes of hidden power, rigid social hierarchy, and reputation-as-currency directly inside one of Korean television's most reliably popular genres — the sageuk, or historical period drama — while keeping the psychologically manipulative core of the original story intact.

Why Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana Is Such a Loaded Cast

All three leads arrive with significant existing international fanbases, which is a big part of why this project has generated buzz well before a release date was locked. Son Ye-jin remains one of Korean film and television's most bankable leading actresses, with a career built on both romance and more dramatically demanding roles. Ji Chang-wook has spent years building a reputation for versatility across genres, from action to melodrama, making him a strong fit for a character whose charm is meant to be genuinely dangerous rather than simply likable. Nana, who has moved between music and acting throughout her career, rounds out a cast where all three leads are recognizable names on their own — a rarer setup than dramas that build around one big star surrounded by supporting players.

Why a Period Remake of Untold Scandal Makes Sense in 2026

Adapting a two-decades-old film into a limited series gives "The Scandal" more room than the original had — an 8-episode format allows the slow, escalating manipulation at the center of the story to build gradually rather than being compressed into a two-hour runtime. That structural shift matters for a story that depends on the audience watching trust erode in increments. It's also a smart bet from a programming standpoint: sageuk dramas with A-list casts have historically traveled well internationally, and pairing that genre with a story already proven across multiple prior adaptations reduces some of the risk of an entirely original concept.

How This Fits Into Netflix's Fall 2026 Korean Slate

"The Scandal" is one of several high-profile Korean titles Netflix has lined up for the back half of 2026 — for a look at another star-studded new arrival with a very different tone, Dead-End Job's horror-fantasy take on office-thriller territory is releasing around the same window this fall. If you're more drawn to period and ensemble dramas specifically, it's also worth keeping an eye on Tantara, Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo's sweeping entertainment-industry period drama, arriving later in the year with a similarly stacked cast.

FAQ

When does The Scandal release on Netflix?
Netflix has confirmed a Q3 2026 release window globally, though an exact premiere date hasn't been locked as of this writing.

Is The Scandal based on a true story?
No — it's a period reimagining of the 2003 film "Untold Scandal," which itself was adapted from the French novel "Dangerous Liaisons."

How many episodes will The Scandal have?
It's confirmed as an 8-episode limited series.

Who directs The Scandal?
Jung Ji-woo, known for the drama "Somebody," directs the series.

How does The Scandal compare to the 2003 film Untold Scandal?
The core love-triangle-as-power-game setup carries over, but the shift to an 8-episode series format and a Joseon-era setting (rather than the original film's setting) gives the story considerably more room to build tension gradually. Fans of the 2003 film going in expecting a shot-for-shot remake should adjust expectations accordingly — this is being positioned as a reimagining rather than a direct retelling.

Do I need to have seen Untold Scandal or Dangerous Liaisons first?
No. While knowing the source material adds some extra appreciation for how the story has been reworked across mediums and eras, "The Scandal" is being produced as a self-contained series that doesn't assume prior familiarity with either the 2003 film or the original 18th-century French novel.

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