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제목: The Scandal Kdrama: Cast, Plot and Where to Watch
메타 디스크립션: The Scandal kdrama has stormed Netflix’s global chart since its Joseon-era premiere. Read on to find out.
포커스 키워드: The Scandal kdrama
슬러그: the-scandal-kdrama-cast-plot-where-to-watch
카테고리: K-Drama (8)
태그: The Scandal, Netflix Kdrama, Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, Korean Drama 2026
The Scandal kdrama arrived on Netflix on September 18, 2026, and within days it was sitting inside the platform’s global Top 10, reportedly topping the chart outright in five separate countries. For a Joseon-era costume drama built around seduction, betrayal, and a dangerous wager between two cousins, that kind of instant international traction is no small feat, especially since early word out of Korea suggested the reception at home was far more divided than the numbers abroad.
If you landed here after seeing The Scandal trending and want the essentials without wading through spoilers, this guide covers the confirmed cast, a spoiler-light plot summary, where to stream every episode, and what the early global performance data actually shows. We also revisit our first look at The Scandal before release to see how the finished series compares to what was originally announced. Between the pre-release buzz and the numbers now coming in from Netflix’s own tracking sites, there is a clearer picture forming of exactly who is watching this show, and why the response has split so sharply between Korea and the rest of the world.
The Scandal stars Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook, and Nana in an eight-episode Joseon-era remake of the “Dangerous Liaisons” story. All episodes are streaming now on Netflix worldwide, and the series has reportedly reached number one in five countries even as domestic Korean reviews stayed mixed.
The Scandal Kdrama Cast
The series is led by three of Korean entertainment’s most recognizable names, each taking on a role built around deception and desire. Son Ye-jin’s casting is notable on its own, since this marks her first period drama role in over two decades, a detail Korean entertainment outlets have repeatedly highlighted ahead of release.
| Actor | Character | Role in the Story |
|---|---|---|
| Son Ye-jin | Lady Cho (Cho Yun) | A noblewoman confined by Joseon’s rigid expectations for women, who proposes the central wager |
| Ji Chang-wook | Cho Won | Lady Cho’s cousin, described as Joseon’s most notorious womanizer |
| Nana | An Hui-yeon | A young widow who becomes the target, and eventually the emotional center, of the wager |
| Han Sun-hwa | Supporting role | Part of the household drawn into the unfolding scandal |
The supporting cast rounds out the noble households surrounding the wager, including Han Sun-hwa, Kang Ji-eun, Shin Youn-ha, Kang Chan-hee, and Lee Ji-hoon, with principal photography reportedly running from March 2025 through September of the same year. Behind the camera, The Scandal is directed by Jung Ji-woo, known for the 1999 psychological drama “Happy End” and the 2012 romance “Eungyo” (also released internationally as “A Muse”), from a screenplay credited to Lee Seung-young and Ahn Hye-song. It is worth noting that Jung Ji-woo did not direct the 2003 film “Untold Scandal,” which was helmed by director E J-yong. The two projects share source material rather than a director, which explains why some coverage of the new series references the earlier film’s cast and crew separately.
The Scandal Plot Summary
The Scandal transplants Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 French novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” into the Joseon dynasty, a setting the production has said sharpens the stakes because of how rigid the era’s social and gender hierarchies were. Lady Cho, frustrated by the narrow life prescribed to noblewomen, proposes a wager to her cousin Cho Won: he must seduce Hui-yeon, a young widow known for her virtue. What begins as a game of manipulation between the two cousins gradually pulls in genuine attraction and consequences neither of them planned for. The production has leaned into the period setting’s strict rules around class, marriage, and reputation to raise the cost of every move each character makes.
Spoiler warning: the paragraph below touches on where the story heads in its second half, so skip ahead to the next section if you want to go in cold. As the wager deepens, Cho Won’s feelings for Hui-yeon complicate his loyalty to Lady Cho, and the show builds toward a reckoning where the consequences of the original bet become impossible for any of the three leads to escape. Coverage of the finale has described the ending as unusually devastating for the genre, though outlets have generally avoided printing the exact final beats to preserve the twist for new viewers.
Where to Watch The Scandal
All eight episodes of The Scandal were released simultaneously on Netflix on September 18, 2026, and the show is available worldwide wherever Netflix operates, with subtitles and dubbing rolled out across the platform’s usual language options. There is no staggered weekly release for this title; the entire season is available to binge from day one.
Because it carries a mature rating in Korea for its intimate content, some regions may apply local age restrictions within the Netflix app itself. The official title page is the most reliable place to check current availability and content ratings for your country.
The Scandal Global Reception
According to FlixPatrol’s tracking as of September 21, 2026, three days after release, The Scandal had climbed to number seven on Netflix’s global non-English-language TV chart with a total score of 210 points, and had entered the Top 10 list in roughly 40 countries and territories, up from about 26 on its first full day of release. Korean entertainment press, including Wikitree and Slist, reported that the series held the number one position outright in five markets: South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong.
Domestically, the picture was more complicated than the ranking suggests. The Scandal reached number one on Netflix Korea, yet Korean reviewers and viewers pushed back on its pacing and the volume of intimate scenes, with some English-language reviews echoing the same complaint even while praising the cast’s chemistry. Ji Chang-wook himself has said in interviews that he anticipated harsh reviews for the project and does not regret taking the role, framing the mixed reaction as part of the risk of adapting such provocative source material for television.
The Scandal Kdrama Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Scandal based on a true story?
No. The Scandal is a fictional adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ 1782 novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” reimagined in a Joseon-era setting, and it shares its source material with the 2003 film “Untold Scandal” rather than depicting real historical events.
How many episodes does The Scandal have?
The Scandal consists of eight episodes, all of which were released together on Netflix on September 18, 2026, so there is no weekly wait between episodes.
Who directed The Scandal, and did they also make the 2003 film?
The series was directed by Jung Ji-woo, known for “Happy End” and “Eungyo.” He did not direct the 2003 film “Untold Scandal,” which was directed by E J-yong; the two are separate adaptations of the same novel.
Did The Scandal really rank number one in multiple countries?
Korean entertainment outlets reported that The Scandal held the top spot on Netflix in five countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, while ranking seventh on Netflix’s global non-English TV chart within its first three days. As with all early streaming figures, these numbers can shift as tracking sites update their charts.
Is The Scandal well received in Korea?
Reception has been mixed. The show reached number one on Netflix Korea, but domestic critics and viewers voiced concerns about its pacing and the amount of mature content, even as the global audience response has been considerably warmer.
Where can international viewers stream The Scandal?
The Scandal is available exclusively on Netflix worldwide, with all episodes streaming now, making it accessible to international viewers without a regional delay.
