Jin Ki-joo in a still from Uncle Samsik. In the latest Korean drama casting news, Jin has signed on to star in Undercover High School, Chun Woo-hee and Song Joong-ki are considering roles in My Youth, while Kim Da-mi is in talks to lead A Hundred Memories. Photo: Disney+
Korean drama stars are signing on for an eclectic mix of new series, among them a rugby sports drama, a tale of an agent going undercover in school, and bus conductors in the 1980s.
Find out more in our latest round-up of K-drama casting news.
1. Undercover High School
Fresh off her turn in the Disney+ historical drama Uncle Samsik, Jin Ki-joo has signed on to star alongside Seo Kang-joon (Cheese in the Trap) in the upcoming MBC drama Undercover High School.
From Bad Prosecutor writer Im Young-bin, this comedy action drama will follow an agent from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) who goes undercover as a student at Byeongmun High School.
Seo Kang-joon in a still from Grid. Photo: Disney+
Seo will play Jung Hae-sung, the agent-turned-student, while Jin will play Oh Soo-ah, Hae-sung’s principled form teacher, whose new student bears a striking resemblance to her first love, who broke her heart.
Not seen since the Disney+ series Grid, Seo is also known for the K-dramas Are You Human? and Watcher.
After getting her break alongside Kim Tae-ri and Ryu Jun-yeol in the popular 2018 film Little Forest, Jin has appeared in a slew of successful productions, including the K-horror Midnight and the 2023 fantasy-drama My Perfect Stranger.
Undercover High School is slated to air at some point in 2025 in a Friday/Saturday slot.
2. My Youth
Having just performed double duty as one of the leads of both the hit fantasy romantic drama The Atypical Family and the Netflix dystopian drama The 8 Show, Chun Woo-hee may next be seen alongside Song Joong-ki in the drama My Youth.
The series will follow a man and a woman who reunite after not having seen each other for 15 years.
Chun Woo-hee in a still from The Atypical Family. Photo: JTBC
While Song was seen in the Netflix film My Name Is Loh Kiwan earlier this year and graced the Cannes Film Festival red carpet in 2023 for Hopeless, this would mark his first K-drama since 2022’s Reborn Rich, whose ratings peak of 26.9 per cent in Korea was the second highest for a JTBC drama.
My Youth will be directed by Lee Sang-yeob, who also directed Yumi’s Cells, and is being scripted by Run On writer Park Si-hyun.
3. A Hundred Memories
Last seen in the 2023 film Soulmate, Kim Da-mi is reportedly in talks to headline the drama A Hundred Memories.
Set in the 1980s, the series will depict the lives and loves of bus conductors as they guide their passengers.
Kim has been offered the part of Go Young-rye, a plucky conductor who works for Cheong-ah Transport, despite her motion sickness, to support her mother.
Kim Da-mi (left) and Kim Dong-hee in a still from Itaewon Class. Photo: Netflix
After getting her big break in the action-horror The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, Kim cemented her stardom thanks to the hit drama Itaewon Class alongside Park Seo-joon. Following that she appeared in the acclaimed Our Beloved Summer with Choi Woo-shik. She is currently shooting the thriller series Nine Puzzle with Son Suk-ku, and will also soon be seen in the disaster film The Great Flood.
A Hundred Memories is the latest project from writer Yang Hee-sung (Crash Course in Romance). Helming the series will be Kim Sang-ho (Thirty-Nine).
4. Try: We Become Miracles
The Worst of Evil actress Im Se-mi is being courted for a co-starring role in Try: We Become Miracles, a sports drama for which Yoon Kye-sang (The Kidnapping Day) is already confirmed as a lead.
Focusing on a high school rugby team, the series will follow Joo Ga-ram (Yoon), a former national rugby player who retired in the wake of controversy and has taken on a role as a rugby coach at the high school from which he graduated.
Im has been offered the role of Ga-ram’s ex-girlfriend, who is now also working at the school as a coach.
Im Se-mi in a still from The Worst of Evil. Photo: Disney+
Soon to be seen in the Netflix drama In the Woods with No One, Yoon is known for films such as The Outlaws and Malmoe: The Secret Mission, as well as series including The Good Wife and Kiss Sixth Sense.
Following memorable supporting turns in shows such as True Beauty, Im has steadily been graduating to meatier parts, including in 2023’s The Worst of Evil and the recent Wonderful World. She will next be seen in the Netflix election drama The Whirlwind.
