Everything to Know About The Scandal: There is something suspicious about a love story that begins with a letter, perhaps because letters are where people become braver than they are in person. You can confess things you would never say out loud, make promises you may not keep, and construct an entirely different version of yourself for the person reading your words.
Everything to Know About The Scandal
Netflix’s upcoming Korean period romance brings together Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and NANA for a story about desire, repression, manipulation and a wager that is supposed to be a game, until actual human feelings enter the premise.
Considering the return of Son Ye-jin to the historical drama space after a long gap, Ji Chang-wook stepping into a very different kind of romantic role, and NANA playing a woman trapped by the expectations surrounding widowhood: there is a lot to unpack before the series itself arrives.
Here is everything to know about The Scandal before the September 18 Netflix release.
When Will The Scandal Release?
The Scandal releases on Netflix on September 18, 2026. The series is an eight-episode Korean original and will be available exclusively on Netflix.
This is thus very much a “clear your weekend schedule” situation if period romance, complicated women and morally questionable men are your particular brand of entertainment, and honestly, the premise is already giving a very “emotional damage is mandatory” energy.
What Is The Scandal About?
At the centre of The Scandal are three people who really should have stayed far away from each other: Lady Cho, Cho Won, and Hui-yeon.
Lady Cho, played by Son Ye-jin, is an exceptionally talented Joseon noblewoman whose ambitions and abilities exceed the restrictions on the women of her time. Ji Chang-wook plays Cho Won, “the greatest playboy of Joseon”, as Netflix puts it, and NANA plays Hui-yeon, a young widow whose life is ruled by expectations of chastity and propriety.
The Joseon Setting
The story takes place in Joseon, which is a society where Confucian social structures imposed strict expectations around gender, marriage, and sexuality. The characters’ desire becomes dangerous precisely because they exist inside a system that tells them what they are supposed to want. The imbalance between the characters’ boundaries and freedom makes the romantic game more interesting than a simple love triangle.
The Visual Storytelling
The Scandal seems to be a gorgeous one based on the trailer and promotional material. The production seems to lean into traditional Korean aesthetics, with elaborate hanbok, rich colour palettes, flowers, letters, traditional interiors and the visual contrast between the three leads.
The costumes seem to be doing more than just screaming “period drama”. The visual storytelling is reportedly symbolic rather than just being there.
the costumes (in <the scandal>), created in collaboration with hanbok designer tchai kim, delicately 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬’ 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.https://t.co/ZqqDz6Ix8M
lady cho, played by son… pic.twitter.com/Cxy7NdfSWF
— son yejin 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙨 | #TheScandal 09/18
(@sonyejinpics) September 13, 2026
The Scandal Is Based on Dangerous Liaisons
The literary moment is here! The Scandal comes from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses (Dangerous Liaisons), “infusing a modern sensibility into a period drama where characters defy social taboos to pursue their deepest desires.” The Scandal does not simply seem to be picking up a 1782 novel and giving it a Netflix budget.
Another interesting fact is that the novel was adapted into a South Korean historical drama in 2003, Untold Scandal (스캔들 – 조선 남녀 상열지사).
Who Is Involved in the Making
The series is directed by Jung Ji-woo, whose filmography includes works such as Tune in for Love, Eungyo, Happy End and Somebody. The writing is credited to Song Hye-kyo and Jung Ji-woo, Choderlos de Laclos (novel), and Lee Seung-young, according to IMDb.
The Scandal seems interested in the question of identity: who these people are when society is watching versus who they are when nobody is supposed to be looking. The private self seems to be where the scandal lives.
The Scandal Cast
While the story centres around the three leads: Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and NANA, as Netflix identifies them as the key cast, The Scandal is reported to also include Han Sun-hwa and Chani.
Chani is credited as Kwon In-ho in the cast listing currently available at the time of writing this.
What Makes The Scandal Different From a Typical Historical Romance Drama?
At the centre, nobody seems to be particularly behaving within the set societal patterns, but beyond that, The Scandal is built around desire as a form of rebellion.
Aaarghhhh!!! I just watched the trailer with English sub and I can smell jealousy, betrayal, desire and conspiracy.
From what I understand, for whatever reason, Se-jin’s character starts a game where she asks Wookie’s character to seduce NaNa’s character.
The trailer makes it…
— Naksu
(@dramacuddles) September 8, 2026
Lady Cho perhaps wants more than what she is seemingly “permitted to”, while Cho Won perhaps wants freedom and pleasure, and Hui-yeon wants the ability to determine what happens to her life, maybe.
The real story appears to be what happens once these people stop being able to separate performance from emotions.
Watch The Scandal on Netflix on September 18, 2026.
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