South Korea · Drama · 2026
The Scandal
Binge Brief
- Netflix released all eight episodes worldwide on 18 September 2026.
- In its second week, 21 to 27 September 2026, it ranked third on Netflix's global non-English TV list with 2.8 million views and 21.9 million hours watched.
- Star News reported on 30 September 2026 that it reached the Top 10 in 18 countries that week.
- The eight episodes run between 48 and 80 minutes; the finale is the longest at 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Principal photography ran from March to September 2025.
- The Korea Times counts it as the fourth Korean screen adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses.
Synopsis
The Scandal K-drama is Netflix's eight-episode Joseon period series about desire and a dangerous bet, released on 18 September 2026. Son Ye Jin plays Lady Cho, Ji Chang Wook plays her cousin Cho Won, and Nana plays Hui-yeon, the widow caught in their game.
It reworks E J-yong's 2003 film Untold Scandal, which had already moved Choderlos de Laclos's 1782 novel Les Liaisons dangereuses to Korea. The story is set in the Bukchon quarter of Hanyang, the old name for Seoul, during the reign of King Jeongjo. Netflix sums it up as a secret proposal that stirs hidden desires in a gifted noblewoman, a famous lover and an unsuspecting lady.
Lady Cho is married to Lord Yoo, a senior official, and when he takes a young concubine to produce an heir she hides how much it hurts. At the press conference on 9 September 2026 Son Ye Jin said her character, named Jo Yoon, had been independent since childhood and gifted at writing and painting. Confucian rules leave her almost nowhere to use any of it.
So she writes to Cho Won, her cousin, her former lover and the most notorious seducer in Joseon.
Her proposal is that he seduce her husband's concubine. Cho Won picks a harder target: Hui-yeon, a young widow from an elite family who has stayed faithful since her husband died and may not give in easily. Director Jung Ji-woo said the bond between Lady Cho and Hui-yeon does not exist in the novel and was built up on purpose, as part of a story about women of different ranks taking control of their own lives.
Shin Youn Ha plays Lee So-ok, whose secret feelings Lady Cho later turns against her. Han Sun Hwa plays So-ok's mother and Kang Chan Hee plays Kwon In-ho. Pansori runs through the score, animated Joseon folk paintings link scenes, and the costumes come from the Korean label Tchai Kim.
The Scandal cast
Themes and messages
Women taking control. Director Jung Ji-woo told the press on 9 September 2026 that the series is about women of different social ranks taking charge of their own lives, and that this is why the relationship between Lady Cho and Hui-yeon was expanded beyond anything in the novel.
Talent with nowhere to go. Son Ye Jin described Lady Cho as a woman who was independent from childhood and gifted at writing and painting. In a Joseon household run on Confucian rules, the series turns that frustrated talent into manipulation.
Desire as a game. Netflix frames the plot as a wager: a secret proposal, a famous seducer and a woman who does not know she is the prize. The Korea Times called it a psychological drama of desire and deceit, and noted criticism of its explicit scenes and its pacing.
Interesting facts
- A remake of a remake. The source is E J-yong's 2003 film Untold Scandal, which had already moved Les Liaisons dangereuses to Joseon. The Korea Times counts this series as the fourth Korean screen version of the novel.
- A new character. Han Sun Hwa plays a mystery role that exists neither in the novel nor in the 2003 film.
- Pansori and moving paintings. The production scored scenes with pansori and animated Joseon-era folk paintings.
- Costumes from a Korean label. Korea JoongAng Daily credits the costumes to the brand Tchai Kim.
- The launch. The cast met the press on 9 September 2026 at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Seoul, nine days before release.
- Six months of shooting. Filming ran from March to September 2025.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lord Yoo takes a young concubine to secure an heir, and Lady Cho hides how much it stings before writing to her cousin Cho Won with a request. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 2 | Lady Cho puts her secret proposal to Cho Won, and the target of their wager is Hui-yeon, a widow who has stayed faithful since her husband died. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 3 | Cho Won works on Hui-yeon's grief to unsettle her, and once a royal order moves him into the Left State Councillor's house he shows Lady Cho he holds the advantage. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 4 | Nights with courtesans never filled the gap Lady Cho left in Cho Won's life, and when he finds a reply from Hui-yeon he goes to her in the middle of the night. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 5 | Lady Cho turns So-ok's hidden feelings for another man to her own use, while Cho Won finds what he feels for Hui-yeon harder to control. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 6 | Lady Cho warns that the bet could ruin his honour and his family, but Cho Won refuses to stop, even as real feeling starts to show. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 7 | Away from watching eyes, Cho Won and Hui-yeon share a few quiet days together, until a difficult order from the king breaks the calm. | 2026-09-18 | Aired | |
| 8 | The scheme falls apart and Lady Cho comes face to face with Cho Won and Hui-yeon, forced to decide how far she will go to finish what she started. | 2026-09-18 | Aired |
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes does The Scandal have?
Eight. The Netflix title page lists episodes of 48 to 80 minutes, so the whole series takes a little under eight hours. The finale is the longest at 1 hour 20 minutes.
When was The Scandal released on Netflix?
Netflix released all eight episodes worldwide on Friday 18 September 2026. The release date had been announced in Netflix's 25 August 2026 news post.
What is The Scandal K-drama based on?
It is based on the 2003 Korean film Untold Scandal, which adapted the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The series keeps the Joseon setting and adds new characters.
Who is in The Scandal cast?
Son Ye Jin plays Lady Cho, Ji Chang Wook plays Cho Won and Nana plays Hui-yeon. Han Sun Hwa, Kang Chan Hee (Kwon In-ho) and Shin Youn Ha (Lee So-ok) are in the supporting cast.
Where can I watch The Scandal?
The Scandal is a Netflix series and streams only on Netflix with a subscription. It was not shown on Korean television.
What is The Scandal age rating?
Netflix rates The Scandal TV-MA in the United States. It contains sexual content, and Korean press reports expected an adults-only rating in Korea.
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