Netflix’s Next Romantic K-Drama 'Love Affairs' Taps in Lee Dong Wook and More Ahead of Filming

Published 03/25/2026, 12:08 PM EDT

Few actors embody romance in K-dramas quite like Lee Dong Wook. Whether it is the quiet longing of Guardian: The Lonely and Great God or the darker emotional pull of Tale of the Nine Tailed, he can balance charm with emotional depth, making him a staple of the genre and a favorite among global audiences. Remaining faithful to the type, Lee is now set to return to familiar territory with a new project that leans heavily into romance, but of a more misfortune-tinted kind. 

With Netflix's seal tight, Love Affair has welcomed Lee Dong Wook and an equally strong rest-of-the-cast on the block.

Lee Dong Wook roped in for Netflix's Love Affair

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Netflix is gearing up for its next big romantic K-drama film with Love Affair, a melodramatic love story that brings together few of Korea’s most compelling actors: Lee Dong Wook, Jung Yu Mi, Jeon So Nee, and Lee Jong Won. The film, directed by Mo Wan Il and written by Ha Soo Jin, is being produced by FNC Story and will arrive as a Netflix Original, slotting into the streamer’s growing slate of Korean romance titles. 

At the heart of the project sits Lee Dong Wook, who reunites with Netflix in a leading role after a brief earlier collaboration in the licensed melodrama Life. Here, he steps into the shoes of Kim Ji Hoon, a character whose presence promises the same mix of charm and quiet intensity he has honed across hits like Tale of the Nine-Tailed and Great God.

Jeon So Nee, increasingly known for her ability to balance vulnerability and strength, will play Gong Hu Gyeong, adding emotional depth to the film’s central triangle. Meanwhile, Lee Jong Won steps into his first Netflix-led leading role as Lee Dae Hee. With production set to kick off in April 2026, Love Affair is shaping up as a fresh star-struck romance.

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While Love Affair promises heartfelt romance, Netflix is also preparing another intense project starring a rather familiar face. 

Netflix familiar takes on high-stakes corporate drama

From the Netflix distributed King the Land, Typhoon Family, and the original Cashero, Lee Junho is gearing up for a high-stakes role with Buy King, a Netflix corporate thriller that feels like the Korean cousin of HBO’s Succession. The April set 10-episode series is set inside one of South Korea’s richest family-run conglomerates, where betrayals, power plays, and emotional fractures turn the boardroom into a battlefield.

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If the deal finalises, this will mark Lee's first major Netflix-led drama project and a sharp pivot from the romantic comedies and office romances he is known for into a far colder, more Machiavellian world. Under the lens of Buy King, the actor will step into the role of Han Jiyeol, a third-generation chaebol heir and corporate risk analyst whose ice-cold strategic mind masks the weight of legacy and expectation. 

While Love Affair leans into the softer, yearning side of Korean melodrama over at Netflix, Buy King sharpens the edges, turning family bonds into weapons and love into collateral damage. Together, these projects signal how Netflix is doubling down on both intimate romance and high-pressure corporate sagas, using established stars to anchor two very different yet equally gripping visions of modern Korean storytelling.

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What do you think about Netflix’s next romantic K-Drama Love Affair? Let us know in the comments.

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Pratham Gurung

61 articles

If films shape personalities, Pratham was practically raised in a dark theater, pulling off twenty-four-hour movie marathons and falling into hour-long YouTube video essays at 3 a.m., his fascination with cinema never really having an off switch.

Edited By: Adiba Nizami

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