Lee Ji-eun and Byeon Woo-seok to Save MBC

Lee Ji-eun and Byeon Woo-seok are stepping up as the key figures in rebuilding MBC's drama division.

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MBC is preparing its new Friday–Saturday drama "Perfect Crown", starring Lee Ji-eun and Byeon Woo-seok, as its most anticipated project for the first half of 2026.

The story is set in an imagined '21st-century constitutional monarchy in Korea'. According to the production team, the drama presents 'a destiny-shaping, class-breaking romance between Seong Hee-joo (Lee Ji-eun), a woman who has everything as a chaebol heiress but is annoyed by the fact that she is still a commoner, and Grand Prince Yi An (Byeon Woo-seok), a man who is the king's son yet cannot have anything".

If this fictional constitutional monarchy setup feels familiar, it's because it's one of MBC's specialties. The network previously proved the formula's success with hits like "Princess Hours" (starring Yoon Eun-hye and Ju Ji-hoon) and "The King 2 Hearts" (starring Ha Ji-won and Lee Seung-gi). Naturally, expectations for "Perfect Crown" are rising.

The script was written by Yoo Ah-in-I (writer), who won the MBC Drama Script Contest. Industry insiders unanimously praise the script, noting that the casting of Lee Ji-eun and Byeon Woo-seok itself is proof of its strong quality. The drama will be directed by Park Joon-hwa, known for hits such as "Rude Miss Young-ae" series, "Let's Eat", and "Alchemy of Souls". This marks his first directing project for a major broadcast network.

The project carries major significance for the actors as well. For Lee Ji-eun, it is her first MBC drama in 18 years since her debut. Curiosity is high about what kind of synergy will emerge between Lee Ji-eun and MBC's signature dramatic tone.

Lee Ji-eun has consistently taken on bold transformations from one project to the next, most notably moving from tvN's "My Mister" to "Hotel Del Luna". With her acclaimed emotional performance in Netflix's "When Life Gives You Tangerines" earlier this year, viewers are eager to see what new transformation she will deliver in "Perfect Crown".

For Byeon Woo-seok, this marks his return after two years. His previous work was tvN's "Lovely Runner", the drama that catapulted him to stardom. Choosing "Perfect Crown"at the peak of public anticipation is drawing even more attention.

This drama is also crucial for the MBC drama division. Throughout 2025, MBC released works such as "Motel California", "Undercover High School", "Crushology 101", "Oh My Ghost Clients", "Mary Kills People", and "To the Moon", but none became major hits. Although the recently aired "Moon River" is showing some promise, it's still too early to determine its success.

Given this backdrop, industry expectations for "Perfect Crown" are enormous. But with high expectations comes considerable pressure. Both Lee Ji-eun and Byeon Woo-seok face many new challenges, including the task of surpassing their own massively successful previous works.

One broadcasting insider commented, "It is definitely one of MBC's biggest upcoming titles. But with viewers' standards rising so much lately, relying solely on big-name actors won't guarantee success".