'The Scandal': Netflix's take on uniquely Korean story raises expectations

Netflix’s The Scandal reinterprets the 2003 film Untold Scandal through a contemporary lens, with Joseon-era love, desire and social constraints at its center. Released on Netflix on Friday, it stars Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana as Lady Jo, Jo-won and Hee-yeon. The series is framed as a global introduction to a distinctly Korean story rather than a simple remake. Its appeal rests on how it preserves Joseon’s historical setting while expanding the characters’ psychology across multiple episodes.

The 2003 film Untold Scandal drew 4.15 million moviegoers despite an adults-only rating.

The original film starred Bae Yong-joon, Lee Mi-sook and Jeon Do-yeon.

Son Ye-jin plays Lady Jo, Ji Chang-wook plays Jo-won and Nana plays Hee-yeon in the new series.

Director Jung Ji-woo said the story was given a modern reinterpretation by centering protagonists who ask, ‘Who am I?’

The article says the series gives more room than the film to explore characters’ desires, relationships, psychology and motivations across multiple episodes.

Published Sep 19, 2026 3:03 pm KST

From left, posters for the 2003 film “Untold Scandal” and Netflix's “The Scandal"

The 2003 film "Untold Scandal" is being reborn as a Netflix series. The new production goes beyond a simple remake, reinterpreting the original story from a contemporary perspective.

Released on Netflix on Friday, "The Scandal" follows Lady Jo, a woman of exceptional talent who finds life in the Joseon era too confining, and Jo-won, Joseon’s most notorious womanizer, as they engage in a provocative and dangerous wager over love. The story also centers on Hee-yeon, a woman who becomes entangled in their bet.

The French writer Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ novel "Les Liaisons dangereuses," which was adapted into the 2003 film "Untold Scandal" by relocating the story to the Joseon era, is once again being brought to the screen. The film, starring Bae Yong-joon, Lee Mi-sook and Jeon Do-yeon, drew widespread attention and attracted 4.15 million moviegoers despite receiving an adults-only rating. This time, Son Ye-jin, Ji Chang-wook and Nana take on the roles of Lady Jo, Jo-won and Hee-yeon, respectively.

One of the most notable aspects of the new production is its “new interpretation of a familiar story.” While the original film drew attention in Korea’s film industry at the time for its provocative subject matter and portrayal, the Netflix series has more room to explore the characters’ desires and relationships in greater detail.

According to director Jung Ji-woo, the newly completed movie is not simply a melodrama. The story has been given a modern reinterpretation by centering on protagonists who possess the modern concept of the self and ask, “Who am I?”

Ultimately, the key to the new film lies not in recreating the old story as it was, but in how it has transformed the desires of its characters in an old narrative so that contemporary viewers can relate to them.

Netflix as a platform also carries significance. Unlike the 2003 film, which was released in Korean theaters, the new series is being introduced from the outset to a global audience. It presents not simply a story that resonates in Korea, but one set in the specific time and place of Joseon, where love and desire unfold, to viewers around the world.

As Korean content continues to attract growing attention in global markets, there have been increasing examples of how what is “most Korean” can actually become a competitive advantage. Through content, audiences are being introduced not only to Korean food, music and fashion, but also to the country’s history, society, human relationships and emotional sensibilities.

"The Scandal" has emerged as a highly anticipated title. It puts the Korean setting of Joseon and the traditional structures governing relationships at the forefront. Love and desire are universal emotions that can be understood across national borders, while the social norms and historical setting surrounding them give the story a distinctly Korean character.

This is also an important point in the global strategy of Korean content. Rather than overly universalizing Korean subject matter to appeal to global viewers, the approach is to preserve Korea’s historical and cultural context while incorporating universal stories within it. "Squid Game" used the genre conventions of a survival game to portray the competitive structure of Korean society, while "Kingdom" combined the historical setting of Joseon with the zombie genre. "The Scandal," too, could offer a different kind of Korean story through love and desire in the Joseon era.

Of course, the social hierarchy of Joseon, the norms imposed on women and the social customs of the period may be difficult for global viewers to fully understand. But those very elements could also become a point of distinction. Unlike contemporary romances that audiences are already familiar with, the series offers relationships and conflicts that could only exist within a particular era and cultural setting, potentially providing viewers with a new kind of content experience.

Above all, "The Scandal" is significant in that it revisits a story from the past through the lens of a contemporary platform. A story that met audiences in theaters more than two decades ago is now reaching a much wider audience through a global streaming platform. A period drama that was considered provocative by Korean audiences at the time could be newly read in 2026 by global viewers as a story about distinctly Korean relationships and desires.

The series also has the opportunity to explore the story more deeply across multiple episodes rather than compressing it into a single film. This allows greater attention to the characters’ psychology, changing relationships and motivations behind their desires. In particular, if the relationship among Lady Jo, Jo-won and Hee-yeon expands beyond a simple love triangle to explore each character’s desires and choices, it could create a different kind of appeal from the original.

Set against Joseon, one of the most distinctly Korean backdrops, "The Scandal" places the universal emotions of love and desire at its center. For Korean viewers who remember the original film, it could feel familiar yet new; for global viewers encountering the story for the first time, it could offer an unfamiliar but intriguing Korean story. The question now is whether the series can deliver on that promise.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Netflix出品的《绯闻》以当代视角重新诠释了2003年的电影《丑闻》，故事核心围绕朝鲜时代的爱情、欲望和社会束缚展开。该剧于周五在Netflix上线，由孙艺珍、池昌旭和Nana分别饰演赵夫人、赵媛和熙妍。这部剧集并非简单的翻拍，而是以向全球观众介绍一个独特的韩国故事。它的魅力在于既保留了朝鲜的历史背景，又在多集剧情中深入刻画了人物的心理。

2003 年的电影《丑闻秘史》虽然被评为成人级，但仍吸引了 415 万观众。

原版电影由裴勇俊、李美淑和全度妍主演。

在新剧中，孙艺珍饰演赵夫人，池昌旭饰演赵元，Nana饰演熙妍。

导演郑智宇表示，该剧以追问“我是谁？”的主人公为中心，对故事进行了现代化的重新诠释。

文章指出，与电影相比，剧集有更多空间在多集篇幅中探索角色的欲望、关系、心理和动机。

发布于2026年9月19日下午3:03（韩国标准时间）

从左至右分别是2003年电影《丑闻秘史》和Netflix剧集《丑闻》的海报。

2003年的电影《丑闻秘史》将被改编成Netflix剧集。这部新剧并非简单的翻拍，而是从当代视角重新诠释了原著故事。

Netflix于周五上线的剧集《绯闻》讲述了才华横溢的赵夫人（Lady Jo）的故事。她觉得朝鲜时代的生活过于压抑，而赵元（Jo-won）则是朝鲜最臭名昭著的花花公子。两人为了爱情打赌，展开了一场充满挑衅和危险的较量。故事的另一条线索是熙妍（Hee-yeon），她也被卷入了这场赌局之中。

法国作家皮埃尔·肖德洛·德·拉克洛的小说《危险关系》曾于2003年被改编成电影《丑闻》，故事背景设定在朝鲜时代。如今，这部小说将再次被搬上银幕。该片由裴勇俊、李美淑和全度妍主演，尽管被评为成人级，仍吸引了415万观众，引起了广泛关注。此次，孙艺珍、池昌旭和Nana将分别饰演赵夫人、赵媛和熙妍。

这部新剧最引人注目的特点之一是它“对一个耳熟能详的故事进行了全新的诠释”。虽然原版电影因其大胆的主题和刻画方式在当时的韩国电影界引起了广泛关注，但Netflix剧集则有更多空间去更深入地探讨角色的欲望和关系。

据导演郑智宇介绍，这部新完成的电影并非简单的爱情剧。故事以拥有现代自我观念并提出“我是谁？”这一问题的主人公为中心，进行了现代化的重新诠释。

归根结底，这部新电影的关键不在于原原本本，而在于它如何改变旧叙事中人物的欲望，使当代观众能够产生共鸣。

Netflix作为平台也意义非凡。与2003年在韩国院线上映的电影不同，这部新剧从一开始就面向全球观众。它呈现的不仅仅是一个在韩国引起共鸣的故事，更是一个发生在朝鲜时代特定地点、充满爱与欲望的故事，让世界各地的观众都能感同身受。

随着韩国内容在全球市场持续受到关注，越来越多的案例表明，“最韩国化”的元素实际上可以转化为竞争优势。通过这些内容，观众不仅能了解韩国美食、音乐和时尚，还能了解韩国的历史、社会、人际关系和情感表达。

《丑闻》已成为备受期待的作品。它以朝鲜王朝为背景，着重展现了当时传统的人际关系结构。爱情和欲望是超越国界的普世情感，而与之相关的社会规范和历史背景则赋予了故事鲜明的韩国特色。

这也是韩国内容全球化战略中的一个重要方面。与其为了迎合全球观众而过度地将韩国题材普世化，不如在保留韩国历史文化背景的同时，融入普世的故事。《鱿鱼游戏》运用生存游戏的类型元素来展现韩国社会的竞争结构，《王国》则将朝鲜王朝的历史背景与丧尸题材相结合。《绯闻》同样可以通过朝鲜时代的爱情与欲望，讲述一个别具一格的韩国故事。

当然，朝鲜时代的社会等级制度、女性所受的约束以及当时的社会习俗，对于全球观众来说可能难以完全理解。但这些因素也可能成为该剧的独特之处。与观众已经熟悉的当代爱情剧不同，该剧展现的人际关系和冲突只能存在于特定的时代和文化背景下，从而有可能为观众带来全新的内容体验。

《丑闻》最重要的意义在于，它以当代视角重新审视了一段尘封已久的故事。这部二十多年前曾在影院上映的作品，如今通过全球流媒体平台触及了更广泛的受众。这部在当时被韩国观众视为颇具争议的时代剧，或许会在2026年被全球观众重新解读，成为一部展现韩国独特人际关系和欲望的佳作。

该剧集也有机会通过多集篇幅更深入地探讨故事，而不是将其压缩成一部电影。这使得剧集能够更细致地刻画人物心理、不断变化的人际关系以及他们欲望背后的动机。特别是，如果赵夫人、赵元和熙妍之间的关系超越简单的三角恋，深入挖掘每个角色的欲望和选择，那么它可能会创造出与原作截然不同的魅力。

《绯闻》以朝鲜王朝为背景，将爱情和欲望这一普世情感置于核心。对于看过原版电影的韩国观众来说，这部剧既熟悉又新鲜；而对于首次接触这个故事的全球观众来说，它则呈现了一个陌生却引人入胜的韩国故事。现在的问题是，这部剧能否不负众望。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。