IU (Lee Ji-eun) and Byeon Woo-seok feature in the upcoming South Korean romantic comedy K-drama Perfect Crown, which is also known as Wife of a 21st Century Prince. The show’s high-profile leads and contemporary constitutional-monarchy setting which have made it one of the most awaited K-dramas of 2026.

Perfect Crown Release Date Speculations

It is officially scheduled for release on April 3, 2026, Perfect Crown (also known as Wife of a 21st Century Prince; Korean title: 21세기 대군 부인). The love comedy will stream concurrently on Disney+ for world wide viewers and air on MBC TV in South Korea from Friday to Saturday.

The broadcast of the 12-episode series is scheduled to last until early May 2026. Following reported scheduling changes, subsequent listings and network confirmations have solidified April 3 as the premiere date. Previously, industry rumors had suggested a late-2025 or early-2026 launch.

Perfect Crown is positioned as one of the network’s premier dramas for the first half of 2026 thanks to its dual MBC and Disney+ release.

Perfect Crown Expected Cast

IU (L Di-‘s-s. plays the lead role in the drama as Sung Hee-joothe astute and driven second daughter of a wealthy chaebol family. Her upbringing limits her social status despite her wealth and intelligence, which feeds her need for acceptance and legitimacy.

In a contemporary constitutional monarchy, Byeon Woo-seok plays Prince Yi Ahnthe quiet second son of the monarch, across from her. Ahn is a figure of quiet seclusion rather than privilege because, although being born into royalty, he lives under political suspicion and emotional restriction.

Noh Sang-hyun, Gong Seung-yeon, Yoo Soo-binthe prince’s devoted assistant, and Lee Yeon and Chae Seo-an are among the supporting cast members. One of the main reasons for the drama’s initial excitement was the combination of IU and Byeon Woo-seokwhich is their first full lead collaboration.

Yoo Ah-in wrote the story, and Park Joon-hwawho is renowned for visually stunning hits like Alchemy of Souls and What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, is in charge of directing.

Perfect Crown Potential Plot

Perfect Crown centers on a strategic contract marriage between two emotionally unfulfilled people from opposing extremities of the power spectrum, and is set in a redesigned modern-day South Korea functioning as a constitutional monarchy.

Sung Hee-joo, upset by her lack of “true status” despite her elite family, proposes a premeditated union to Prince Yi Ahn. Despite his initial resistance, the circumstances eventually force them into a compromise that conflates political necessity with personal sentiment. He has royal blood but no freedom, and she has material power without legitimacy, therefore their relationship is based on compromise, conflict, and hesitant trust.

The show explores social differences, identity, ambition, and the price of inherited positions while fusing romantic comedy with palace intrigue. The drama is positioned as both a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy and a character-driven romance according to early teasers and stills that imply a balance of sharp squabbling, chic modern royalty aesthetics, and emotionally deep storytelling.