Korean star Ji Chang-wook and Japanese actor Mio Imada will star in the cast of cross-cultural romantic comedy “Merry Belly Love” (tentative title), scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2026.
This series tells the story of a struggling Korean spatial designer and a strawberry farmer who discover romance on a remote Japanese island. The project marks the first partnership between South Korean entertainment giant CJ ENM and Japan’s Nippon Television.
Disney+ announced the title at an original preview event held at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort on Thursday. The series is currently in production in South Korea and Japan.
Chan-wook (“The Manipulated”, “The Worst Evil”) will play space designer Lee Yu-bin, and Imada (“Tokyo Revengers”) will play strawberry farmer Karin Shirahama. Directed by Kim Soo-jung (“Semantic Error”) from a screenplay by Lee Jae-yoon (“Divorce Insurance”).
It will be developed and produced by CJ ENM (“Parasite,” “Queen of Tears”) and co-produced by Nippon Television (“Mother,” “Woman”). The series is scheduled to air on Nippon Television in Japan in 2026 and stream globally on Disney+ as part of a strategic partnership between Nippon Television Holdings and The Walt Disney Company (Japan).
Previews of Disney+ originals showcased the Japanese, Korean, and global series that will be available on the platform in 2026 and beyond, and featured some of the biggest names in Hollywood, Korean, and Japanese entertainment.
Nippon Television is one of Japan’s leading multi-platform entertainment companies and owns the streaming service Hulu in Japan. The company owns nearly 90% of its content IP and has been active in international distribution through animation, formats and co-production partnerships. One of its biggest successes has been the Emmy Award-winning “Dragon’s Den”/”Shark Tank” format.
