The Tyrant’s Chef (2025)

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Summary

“The Tyrant’s Chef” depicts the story of a chef who time-slips to the past the moment she reaches the top and meets the king, who is considered as the worst tyrant but is also the greatest gourmet.

“The Tyrant’s Chef” will explore the connection between taste and emotions as the chef from the future and the absolute palate of the tyrant collide. From a sweet yet perilous romance to tantalizing fusion dishes and intense palace intrigues, the drama promises a feast for the senses and the heart.

The production team shared, “Set in a fictional Joseon era, the drama will showcase the ultimate synergy of characters with diverse colors and flavors. We aim to deliver a delectable romance that connects people. We ask for your high expectations.”

Cast

• Im Yoon-ah – Yeon Ji-young
• Lee Chae-min – Lee Heon
• Kang Han-na – Kang Mok-ju
• Choi Gwi-hwa – Prince Jesan

News

“The Tyrant’s Chef” gained notoriety even before production due to its former male lead Park Sung-hoon being embroiled in controversy. This stems from the actor’s involvement in uploading explicit Japanese AV (adult video) content. On December 30 last year, Park Sung-hoon posted an explicit poster featuring Japanese AV actors dressed in costumes parodying Netflix’s “Squid Game 2” while depicting sexual acts on his personal SNS story.

The photo explicitly displayed the actors’ breasts, genitals and sexually suggestive poses. Although the post was deleted within about a minute, Park Sung-hoon’s SNS followers had already widely circulated the image.

Park Sung-hoon’s agency BH Entertainment initially issued a misleading explanation, further intensifying the controversy. BH claimed the upload was accidental, stating that Park Sung-hoon was checking his DMs (direct messages) when he inadvertently shared the image. However, a day later, they admitted this was false, revising their statement, “Park Sung-hoon received that thing (Japanese AV poster) via DM. Recognizing its problematic nature, he downloaded the image to forward it to the company staff. While intending to delete it after sharing, he accidentally uploaded it instead.” The agency’s inconsistent statements fueled fans’ anger.

Replacing Park Sung-hoon, Lee Chae-min was confirmed to take on the role of Lee Heon.