Dear Hongrang Netflix K-Drama: Cast, Book, Trailer - Netflix Tudum

  • Deep Dive

    Dear Hongrang: Everything You Need to Know About the K-Drama

    Based on a book, the series follows a woman whose alleged half-brother returns after 12 years.

    By Ingrid Ostby
    May 20, 2025

Twelve years after the heir to a prominent merchant family mysteriously disappears, a stranger shows up and claims to be him. Sensing something amiss, his half-sister seeks to uncover the man’s true identity. In the process, the two grow close. Directed by Kim Hong-sun (Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area) and written by Kim Jin-A (Dr. Brain), the Korean period drama Dear Hongrang stars Lee Jae-wook, Cho Bo-ah, and Jung Ga-ram.

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When will Dear Hongrang be released?

Stream the 11-episode series now.

Lee Jae-wook as Hongrang, Park Byung-eun as Yeol-guk, and Uhm Ji-won as Yeon-ui sit in front of a table full of tall desserts in an image from ‘Dear Hongrang.’
Eunjung Kim/Netflix

Where can I find the trailer for Dear Hongrang?

Check it out at the top of this page. 

Who’s in the cast of Dear Hongrang?

  • Lee Jae-wook (Alchemy of Souls) as Hongrang
  • Kim Ji-yul as young Sim Jae-yi, Hongrang’s sister
  • Cho Bo-ah (Destined with You) as Sim Jae-yi
  • Jung Ga-ram (Love Alarm) as Sim Mu-jin, who the Sims adopted after Hongrang’s disappearance
  • Uhm Ji-won (Little Women, 2022) as Min Yeon-ui, Jae-yi and Hongrang’s mother
  • Park Byung-eun (The Bequeathed) as Sim Yeol-guk, Jae-yi and Hongrang’s mother
  • Kim Jae-uck (Melo Movie) as Grand Prince Han-pyeong
Cho Bo-ah as Jae-yi and Lee Jae-wook as Hongrang embrace in ‘Dear Hongrang.’
Eunjung Kim/Netflix

What happens in Dear Hongrang?

The Sims, who run the Min Family’s Guild, are the largest merchant family in the Joseon era. Their matriarch, Yeol-guk (Park), has two children: Jae-yi (Cho) and Hongrang. But one day, Hongrang — the Sims’ only son and heir — vanishes. To provide their family with a new heir, Yeol-guk takes in Mu-jin (Jung), whose esteemed family fell from grace. Though Jae-yi grows close to her adopted brother, she never gives up her search for Hongrang. Twelve years later, to everyone’s surprise, Hongrang returns. While his mother, Yeon-ui (Uhm), is overjoyed to have him back, Jae-yi is suspicious: She’s convinced this man isn’t who he claims to be. Now she’s on a mission to find out who he really is — and why he’s infiltrated their lives. As Jae-yi continues her desperate search for the real Hongrang, with the help of the doting Mu-jin, she battles her growing feelings for this mysterious stranger. 

Kim Jae-uck as Grand Prince Han-pyeong in ‘Dear Hongrang’
Eunjung Kim/Netflix

Is Dear Hongrang based on a book?

Yes, it’s based on the 2021 novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold by Jang Da-hye.

Is Dear Hongrang based on a true story?

No. Dear Hongrang is historical fiction. 

Where does Dear Hongrang take place?

The series takes place at the Min Family’s Guild in the mountains of South Korea sometime during the Joseon dynasty, which lasted from 1392 to 1910.

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