Inside the press conference of the most highly anticipated K-dramas this year&nbsp;

Disney+ set the stage in Seoul for one of its most talked-about Korean series of the year, Perfect Crown. With its April 10 premiere fast approaching, the cast and creative team gathered to offer a closer look at a drama that blends royal tradition with modern ambition.
The tone was set the moment IU and Byeon Woo-seok walked in. Dressed like their characters from the official posters, they looked as though they had stepped straight out of the series itself. The idea came from Byeon, and it immediately won over the room. Cameras flashed, and the atmosphere felt more like a scene from the show than a typical press event.
Joining them were Noh Sang-hyun, Gong Seung-yeon, Yu Su-bin, Lee Yeon, and director Park Joon-hwa. Together, they introduced Perfect Crown as a romantic comedy with a sharp edge, set in an alternate present-day Korea where the monarchy still holds power.
At the centre of the story is Grand Prince I-AN, a widely adored royal caught in a quiet but dangerous struggle within the palace. With growing pressure to marry, he enters a calculated partnership with Hui-ju, a bold and ambitious heiress to a major conglomerate. What begins as a strategic arrangement soon becomes complicated, as feelings develop and control starts to slip.
Director Park didn&rsquo;t hold back when describing the show&rsquo;s appeal. He promised it would have &ldquo;hearts fluttering&rdquo; and insisted it &ldquo;will not be boring for one second&rdquo;.

For IU, the role of Hui-ju was an easy decision. &ldquo;She has everything except the noble status she wants,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Frustration is the key word that describes who this girl is.&rdquo; Yet that frustration isn&rsquo;t all there is to her. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s greedy but also adorable,&rdquo; IU added, calling Hui-ju a &ldquo;fascinating and three-dimensional character&rdquo; that made the project a &ldquo;no-brainer&rdquo;.
Byeon Woo-seok, who plays I-AN, spoke about the quiet complexity behind his character&rsquo;s polished image. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the beloved royal of Korea, yet he can&rsquo;t outshine anyone,&rdquo; he explained. That limitation shapes his identity. &ldquo;Despite his charismatic demeanour, he has a tortured soul with unspoken burdens,&rdquo; Byeon said, adding that he &ldquo;really wanted to flesh out this character&rdquo; because he could relate to I-AN&rsquo;s backstory.
That sense of emotional restraint runs through the palace itself. The Prime Minister, played by Noh Sang-hyun, brings a calculated coldness, while Gong Seung-yeon&rsquo;s Queen Mother appears distant but is internally &ldquo;trying to stop things from falling apart&rdquo;. Her loyalty, above all else, lies with the royal family and the country.
One of the biggest challenges for the production was making a modern monarchy feel believable. Director Park approached this with careful attention to detail. &ldquo;I try to focus on what kind of physical space a royal family in this day and age will be in,&rdquo; he said. From architecture to wardrobe, everything was designed to feel cohesive. &ldquo;I wanted to make the premise seem as seamless and natural as possible for the viewer.&rdquo;
Costumes, in particular, played a key role in bridging past and present. Byeon admitted it might seem tricky at first, but in practice it felt natural. &ldquo;The costumes might seem difficult at first, but mixing the two was natural,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Hanbok designs are clean and timeless, which makes them easy to incorporate with modern pieces.&rdquo; He worked closely with the styling team, noting that he had &ldquo;lengthy discussions&rdquo; about everything from clothing to hair and make-up to fully shape I-AN&rsquo;s look.&nbsp;

Courtesy of MBC

IU, meanwhile, found a different kind of enjoyment in her character&rsquo;s wardrobe. &ldquo;I was actually having fun playing this chaebol heiress because I get to wear all these amazing clothes and accessories,&rdquo; she said. Hui-ju&rsquo;s public image also sets her apart. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s almost like an influencer or celebrity. People make memes of her and pay attention to her,&rdquo; IU explained. &ldquo;That makes her unlike regular chaebol heiresses. It&rsquo;s what makes her a cannonball.&rdquo;
Despite the strong buzz surrounding Perfect Crown, Byeon remained grounded when asked about expectations. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so extremely grateful,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not so much pressure I feel. I&rsquo;m going to do my best to repay all that interest.&rdquo; Rather than feeling burdened, he sees it as encouragement. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t see it as pressure. I just feel happy that people are interested.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s also a personal connection between the two leads that adds another layer to the story. IU and Byeon last worked together ten years ago, and both reflected on how that history shaped their reunion. &ldquo;IU makes you feel at ease instantly,&rdquo; Byeon said. IU, in turn, joked about their past roles. &ldquo;Last time, he played a character that hurt me,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This time, it feels like he&rsquo;s making up for all that hurt. It&rsquo;s almost like he&rsquo;s been waiting a decade to repay it.&rdquo; When asked if they would collaborate again sooner, IU smiled and said, &ldquo;I think ten years is a good length to wait.&rdquo;
Director Park admitted he felt some pressure stepping into the project, especially given the star power involved. &ldquo;I actually got on board after the two were cast,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When I heard that these two were cast, I was just very grateful.&rdquo; There was also a personal push. &ldquo;My daughter is a big fan of IU, so she told me I had to do this project,&rdquo; he added with a laugh.&nbsp;Still, that pressure has shifted into confidence. &ldquo;While I&rsquo;m nervous, the staff and I just can&rsquo;t wait to release the episodes,&rdquo; he said.

Courtesy of Disney+

For Byeon, portraying I-AN required staying close to the character&rsquo;s emotional core. &ldquo;First, I had trust in the script,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Second, the actors helped me feel the sadness my character felt and kept me in that pocket of emotion.&rdquo;
IU&rsquo;s decision to join the project came down to one thing: the script. &ldquo;We got to read up to episode four, and it was so fast-paced and fun that I read it in one sitting,&rdquo; she said. What stood out most was the dynamic between the characters. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re all so charming, and seeing them live alongside one another with those comedy elements really made it for me.&rdquo;
She also admired Hui-ju&rsquo;s strength. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s not afraid to attack the attacker in order to protect herself and what she believes in,&rdquo; IU said.Taken together, the cast&rsquo;s insights point to a series that balances humour, romance, and quiet emotional tension. Perfect Crown is not just about royalty or romance, but about power, identity, and the risks people take when they start to want more than they&rsquo;re allowed.
When it premieres on Disney+ on April 10, it looks set to deliver exactly what its creators promise: a story that feels fresh, fast-moving, with laughter and a lot of heart.&nbsp;

IU & Byeon Woo-seok Lead a Royal Romance in Disney+'s 'Perfect Crown'

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