21st Century's Great Army Wife Premieres Today

MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama ‘21st Century Grand Prince's Wife’ airs its first episode today (the 10th). The drama has garnered anticipation, having been listed by Time Magazine as one of the ‘Most Anticipated Korean Dramas of 2026’.

The drama is set in 21st-century constitutional monarchy South Korea and tells the story of Seong Hee-ju (played by IU), a chaebol heiress with everything but frustrated by her commoner status, and Grand Prince Lee An (played by Byun Woo-seok), a prince who has nothing and is therefore sorrowful.

In the first episode, amidst a gathering of VIPs at the King's birthday banquet, chaebol heiress Seong Hee-ju and royal Prince Lee An meet for the first time. Seong Hee-ju, who has the limitations of being a commoner and born out of wedlock, attends the King's birthday banquet for the first time.

Seong Hee-ju, aiming to make her presence known, breaks the royal taboo of not wearing red at the palace and chooses a bold red suit, drawing the attention of Lee An and others.

The released photos show Seong Hee-ju and Grand Prince Lee An encountering each other at the King's birthday banquet. Notably, as the banquet's highlight, their eyes accidentally meet during the traditional fireworks display (Nakhwano-ri), sparking curiosity about their future relationship.