Posted on: January 16, 2026, 06:55h.
Last updated on: January 16, 2026, 06:55h.
Netflix has confirmed production on a new Korean TV series set in a casino, expanding its already dominant slate of Korean originals. The Dealer is a high‑stakes crime drama produced by Hwang Dong‑hyuk, the creator of Netflix’s global phenomenon Squid Game, which remains the streamer’s most‑watched series of all time.
Netflix announced the project in Seoul, confirming that production is underway and that Hwang is producing through his company, Firstman Studio, the same banner behind Squid Game.
Squid Gaming
The K-drama centers on Jung So‑min (Love Reset, Alchemy of Souls, Love Next Door), as Geonhwa, described by Netflix as “a brilliant casino dealer whose wedding plans suddenly fall apart” after she becomes the victim of a housing scam. In order to successfully make it down the aisle, she is forced to reenter the “dangerous world of gambling” she once left behind.
As she attempts to salvage her future, Geonhwa must tap into “long‑suppressed abilities” (either a heightened intuition or supernatural perception) that give her an edge at the tables.
Ryoo Seung‑bum (Good News, Tazza: One Eyed Jack, The Berlin File) co‑stars as Hwang Chisu, a financially desperate gambler who survives hand‑to‑mouth on whatever he can win at the tables. He becomes entangled in Geonhwa’s escalating scheme as the stakes rise.
Lee Soo‑hyuk (S Line, Queen Woo) appears as Jo Jun, a formidable and unreadable casino player whose presence complicates every table he sits at. Ryu Kyung‑soo (The Bequeathed, JUNG_E, YADANG: The Snitch) plays Choi Wooseung, Geonhwa’s fiancé — a gentle partner at home but a relentless detective at work, adding another layer of tension as Geonhwa descends deeper into the gambling underworld.
The Dealer marks the series‑directorial debut of Choi Young‑hwan, one of Korea’s most respected cinematographers. His credits include major box‑office hits such as Smugglers, Veteran, Tazza: The High Rollers, and The Thieves. Young-hwan is widely praised for dynamic, kinetic visuals that elevate genre storytelling, and Netflix notes that he “is set to bring the glitz, tension, and allure of the casino world to life.”
With Hwang producing, Choi directing, and Firstman Studio backing the project, Netflix is positioning The Dealer as a prestige Korean crime series with global appeal.
