A fresh slice of military life-and-laughter is on the menu: streaming platform TVING has officially green-lit Kitchen Soldier (working title) and locked in its quartet of leads—Park Ji-hoon, Han Dong-hee, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Lee Hong-nae. The project adapts the hit Naver web novel/webtoon “The Legend of the Cook Soldier” and is being produced by Studio Dragon and Studio N in partnership with TVING.
Release Date
TVING has pencilled the series in for a 2026 premiere. While an exact drop date is still under wraps, insiders say it is being positioned for the streamer’s mid-2026 content slate, giving the team plenty of runway after principal photography kicks off later this year. Global licensing talks—most notably with Viki—are already underway, so overseas viewers can expect near-simulcast availability.
A “mess-hall RPG” premise
Penned by former army-cook-turned-screenwriter Choi Yong and helmed by director Jo Nam-hyung (The Fiery PriestAD), the series re-imagines barracks life as a game-like quest: a rookie private swaps his rifle for a chef’s knife, levels up through kitchen challenges, and tries to keep his unit fed—and alive—at the remote Gangrim Outpost. Expect slapstick chaos, mouth-watering food-porn montages, and a surprising dose of heart.
Who’s who in the galley
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Park Ji-hoon (Weak Hero Class 1) stars as Private Kang Sung-jae, once the pride of basic training but now a “problem soldier” after a mysterious quest lands him on kitchen duty.
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Yoon Kyung-ho (Crash Course in Romance) is Sergeant Park Jae-young, the fourth-platoon admin NCO whose volcanic temper and thick dialect earn him the nickname “time-bomb.”
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Han Dong-hee (Duty After School) portrays First Lieutenant Cho Ye-rin, the outspoken commanding officer labelled the “ugly duckling” among elite academy peers.
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Lee Hong-nae (The Uncanny Counter) rounds out the cast as Sergeant Yoon Dong-hyun, a taste-bud-challenged veteran cook counting down his final 100 days—until Kang Sung-jae shows up and upends his plans.
Production outlook
Backed by Studio Dragon’s blockbuster pedigree and Studio N’s webtoon-to-screen track record, Kitchen Soldier is TVING’s latest swing at high-concept adaptations after hits like Island and Duty After School. Large-scale mess-hall sets and military consultants aim to capture the 4 a.m. breakfast rush, bulk kimchi prep, and camaraderie forged over ladles and ration packs. Filming is expected to begin in the latter half of 2025.
Why the buzz?
The show mashes up two perennial Korean crowd-pleasers—army humor and foodie storytelling—while giving breakout star Park Ji-hoon another underdog role tailor-made for his expressive acting. Add Yoon Kyung-ho’s comic bite, Han Dong-hee’s rising-star charisma, and Lee Hong-nae’s scene-stealing gravitas, and the recipe looks promising for both laughs and feels. If all goes to plan, this kitchen brigade will be serving its first episode to hungry viewers worldwide in 2026.
