CJ ENM’s «The Legend of Kitchen Soldier» to premiere at Series Mania Forum 2026

CJ ENM’s upcoming military series The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is set to have its world premiere at the Series Mania 2026 festival in Lille, France.

Produced by Studio Dragon and co-produced by Studio N, the 12-episode dramedy is scheduled for release as a TVING Original. The series has been selected for the festival’s Special Screening program, where its first two 50-minute episodes will be shown to attendees. It marks the only South Korean title scheduled to premiere at this year’s event.

Directed by Nam Hyung Cho and written by Ryong Choi, The Legend of Kitchen Soldier is an adaptation of a popular webtoon. The high-concept story centers on Kang Sung-jae, a young man from a low-income background who enlists in the military to escape financial hardship.

His trajectory as an army cook takes an unexpected turn when he is introduced to a virtual «Quest» screen. As he completes various assigned tasks across the kitchens, dormitories, and training grounds using only cooking utensils, he begins to uncover hidden issues within his military unit.

Actor Park Ji-hoon leads the series as Kang Sung-jae. The ensemble cast also features Kyung-ho Yoon, Dong-hee Han, Hong-nae Lee, and Sang-yi Lee.

Series Mania programming officials have noted the show’s unique genre-blending approach. Carlo Fasino, Programming Manager at the festival, described the series as a ‘surrealist joyride’ that balances its formal daring with an original wit and a grounded lead performance by Park Ji-hoon. For CJ ENM, which is handling international sales, the premiere is part of a broader strategy to expand its global distribution network. Sebastian Kim, Head of the Content Distribution Business Unit at CJ ENM, stated that the company hopes to use this screening to open opportunities for the series to reach viewers through international streaming platforms and TV channels.

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CJ ENM

CJ ENM is a leading entertainment company founded in Korea in 1995. CJ ENM’s Entertainment division is engaged in a wide range of industry business areas, including media content, music, film and performing arts, providing its leading original content to various media platforms around the world. CJ ENM has created, produced and distributed globally-acclaimed content, including Oscar-winning film «Parasite,» Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots,” record-breaking Korean films including «Roaring Currents» and TV series such as «Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,» «I Can See Your Voice» and more. United under the slogan “We live to discover Untold Originals,” CJ ENM has three major production and distribution studios: drama production powerhouse Studio Dragon, U.S.-based studio Endeavor Content and K-OTT content production studio CJ ENM STUDIOS. CJ ENM also presents KCON, the world’s No.1 K-Culture festival, and MAMA AWARDS, the world’s No.1 K-POP awards, in order to bring K-culture experiences to people all over the world.
To learn more about CJ ENM, please visit: http://www.cjenm.com.

Contacts

cjwatch@watchcjenm.net