Lee Junyoung Cast in JTBC’s 2026 Drama ‘Rookie Employee Kang Chairman’
Sep 10, 2025
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Lee Joon-young will appear as Kang Yong-ho and Hwang Jun-hyun in JTBC's new drama `Rookie Employee Kang Chairman' (creator Kim Soon-ok/playwright locals/director Ko Hye-jin/production SLL, Corpus Korea), which is scheduled to air in 2026.
Kang Yong-ho, chairman of the leading conglomerate Choi Sung Group, called the God of Business, is a reminded life story about Kang Yong-ho, who lives an unwanted second life due to an accident. It is based on the original web novel of 『The Youngest Son of the Congregation』, which achieved the highest ratings in the Korean miniseries in 2022.
In particular, writer Kim Soon-ok, who has written mara-flavored dramas representing Korea, such as the series "Penthouse" and "Wife's Temptation", participated as a creator, raising expectations.
Lee Joon-young plays Hwang Joon-hyun, a soccer player who experiences an unexpected collision as soon as he joins FC Choi Sung, the first division of the league, in 'new employee Kang Chairman' and turns his soul against Kang Yong-ho, the chairman of the conglomerate Choi Sung Group.
Kang Yong-ho's soul, which is reversed from Hwang Jun-hyun's soul, is an outstanding CEO who established the 10th largest conglomerate Choi Sung Group in the business world, and instead of the Premier League, which is the stage of his dreams, he starts to take unpredictable steps by applying for new employees at large companies. Questions are amplified about the future of Kang Yong-ho, who will realize a cool-headed business mind through Hwang Jun-hyun's healthy body and write a new history in the new employee world.
Based on his long-established acting skills, Lee Joon-young will show his ever-changing charm by expressing the two faces of soccer player Hwang Jun-hyun and NEW Hwang Jun-hyun, who contain the soul of Kang Yong-ho, with delicate acting. Global fans are paying keen attention to Lee Joon-young's enthusiastic performance, which will surprise viewers with a new face that has never been shown before, from a passionate young man to a businessman in Gwanrok.
Lee Joon-young, who made his debut as an actor in 2017 with 「Buam-dong Vengeance」, won the Rookie of the Year Award in the Men's category 'MBC 2018 Acting Awards' for showing off his stable acting skills even though he was a rookie in 2018. Since then, he has been loved by global fans for his heartwarming visuals and delicate performances through various genres such as 'Mr. Period', 'Good Casting', 'Convenience Store Saetbyul', 'Please Don't Meet Him', 'Imitation', 'I'll Be Your Night', and 'Ildang Baekjipsa'.
In particular, Lee Joon-young became a scene stealer in the 2021 Netflix series 'D.P.' with a strong impression as a deserter, Jung Hyun-min. Choi Bu-yong, the villain in the Netflix series 'Mask Girl', and Han Su-gang, who frequently commits school violence in the movie 'Brave Citizen', fully expressed the best villain characters of all time, impressing their unrivaled presence.
This year, Lee Joon-young met with global viewers through a variety of productions, including the Netflix series 'MeloMovie' in February, 'MeloMovie'Movie' in March 'Insane Hero Class 2' and the KBS2 drama '24:00 Health Club'. He continues his "super-special trend" by breaking every work 'life character' with his acting skills that freely cross over from the heinous villain to the goosebumps romance and comic.
The new drama starring Lee Joon-young will air on JTBC in 2026.
lyn@sportschosun.com
