{
  "id": 1880515,
  "title": "Actor Lee Soo-hyuk's mid-production departure from drama leaves many puzzled",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/actor-lee-soo-hyuks-mid-production-departure-from-drama-leaves-many",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-19T06:52:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/shows-dramas/20260819/actor-lee-soo-hyuks-mid-production-departure-from-drama-leaves-many-puzzled"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Actor Lee Soo-hyuk abruptly left the Netflix drama \"Men of the Harem\" during its production, leaving many perplexed. His agency, Saram Entertainment, revealed on Wednesday that the actor was exiting the project due to scheduling conflicts. \"Men of the Harem\" is a palace romance-fantasy drama based on a web novel, set in a fictional world and centered around Latil, an empress of the Tarium Empire, and the political machinations of her five royal consorts vying for her love. The drama, directed by Lee Eung-bok, who has previously directed popular shows like \"Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,\" \"Descendants of the Sun,\" \"Mr. Sunshine,\" and \"Sweet Home,\" was scheduled for release next year. The cast also included Suzy, Shin Seung-ho, Dex, Kim Dan, and Yoo Jung-hoo. However, Lee Soo-hyuk's sudden withdrawal is anticipated to bring challenges to the production. His agency did not offer additional information. Another actor, Lee Jong-won, is reportedly being considered for the role, with an official from his agency, The Black Label, confirming this to the Hank.",
  "summary": "In an unexpected and puzzling move, actor Lee Soo-hyuk withdrew from the Netflix drama “Men of the Harem” while production was underway. His agency, Saram Entertainment, confirmed Wednesday that the actor was dropping out of the project, citing scheduling conflicts. Based on a web novel of the same name, “Men of the Harem” is a palace romance-fantasy drama set in a fictional world. The story…",
  "key_points": [
    "Actor Lee Soo-hyuk abruptly left Netflix drama \"Men of the Harem\" during production.",
    "Agency Saram Entertainment cited scheduling conflicts as the reason for his exit.",
    "Replacement actor Lee Jong-won reportedly being considered, with confirmation from his agency."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Actor Lee Soo-hyuk's mid-production departure from drama leaves many puzzled",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/actor-lee-soo-hyuks-mid-production-departure-from-drama-leaves-many-1882396",
        "published": "2026-08-19T07:02:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}