Still Waiting for ‘Knock Off’? Disney+ Shares Latest Word on Kim Soo-hyun’s K-Drama and Penalty Rumors

Disney+ Korea has once again addressed the status of Knock Off, the high-budget K-drama starring Kim Soo-hyun and Cho Bo-ah that was originally slated for release in the first half of 2025 but has remained indefinitely on hold.

According to News1, The remarks came during the “Disney+ Open House” event held on May 23 at the Gangnam Finance Center in Seoul, where Choi Yeon-woo, Head of Local Content at The Walt Disney Company Korea, spoke about the platform’s upcoming content strategy and future direction for Korean originals.

Initially positioned as a major tentpole project with a reported production budget of ₩60 billion, Knock Off had generated significant anticipation among viewers. The series was expected to follow the story of Kim Sung-jun, portrayed by Kim Soo-hyun, whose life is upended by the 1997 Asian financial crisis and who later rises to become a global figure in the counterfeit goods trade. However, the drama became mired in controversy when issues surrounding Kim Soo-hyun and the late actress Kim Sae-ron surfaced, leading to an indefinite delay in the show's release.

When asked about the current status of the project, Choi explained that the decision to suspend the release was made after careful internal review and remains unchanged. “That is our official position,” she stated, adding, “There have been no new developments since our initial announcement.” Regarding speculation over potential penalty fees—which some industry insiders estimate to be anywhere from ₩10 billion to ₩100 billion—Choi declined to comment, saying only, “We’re unable to respond to that.”

Significantly, Knock Off was noticeably absent from Disney+ Korea’s newly unveiled content lineup for the latter half of the year. Instead, the platform highlighted several high-profile titles that signal a renewed push for premium Korean content. Among the upcoming series are Tempest starring Jun Ji-hyun and Kang Dong-won, Made in Korea featuring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung, Low Life with Ryu Seung-ryong, Yang Se-jong, and Lim Soo-jung, and The Manipulated, starring Ji Chang-wook and Do Kyung-soo.

Choi emphasized that Disney+ Korea will continue to focus on high-impact, carefully curated titles that blend star power, strong IPs, and genre diversity. She also highlighted the company’s interest in developing franchise-worthy content and experimenting with emerging formats such as mid-form series. “We plan to actively discover and invest in stories with expansion potential, across a range of genres and formats, backed by proven creators and top-tier talent,” she noted.

With Knock Off still in limbo and no further updates on the horizon, attention now turns to how Disney+ will navigate both audience expectations and internal challenges as it continues its investment in the Korean content space.

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