'Itaewon Class' to get Thai adaptation
"Itaewon Class" is set to be adapted into a Thai television drama. Courtesy of GMMTV
Two Korean webtoons, "Itaewon Class" and "The Spooky Love Tale of Gongchan Seol," are set to be adapted into Thai television dramas, extending the international reach of Korean webtoon-based productions.
"Itaewon Class," which has already been adapted for television in Korea, Japan and Taiwan, will expand into Thailand, while "The Spooky Love Tale of Gongchan Seol" will be reimagined as a horror romance series for local audiences.
Kakao Entertainment said Thursday that both titles were included in the drama lineup unveiled Tuesday at GMMTVNEXT: GENERATION HAPPY, a production presentation hosted by Thai entertainment company GMMTV. The main cast members were also announced at the event.
GMMTV operates across television dramas, films, variety shows and artist management. Its productions include "2gether The Series," which gained popularity internationally.
The Thai remake of "Itaewon Class," based on a webtoon by creator Kwang Jin, is tentatively titled "ITAEWON CLASS THAI EDITION." The cast includes Sky Wongravee, Film Rachanun, who reiceved the Asia Star Award at the 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards, and Nychaa Nuttanicha.
One notable change in the Thai adaptation involves Chairman Jang Dae-hee, a central antagonist in the original story. The character, originally male, will be portrayed as a woman in the remake, potentially reshaping the power dynamics and conflicts at the heart of the series.
The story of young people standing by their principles and challenging injustice will also be reinterpreted to reflect Thai culture and sensibilities.
"Itaewon Class" follows a group of young people who open a small restaurant business and pursue their dreams while remaining true to their beliefs. According to Kakao Entertainment, the original webtoon has surpassed 420 million cumulative views in Korea and is the company's most widely licensed story intellectual property (IP) for overseas adaptations.
The webtoon was adapted into a Korean television drama starring Park Seo-joon in 2020, followed by the Japanese remake "Roppongi Class" in 2022. A Taiwanese adaptation, the HBO original series "Fired Up!," premiered in July this year. The story has also been adapted into a musical in Japan.
The Thai version will mark the fourth country to produce a television adaptation of the story. A release date has yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, "The Spooky Love Tale of Gongchan Seol," a webtoon by creator YSE, will be adapted into a Thai horror romance drama titled "The Spooky Love Tale."
The original webtoon has recorded 20 million cumulative views on KakaoPage. Its story blends supernatural horror, in which frightening events from a novel intersect with reality, with romance between its characters.
The adaptation will be directed by Tossaphon Riantong, who previously directed "I Promised You the Moon," a Thai series that won a best drama award at the Nataraja Awards, a major Thai television awards ceremony.
Thipakorn Thitathan will play Chan, the Thai counterpart of Seol Gong-chan in the original webtoon, while Phakin Kunaanuwit will portray Min, the counterpart of Woo Young-min.
The adaptation will explore how the horror arising from the blurred boundary between fiction and reality intertwines with the relationship between the two central characters.
The two projects highlight Kakao Entertainment's efforts to expand the overseas adaptation of its webtoon properties, combining an established coming-of-age story that has already been remade in several countries with a horror romance featuring a different narrative style.
"Adaptations are continuing across a broad range of titles, from our flagship works loved around the world to stories featuring original genres and subject matter," a Kakao Entertainment official said.
"We will continue pursuing screen adaptations and genre expansion in global markets based on our diverse portfolio of story IP."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.