IU surprised fans by revealing that she actually drank alcohol while filming When Life Gives You Tangerines.

On March 16, Netflix’s YouTube channel released a video featuring IU, Moon So Ri, and Park Hae Joon. The trio watched highlights from Part 2 and shared behind-the-scenes stories.

While watching a scene where she has a conversation with Park Hae Joon at a Chinese restaurant, IU confessed, “At that time, I actually had a drink. If the redness had been done with makeup, it might have looked a bit too cute.”

Park Hae Joon then talked about his own struggles while filming that scene. “It was tough matching the continuity—picking up the squid, slurping the noodles."

He added, "I kept debating whether to eat or not, picking it up and putting it down”. His comment made everyone laugh.

IU also shared details about her narration for Geum Myeong. “I recorded for almost two months. Before filming, we discussed the voice tone—I tried not to make it feel like a completely different person but kept it natural so it would gradually connect to the senior actor’s voice."

She added, "Geum Myeong’s normal speaking voice is close to my natural lower tone, while the narration voice was done in the lowest tone I could produce to distinguish the age difference”.

Fans are loving IU’s dedication to her role, from real drinks to perfecting her narration!

Source: [1]

SBS's new fantasy historical drama The Haunted Palace is already making waves both in South Korea and around the world.

Starring Yook Sung Jae and Bona, the show exploded in popularity during its very first week — topping Netflix charts in multiple countries and hitting double-digit TV ratings straight out of the gate.

On Korean television, The Haunted Palace shocked viewers with a strong start. Episode 1 pulled in a peak nationwide rating of 10.7%, instantly breaking the double-digit barrier.

The Seoul area rating and the national average were both 9.2%, making it the highest-rated premiere of any SBS drama in 2025 so far.

It also beat out other SBS dramas like Love Scout and Buried Hearts, and even took the #1 spot among all mini-series aired that week, showing that this drama isn’t just trending — it’s leading the pack. (According to Nielsen Korea)

And the success didn’t stop on TV.

As soon as The Haunted Palace dropped on Netflix, it jumped straight to #1 on “Today’s Top 10 TV Shows in South Korea”, proving its massive popularity on streaming platforms.

Globally, it also ranked #1 in the TV series category in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, showing that international fans are just as hooked.
(According to FlixPatrol, April 21)

The drama is also doing incredibly well on South Korea’s own streaming trend charts. On KinoLights — a platform that tracks trends across all streaming services — The Haunted Palace ranked #1 overall, beating both films and dramas. (As of April 19)

Fans are loving the unique story, which mixes fantasy, comedy, and creepy mystery. The drama follows Yeori, a shaman who denies her fate, and Kang Cheol I, a mythical Imoogi spirit trapped inside her first love’s body. Together, they face off against a terrifying ghost called Palcheok Gui — who has a dark grudge against the royal family.

Episode 2 added even more excitement, with Kang Cheol I hilariously struggling to live like a normal human after 1,000 years.

At the same time, Yeori starts hearing the voice of Yoon Gap’s spirit and tries to save him. By the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Prince Wonja (played by Park Jae Joon) is going mad due to Palcheok Gui — and that the ghost has already consumed Yoon Gap’s soul. The showdown between Kang Cheol I, Yeori, and the evil spirit is just getting started.

With high ratings and top OTT rankings, The Haunted Palace is quickly becoming one of the biggest drama hits of the year.

Episode 3 of The Haunted Palace airs on Friday, April 25 at 9:50 PM KST on SBS.

Source: [1]