Park Ji Hoon's 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' confirms May premiere with simultaneous TVING and tvN broadcast

07 Apr 2026, 23:30 by K-Soul · allkpop

'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,' starring Park Ji Hoon and widely anticipated as one of the most talked-about releases of the first half of the year, has finalized its broadcast schedule and is ready to meet viewers.

According to an exclusive report by Ilgan Sports on April 7, the TVING original drama 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' will premiere on May 11 at 8:50 PM. It will follow 'Yumi’s Cells 3' as TVING’s next original series while also taking over the Monday-Tuesday time slot on tvN.

The series is a military cooking fantasy drama that follows the journey of a cook soldier who trades his rifle for a kitchen knife and his ammunition belt for an apron, ultimately becoming a legend. The story centers on Kang Sung Jae (played by Park Ji Hoon), a young man from a disadvantaged background who enlists in the military to escape his harsh reality, only to encounter a mysterious virtual “quest” system during his service.

The project quickly gained attention as a highly anticipated title after Park Ji Hoon achieved box office success with the film 'The King's Warden,' surpassing 10 million moviegoers. Beyond his star power, the drama has drawn interest for its unique focus on military cooks—a subject rarely explored—along with its fresh concept and storytelling. It is expected to offer a different kind of entertainment compared to ENA’s upcoming military drama New Recruit 4: Sabotage, set to air later this year.

In a notable move, 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' will be released simultaneously on TVING and tvN without any prior early release on the streaming platform. Episodes will air once per day on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8:50 PM. While several TVING originals have previously been broadcast on tvN, most followed a strategy of early streaming release before their TV airing. Although No Gain No Love in 2024 was released simultaneously on both platforms, some scenes were edited differently depending on the viewing rating. True simultaneous scheduling—where both platforms release at the same time—remains rare.

This time, TVING has opted not to apply its recent “early release” strategy, which was used for titles such as Good or Bad Dong Jae, Won Gyeong, and Yumi’s Cells 3. Instead, the platform is drawing attention with a new distribution approach. By launching the series concurrently on both OTT and television, it aims to reach a broader audience—capturing both streaming users who do not watch TV and traditional TV viewers who do not use OTT services. The strategy is expected to reflect evolving content consumption habits and platform diversification.

Even ahead of its official release, 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' has already received international recognition. The drama was selected for a special screening in the non-competition section at Series Mania, a major drama festival held in Lille, France, from March 20 to 27. Having already earned praise overseas, expectations are high for its reception among domestic viewers as well.

With its simultaneous broadcast set to bring it straight into living rooms, anticipation is building over what kind of “legend” 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' will ultimately create.

Share this article SHARE