Squid Game Actor Lee Jung Jae’s New K-Drama Faces Backlash Over Controversial Age-Gap Casting
The actress will play Lee Jung Jae's first love in the drama.
Large age gaps between actors in the industry have always been a contentious issue in Indian cinema. However, it seems that South Korea faces a similar problem as well. Squid Game actor Lee Jung Jae’s upcoming K-drama Nice To Not Meet You recently drew criticism for its casting choices. The actresses cast alongside Jung Jae are Lim Ji Yeon and Oh Yeon Seo. Seo is 15 years old, younger than the actor and will allegedly play the actor’s former lover. Read on to learn more.
Lee Jung Jae’s Upcoming K-drama Not Nice To Meet You Slammed For Controversial Age Gap Casting
Upcoming drama Nice To Not Meet You has been facing backlash for casting Oh Yeon Seo as Lee Jung Jae’s first love in the show. Upon the reveal of this information, many K-drama fans became concerned about the 15-year-old age gap between the actors. They pointed out how awkward the two look together in previews released by the show. Many also said that they look more like a father-daughter duo than a former couple.
#OhYeonseo Confirmed To Join #LeeJungjae And #LimJiyeon In Upcoming Romance Drama
https://t.co/4bFZqF3o7P pic.twitter.com/bzXy2aBBqM
— kenterin (@kenterinEN) March 20, 2025
Criticism for the casting grew as the preview pictures went viral on both international and South Korean social media platforms. People took to discussion platforms like Nate Pann to discuss the mismatched casting of Lee Jung Jae and Oh Yeon Seo. Some even said that the pair disturbed them as Lee Jung Jae can easily pass off as Yeon Seo’s uncle.
Nice To Not Meet You is an upcoming K-drama that is scheduled to premiere this November. The cast of the show includes Squid Game actor Lee Jung Jae, The Glory’s Lim Ji Yeon and Love With Flaws’ Oh Yeon Seo. The drama follows the story of Lim Hyun-joon, an actor who longs for a fresh start in a melodrama series. He meets a veteran journalist named Wi Jeong-sook, who gets assigned to the entertainment department of her company, and chaos ensues.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan And Squid Game Star Lee Jung Jae Just Gave Us The Crossover We Didn’t Know We Needed
The drama’s production network, TvN, has not responded to the backlash yet, and some fans still have hope that the plot of Nice To Not Meet You does justice to the casting without making it look awkward.
Also Read: Squid Game Star Lee Jung-jae Explains Why Korean Fans Are So Passionate
First Published: October 30, 2025 3:08 PM
