Ji Chang-wook's 'Merry Berry Love' Adds Nam Yoon-soo to Cast

The cast of Merry Berry Love just got more interesting. Actor Nam Yoon-soo has officially joined the romantic comedy, which already stars Ji Chang-wook and Japanese actress Imada Mio in the lead roles. The announcement confirms the full core trio of the show, a Korean-Japanese co-production that will air on Japan's Nippon TV and stream globally on Disney+.

Produced jointly by CJ ENM and Nippon TV, Merry Berry Love is set on a fictional island in Japan blessed with picturesque natural scenery. The story follows Korean interior designer Lee Yu-bin (Ji Chang-wook), who arrives on the island for work and finds himself in a series of unexpected misunderstandings with Shiraham Karin (Imada Mio), a local Japanese farmer. Nam Yoon-soo plays Park Gu-nam, a free-spirited young man who settled on the island for love, and who becomes a warm-hearted ally to both leads as the plot unfolds.

Ji Chang-wook Steps Into Cross-Border Romance

For Ji Chang-wook, Merry Berry Love marks a notable shift — this is his first foray into a Korean-Japanese collaborative production. The actor, who built a dedicated international fanbase through series like Healer, The K2, and Lovestruck in the City, has spent much of his recent career in Korean domestic productions. Moving into a joint project with Nippon TV, one of Japan's largest broadcast networks, expands his reach into a market that has embraced Korean content with particular enthusiasm in recent years.

The drama is co-directed by Kim Su-jeong and Noh Young-seop — the latter of whom has experience working on Japanese productions, a practical asset for a shoot involving both Korean and Japanese cast and crew.

Nam Yoon-soo spoke warmly about his character and the production experience. "Park Gu-nam has a free spirit but is deeply sincere when it comes to love — I found that combination genuinely appealing," he said. "This is a Korean-Japanese co-production, and working alongside cast and staff from both countries was refreshing and meaningful in a way I didn't expect. I hope audiences enjoy what we made together."

Imada Mio and the Weight of the Japanese Lead Role

The casting of Imada Mio as Shiraham Karin is a deliberate choice that signals how seriously both CJ ENM and Nippon TV are approaching the production's Japanese audience. Born in 1999, Imada has become one of Japan's most recognizable young actresses through her work in major theatrical films and television dramas, earning a reputation for warmth and naturalistic screen presence that translates across genre boundaries. Her ability to project sincerity — and to make romantic comedy misunderstandings feel emotionally grounded rather than farcical — makes her a credible counterpart for Ji Chang-wook in a story built entirely around cross-cultural confusion and eventual connection.

For Japanese viewers, having a well-known domestic actress as the female lead is not a minor detail. It transforms what might otherwise be perceived as a Korean drama set in Japan into something that feels jointly owned — a production where the Japanese perspective is represented on screen rather than simply serving as backdrop. Nippon TV's investment carries more credibility with Japanese audiences when they see a familiar face front and center, and Imada's existing following across Japan's television landscape means she brings substantial built-in viewership to the partnership.

Ji Chang-wook's own history with Japanese fans is another factor. He has maintained a devoted following in Japan throughout his career, with fan events consistently selling out and his dramas broadcasting widely on Japanese channels. Merry Berry Love gives him the opportunity to speak directly to that audience through a production built for both markets simultaneously — a different experience than the typical export model where a Korean production is localized after the fact.

The Growing Appeal of Korean-Japanese Collaborations

The timing of Merry Berry Love reflects a broader trend in the streaming era: as Korean content has become a fixture on Japanese streaming platforms and broadcast channels, co-productions that combine the storytelling strengths of both industries are becoming increasingly attractive to distributors who want to maximize reach across Northeast Asia.

Disney+ has been particularly active in commissioning Korean originals, and pairing one of those originals with Nippon TV's terrestrial broadcast presence creates a dual-platform release that few other arrangements can match. Fans of Ji Chang-wook in Japan — a substantial and vocal group — can be expected to drive viewership aggressively from the moment a premiere date is announced.

The island setting also works in the drama's favor from a visual standpoint. Korean romantic comedies have found significant success when they place their characters in visually distinctive locations — think Welcome to Samdalri or Our Blues — and the Japanese island backdrop gives Merry Berry Love a distinctive look that should help it stand out in a crowded genre.

What to Expect

No premiere date has been announced yet, but the confirmed full cast suggests production is well underway. With Ji Chang-wook, Nam Yoon-soo, and Imada Mio now confirmed, the drama has the ingredients of a charming, cross-cultural romantic comedy that should resonate with audiences on both sides of the Korea-Japan Strait — and with the global K-drama audience that has been watching Ji Chang-wook's career for the better part of a decade.

Beyond the casting news, what makes Merry Berry Love worth watching closely is the creative logic behind its premise. Interior design as a profession sends its protagonist into intimate domestic spaces — the places where people live, make decisions, and reveal themselves. Placing that character in an unfamiliar cultural environment, where his professional confidence collides with genuine ignorance of local customs, sets up a comic premise that has real emotional depth underneath. The best Korean rom-coms work precisely because the misunderstandings are funny on the surface and meaningful at the core, and the show's structure — Korean designer, Japanese farmer, island backdrop — has the ingredients to deliver exactly that. Whether it fully delivers will depend on the writing, but the assembled team gives the project every reason for optimism.

Cast and production team schedules suggest the show is targeting a late 2026 release window, though neither CJ ENM nor Nippon TV has confirmed a broadcast date. Fans following Ji Chang-wook's career will be watching updates closely, and the show's dual-market appeal means it will arrive with unusually broad attention from the moment a premiere announcement is made.