# Forbidden Fairytale
**Forbidden Fairytale** (동화지만 청불입니다, *Donghwajiman Cheongbulimmida*, literally "It's a fairy tale, but adults only") is a 2025 South Korean comedy film directed by [Lee Jong-suk](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jong-suk), about a government censor who dreams of writing children's books and is forced to write adult web novels to pay off a debt.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?redirect=no&title=Forbidden_Fairytale) It was released in South Korea on January 8, 2025, runs 109 minutes, and received a 19 (adults only) rating.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | 동화지만 청불입니다 (*Donghwajiman Cheongbulimmida*)[2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?redirect=no&title=Forbidden_Fairytale) |
| Director | Lee Jong-suk, previously director of the thriller *The Negotiation* (2018)[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) • [3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) |
| Release | January 8, 2025, South Korea; 109 minutes; rated 19[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) |
| Main cast | Park Ji-hyun as Dan-bi, Choi Si-won as Jung-seok, Sung Dong-il as CEO Hwang[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=61932) |
| Box office | 168,667 admissions and $1,131,398 gross in South Korea as of September 16, 2026[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) |
| International sales | Barunson E&A, which boarded the project in March 2024[5](https://www.screendaily.com/news/barunson-eanda-boards-korean-sex-comedy-forbidden-fairytale-exclusive/5191425.article) |
| North American premiere | New York Asian Film Festival, July 11–24, 2025[6](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/forbidden-fairytale/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Dan-bi (Park Ji-hyun) is a newly recruited government employee on a youth protection team responsible for monitoring illegal adult content, while at night she enters writing competitions in pursuit of her dream of becoming a children's story writer.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) [Everything](https://www.edgepedia.org/everything) shifts for her after an accident in which she wrecks a vintage automobile owned by Hwang Chang-seop ([Sung Dong-il](https://www.edgepedia.org/sung-dong-il)), who runs an adult web novel publishing firm as its chief executive. Unable to afford the 100 million won repair bill on her salary, she signs a contract to write 20 episodes of adult fiction for his company.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366)
Struggling at first with a genre she has never written, Dan-bi draws on the encouragement of her senior colleague Jung-seok ([Choi Si-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/choi-si-won)), an adult-content reviewer who had been planning to resign until she joined the team, and on the vivid experiences of her friends, and discovers an unexpected talent for explicit storytelling.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?redirect=no&title=Forbidden_Fairytale) As her stories become an online sensation, the officer who spends her days flagging adult content becomes one of its most successful authors.[6](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/forbidden-fairytale/)
## Production and release
The film was produced by Soojak Film and Golddog Entertainment, with Mediacan handling distribution in South Korea.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) • [4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=61932) Barunson E&A joined as international sales agent, a deal reported by *Screen Daily* in March 2024, when the film was still in post-production.[5](https://www.screendaily.com/news/barunson-eanda-boards-korean-sex-comedy-forbidden-fairytale-exclusive/5191425.article) • [7](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20233216) The Korean Film Council database credits Lee Jong-suk as director and Yi Jae-min as producer, with Kang Moon-seok, Kang Tae-woo, and Park Jae-soo among the executive producers.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082)
Screenwriting credits differ slightly between sources: the Korean Film Council and AsianWiki list Yoon Joo-hun as writer,[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?redirect=no&title=Forbidden_Fairytale) Rotten Tomatoes adds Kwon Yoo-seon,[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forbidden_fairytale) and the Indonesian censorship record lists Lee Jong-suk and Yun Ju-hun.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366)
**Casting.** The film marks Park Ji-hyun's first comedy film, with her performance supported by the more experienced Choi Si-won, a member of the boy band [Super Junior](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-junior), and Sung Dong-il.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) The supporting cast includes Park Geon-il, Park Cheol-min, and Jang Do-yeong.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) • [1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082)
## Reception
The film opened in South Korea on January 8, 2025 on 668 screens and drew 20,343 admissions on its first day, topping the new releases in its opening window; by January 27, 2025 it had accumulated about 1.07 million US dollars and more than 165,000 admissions.[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) • [9](https://n.yam.com/Article/20260929501469) The Korean Film Council database records total admissions of 168,667 and a gross of $1,131,398 as of September 16, 2026,[1](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082) while Cine 21 lists 168,604 admissions[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=61932) and The Numbers reports $1,073,935.[10](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forbidden-Fairytale-%282025-South-Korea%29)
Critical response was mixed. Cine 21's two critics gave scores of 4 and 5 out of 10, for an average of 4.5.[4](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=61932) Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Pulse rated it 6.5, writing that it "may have benefited from tighter editing, yet it ultimately stands as a meaningful, entertaining, and insightful work that explores Korea's erotica industry with both humor and intelligence."[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forbidden_fairytale) The *South China Morning Post* gave two stars and called the film closed and conservative for a work marketed as a sex comedy, and *The Korea Herald* judged it unconvincing within the genre, criticizing its mix of animation and live action.[9](https://n.yam.com/Article/20260929501469) Reviewers noted that the film's erotic elements are played for comedy rather than explicitness, making it closer to a coming-of-age story wrapped in adult subject matter.[9](https://n.yam.com/Article/20260929501469)
## International release and classification
The film had its North American premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival in July 2025, where Film at [Lincoln Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/lincoln-center) described it as "an outrageous, sex-positive Korean comedy" blending raunchy gags with satire.[6](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/forbidden-fairytale/) In Indonesia, the Lembaga Sensor Film classified it for audiences aged 21 and above, citing excerpts of adult films, adult humor, and the characters' fantasies, with a premiere date of January 29, 2025.[3](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366) It later became available on streaming platforms including Netflix (rated 19+) and Rakuten Viki, where it can be rented in the United States.[11](https://www.netflix.com/kr-en/title/82143440) • [12](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/forbidden-fairytale) Japanese distribution by Nikkatsu and KDDI was scheduled for a theatrical release on January 9, 2026 under the title *Otona no Dōwa: Kono Koi, Seishōnen wa Kinshi desu!*[13](https://eiga.com/movie/105140/)
## References
1. [FORBIDDEN FAIRYTALE (2025), Korean Film Council (KOFIC) database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20248082)
2. [Forbidden Fairytale, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/index.php?redirect=no&title=Forbidden_Fairytale)
3. [Forbidden Fairytale, Lembaga Sensor Film (Indonesia) film guide](https://lsf.go.id/en/film/forbidden-fairytale/1366)
4. [동화지만 청불입니다 (FORBIDDEN FAIRYTALE), Cine 21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=61932)
5. [Barunson E&A boards Korean sex comedy 'Forbidden Fairytale' (exclusive), Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/news/barunson-eanda-boards-korean-sex-comedy-forbidden-fairytale-exclusive/5191425.article)
6. [Forbidden Fairytale, Film at Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/forbidden-fairytale/)
7. [FORBIDDEN FAIRYTALE (2024), Korean Film Council (KOFIC) database](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20233216)
8. [FORBIDDEN FAIRYTALE, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/forbidden_fairytale)
9. [韓國爆笑性喜劇《成人童話》當禁忌成為童話, 蕃新聞](https://n.yam.com/Article/20260929501469)
10. [Forbidden Fairytale (동화지만 청불입니다) (2025), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Forbidden-Fairytale-%282025-South-Korea%29)
11. [Forbidden Fairytale, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/kr-en/title/82143440)
12. [Forbidden Fairytale streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/forbidden-fairytale)
13. [大人の童話 この恋、青少年は禁止です！, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/105140/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2025 › Titles A to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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