# Pearl in Red (붉은 진주)
**Pearl in Red** (붉은 진주; revised romanization *Beulgeun Jinju*, also known as *Red Pearl*) is a South Korean daily revenge and mystery melodrama broadcast on KBS2 from February 23 to August 7, 2026, written by Kim Seo-jung and directed by Kim Sung-geun, starring Park Jin-hee in a dual role as twin sisters.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) KBS's own international distribution catalog lists the series as a 40-minute drama in the revenge and mystery genres, produced in 2026 for the KBS2 network.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) The series is confirmed from Korean-language primary sources: KBS maintains an official program page for 붉은 진주 on its Digital KBS platform,[3](https://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/drama/pearlinred/) and KBS Global Media's distribution catalog carries the full English-language credits.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Title | 붉은 진주 (*Beulgeun Jinju*); English *Pearl in Red*; Japanese 紅い真珠[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) |
| Network and slot | KBS2, Monday–Friday 19:50, February 23 – August 7, 2026[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| Episodes | 102 per AsianWiki, DramaWiki, MyDramaList, Viki, and KBS World Japan; the KBS Global Media catalog says 40 min × 100 eps[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) |
| Writer / director | Kim Seo-jung / Kim Sung-geun[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) |
| Lead cast | Park Jin-hee (dual role as twins), Nam Sang-ji, Choi Jae-sung, Kim Kyung-bo, Kang Da-bin[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| Production companies | DK E&M and Monster Union[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| User ratings | MyDramaList 6.6 (146 users); Viki 7.5 (515 users)[5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju) • [6](https://www.viki.com/tv/41480c-pearl-in-red) |
## Premise and plot
The official premise centers on a twin-identity revenge. A woman believed dead reappears with her child; to avenge her twin sister, another woman decides to live under her twin sister's identity and seek revenge.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) [KBS World](https://www.edgepedia.org/kbs-world) describes the series as "a meticulous and intense revenge chronicle in which two women return under false identities to uncover the truths and sins hidden within the Adel family."[7](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2570) KOCCA, the Korean government's content agency, adds a parallel backstory in which an innocent father and daughter were caught up in a tumultuous fate and murdered years before a woman identical to the daughter appears.[8](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/pearl-in-red--10224)
**The Adel Group backstory.** The villain is Park Tae-ho, chairman of Adel Group, described in the official catalog as "the source of all evil": he stole his in-laws' fortune from their jewelry business and built Adel Group on it, and his crimes include Myung-hee's death 29 years before the present story.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) KBS World's character notes give the mechanism: 29 years ago he paid for Dan-hee's surgery as a scheme to approach Myung-hee and have a child with her, and killed her when she tried to escape.[7](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2570) Apple TV's synopsis gives a different account, in which Myeong-hui's attempt to raise money for her twin's surgery went tragically awry through the wife of the Adele Group chairman; the two official synopses disagree on the circumstances of the death.[9](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pearl-in-red/umc.cmc.3mbd3hixujbac1vljkyufm1bo)
**The two revenge plots.** Kim Dan-i (Dan-hee) abandons her own name and life to live as her sister Kim Myong-hi (Myung-hee), rising from gem appraiser to group president in order to make her nephew Min-jun the successor.[10](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810) Baek Jin-ju, who lost her father seven years earlier through her friend Yuna's betrayal and a fire, approaches Adel Group under the false name of brand consultant "Chloe Lee," intent on dismantling the company that took everything from her.[10](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810) • [1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) KBS World summarizes her method as "a dangerous game, setting the villains who destroyed her family against one another until they collapse on their own."[7](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2570) Adding romantic tension to the Apple TV drama, a chance encounter between Jin-ju and her former boyfriend, who is heir to the Adele Group, forces her to either adjust her schemes or see them all fall apart.[9](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pearl-in-red/umc.cmc.3mbd3hixujbac1vljkyufm1bo)
## Cast and characters
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Park Jin-hee | Kim Dan-hee / Kim Myeong-hee (twin sisters; Park Jin-hee plays both)[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [9](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pearl-in-red/umc.cmc.3mbd3hixujbac1vljkyufm1bo) |
| Nam Sang-ji | Baek Jin-ju, the "Chloe Lee" infiltrator[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) |
| Choi Jae-sung | Park Tae-ho, chairman of Adel Group[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) |
| Kim Kyung-bo | Park Min-joon, eldest son of Adel Group[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| Kang Da-bin | Park Hyun-joon[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| Kim Hee-jung | Oh Jeong-ran[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
| Chun Hee-joo | Choi Yoo-na[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) |
Park Min-joon is described as the man who gave Dan-hee a reason to seek revenge and who figures centrally in Jin-ju's; as Adel Group's firstborn son, he vies for control of the company against his half-brother, since he was born to a mistress.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382)
## Production and broadcast
The series was written by Kim Seo-jung and directed by Kim Sung-geun, and produced by DK E&M and Monster Union.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) KBS World Japan's page credits director Kim Sung-gun (キム・ソングン), noting his direction of works such as *結婚しよう、メンコンア！* and *ドタバタ・ファミリー*.[10](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810)
**Broadcast schedule.** The series aired on KBS2 Monday to Friday at 19:50 from February 23 to August 7, 2026; AsianWiki, DramaWiki, and MyDramaList list it as 102 episodes of about 40 minutes each.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju) The official KBS Global Media catalog instead lists a duration of 40 min × 100 eps; the 102-episode figure appears in AsianWiki, DramaWiki, MyDramaList, Viki, and KBS World Japan (全102話), and the discrepancy between the broadcaster's own catalog and every other listing is unresolved.[1](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382) • [2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) • [10](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810)
## By the numbers
Quantitative reception data is limited to user-rating platforms. MyDramaList records a score of 6.6 from 146 users, with genres listed as mystery, comedy, crime, and melodrama, a 15+ content rating, and a popularity rank of #9890.[5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju) Rakuten Viki shows a higher 7.5 from 515 users for the same 102-episode series, rated PG-13.[6](https://www.viki.com/tv/41480c-pearl-in-red) AsianWiki cites AGB Nielsen as the source for its episode ratings, but no rating figures appear in the retrieved text, so no Nielsen numbers for the run are available here.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red)
## Place in the daily-melodrama tradition
Pearl in Red occupied KBS2's Monday–Friday 19:50 daily slot, taking over from *A Graceful Liar* and handing over to *[A Trap Called Desire](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-trap-called-desire)* on August 10, 2026.[2](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red) Within the revenge-melodrama tradition, a viewer review on MyDramaList characterizes it as "more of a boardroom drama in terms of revenge," with few surprise twists but an engaging second half, and praises the villains' complex characterizations and motivations.[5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju) The same review notes the director's use of silence instead of music in key scenes, and the expanded second male lead Hyun-jun.[5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju)
## Reception and availability
No Korean-language critical reception, awards, or Nielsen figures were found in the sources consulted; the available reception record is the user scores above and one detailed viewer review.[5](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju) • [6](https://www.viki.com/tv/41480c-pearl-in-red)
**Legal availability.** Rakuten Viki streams the series with English subtitles.[6](https://www.viki.com/tv/41480c-pearl-in-red) Apple TV carries it in the US, crediting Park Jin-hee as Kim Danhee/Kim Myeonghee, Nam Sang-ji as Baik Jinju, Choi Jae-sung as Park Taeho, and Kim Hee-jung as Oh Jeongran.[9](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pearl-in-red/umc.cmc.3mbd3hixujbac1vljkyufm1bo) KBS World airs it internationally Tuesday–Saturday at 07:30 (Seoul, UTC+9).[7](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2570) In Japan, KBS World Japan premiered the series as 紅い真珠 on April 22, 2026, airing Wednesdays and Thursdays 22:00–23:20 as two consecutive episodes, with rebroadcasts on Sundays and Tuesdays.[10](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810) An original soundtrack, *Pearl in Red OST*, exists.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red)
## References
1. [KBS Global Media – Pearl in Red (distribution catalog)](https://global.kbsmedia.co.kr/contents/content_view.php?num=1382)
2. [Pearl in Red – AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Pearl_in_Red)
3. [붉은 진주 | 디지털 KBS (official program page)](https://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/drama/pearlinred/)
4. [Pearl in Red – DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Pearl_in_Red)
5. [Pearl in Red (2026) – MyDramaList](https://mydramalist.com/803222-bulgeun-jinju)
6. [Pearl in Red – Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/tv/41480c-pearl-in-red)
7. [KBS WORLD TV – Program Info: Pearl in Red](https://kbsworld.kbs.co.kr/program/view.php?pg_seq=2570)
8. [Pearl in Red – KOCCA Welcon directory](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/pearl-in-red--10224)
9. [Pearl in Red – Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/show/pearl-in-red/umc.cmc.3mbd3hixujbac1vljkyufm1bo)
10. [紅い真珠(原題) | KBS World Japan](https://www.kbsworld.co.jp/program/detail?prSn=1810)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Romance and melodrama series › Family and weekend serials*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license