IU Denies Departure Rumors from MBC's '21st Century Great Wife'

On April 2, IU addressed rumors regarding her potential exit from MBC's upcoming drama '21st Century Great Wife' during an interview at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Grand Ballroom. The actress, who stars in Netflix's original series 'Bokssak Sogassda', expressed her surprise at the speculation, stating, "I was shocked to hear about the departure rumors. Just yesterday, I met with the director to discuss the project, and suddenly these rumors surfaced. It made me think, 'What’s going on?'"

The series 'Bokssak Sogassda' follows the adventurous life of a rebellious young woman named Ae-soon (played by IU) and her husband Kwan-sik (played by Park Bo-gum), set against the backdrop of 1960s Jeju Island. The show, which features a star-studded cast including Moon So-ri, Park Hae-joon, and Kim Seon-ho, has received acclaim for its engaging storytelling, crafted by writer Im Sang-chun and director Kim Won-seok.

Unlike previous Netflix releases that dropped all episodes at once, 'Bokssak Sogassda' has adopted a unique weekly release format, premiering its first act on March 7 and continuing with four episodes each week for a total of 16 episodes. The series quickly climbed to the top of the global non-English series chart on Netflix, achieving impressive viewership numbers.

In her dual role, IU portrays both the youthful Ae-soon and her middle-aged self, as well as her daughter Geum-myeong. The chemistry between IU and Park Bo-gum has been particularly praised, although some viewers noted a decrease in Park's screen time after the second act.

Despite the rumors, IU confirmed that she is still committed to '21st Century Great Wife', where she is set to co-star with Byun Woo-seok. She reassured fans, saying, "I believe the departure rumors were misunderstandings. I know Woo-seok is also not leaving, and we even talked about working well together on set. We should continue to do our best together!"