Oh Yeon Seo Becomes Lee Jung Jae’s First Love in ‘Mean Love’

Oh Yeon Seo to Become Lee Jung Jae’s 1st Love

According to broadcast industry sources on March 20th, Oh Yeon Seo has been cast in tvN’s new drama Mean Love, taking on the role of Kwon Se Na.

Mean Love is a romantic drama centered around Im Hyun Joon (Lee Jung Jae), a professional detective actor who wants to become a melodrama master, and Wi Jung Sook (Lim Ji Yeon), a former political journalist who won the “Journalist of the Year” award but later switched to entertainment reporting.

Oh Yeon Seo will portray Kwon Se Na, Im Hyun Joon’s first love and a top Hallyu star. She once abandoned Im Hyun Joon in the past but reappears in his life, leading to unexpected entanglements.

Mean Love is one of tvN’s most anticipated dramas of 2025. It is directed by Kim Ga Ram, known for Good Partner, and written by Jung Yeo Rang, the screenwriter behind Doctor Cha. The cast includes Lee Jung Jae, Lim Ji Yeon, Oh Yeon Seo, Seo Ji Hye, Kim Ji Hoon, and more.

Lee Jung Jae is a veteran actor with an illustrious career spanning over three decades. Rising to fame through iconic films like Il Mare and The Housemaid, he gained international recognition with Squid Game, which earned him an Emmy Award. His recent projects include directing and starring in Hunt and playing a pivotal role in the Star Wars series The Acolyte.

Oh Yeon Seo began her acting career in 2003 with the drama Sharp and has since impressed viewers with her performances in My Husband Got a Family, Jang Bo Ri Is Here!, and films like Take Off 2 and Cheese in the Trap. Last year, she continued to receive praise for her role in Player 2.

Poor Reactions to Age Gap

On the other hand, the announcement of Oh Yeon Seo’s love line with Lee Jung Jae has sparked anger among netizens, who pointed out that the actress is 37 years old, which means she is 15 years younger than the 52-year-old Lee Jung Jae. On a topic on Korean forum “theqoo”, many have condemned the casting decision, saying that K-dramas are getting weirder with the age gap.

Below are some comments from netizens:

• Why do they keep pairing much younger actresses with Lee Jung Jae? I can’t fathom this casting decision
• They are 15 years apart, what the hell has this industry resorted to…
• Lee Jung Jae was casted first, so why couldn’t they pick more mature actresses for the role instead of making it weird?
• Why can’t they cast an actress around Lee Jung Jae’s age??

In fact, Mean Love was already criticized in the past after Lim Ji Yeon was announced as the female lead, with some even comparing the combination of Lee Jung Jae and Lim Ji Yeon to a father and daughter one.