Correction: This article originally listed an August 18, 2026 release date. Netflix’s own confirmed date for “Mousetrap” is August 28, 2026, and the series has now been streaming for several weeks — the details below reflect the correct date and its release since then.
Netflix’s Korean thriller “Mousetrap,” starring Ryu Jun-yeol, premiered globally on August 28, 2026, and quickly became one of the platform’s most talked-about Korean releases of the month.
What “Mousetrap” Is About
Based on the webtoon “Field Mouse” by Ludovico, itself inspired by a traditional Korean folktale about a rat that assumes human form by consuming human fingernails, “Mousetrap” follows Moon-jae, a reclusive novelist with panic disorder whose entire identity — name, face, and life — is stolen by a calculating impostor known only as “The Rat.” What begins as an identity theft mystery escalates into a tense cat-and-mouse hunt, with Moon-jae teaming up with a loan shark and a detective to expose the impostor and reclaim his life. Ryu Jun-yeol takes on his first dual role in the series, adjusting his personality, gaze, and voice tone to distinguish the real Moon-jae from the impostor wearing his identity.
Who’s Behind the Camera and Alongside Ryu Jun-yeol
The series is directed by Kim Hong-sun, whose past credits include the first season of “Voice,” “The Guest,” “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area,” and 2025’s “Dear Hongrang,” giving “Mousetrap” a director with a strong track record in tense, twist-driven thrillers. The script comes from writer Lee Jae-gon. Ryu Jun-yeol leads a cast that also includes Sul Kyung-gu and Lee Kyu-hyung, rounding out a trio of well-established Korean film and television actors anchoring the mystery.
Ryu Jun-yeol’s Path to a Dual Lead Role
Ryu Jun-yeol built his reputation as one of Korean film and television’s more versatile leading men well before “Mousetrap.” He broke through with the beloved ensemble series “Reply 1988” (2015-2016), which won him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actor, then moved into film with “A Taxi Driver” (2017), “The King” (2017), the action-crime drama “Believer” (2018), “The Battle: Roar to Victory” (2019), and “The Night Owl” (2022). That range — moving comfortably between prestige ensemble drama and harder-edged genre film — is part of why casting him in a dual role carrying an entire thriller felt like a natural next step rather than a stretch, and it’s a big part of why his performance has become the focal point of early conversation around the series.
Why This Release Mattered
Netflix has increasingly leaned on Korean thrillers to anchor its global content slate, and “Mousetrap” arrived with a premise built for the kind of binge-friendly mystery format that’s worked well for the platform’s past K-drama hits. A recognizable lead like Ryu Jun-yeol in a rare dual role, paired with webtoon source material already popular among Korean readers, gave the show a built-in audience heading into release, while the identity-theft hook offered an easy entry point for viewers unfamiliar with the source material.
The show also landed in a month already packed with Korean content on Netflix, joining other August releases as part of the platform’s ongoing push to keep a steady drumbeat of K-drama premieres throughout the year rather than clustering them around a single season.
A Cast of Established Names, Not Rising Newcomers
Ryu Jun-yeol’s co-stars bring their own significant track records to the mystery. Sul Kyung-gu is one of Korean cinema’s most decorated veteran actors, with a filmography stretching back decades across both prestige drama and genre film, while Lee Kyu-hyung has built a reliable career as a dependable supporting presence across major Korean film and television productions. Surrounding a first-time dual-role lead performance with two actors of that caliber is a common strategy for a show hinging so heavily on one central mystery — it gives the production a safety net of proven performances to lean on even before critics and audiences had a chance to judge Ryu Jun-yeol’s central dual turn for themselves.
How the Premiere Played Out
True to Netflix’s standard binge-release model for Korean originals, all episodes of “Mousetrap” dropped at once on August 28. Marketing in the days before launch leaned heavily into the show’s central mystery — withholding “The Rat’s” identity as its core hook — with character posters and teaser clips building anticipation around Ryu Jun-yeol’s dual performance specifically.
Early reception has focused heavily on that dual role, with reviewers and fans of Ryu Jun-yeol’s past work watching closely to see how he balances the show’s darker psychological elements against the more grounded, humanizing performances he’s known for — a contrast critics have pointed to as central to what makes his casting here notable.
For more new K-drama release dates, check out ShowPulp’s Korean entertainment coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did “Mousetrap” release on Netflix?
“Mousetrap” premiered globally on Netflix on August 28, 2026.
Who stars in “Mousetrap”?
Ryu Jun-yeol leads the cast in a dual role as a reclusive novelist and the impostor who steals his identity, alongside Sul Kyung-gu and Lee Kyu-hyung.
What is “Mousetrap” based on?
The series is based on the webtoon “Field Mouse” by Ludovico, inspired by a Korean folktale about a rat that takes human form.
Who directed “Mousetrap”?
Kim Hong-sun directed the series, known for previous thrillers including “Voice,” “The Guest,” and “Dear Hongrang.”
