Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng follows small-town teacher Maeng Bo-ram after she is recruited to help create South Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test. Separated from her ordinary life and placed under intense security, she faces academic pressure, office politics and the challenge of proving her value in an unlikely new role.

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng is a South Korean comedy centered on the high-pressure world behind the country’s most important college entrance exam. The story follows Maeng Bo-ram, a small-town teacher whose life changes when she is unexpectedly brought onto the team responsible for writing the test.

What initially appears to be an opportunity for academic prestige quickly becomes a tightly controlled assignment. With her phone confiscated and strict security surrounding the work, Maeng must navigate unfamiliar rules, workplace politics and the pressure attached to an exam taken by students across South Korea.

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng movie details

Story without spoilers

Maeng Bo-ram is a teacher from a small town who joins the team creating South Korea’s College Scholastic Ability Test, commonly known as the country’s most important exam. She expects scholarly discussion and professional recognition, but the reality is far more restrictive: the team works under spy-level security, and personal phones are confiscated.

As Maeng adjusts to this closed-off environment, she encounters office politics and the demands of a role with consequences far beyond an ordinary workplace assignment. The film’s central question is whether this unlikely newcomer can convert the stress surrounding the test into a successful result without exhausting the people around her.

What to expect

As a comedy, the film places its humor within an unusual professional setting: the secretive process of preparing a major college entrance exam. The premise offers room for workplace friction, culture shock and an underdog perspective as Maeng moves from small-town teaching to a tightly guarded national assignment.

The supplied details point to a story about pressure, academic competition and office politics rather than a conventional school comedy. Its 1-hour-40-minute runtime suggests a focused feature built around Maeng’s adjustment to the exam-writing team and the complications created by its strict security measures.

Cast and creative team

Lee Sun-bin leads the cast as Maeng Bo-ram. Yoo Jae-myung plays Moon Joo-yeol, while Kim Young-min appears as Park Kyung-tae. The cast also includes Choi Si-won, Jun Seok-ho as Ki Joon-su, Kim Gyeong-min, Lee Jin-hee, Hwang Bo-ra as Na Eun-mi, Jung Soo-young and Lee Joong-ok.

Lee Yong-jae directs Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng and co-writes the film with Soyo Park.

• Lee Sun-bin as Maeng Bo-ram
• Yoo Jae-myung as Moon Joo-yeol
• Kim Young-min as Park Kyung-tae
• Choi Si-won
• Jun Seok-ho as Ki Joon-su
• Kim Gyeong-min
• Lee Jin-hee
• Hwang Bo-ra as Na Eun-mi
• Jung Soo-young
• Lee Joong-ok

Release and production context

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng is a 2026 South Korean comedy in Korean, with a runtime of 1 hour and 40 minutes. It is listed with a release date of October 28, 2026. Joy Rabbit is the production company associated with the film.

Production companies: Joy Rabbit

Movies Dock view

Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng uses the highly controlled process behind South Korea’s college entrance exam as the setting for a workplace comedy about an unexpected recruit. With its small-town teacher at the center and its focus on pressure, secrecy and office politics, the film offers a clearly defined premise without relying on a conventional school setting.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb