A totally compelling, sophisticated, brilliantly cerebral political thriller set in the 1970's, Made In Korea (2025-6) takes us deep into a world of dark ambitions and corrupting power, depicting a government system making a fortune on drug and human trafficking, at an especially turbulent time in modern Korean history. It depicts how people in the political state can connect surreptitiously with criminals in the underworld to increase the nation's wealth and overall political standing in the world. As the series progresses we recognize that no political institution is totally pure, and no character in it is entirely untainted by evil, even those whom the general public rely on to protect them from dangerous situations, both national and international.

 

In many ways this series is more like a first-run theater film; its production values are outstanding, historically accurate, nostalgic yet bittersweet at the same time. Directed by Woo Min Ho (film Harbin) and written by Park Eun Kyo (film The Great Battle), with a gentle, jazzy score by Jo Yeong Wook, I felt as if I was transported back in time to the 1970's as I watched the story unfold. As I finished the six episodes I learned that an official season two has been announced for the future. It definitely deserves one! Hive Media Group must have poured a tremendous amount of money into producing Made In Korea. Disney+ / HULU was wise to pick it up for streaming. It was far more sophisticated and realistic than many Korean dramas I have watched recently. It also was filmed in multiple locations to add interest, not just Seoul: the dynamic Korean city of Busan, busy Japanese city Kobe, and picturesque, fascinating places in Thailand like Kanchanaburi (above) and Choban. Cinematography was very impressive!

Our two male leads give incredible, volatile performances, including one of my long term favorites, the magnificent Hyun Bin (Crash Landing On You, Secret Garden, Hyde Jekyll and I, The Snow Queen, Ireland, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, Friend Our Legend, Memories of the Alhambra, films The Negotiation, The Fatal Encounter, Late Autumn, Daddy Long Legs), and another fabulous actor whom I always know will give an excellent, memorable performance, Jung Woo Sung (Padam Padam, Tell Me That You Love Me, Dream Racers aka Asphalt Man, and favorite films A Moment To Remember, Daisy, Sad Movie, The Good The Bad The Weird, Remember You, Cobweb). What a total delight it was to watch them working together in this series! Supporting cast were all excellent too but honestly your eyes remain fixated on these two exceptional actors in every scene they are in, alone or together.

The Story:

It is 1970 and people are boarding a commercial jet plane in Korea but it has unsavory passengers aboard: a group of Japanese radical leftists who want to divert the plane by force to North Korea, determined to kill other passengers and even crew if need be to accomplish their hijacking to the communist nation. Since airline security wasn't as strict in the past they were able to carry certain weapons on board in clandestine ways without being caught.

Also on board is a mysterious Korean CIA (KCIA) agent posing as a regular businessman on the plane who calls himself Kenji (Hyun Bin) but his real name is Baek Gi Tae. He keeps a low profile at first, protectively carrying a mysterious briefcase, until the Japanese leftists take over the plane by force. He then uses clever CIA techniques in order to throw a wrench into the hijackers' plans. He notices that some of the hijackers are divided among themselves about how to proceed and he takes advantage of that disharmony by arguing that killing vulnerable hostages would destroy their own revolutionary communist cause. The experienced airplane pilot also tries to buy time by claiming that they are running out of fuel and will have to make a quick landing in the Japanese city of Fukuoka first before proceeding to North Korea.

At this point "Kenji" Gi Tae reveals to the hijackers that his briefcase contains a fortune in the illegal drug methamphetamine. He offers it to them if they will let the elderly, children, and women hostages off at Fukuoka, leaving only the adult male hostages on board. Gi Tae's plan works and when the plane lands the most vulnerable passengers are allowed to leave the plane.

By the time it takes off again multiple nations are aware of the hijacking and trying desperately to help resolve the situation. Yet so far Gi Tae has been the primary rescuer. He even succeeded in successfully handing an important note to the authorities on the ground via a little boy who had been a passenger but who had been released in the deal. Once safe the boy's mother calls the authorities and tells them about Gi Tae's plans to resolve the situation that was written in the secret note. They are alerted to have the plane fly to another Japanese city instead of one in North Korea and have people on the airport runway dressed up as North Korean civilians to welcome the hijackers! The trick fools the hijackers and they are ultimately arrested and brought to justice. But the audience is still left wondering: why did Gi Tae have possession of millions of won worth of methamphetamine on the airplane to begin with? As it turns out it's ostensibly an elaborate plot of his to push for stricter global aviation safety laws. But ... is it really?

We are then introduced to a powerful prosecutor named Jang Geun Young (Jung Woo Sung) who happens to be investigating a methamphetamine smuggling network linked to the Japanese crime syndicate the Yakuza. Unbeknownst to him at first he is stepping into Gi Tae's territory by doing so. It is eventually horrifically revealed that the government itself may be the one who runs the secret drug trade, and Gi Tae may be making a secret profit! He even wants to add a business partner to help run his ambitious plan in the form of a woman from the Ikeda Clan named Choi Yu Ji (Won Ji An, Tempest, If You Wish Upon Me, D.P.).

Geun Young's investigation into the meth ring includes discovering who murdered a young couple linked to the illegal drug network. His search leads to an American soldier who happens to be protected from prosecution. Geun Young then learns about an important meeting coming up with drug dealers / sellers and he plans to trap them in a cafe by having his attractive rookie prosecutor, Oh Ye Jin (actress Seo Eun Su, Jealousy Incarnate) play the role of the victim who leads them directly to meet Kang Dae Il (actor Kang Gil Woo, The Glory) the deputy leader of the criminal Manjae gang.

Under pressure, Kang Dae Il confesses to smuggling drugs behind his mob boss's back. An uncomfortable truce is created. Meanwhile, Gi Tae watches Geun Young's activity in silence from the sidelines while attending his mother's funeral and trying to reconnect with his estranged siblings, especially his younger brother Baek Ki Hyun (Woo Do Hwan, Bloodhounds, My Country The New Age). There is a deep crack in Gi Tae's family and he desires to heal it.

Eventually there is a tense confrontation in a hotel where Geun Young's prosecutor team and KCIA agents converge on a deal with the Yakuza. Then Geun Young discovers a hidden eavesdropping device monitoring him and he realizes that he has been played with all the time by Gi Tae. Their personal war line is clearly drawn. Geun Young wants to arrest Gi Tae but he needs more proof about his involvement in the drug trades.

Made In Korea, first season, clearly lays the groundwork for an ethical conflict with the question of who has the right to decide what is moral when the government itself is corrupt. It doesn't just tell the story of criminal activities, it also delves into the root of the problem of how power and greed can pervert justice. If you like crime thrillers and you love the two male leads as much as I do then Made In Korea is simply not a Korean drama you should miss! Because it's so intense, and has so many twists and turns, I would recommend you give the six episodes in season one a weekend marathon: first three episodes on a Saturday, and the second three episodes on a Sunday. Enjoy!

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