Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung Return for Second Season of 'Made in Korea'

The second season of the Disney+ series 'Made in Korea' is set to premiere next Wednesday. The political thriller, which follows the power struggle between government intelligence operative Baik Ki-tae, played by Hyun Bin, and prosecutor Jang Keon-young, played by Jung Woo-sung, is set in 1979, nine years after the events of the first season. Actor Hyun Bin stated at a press conference in Seoul that the new season features a more continuous narrative and deeper power games as his character pursues greater wealth and ambition.

Director Woo Min-ho, who also directed 'The Man Standing Next,' noted that while other recent South Korean historical works focus on real life figures, 'Made in Korea' uses fictional characters to explore the country's tumultuous political climate of the 1970s and 1980s. Jung Woo-sung added that this fictional approach allowed for more creative freedom and depth in portraying the characters. Both the director and Hyun Bin acknowledged the pressure following the success of the first season, which was the most watched Korean original on Disney+ last year.

While the center leaning coverage focused on the plot developments and the actors' reflections on history, the center right leaning coverage emphasized the production's scale, describing it as one of the most expensive K-dramas ever made with a reported budget of 70 billion won spanning two seasons.