‘Money Heist: Korea’ is a unique tale portraying the fictional reunion of North and South Korea
There are many series that portray the what-ifs of South Korea and North Korea’s unification—but Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area is rooted in a period where “only the rich got richer.”
The six-episode series is described to be more than a Korean adaptation of the famed La Casa De Papel. It takes on the all-familiar themes of capitalism, greed, and how the desire for money and power can turn a person from bad to worse or vice versa.
As the Korean spinoff premieres on Netflix, here are some of the most-anticipated moments of the series as shared by the cast and production team themselves.
‘Money Heist: Korea’ is ‘different’ from the original
La Casa De Papel tells the story of a mysterious Professor who recruits eight strategists to carry out the most ambitious heist in Spain. While the Korean spinoff revolves around the same premise, Kim Ji-hun (Helsinki) told the media during a press conference that it will a fateful reinterpretation of the “original work.”
“You will see the charm of this remake with a Korean touch added to the essence of the original. This series is different, yet holds the core of the original work,” Ji-hun said.
The spinoff talks about the unique relationship between the Koreas
Loyal fans know that the Royal Mint of Spain is what sets the stage for the original series’ first season. So, to pull off the need for a ₩4 trillion (approximately P168 million) heist, writer Ryu Jong-tae said he touched on a world where South Korea and North Korea are in the stage of reunification.
“It was a priority to create a stage where it can happen. We drove the story to occupy the Unified Korea Mint in a virtual space or a Joint Economic Area. It was such a unique concept that is only made possible in Korea, which is still a divided country,” Jong-tae added.
Jong-tae shared that the show’s plot can be credited to the unique relationship between North Korea and South Korea in reality.
“The North and South Koreans sometimes have dynamic chemistry among themselves because of the long history of the divided nation. So there is another layer that is always on top of the overall situation and that adds tension,” Jong-tae said.
Yoo Ji-tae as the Professor
Kim Yun-jin as Seon-Woojin
Park Hae-soo as Berlin
Jang Yoon-ju as Nairobi
Lee Hyun-woo as Rio
Kim Ji-hoon as Denver
Lee Si-woo as Ann
Jeon Jong-seo as Tokyo
Park Myung-hoon as Cho Yeong-min
Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo
Kim Ji-hun as Helsinki
Kim Sung-oh as Captain Cha Moo-hyuk
Lee Won-jong as Moscow
Yoo Ji-tae as the Professor
Kim Yun-jin as Seon-Woojin
Park Hae-soo as Berlin
Jang Yoon-ju as Nairobi
Lee Hyun-woo as Rio
Kim Ji-hoon as Denver
Lee Si-woo as Ann
Jeon Jong-seo as Tokyo
Park Myung-hoon as Cho Yeong-min
Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo
Kim Ji-hun as Helsinki
Kim Sung-oh as Captain Cha Moo-hyuk
Lee Won-jong as Moscow
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Being the Professor was a ‘challenge’ for Yoo Ji-tae
Yoo Ji-tae, who takes on the role of the titular Professor, revealed that he had played many types of villainous characters throughout his career. However, he said portraying the Professor was a “challenge” since he’s known to be a strategist who works by himself.
“I was positioned in my own headquarters to look, run, and direct the overall situation and I had to explain everything to the crew as well. It was not only to the crew but to the audience as well, I had to explain a lot of things. So because of that, I kind of tried to deliver the messages like a voice actor,” Ji-tae said.
The actor added that he might have “definitely enjoyed my time” if he had the chance to work with the rest of the cast.
Park Hae-soo believes the spinoff will steal viewers’ hearts
During the press conference, Park Hae-soo (Berlin) jokingly referred to himself as the “unofficial employee” of Netflix Korea due to appearing in web series produced by the streaming platform.
Hae-soo first gained worldwide recognition after his role as Cho Sang-woo in Netflix’s Squid Game in 2020. He is also cast in the platform’s upcoming web series The Accidental Narco which will be aired within the year.
Even so, the actor believes that Money Heist: Korea will make an impact on the viewers just like how they fell in love with the famed survival series.
“We have great artists and creators in Korea, and Squid Game actually followed their path. I’m sure Money Heist Korea will follow the same path and create more opportunities for the people who are following. So I hope to see great progress in that regard going forward, and I’m sure we’ll see that coming,” Hae-soo said.
The director and writer hint at Part 2
Even if the cast didn’t reveal if Money Heist: Korea will have a Part 2, director Kim Hong-sun and Jong-tae opened up about the possibility of a continuation to the series.
When asked about the division of ₩4 trillion among the gang, director Hong-sun hinted that it will be discussed in Part 2’s storyline.
“We actually gave thoughts into it, the scale, size, and weight of it, and that will be revealed in Part 2, but to avoid spoilers, I cannot really go deeply into it,” Hong-sun said.
Jong-tae added that the gang “escaping with the money” will be tricky since the Korean peninsula is “surrounded by three seas.”
“The series reflects to Korea’s situation, [including] the backstory of the characters. We will need to reflect on the situation of Korea and that is all infused in the series. I hope you enjoy those aspects in Part 2 of the show,” Jong-tae said.