"Made In Korea" director Woo Min-ho expressed regret while evaluating Jung Woosung's acting.
On the morning of the 19th, an interview with director Woo Min-ho, who directed the Disney+ series Made In Korea, was held at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu.
Disney+ Made In Korea depicts South Korea in the 1970s, a time of both turmoil and leap forward, and tells the story of company man Baek Ki-tae (Hyunbin), who seeks to reach the pinnacle of wealth and power by using the state as a revenue model, and prosecutor Jang Geon-young (Jung Woosung), who relentlessly pursues him to the brink, confronting monumental events that transcend the era. It is a big-budget production that invested 70 billion won, and it is director Woo Min-ho's first series work; he made the films Inside Men (2015), The Man Standing Next (2020), and Harbin (2024). The high-profile project was produced by Hybe Media Corp., which made the 10-million-ticket film 12.12: The Day, and in addition to Hyunbin and Jung Woosung, it generated anticipation before release with a solid lineup including Woo Do Hwan, Cho Yeojeong, Seo Eun-soo, Won Jian, and Jung Sung-il.
Made In Korea has continued to attract attention even after the final episode was released on the 14th. It reinforced the series' presence by setting a new domestic viewing record among Korean original contents released on Disney+ in 2025 (based on 14 days after release). As of the 16th, the OTT platform content ranking site FlixPatrol showed the series held the No. 1 spot in Disney+ top 10 TV shows in Korea for 23 consecutive days, and it ranked No. 1 in Hong Kong and Taiwan and No. 2 in Japan and Singapore. In addition, Consumer Insight's "Jan. 3 week OTT K-original content viewer evaluation report" recorded a satisfaction score of 80, ranking first among film and drama launch contents by an overwhelming margin. K-content analysis platform Fundex also placed the drama high across major platforms, including No. 2 in drama buzz.
Saying he had looked for reactions after the release, he said, "People say Hyunbin is handsome, and there is a lot of talk about the ending. Since it hasn't been long since it ended, most of the public's reactions seem to be one-off responses," and added, "Doing a first series meant there was a lot to shoot, it was a story that couldn't be contained in a film, and I thought a drama was appropriate. It was 12 episodes from the start, and we filmed with the same crew from the movies, so there wasn't much difference."
However, some viewers reacted negatively to Jung Woosung's portrayal of the main character Jang Geon-young, saying, "The broad grin feels somewhat awkward and forced," and "It feels like acting that breaks immersion a bit." Other viewers, however, said, "It seems like an intentional setting that fits the character," and "It is understandable when you see Jang Geon-young's backstory."
Director Woo Min-ho recently appeared on the "Maebulsyo" channel and said, "Some may see it that way, but it is a character designed by the writer and me," and added, "Have you watched episode 4? In episode 4, Jang Geon-young's wartime experience and family history appear. It ties into our country's tragedy and the Japanese colonial period. You will understand why that character is exaggerated, why he has so much anger, and why he has that kind of laugh, almost like a tic disorder, because he has trauma. If you see that, you'll understand more. Before creating the Jang Geon-young character, the writer and I actually met with a psychiatrist. We asked, 'Could you make it like this?'" he said, recounting that he sought advice.
That day, director Woo Min-ho said, "If you look at the family history shown in episode 4, it includes a story in which the father returns addicted to methamphetamine during the Japanese colonial period. The tragedy of Korean history destroyed a family and an individual, and that came out as an exaggerated laugh," and added, "You could call it his trauma. It is his own defense technique to protect himself. That's how I saw it, and I'm looking into whether it's controversial. But if viewers see it that way, then that's how it is. After creation, it is the viewers' decision. Whether they see it that way or not is up to the viewers."
He went on, "I respect the viewers' opinions. I don't want to refute them. At the same time, I'm carefully observing public reactions and thinking about why such responses came out," and said, "But the actor has more than 30 years of acting experience, so it's a pity to use a somewhat rude term like bad acting. I'm wondering why people even bring up the word 'bad acting.'"
Director Woo Min-ho also said, "Because nine years have passed for the Jang Geon-young character, he will appear as a different character in season 2," and explained, "He probably won't express his emotions as frankly as in season 1. He came on too aggressively and lost to Baek Ki-tae. Jang Geon-young won't disappear as he was. He will return in season 2, equip new weapons, and try to defeat Baek Ki-tae," raising expectations.
Meanwhile, Made In Korea concluded season 1 as a six-episode run, and season 2 is currently being filmed.
[photo] Disney+
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