"Made In Korea" Hyunbin expressed a cautious stance regarding various issues and controversies surrounding Jung Woosung.
On the afternoon of the 27th, an interview with Hyunbin, the lead actor of the Disney+ series Made In Korea, was held at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
Disney+ Made In Korea depicts 1970s Korea, a time of simultaneous turmoil and leap forward, telling the story of corporate executive Baek Ki-tae (played by Hyunbin), who tries to make the nation a revenue model to reach the pinnacle of wealth and power, and prosecutor Jang Geon-young (played by Jung Woosung), who relentlessly pursues him to the edge, as they confront major events that span the era. The big-budget production injected 70 billion won in production costs and is director Woo Min-ho's first series work; he made the films Inside Men (2015), Decision to Leave (2020), and Harbin (2024). Hive Media Corp., which made the 10-million-ticket film 12.12: The Day, produced the series, and in addition to Hyunbin and Jung Woosung, the strong lineup including Woo Do Hwan, Cho Yeojeong, Seo Eun-soo, Won Jian, and Jung Sung-il drew anticipation even before its release.
Hyunbin gave a passionate performance as Baek Ki-tae, a Central Intelligence Agency agent who covets wealth and power and leads a double life as a drug smuggler. For the first time in his 23-year career he took on a villain role, bulking up 15kg to deliver a powerful performance. Working consecutively again with director Woo Min-ho of the film Harbin, he succeeded in transforming his image 180 degrees from the hero An Jung-geun to a villain character.
Made In Korea concluded its final episode on the 14th, and among Korean original contents released on Disney+ in 2025 it set a domestic viewership record, solidifying the series' presence. As of the 16th, the OTT platform content ranking site FlixPatrol recorded the series as number one on the Disney+ top 10 TV shows in Korea for 23 consecutive days, and it ranked number one in Hong Kong and Taiwan and number two in Japan and Singapore. In addition, it was the most-watched Korean work across the Asia-Pacific region over the past year.
Despite being a highly anticipated work, "Mainco" became embroiled in controversy before and after its release over Jung Woosung's alleged out-of-wedlock child and debates about his acting ability.
Responding to the remark, "The work is so solid, but I think it will be regrettable that it gets overshadowed by other things," he said, "There are regrettable parts. It's really not easy to talk about, and those regrets are probably much greater for the senior actors than for me," adding, "The reason I'm cautious about saying this is because all actors are like this: they constantly worry and work hard to embody and present their roles. It's not my place to comment on the reactions to that, but they will be thinking and worrying about it more."
He continued, "We don't see season 1 as the end; there will be a season 2, so the cast will surely be thinking more and trying to show a better side. I dare to make that assumption," adding, "On set, Jang Geon-young is a senior to me, so I prepare simply as Baek Ki-tae, and when we meet as Jang Geon-young, I think I can just act as him."
On the actual acting chemistry with Jung Woosung, he said, "We talked a lot. During rehearsals and when reviewing on-set edits we often discussed things like, 'How about changing this?' We still do that. Obviously he has more experience than me and probably sees things from a somewhat different perspective. He has also served as a director. There are parts I miss that he, conversely, finds for me. We kept communicating while filming, and what we're doing now is fun and good. It's a set where we search for things not only in the script," expressing satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Made In Korea season 1 wrapped up as a six-episode series, and season 2 is currently being filmed.
[Photo] Walt Disney Company Korea
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