Disney+’s Made in Korea Disney Plus series is a chilling dive into an era defined by the axiom “might makes right,” where the shadows of dictatorship and colonial trauma converge. This noir masterpiece explores how systemic violence forces individuals to choose between a life of powerless dignity and a descent into the dark world of the drug trade to fulfill their suppressed desires. In this review, I’ll analyze how the series connects Korea’s turbulent history, the stellar performances of its leads, and why it serves as the ultimate conclusion to Director Woo Min-ho’s exploration of power.
- An Era of Inherited Violence: From Colonialism to Dictatorship
- Distorted Desire: Why Success Demands the Loss of Humanity
- Woo Min-ho’s Vision: Completing the Trilogy of Korean Power
- The Silent Majority: The True Architects of the ‘Miracle’
- Why Made in Korea is Essential Viewing
An Era of Inherited Violence: From Colonialism to Dictatorship
To understand the world of Made in Korea, one must understand the weight of the 1970s. As someone living in Korea, I see this series not just as a period piece, but as a study of state-sponsored violence. The show draws a sharp, painful parallel between the military dictatorship of the 70s and the Japanese colonial era. Both periods shared a common thread: the individual was merely a tool for the state’s grander “purpose.”
This parallel is most tragically embodied in the history of the drug itself. During the Japanese occupation, many Koreans were forcibly conscripted into mines and military factories, where they were given methamphetamine—then known as ‘Philopon’—to suppress exhaustion and fear. These laborers were literal tools for the imperial war machine, forced into addiction just to survive the day. The series shows that this cycle of violence didn’t end with liberation; it simply evolved. In the 1970s, the individual remained a tool for the state’s ‘purpose,’ and the drug trade became a distorted means of survival in a society where power was the only law.
Distorted Desire: Why Success Demands the Loss of Humanity
In a world where honest labor rarely leads to prosperity, desire takes a twisted turn. The protagonist’s involvement in the drug trade is the ultimate symbol of this distortion. For Baek Gi-tae (Hyun-bin), “Made in Korea” isn’t just a label for a product; it’s a desperate attempt to claim a piece of a world that was never meant for him. In this era, if you wanted to be “someone,” you often had to abandon being “humane.”
This struggle is perfectly countered by the character played by Jo Yeo-jeong. Her performance captures the raw, desperate edge of someone fighting for her own share in a world dominated by men and power. She doesn’t fight with “justice” in the traditional sense, but with a survivalist instinct, risking her life to demand what she believes is hers. Her character highlights the tragedy of the era: for a regular person to achieve anything, they had to be prepared to lose everything, including their life.
📌 Local Note: For the “ordinary” people who chose to remain humane and rational, success in this era was nearly impossible. The system was rigged to reward the ruthless, leaving the virtuous to struggle in silence.
Woo Min-ho’s Vision: Completing the Trilogy of Korean Power
Understanding Director Woo Min-ho is key to appreciating this series. If you look at his previous works, you can see a clear evolution in his exploration of the “Korean Power Structure.” Made in Korea feels like the final, grittiest chapter of a thematic trilogy:
- Inside Men (2015): Explored how modern corruption is fueled by the collusion of media, politics, and capital.
- The Man Standing Next (2020): Focused on the high-level political tension and the internal collapse of the inner circle of power.
- Made in Korea (2025): Shifts the lens to the grassroots level—the underworld. It shows how the corruption and violence from the top trickle down and poison the lives of those on the street.
This vision is brought to life with a staggering 70-billion-won production budget, creating a “mise-en-scène of corruption” that is breathtaking to behold. The meticulously recreated streets of 1970s Busan and Kobe—at once gritty, decaying, and hauntingly glamorous—complete the show’s dark aesthetic, making the visual experience as rich as its thematic depth. Director Woo connects the personal ambition of a drug dealer to the grander, often uglier, narrative of a nation’s growth through this visceral “aesthetic of decay.”
The Silent Majority: The True Architects of the ‘Miracle’
While the show focuses on the “shadows” of the 1970s, it’s crucial for global viewers not to misinterpret the historical context. There is a common misconception that the rapid economic development of Korea—the “Miracle on the Han River”—was solely the result of this “by any means necessary” attitude or the work of those in power.
In reality, the foundation of modern Korea was built by the blood, sweat, and tears of millions of honest, hardworking citizens. These were the people who worked 12 to 16-hour shifts in grueling conditions, not for greed, but for the survival of their families. The drug dealers and corrupt officials shown in the Made in Korea Disney Plus series represent the parasites of that era, not its engine. The true miracle was achieved despite the corruption and violence, not because of it.
Why Made in Korea is Essential Viewing
Honestly, this series is a masterclass in Korean noir. It challenges the viewer to look past the flashy “drug kingpin” tropes and see the tragedy of a stolen era. With the heavyweight acting of Hyun-bin and Jung Woo-sung, combined with Director Woo Min-ho’s razor-sharp social commentary, it offers a profound look at the human cost of a distorted dream.
It’s a story about the monsters created by a monstrous system, and the heavy price paid by those who dared to dream of a better life in a time of darkness. If you want to understand the “real” Korea behind the historical headlines, this is the series to watch.
Korean Culture portal KCulture.com
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Founder of Kculture.com and MA in Political Science. He shares deep academic and local insights to provide an authentic perspective on Korean history and society.