[TF Interview] Director Woo Min-ho of 'Made in Korea' hints at Season 3... Hyun Bin to return as 'Baek Ki-tae'

Season 2 follows Season 1Planning for Season 3... New story set in the 1990sMain characters, including Hyun Bin, Jung Sung-il, and Noh Jae-won, reuniteDirector Woo Min-ho, who directed Season 2 of the Disney+ original series 'Made in Korea' following Season 1, held a wrap-up interview. /The Walt Disney Company Korea[THE FACT|Reporter Kim Saet-byeol] "I felt that Baek Ki-tae couldn't end like this. So, I'm keeping Season 3 in mind."Director Woo Min-ho had already conceived of Season 3. While filming Season 2, he felt that Baek Ki-tae (Hyun Bin) couldn't be let go like this. Amidst viewers' curiosity and regret about Baek Ki-tae's life or death, the 'Made in Korea' series will eventually expand to a story set in the 1990s.Director Woo Min-ho recently met with reporters from at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to conduct a wrap-up interview for the Disney+ original series 'Made in Korea Season 2' (written by Park Eun-kyo, directed by Woo Min-ho, hereinafter referred to as 'Mainko 2'). He, who directed the long journey from Season 1 to Season 2, shared various stories about the work.'Made in Korea,' which concluded on the 23rd of last month with its 6-episode run, is a story about Baek Ki-tae, who pursues wealth and power, and prosecutor Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung), who chases him, set in 1970s South Korea. Season 2 depicted the shift in power, focusing on the confrontation between the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Security Command, set in 1979, nine years later.At the end of Season 2, the development where the protagonist Baek Ki-tae seemed to exit futilely with the emergence of the new military regime shocked viewers. However, Director Woo Min-ho conceived of the next story through the two seasons and was already thinking about Season 3 by the middle of filming Season 2.Director Woo said, "The original script had Baek Ki-tae dying. But while filming, I couldn't just let him go like that," he said. "After discussing with the actors and the writer, we decided not to have him die but to have him disappear. We decided to consider Season 3. So, we are currently proceeding with Season 3."He expressed regret that viewers interpreted the final scene of Season 2 as Baek Ki-tae's death. He said, "I should have hinted at his return," and "Actually, I didn't intend to drag this story out. I think I made it futile because I wanted to quickly resolve Season 2 for Season 3.""To explain the final scene, Baek Ki-tae, who was not a necessary figure in that era, disappeared with the sound of a gunshot. But there might be an era that needs Baek Ki-tae. I wanted to bring him back then."The plan for Season 3 was not sudden. Director Woo said, "I thought about it from the time I was filming Season 2. When I had filmed about one-third of Season 2, I felt that Baek Ki-tae couldn't end like this," he said. "All the actors have agreed. Otherwise, we can't do it, right? How can we do it without actor Hyun Bin?"Director Woo Min-ho, who directed Season 2 of the Disney+ original series 'Made in Korea' following Season 1, held a wrap-up interview. /The Walt Disney Company KoreaThe timeline for Season 3 that Director Woo envisions is the early 1990s. He explained the reason for setting the background as "Because Baek Ki-tae has to get revenge."However, Season 3 will not be released immediately. Since there will be a time difference of more than 10 years between Season 2 and the early 1990s, changes in the characters will also be necessary. Director Woo said, "I have a project that I prepared for a longer time, and I think I will do that one right before this," and added, "The writer will be writing in the meantime, won't she?"Director Woo recalled his college days, saying, "There were the 'Orange tribe' (a term for wealthy young people in the 90s), and 90s fashion is back now. I also remember the music of Kim Gun-mo and Shin Seung hun that I listened to back then." However, he was reluctant to speak about specific historical events or backgrounds.Most importantly, there are characters who will meet again in Season 3. Director Woo revealed that he kept Cheon Seok-joong (Jung Sung-il) and Pyo Hak-soo (Noh Jae-won) alive in Season 2 with the next story in mind. To this, Director Woo left a lingering impression by saying, "They will meet again."The reason for envisioning the reunion of the three was their "chemistry." Director Woo said, "I liked their chemistry and wanted to see it again, so I will have them appear in Season 3."Above all, the actors who played the three also had great chemistry. Director Woo said, "Actor Jung Sung-il did well, but he's so good at playing villains, isn't he? The reason I had him shoot him in the ear was because I wanted to see how he would portray Cheon Seok-joong with one ear missing in Season 3."Regarding Noh Jae-won, who played Pyo Hak-soo, he said, "He is a very flexible actor. He is an actor who has little fear of new challenges and willingly takes them on." He added, "His acting rhythm also seems a bit different from other actors. It's not on the beat, but half a beat faster or slower. The other actors seem bewildered at first," he praised.Director Woo Min-ho explained the relationship between Hyun Bin and Woo Do-hwan in the Disney+ original series 'Made in Korea' by drawing parallels to the relationship between the KCIA and the Defense Security Command. /The Walt Disney Company KoreaHe also drew a line regarding the interpretation that Baek Ki-hyun (Woo Do-hwan) killed his brother Baek Ki-tae. Director Woo emphasized, "I don't think Baek Ki-hyun is the kind of character who would kill his brother," and "He might tell him to disappear or go to Japan, but he's not someone who would kill his brother."The choice he saw for Baek Ki-hyun is not a simple conflict between brothers. He was forced to choose between protecting his brother Baek Ki-tae and also protecting his sister Baek So-young (Cha Hee) and her child. Director Woo explained, "Baek Ki-hyun has to protect his brother, but he also has to protect his sister and nephew. Then he has to make a choice," he said. "In a situation where power is already shifting, he has to decide whether to go all out with his brother, risking his entire family, or persuade his brother to go to Japan."There was also a reason for changing the historical background in the transition from Season 1 to Season 2. The 12.12 military coup he encountered while filming Season 1 became the starting point for Season 2. Director Woo said, "It was so shocking that a coup, which seemed like something that would only happen in the 70s, could happen in the present day. That became the driving force for making Season 2," he said. "That's why I went to 1979."He said, "I wanted to show that the darkness and historical tragedy of that era can still happen today," and depicted the confrontation between the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Security Command of that time as a relationship between brothers. "There was a dynamic of the declining KCIA and the rising Defense Security Command. Since the Defense Security Command was actually the new military faction, I symbolically divided them into the older brother representing the KCIA and the younger brother representing the Defense Security Command," he explained.Director Woo Min-ho also has his own principles for continuing to make period dramas. He said, "I believe we shouldn't tamper with the framework of major historical events," and "We shouldn't change historical facts like Ahn Jung-geun assassinating Ito Hirobumi." However, he explained, "I believe there is freedom of creation in dealing with the perspectives of other characters leading up to that event or the psychology of the people involved."Director Woo Min-ho, who directed Season 2 of the Disney+ original series 'Made in Korea' following Season 1, held a wrap-up interview. /The Walt Disney Company KoreaExperiencing a series for the first time in this work was also a new stimulus. Director Woo said, "Movies have to end within two hours, but 'Made in Korea,' with its 6 episodes for both Season 1 and Season 2, had room to tell more about the characters," and "The charm of a series is that you can connect with the audience. You can see how they react and reflect their feedback."His directing style also changed in the process. He said, "In the past, I was just busy filming according to the script and storyboard, but this time, I felt a sense of synergy with the staff working together," and "I realized that it gives me another kind of strength. When you make 6 movies, some succeed and some fail, and you get tired, but working on this project, I felt strength from being with my colleagues."He confessed, "As I'm doing a series for the first time, I've realized that while there are aspects that the public is satisfied with, there are also areas that seem lacking," and "I plan to make Season 3 while looking into those aspects." He added, "I will look into it more carefully in the future and do my best to reflect the audience's reactions sufficiently in Season 3."Thus, Director Woo has promised to meet again with Season 3. Attention is focused on how far the story of these individuals, who will meet again in the new era of the early 1990s, will unfold."I want to meet you all again, who have spent two seasons together. Even if you were a little upset watching the previous seasons, I hope you will understand through this interview, and I hope you will look forward to Season 3."sstar1204@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]