Hyun Bin finds career-defining role in 'Made in Korea'
A scene from "Made in Korea" / Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Korea
“I was deeply drawn to Baek Ki-tae’s ambition — his unyielding, almost reckless drive toward wealth and power. It felt like a character through whom I could show a very different side of myself.”
The setting is 1970s Busan, in southeastern Korea. The Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) — the sword and shield of the country’s military dictatorship — is at the height of its power and prestige.
Baek Ki-tae, played by Hyun Bin, is a KCIA section chief in Busan, living a precarious double life. By day, he is a government official with immense power at his disposal; by night, he smuggles drugs.
In the Disney+ series "Made in Korea," Baek is positioned as the main character, pursued by hot-headed, justice-obsessed prosecutor Jang Geon-young, played by Jung Woo-sung.
Yet by the end, audiences are left grappling not with the prosecutor, but with Baek — and with Hyun Bin’s performance. In that sense, the series goes so far as to feel like a drama made for Hyun Bin, and, in many ways, made by him.
“Is Ki-tae really an evil person?” Hyun Bin asked, as he sat down at a café in central Seoul.
For the actor, Ki-tae’s pursuit of power and wealth — while undeniably criminal, including his involvement in drug smuggling — is something he says he can empathize with and understand, rather than simply dismissing the character as evil.
“To me, what drove Ki-tae were the traumas, discrimination and frustration he experienced during his time in the military. Those were inflicted by the state and the system,” Hyun Bin said.
“I understood Ki-tae — how deeply he hated those moments, and how desperate he was to never find himself in that kind of situation again.”
A scene from "Made in Korea" / Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Korea
To convey the overwhelming authority of the KCIA in that era, Hyun Bin gained 14 kilograms for the role. On set, nothing about his appearance felt accidental — from his hairstyle to the crease of his trousers — mirroring Baek Ki-tae himself.
“Ki-tae is ruthlessly efficient, quick to act and fast at calculating, and he takes full responsibility for the outcomes,” Hyun Bin said.
“I imagined him as razor-sharp, so I went with a tightly parted pomade hairstyle and tailored suits — someone who looks like you could stab him and not see a drop of blood.”
Delicate acting and careful direction were then layered on top. Scenes of total stillness were alternated with moments of small gestures, building texture into the character.
The series marks Hyun Bin’s second collaboration with director Woo Min-ho, following "Harbin." For the actor, Woo is a filmmaker worthy of particular praise.
“He has an acute ability to uncover unfamiliar dimensions in actors,” Hyun Bin said. “He weighs his options relentlessly, and not a single scene is approached lightly.”
The final scene — in which Baek, having finally secured the power he long sought, lights a cigar — was also the result of an impromptu idea from director Woo.
“We were shooting Cheon Seok-jung, the presidential security chief, when Woo suggested that Ki-tae sit in the same chair,” Hyun Bin recalled. “He said the shot would look good.”
He added, “I quickly memorized the lines and thought about how to differentiate Ki-tae from Cheon. When I saw the finished scene, I thought, ‘This is it.’”
Hyun Bin portrays Baek Ki-tae, the central character of Disney+ series "Made in Korea." Courtesy of The Walt Disney Company Korea
Since its release, "Made in Korea" has topped Disney+ domestic series rankings for 23 consecutive days and became the platform’s most-watched Korean original on the platform across the Asia-Pacific region last year.
With filming for a second season underway and a release targeted for the second half of the year, Hyun Bin hinted at an even more explosive continuation.
“Season 2 is, quite simply, a war,” he said. “Ki-tae’s younger brother Ki-hyun will step fully into the story, and Jang Geon-young will change as well. I hope viewers will join us again for another precarious double life.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.