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Disney+ makes political K-drama with $6lm
The Straits Times
|December 19, 2025
Made In Korea unites heavyweight actors Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung
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SEOUL — Disney+ Korea is wrapping up 2025 with Made In Korea, a marquee political drama carrying a reported production budget of some 70 billion won (S$61 million) across two seasons — among the largest ever mounted for a K-drama.
That level of investment is no accident. The project unites K-content heavyweights Hyun Bin, famed for Crash Landing On You (2019), and Jung Woo-sung, who is known for 12.12: The Day (2023) and Steel Rain (2017).
It also marks the streaming service series debut of acclaimed historical fiction director Woo Min-ho, known for a slew of award-winning features including Harbin (2024) and The Man Standing Next (2020).
Set in South Korea during the tumultuous 1970s, a decade defined by rapid political and social transformation, Made In Korea follows the story of Gi-tae (Hyun Bin), an individual determined to seize wealth and power amid uncertain times, while prosecutor Geon-young (Jung) relentlessly hunts him down.
Their rivalry pulls both men into a web of emblematic events in Korean history.
This story is from the December 19, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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