Made in Korea Season 2: Hyun Bin, Woo Do-hwan on 1979 Setting and Family Themes
On September 9, 2026, the second season of 'Made in Korea' debuted on Disney+ and Hulu, releasing two episodes each week until September 23. This series, which became Disney+'s most popular Korean original in 2025, features Hyun Bin as KCIA agent Baek Kitae, Jung Woo-sung as prosecutor Jang Geonyoung, and Woo Do-hwan as Baek Kihyun. Taking place in 1979, the narrative kicks off on October 26, coinciding with President Park Chung-hee's assassination, and wraps up prior to December 12, when Major General Chun Doo-hwan executed a coup. The season delves into familial relationships and power dynamics, centering on characters not directly engaged in the historical events. The production paid close attention to 1970s details, such as nicotine-free cigarettes.
Key facts
- Season 2 premiered on Disney+ and Hulu on September 9, 2026, with two episodes, and two new episodes will be released every Wednesday through September 23.
- The series is directed by Woo Min-ho and written by Park Eun-gyo and Park Joon-suk.
- Hyun Bin stars as Baek Kitae, a KCIA agent and drug smuggler; Jung Woo-sung as prosecutor Jang Geonyoung; Woo Do-hwan as Kitae's younger brother Baek Kihyun.
- Season 2 is set in 1979, nine years after Season 1, beginning on October 26, 1979, the day President Park Chung-hee was assassinated, and ending before December 12, 1979, when Chun Doo-hwan staged an insurrection.
- Woo Min-ho imagined a KCIA counterattack led by Baek Kitae as a fictional premise.
- The series focuses on peripheral characters not directly involved in historical events, unlike Woo's films '12.12: The Day' and 'The Man Standing Next'.
- Cigarettes are used as a prop to convey power and the era's smoking norms; they were nicotine-free.
- The nine-year time jump makes Kihyun more mature, intensifying the conflict between the brothers.
- Family is a central theme, with Kitae's quest for power driven by a desire to protect his family.
- Season 1 of 'Made in Korea' became Disney+'s most-watched Korean original title globally in 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Hyun Bin
- Woo Do-hwan
- Woo Min-ho
- Park Eun-gyo
- Park Joon-suk
- Jung Woo-sung
Institutions
- Disney+
- Hulu
- KCIA
- Korea Military Academy
- Hive Media Corp
Locations
- South Korea