I’m still wondering why Disney+ makes K-dramas at all, because every time I watch one, I’m thinking there’s so much potential here, but it’s all been lost on Disney. I’m sorry, but it’s clear after this many months that nobody is watching these shows because they’re struggling to keep momentum despite their big budgets and fancy historical plotlines. Sometimes, things don’t need to be boring to be precise. Anyway, before I turn this into a rant about how bad Disney is at doing K-dramas, let me jump into the show at hand. Made In Korea tells the story of a man eager to become powerful. Why? Well, because that’s the only thing he’s ever dreamt of. Hyunbin plays Kitae, and honestly, marriage is looking good on him. But he happens to be one of the only actually good things about this show. Don’t get me wrong, the plot is somewhat interesting, but it’s wasted by the shoddy execution. Do-Hwan is also miserably underutilized, but I guess that’s what happens when a show is only 6 episodes. But hey, the ’70s are a good look for these two. With that said, though, I’m going to jump into the final episode.
Spoiler Alert
Where Did Geonyeong Go?
At the end of Made In Korea episode 5, it looked like Geonyeong was murdered in the streets, with just a shoe and his bike left in the rain. But now we learn that he’s being interrogated by Kitae. Actually, maybe it’s not so much an interrogation as it is a beatdown. Kitae has fabricated incriminating evidence against Geonyeong’s sister, who also happens to be in the same room, tied up to a chair. Kitae is basically using Geonyeong’s sister to get him to back off, but Geonyeong isn’t the kind of person to give in that easy. Kitae has a recording of a man named Minsu who admitted that Geonyeong’s sister was getting communist funds from the North and passing them on to Geonyeong, making him a communist by extension.
But Haksu convinces Kitae to let go of Geonyeong, because he has more pressing matters at hand, i.e. the deal with Japan. Haksu drives Geonyeong out to the middle of nowhere and also tells him that they should work together now. What’s with these people always trying to two-time Kitae and always failing? Geonyeong now has more vigor to catch Kitae, but will he succeed? Later, Geonyeong goes to Chief Na to tell him that he’ll do anything to catch Kitae, and even drinks out of Na’s shoe to prove it. Haksu then provides Geonyeong with a recording of Chief Cheon, which is meant to be used as a threat against Kitae, but it doesn’t matter at all.
What Happens To Daeil?
Meanwhile, Daeil gets caught by Geonyeong, and he’s already high as a kite. Daeil has been madly in love with Kitae’s sister, Soyeong, so he will do anything in his power to keep her safe. Which means even killing himself and making a false confession, putting Geonyeong down as the mastermind behind the big drug deal. Daeil ends up injecting himself with pure heroin and jumping through the one-way mirror in the interrogation room, killing himself in the process. Before this confession ends up making the rounds, with Haksu’s help, Geonyeong breaks into the KCIA with a warrant for the arrest of Kitae. Na thinks this is helpful to him, but it’s not even making a dent for Cheon. While Kitae’s in a holding cell being interrogated by Geonyeong, he tells him a story from his time in Vietnam, back in ‘65. He’d been leading his men into a narrow and deadly tunnel built by the Viet Cong, and even after clearing out an enemy camp, his commanding officer had ordered him to move deeper into the tunnels with his men.
Everyone but Kitae ended up dying, and he took the fall for it, but his commander ended up being promoted to a general. I suppose he’s using this story to prove that you can never trust the higher-ups, though Geonyeong dismisses it as him trying to explain away his actions, when he’s just a drug dealer and a murderer. However, in the present, Cheon proves his point, being more powerful than Na believed, so he’s able to get Kitae out.
What Happened In Vietnam?
On the other hand, Yuji asks Kitae to go with her to Vietnam to meet Jason, a supplier she has there, who’s eager to work with Kitae. When they get there, though, what Kitae doesn’t know is that his brother has been baited to capture him. Ki-Hyun has been assigned to a certain Colonel Chu, who’s been known for a while to be selling Korean goods to the Vietnamese on the black market. When Chu ends up negotiating a deal with a Vietnamese officer, Kitae’s in the same building, showing off his heroin to Jason. But his brother’s waiting there with recording devices to catch him in the act and prove his loyalty to the country. However, there’s a bomb blast in the bar where the deal is being made, and the first thing Kitae does is save Yuji from being blown to pieces. However, this whole ordeal reveals a hidden Ki-Hyun, who is clearly disappointed in his brother. However, he just walks away, and that’s that. Ki-Hyun doesn’t make any more appearances in the show after that, but we can imagine that he’s never going to speak to his brother again. But what does this mean for Kitae? Also, we never find out what this bombing was about or who orchestrated it, but hey, I guess it’s Vietnam in wartime? It’s not that important to this story.
What Happens To Geonyeong And Kitae?
In Made In Korea’s ending, Geonyeong is arrested after Kitae brings up the fact that his father was a druggie, and even killed his mother. This is what makes Geonyeong furious, but there’s nothing he can do, because people who are desperate for power, will do anything to get it and Kitae is that person. Kitae’s drug business is finally successful, and he’s executed his collaborations with the Yakuza, but also kept his country safe from the drug trade. He’s got everything he ever wanted, but while his sister works for him (and is pregnant with Daeil’s baby), we don’t see Ki-Hyun ever again, which means he’s done with his brother and probably broken off ties. Ki-Hyun is righteous, whereas Kitae is eager to be a big man to secure a good life for his family. Ironically, that’s just Ki-Hyun and Soyeong. Finally, Cheon gets all the money he wanted from Kitae, which means Kitae can continue working with him and keep the President happy. In the end, Kitae becomes the director general of the KCIA, which means he’s succeeded in his mission. But there’s a chance that this will come back to bite him in the future. Kitae might be somewhat powerful now, but this is an eternal journey that never ends. Once you have something, you always want to get more, especially if you’re a man like Kitae. My only worry is that he really doesn’t have any reason to do this anymore. It’s just to prove that he can do what he wants now. Guess it’s an improvement on his past life.
