The first two episodes of Hyunbin’s new drama are here, and I guess it’s yet another political drama from Disney+. I really don’t understand why this is all Disney+ is doing, especially when these shows are not really getting any traction. They always start off exciting and well, until they fizzle out because they get too complicated and uninteresting for our liking. Made In Korea is set in 1970, and it’s definitely one of these dramas. I can already tell it’s going to get too complicated for its own good, but I’d be delighted to be proven wrong. But of course, considering it stars Hyunbin, there’s a chance it’ll become popular just for that reason. Guess we also got kind of a callback to Crash Landing On You with the whole North Korea situation here. Anyway, with that said, let’s jump straight into episodes 1 and 2.
Spoiler Alert
What Happens in the Hijacked Plane?
Episode 1 of Made In Korea begins in 1970, where a man named Kenji (Hyunbin) is all set to take a flight to Fukuoka from Tokyo. His job is to give a briefcase to a woman called Ikeda Yuji, a Zainichi, i.e., a Korean residing in Japan. But as soon as he boards the flight, we already know something is wrong. There’s a young kid sitting next to him, and Kenji interacts with him before the flight takes off, giving him a piece of gum so his ears don’t hurt. Suddenly, a bunch of people, radicals from the Japanese Communist League, hijack the plane. They learned everything they know in North Korea, so they want to divert this plane to Pyongyang, North Korea. But while the Japanese on land don’t seem to be panicking enough, Kenji’s mind is already reeling with ideas. The little boy asks him if they’ll be okay, and he says yes, he will make sure they’re okay.
At the same time, the captain realizes that he has a way to fix this problem. He tells them that since they’re meant to be on a domestic flight, the plane doesn’t have enough fuel to reach Pyongyang, so they have to land in Fukouka to refuel. Meanwhile, Kenji gets the hijackers to free some of the passengers. The negotiation works when Kenji offers his briefcase full of meth to them, and they free the women, children, and elderly. But after all of this, the leader of the communist group, Yamada, is convinced Kenji is not who he says he is (a businessman). But Kenji continues to deflect, giving them other ideas on how to get to North Korea.
However, before the women and children got off, Kenji handed the little boy’s mother a chit with a phone number on it, and it was for the KCIA (Korean Central Intelligence Agency). Now, these people want only one thing. To make sure the flight doesn’t go to the North, and that it stops in Seoul instead. Hilariously, the Seoul airport is set up to look like Pyongyang, from the flags to people dressed in DPRK uniforms waiting to welcome the flight, but it doesn’t take long for Yamada to realize it’s all fake. He simply asks a soldier if this is Seoul, and he says yes. But soon, people on board won’t be able to breathe anymore, because there’s no air in the flight, but the governments of Japan and Korea are taking too long to figure out what to do with this situation. It’s all up to Kenji, of course. The Korean command simply tells them to keep the aircraft doors open.
Finally, with no time left, the hijackers continue to threaten the innocent passengers, and Kenji decides to show them who he is and pulls a hidden gun out of his briefcase. He shoots Yamada, and then when the guy wearing a bomb threatens to press the button, Kenji simply presses it himself, because he’s already observed it’s a fake. Kenji’s no ordinary man; he’s Baek Kitae, the head of intelligence at the KCIA Busan branch. Also, this was a time when you didn’t really get checked before getting on a flight, which is why Kenji had no problem “smuggling” meth and a gun onto it. The passengers are released, and the plane does, in fact, go to North Korea, with a Japanese minister on it. They get what they wanted, and so does everyone else. So I guess Kitae saved the day. Anyway, Kitae then visits Fukuoka, but he doesn’t have the briefcase to give to Yuji anymore, so she tells him they’re done, but he’s certain he’s going to see her again soon. While all of this is happening, a prosecutor named Jang Geonyoung is also after the Manjae group, and Kitae is connected because there’s a picture of him with the group leader, Jo Manjae. A young Korean couple are killed in their home by American soldiers, and this is because the Americans were after meth, but their little toddler is left alive (the woman was also pregnant). Finally, Kitae reveals himself as the head of the KCIA and also that he knows that Manjae is working with the Yakuza.
How Do Kitae and Geonyoung Meet?
In episode 2, after investigating the murder of the young couple, Geonyoung finds the American soldiers who can’t even be prosecuted. But he does try to get some information out of them, and one of them finally reveals that a meeting is meant to be held tomorrow. The emphasis is on the word tomorrow. Geonyoung also found a note in the dead couple’s house about a meeting at a C’est La Vie Cafe at 6 pm. Now he’s going to intercept this meeting to catch Manjae, and the way he can do this is by having someone pose as the couple, because the meth provider is unlikely to know they’re dead. The woman he picks, Yejin, chooses Geonyoung as her partner in crime, because he’s so handsome. Yejin also wants to become a prosecutor, but as a woman, she obviously thinks it’s too hard in this world. The person who meets them is none other than the Manjae group’s second in command, Kang Daeil.
After some crazy hoo-haa, Geonyeong asks Daeil if he’s been sneaking drugs behind Manjae’s back, and he admits it. Geonyeong asks him to be a rat, and though Daeil obviously refuses, but a deal is struck. However, Geonyeong lets him go anyway. Meanwhile, Kitae is looking into Yuji back at the office but won’t say why. At home, for his mother’s wake, Kitae gets a visit from his siblings, one sister and a brother. Kitae offers to help his brother out, but his sister suggests Kihyun should figure things out himself.
When the prosecutors are all out of the office, Kitae visits, and Geonyoung shows up just in time for them to interact. Kitae tells him he should leave the Manjae case to him, i.e., the KCIA, but obviously, the guy refuses. What Geonyeong doesn’t know is that Kitae has bugged the whole place. Geonyeong pretends to agree to give up anyway. This leads to Kitae and Geonyeong bugging the hotel room where Manjae’s meant to meet the Yakuza. The conversation is about moving 10 kilos of meth every month, just like Geonyoung asked. Apparently, they agree to do 20. Suddenly, the whole lights go out through the whole floor, and it appears the KICA is there to catch everyone. Geonyeong and his team also get caught up in the mess, though. Turns out Manjae and Daeil are working with Kitae. Kitae’s boss, Gukpyeong, then kills Manjae right there, because he can’t tolerate the disobedience. But before he can kill Daeil, Kitae saves him by telling him they need someone to pull the gang back as their new leader.
In the ending of Made In Korea episode 2, Geonyoung figures out that the office is bugged and finds all the recording devices. Meanwhile, Kitae makes big plans with Daeil. Kitae wants the job restarted, and it seems he’s bribing Daeil. He’s making a pact to start the business together. Kitae, the government man dealing drugs. The episode ends with Geongyoung ready with new zeal to catch Kitae, because he knows he’s a shady guy. This cleanup is going to be a big war.
