‘Made in Korea’ Season 2 Deepens the Fight With Bigger Ambitions and More Personal Stakes

The press conference for Made in Korea Season 2, taking place on Wednesday, September 2nd in Seoul, brings back Hyun Bin as Baek Ki-Tae, Jung Woosung as Jang Geon-Young and Woo Dohwan as Baek Ki-Hyun, alongside Seo Eunsoo as Oh Ye-Jin, Won Jian as Choi Yu-Ji, Jung Sungil as Cheon Seok-Jung, Roh Jaewon as Pyo Hak-Su and Cha Hee as Baek So-Yeong. Director Woo Minho also returns.

After reaching a higher position and gaining more wealth, Baek Ki-Tae is still not satisfied. Now acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency, he wants even more power, wealth and a higher position. Hyun Bin said that Ki-Tae faces forces and people who try to stop his rise, leaving him isolated at times and pushing him toward bold and dangerous choices.

Director Woo Minho said Season 2 is also structured differently from the first season. While Season 1 was filled with different stories across its episodes, Season 2 follows one story continuously from Episode 1 through Episode 6. He described Season 1 as “a fight between kids,” while Season 2 feels more like “a fight between adults.”

Jung Woosung returns as Jang Geon-Young, who lost everything and comes back nine years later as a special adviser to the Joint Investigation Headquarters. His public sense of justice has shifted toward personal revenge, while he convinces himself that bringing down Ki-Tae is a way to achieve justice. Jung Woosung said the character reflects the choices, mistakes and dilemmas people face as times change, and how the meaning of major historical events can continue to appear in different forms today.

Woo Dohwan’s Baek Ki-Hyun has also changed after nine years. Now a lieutenant colonel in the Security Command, Ki-Hyun is more mature, has stronger personal beliefs and knows more clearly what he wants to protect. Woo Dohwan said he wanted audiences to wonder what choices Ki-Hyun would make. His relationship with Ki-Tae is also very different from Season 1, making the character feel new, unfamiliar and at times uncomfortable to play.

The actor also said that Ki-Hyun’s story will reveal why he has always tried to do what his brother wanted, why he cares so deeply about his family and what happened during those nine years. While Ki-Hyun has become more grounded, his stronger sense of self also makes his conflict with his brother even more intense.

Seo Eunsoo returns as Oh Ye-Jin, now a prosecutor and the first woman to hold the position. After surviving in a drug investigation unit where she was surrounded by men and later being dispatched to the Joint Investigation Headquarters in Seoul, Ye-Jin has become tougher, more confident and more fearless.

Seo Eunsoo said she focused on making Ye-Jin’s voice, eyes and speech carry more strength. She wanted her to feel more confident, strong and even more reckless than in Season 1. Her appearance also changed, moving from the curly hippie perm of Season 1 to a more natural hairstyle inspired by photos of Princess Diana. She also wanted Ye-Jin to have a stronger physical presence and began eating more after discussing the character with the director.

To get into character, Seo Eunsoo said she would remind herself on set: “I am Oh Ye-Jin. I am the first female prosecutor. I am not afraid of these men.”

Jung Sungil returns as Cheon Seok-Jung, now chief secretary. With the relationships around him changing in Season 2, his character also moves through a wider range of people and situations. Jung Sungil said he focused on the new relationships he would have to build and on how Cheon Seok-Jung would deal with a much more powerful Baek Ki-Tae.

Roh Jaewon returns as Pyo Hak-Su, with a striking change in his appearance, while Cha Hee plays Baek So-Yeong. So-Yeong returns in a completely different form after nine years. After losing the person she loved and ending Season 1 pregnant, she became deeply involved in her brother’s business over the following years. Season 2 explores how she has changed and what new desires she has developed. Her accumulated wealth is also reflected in her appearance, including the pearl necklace she wears.

The changing Baek family becomes another source of tension as Ki-Tae, Ki-Hyun and So-Yeong find their individual desires colliding within one of their closest relationships.

Hyun Bin also acknowledged the pressure of returning for a second season after the strong response to Season 1 and receiving the Best Actor award at the Baeksang Arts Awards. He said the pressure was certainly there, but he also hopes audiences who enjoyed Season 1 will return for Season 2.

For Hyun Bin, Season 2 is also a deeper story. While Season 1 needed to introduce different characters, situations and story elements across individual episodes, Season 2 follows one story from beginning to end. He believes this will allow viewers to become more immersed in the story and enjoy it even more.

When asked about the connection between Made in Korea and 12.12: The Day, Jung Woosung said the series reflects how the flow of history can repeat itself in different ways. People continue to make choices, mistakes and errors while others try to move toward what they believe is right. Even when time has passed, he said, the meaning of major historical events can continue to take different forms in the present.

Director Woo Minho joked that viewers can look to 12.12: The Day for what happens after the events of the series, while leaving the question of a potential Season 3 open.

The cast also shared some lighter moments from filming. Woo Dohwan said his relationship with Hyun Bin was much different in Season 2, so he could not rely on memories from Season 1. He described the experience as new, unfamiliar, uncomfortable and frustrating, while joking that Hyun Bin had become even cooler, which made him feel like he had not become cooler himself.

Hyun Bin said their chemistry was much better this time because the characters had already been established in Season 1, making it easier and more comfortable to work together. He also admitted he was surprised by Woo Dohwan’s appearance.

Jung Sungil said he spent much of the time laughing. Although he did not directly meet everyone in the same way, Season 2 allowed him to interact with more characters, giving him a different experience from Season 1.

Woo Dohwan described the Made in Korea set as a happy one, regardless of whether they were filming in snow, rain or heat. He said he sometimes wished he had a real older brother like Ki-Tae or an older sister like So-Yeong, but when filming with Jang Geon-Young and Cheon Seok-Jung, he often found himself thinking that perhaps he should be on their side instead.
As Baek Ki-Tae faces Jang Geon-Young, his own brother and the changing desires within his family, Made in Korea Season 2 moves into a more connected and personal story, with nine years of change shaping every relationship.