Director Woo Min-ho, who directed ‘Made in Korea’. Yonhap News

Director Woo Min-ho, who directed the Disney+ drama ‘Made in Korea’, directly stated his position on reports that the production budget was 70 billion won.

At 10:30 a.m. on the 15th, a production presentation was held at the Grand Ballroom of the Parnas Hotel in Seoul, where Director Woo Min-ho, along with Park Yong-woo, Noh Jae-won, Kang Gil-woo, Jung Sung-il, Won Ji-an, Seo Eun-soo, Woo Do-hwan, Jung Woo-sung, and Hyun Bin, introduced the series.

Amid talk that the production cost of ‘Made in Korea’ reaches 70 billion won, Director Woo said, “I am not sure how the figure 70 billion came about,” and added, “It did cost a lot of money, but it is difficult to say it was exactly 70 billion.”

He continued, “With overseas location shoots and efforts to recreate a period drama, the budget grew substantially,” explaining the big-production environment. He also mentioned concerns about overseas viewers’ comprehension, saying, “We wondered how much they could understand the circumstances in Korea. We even asked Disney+ staff and executives, and they said there would not be a major barrier.”

Director Woo added, “People racing toward desire, and the power games surrounding authority, exist in every country,” and, “I heard that overseas viewers would be able to follow along without difficulty.”

Meanwhile, ‘Made in Korea’ is set in South Korea in the 1970s, a time when turmoil and takeoff coexisted. It tells the story of a man, Baek Gi-tae (Hyun Bin), who seeks to reach the pinnacle of power by using the state as a revenue model, and a prosecutor, Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung), who doggedly pursues him to the end. The narrative depicts the two men confronting sweeping, era-defining events.

With a powerhouse cast and the synergy of a well-made production team, ‘Made in Korea’ will roll out on Disney+ with two episodes on December 24, two on December 31, one on January 7, and one on January 14, for a total of six episodes.