MANILA, Philippines — Hyun Bin admitted to feeling the pressure as he reprises the role of Ki-tae, an intelligence agent living a double life in “Made in Korea” Season 2. The Disney+ political crime thriller returns this Sept. 9.
His portrayal of a KCIA (Korean Central Intelligence Agency) officer by day and smuggler by night in Season 1 earned him the Best Actor award in the television category at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards. Naturally, it raised expectations for his upcoming performance in the series.
“It would be a lie for me to say I don’t feel any pressure, but I’m very glad that so many people loved the first season,” Hyun Bin said in a virtual presscon early this week, which The STAR attended. “And so, on the one hand, I do expect for our viewers who loved Season 1 to come back and watch Season 2, and the story has gotten so much deeper this time around.”
The new season will also be more immersive, he teased, with the story immediately building on the characters and situations already established in the first installment.
“As director Woo said, in Season 1, each episode was, you know, you have to meet these new characters, you have to explain the situation. There was a lot that was required. But with Season 2, it’s already there.
“And so once the story begins in the first episode, there is no turning back. It’s just a consistent flow of the story and I feel like that’s going to make it so much more immersive for the audience members. And so, I think if you enjoyed Season 1, Season 2 is going to be even better for you,” he sa
id.
As per synopsis, in Season 2, Ki-tae now finds himself in a much more powerful position nine years after the events of Season 1. He has risen to become acting director of the KCIA, accumulating greater wealth and influence. His ambitions, however, have only grown along with them.
“He climbed up the ladder but he wants more. He has more ambitions, he has more thirst. He wants more money, he wants more wealth, he wants more power,” Hyun Bin further described his character.
“And at the same time, while he is relentlessly pushing forward, there are other forces that try to stop him, and there are a lot of clashes between him and the other players. So sometimes he feels lowly. Sometimes he has to face very bold choices and sometimes he is put into very dangerous situations. So, I focused on all these aspects to portray the various sides of him,” he added.
Among those standing in his way is longtime adversary Jang Geon-young, played by fellow Korean star Jung Woo-sung. Their rivalry was central to Season 1. Nine years later, the prosecutor is back on his feet after his initial pursuit of Ki-tae backfired, leading to his arrest and downfall. He’s now special adviser at the joint investigation headquarters but remains very determined to take his No. 1 enemy down.
Woo-sung said that Geon-young is driven more by revenge though his character would like to believe he’s pursuing justice.
“I don’t know how new he would feel to the viewers. Jang Geon-young has lost everything in the finale of Season 1. He was left behind in the struggle. He was at the very bottom of his life and he is filled with revenge,” Woo-sung said.
“He wants vengeance but he doesn’t even realize that he is doing everything out of revenge. He believes that this is a deed of justice. So he is trying to take down Baek Ki-tae.”
Their renewed battle takes place against the backdrop of South Korea’s turbulent political landscape in the 1970s, when the country was under an authoritarian rule and KCIA wielded enormous political and security power.
Said Woo-sung, “These historical events, they’re used as subject matter to tell a story… in speaking of matters like human ambition and human desire. I feel like this series is really more about that human nature.
“These characters like Jang Geon-young or Baek Ki-tae in ‘Made in Korea,’ they live in this ecosystem that is hyper-focused on power. I think it talks about the story of how much you value individual freedom and individual decision-making within that social structure that is so hyper-focused on power. And I feel like it’s a story that allows for the viewers to feel connected to the characters and their human conditions.”
Meanwhile, Geon-young is no longer Ki-tae’s only major concern.
Season 2 also brings the power struggle into his family. Ki-tae’s younger brother, Baek Ki-hyun (played by Woo Do-hwan), becomes a key player for the opposing side and increasingly willing to challenge his older brother.
Such development is critical because Ki-tae’s pursuit of power has also been linked to his desire to protect his family.
“In Season 1, I just have to keep Geon-young in check, but in Season 2, I have more homework to do,” Hyun Bin said.
“My family is my baby brother and the reason why Ki-tae goes through all the struggle is because he wants to care for his family. But now one of his family members, his baby brother Ki-hyun, becomes a crucial person on the other side of the fight.
“So Ki-tae is very much torn between all of these things happening and Ki-hyun becomes a big stumbling block to his path forward. So, I wanted to make sure that this is compelling enough for the viewers to see all of these internal conflicts that Ki-tae is having.”
Do-hwan, for his part, recalled how working with Hyun Bin for the first time helped reinforce the intimidation his character was supposed to feel towards his older brother in Season 1.
“It was my first time working together with Hyun Bin, so I was even more scared and Ki-hyun should have been because he was younger,” Do-hwan said.
“In Season 2, (my character is) older, he’s nine years older and much higher in rank in the military. So, he doesn’t get that scared of his big brother because he has also grown as a person.”
While Hyun Bin’s Ki-tae can still prove scary or intimidating enough to his onscreen family, off screen, his co-stars see the kind of “big brother” one would enjoy having around.
“On set, I always had a lot of fun. I love coming to the sets for ‘Made in Korea.’ It doesn’t matter which scene, it doesn’t matter if it’s snowing or if it’s scorching heat. I always had a lot of fun,” Do-hwan said.
“And if I had a big brother like Hyun Bin, I would love that life,” he quipped.
“Made in Korea” Season 2 premieres tonight on Disney+, with two episodes dropping every Wednesday.