Korea’ Reflect On Their Careers

Money Heist: Korea — Joint Economic Area found itself in Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart (non-English series) for three consecutive weeks since the show’s June 24 launch. Amassing around 100 million views in that period, it joins other Korean titles this year like All Of Us Are Dead and Juvenile Justice to ascend to the top of the streamer’s global chart. Acclaimed actors from the series — Yoo Ji-tae, Yunjin Kim and Park Hae-soo — reflect on their careers and share their thoughts on this “golden age” of Korean content.

Yunjin Kim has built a formidable repertoire in both the United States and South Korea, having starred stateside in Lost and in iconic Korean films like Shiri and Ode to My Father. Witnessing Korean film and television amass global popularity and enter a golden age, Kim is overjoyed to be a part of it. “Just the difference, where Korea is now in the international stage, I find that to be so amazing,” Kim shares. “I feel like I’m on cloud nine. This is such an amazing thing that I had hoped would happen, but I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime. I thought maybe for the next generation of actors it would be easier, but it’s already here.”

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Park Hae-soo would be well-acquainted with these new opportunities and global interest in Korean shows. Spending nearly ten years plying his trade in the Korean theater scene, his acting career has soared to dizzying heights through Netflix projects like Squid Game and Money Heist: Korea. Most recently, Park received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his breakout role in Squid Game.

“Actually, all my chances came from the fact that I’m from theater. I’ve done a lot of classic works in theater and a lot of classic works deal not only with relationships between humans but between God and humans as well,” Park says, having played roles in works like Macbeth, The Seagull and Frankenstein. These experiences trained him to analyze a character’s many layers and dimensions and also shaped the kinds of stories he gets drawn towards. “I took a lot of lessons away from that. I usually enjoy characters that are very complex. When I play those characters, it gives me a sense of catharsis.”

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For his role as Berlin in Money Heist: Korea, Park had a North Korean tutor to practice his lines with and fine-tune his portrayal of the character. In the series, Berlin is a North Korean internment camp escapee with a steely, no-nonsense exterior. “Before I learned the lines together with the tutor, I learned about all of his history, because he’s from Pyeongyang,” Park says. “I learned about how he grew up so that I could have a glimpse into what North Korea is like.”

For co-star Yoo Ji-tae, who plays the “Professor” in Money Heist: Korea, his acting craft is informed by his experiences behind the camera and he enjoys working in different roles in film production. Yoo has directed and written several short films and made his first feature film, Mai Ratima, in 2012.

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“When I’m just doing the acting part, I think it’s like looking closely at the leaves. When I’m directing, I’m looking at the whole tree. And when I’m producing, I’m looking at the whole forest,” Yoo says. “When a forest burns down, it’s really difficult to get things back on track. But when it’s just a leaf that’s falling, it’s easier. So when I’m acting, I try my best to make the job easier for the production staff.”

Given the major investments and global interest in Korean content, the Money Heist: Korea cast hopes to continue seeing bold stories and adventurous works from Korean storytellers. “Now [that] we’re receiving so much love from the global audience through these platforms, I hope that the directors can really enjoy that freedom, think out of the box and try new things,” Yoo says. “I also want to expand my horizons….this is a very good time to show our ability to the world.” Park echoed a similar sentiment, “I hope there are some new and fresh subject matters. I hope to see new universes and I hope this can be a positive influence and energy to the viewers.”