Kdrama Made in Korea Season 1 ~ 2 Plot Summary·Cast·Filming Location

Made in Korea Season 1 plot Summary

Episode 1: Enter Businessman Matsuda Kenji

Matsuda (Hyun Bin) is given the task of delivering a briefcase to Ikeda Yuji. Warned that failure would end the deal, he rushes to catch the first flight but notices several suspicious figures aboard. A hijacking is underway — the Yodo-go incident (on March 31, 1970, a Japan Airlines flight carrying 129 passengers and crew from Tokyo to Fukuoka was hijacked in mid-air by nine members of the Japanese far-left militant group Red Army Faction).

Matsuda’s hunch proves correct: members of a domestic Japanese “Revolutionary Army” faction bound for North Korea succeed in the hijacking. The group intends to receive military training in North Korea before returning to Japan to launch a revolutionary war. As the passengers panic under the hijackers’ threats, Matsuda remains unshaken, reassuring a nearby child and mother that he will see them safely off the plane.

At the time, airports had no concept of security screening, allowing the hijackers to board carrying guns and knives. Japan’s cabinet, caught off guard by this unprecedented situation, could only announce that passenger safety was the top priority. Through the captain’s quick thinking, the plane makes a stopover at a Japanese airport under the pretext of refueling. As the hijackers grow frustrated over inadequate flight maps to North Korea, the deputy leader breaks ranks and moves to kill a passenger to speed things along. Matsuda instantly subdues the attackers and demands to speak with the leader.

Matsuda tells Yamada of the benefits of releasing the elderly, children, and women, suggesting that once they reach Pyongyang and send the others back, they could be hailed as heroes. In place of the plane, he offers a briefcase as a show of good faith — packed full of stimulant drugs. After releasing several passengers and issuing another threat, the Japanese side begins refueling and the plane takes off. Yamada begins to suspect this man’s true identity — the man who had introduced himself only as a businessman.

A note Matsuda secretly hands to a boy is passed along through the boy’s mother as a coded message to someone. With the US declining to get involved through Radar Control, air traffic control chief Choi Ji-seok receives orders from the head of the Central Intelligence Agency not to let the hijacked plane reach Pyongyang ahead of them. The Central Intelligence Agency — a national intelligence body modeled on the CIA — claims to exist for national security, but is in reality the president’s personal guard. Korea, already on edge after a past incident in which one of its own aircraft was hijacked to the North, pushes Choi into an invisible war, and he manages to pull off a double hijacking of his own. Gimpo Airport is disguised to look like Pyongyang, but the Revolutionary Army faction isn’t fooled, and tensions flare again.

Conflict between Japan and Korea intensifies. Japan insists on prioritizing passenger safety, while Korea firmly refuses to let the plane reach Pyongyang. Japan states it will use any means necessary to send the plane to Pyongyang for the sake of passenger safety, while acknowledging Korea’s position is paramount, and argues that all passengers must be released to provide justification. Yamada responds with hostility, but Matsuda — who is carrying a real handgun — is completely subdued. It turns out Matsuda had instructed that a Japanese official be exchanged for hostages, with a threat to detonate a bomb if the demand went unmet. Matsuda disembarks at Gimpo, and the Revolutionary Army faction heads for Pyongyang. Choi Ji-seok achieves a major feat but, silenced under pressure, is forced to leave the military.

The hijacking leads to strengthened airport security in Japan, ending the era when drugs could freely be carried onto flights. Matsuda, though delayed, goes to meet Ikeda Yuji (Won Ji-an), but with no stimulants in hand, the deal falls through.

Prosecutor Jang Geon-young investigates the Manjae gang. Meanwhile, prosecutor Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung) of the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office keeps close watch on the Manjae gang, which trades in stimulant drugs, sensing something unusual as yakuza connections come into view. Geon-young obtains a photo of a figure the Manjae boss treats with great deference. A sinister-looking man named Hak-soo (Roh Jae-won), who addresses Matsuda as “Section Chief Baek,” appears, and after passing through a string of torture rooms and screams, the person he finally meets face to face turns out to be Matsuda’s true identity: Baek Ki-tae, chief of the intelligence division at the Busan branch of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Episode 2: The Murder of a Drug-Dealing Couple

They appeared to be an ordinary couple, but were in fact drug dealers. With a hidden drug safe in the room where their child slept, the couple is killed after attempting to sell drugs to American soldiers. The wife was pregnant. Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung) arrives at the gruesome scene and picks up a lead on a large-scale deal. While his colleagues are promoted one after another, Geon-young remains a rank-and-file prosecutor, seemingly due to his uncompromising nature. A senior prosecutor visits and warns him to stay away from anything connected to the Central Intelligence Agency.

Geon-young is frustrated that the case is being treated lightly simply because the killers were American soldiers. He picks up a lead: a remark overheard from a US soldier about meeting “tomorrow.” The Manjae gang turns out to be a funding source for the Central Intelligence Agency. Guk-pyeong (Park Yong-woo) is Ki-tae’s (Hyun Bin) direct superior and the overall chief of the Busan branch of the Central Intelligence Agency — his word moves all of Busan. He shows open displeasure upon learning that Ki-tae already knew Manjae gang boss Cho Man-jae was dealing stimulants with yakuza. The Manjae gang’s backer is Guk-pyeong, who receives 30 percent of its profits for the agency — profits reaching a million dollars. As Guk-pyeong wearies of hearing that Geon-young is closing in to expose the Manjae gang, Ki-tae confidently offers to handle it himself.

Investigator Oh Ye-jin, who dreams of becoming a prosecutor. Geon-young begins tracking the case on the assumption that the couple’s supplier is unaware of their deaths. Ye-jin (Seo Eun-soo) is deployed undercover as the “wife,” and though her attention keeps drifting toward Geon-young — she’d hoped for someone with the looks of Alain Delon — she recognizes the face of the visiting supplier. Geon-young can barely contain his delight upon recognizing the face of Manjae gang’s deputy boss, Dae-il (Kang Gil-woo). Sensing something is off, Dae-il abandons his car and flees, kicking off a nighttime chase. Realizing Dae-il has been secretly stashing away money on the side, Geon-young begins to win him over with a mix of threats. He says his real target is Man-jae himself, and gives Dae-il a choice: become an informant or be killed by his own boss. Geon-young releases Dae-il with instructions to keep it quiet. Once Man-jae is caught, Geon-young intends to go after Dae-il next.

“My brother used to say — in the end, it’s a world where those with money and backing devour everything.”

Ki-hyeon (Woo Do-hwan), Ki-tae’s younger brother, graduated top of his class from the Korea Military Academy. Ki-tae tries to use his connections to get his brother placed in the Defense Security Command, but is turned down — his brother wants to make it on his own. Ki-tae begins investigating Geon-young’s background, carefully confirming details of his family: his father is in a psychiatric hospital, and he has one younger sister. He also learns that Ikeda Yuji is in fact a Zainichi Korean named Che Yuji, who became the adopted daughter of Chairman Ikeda after her parents’ deaths — a fact that, given the chairman’s standing and influence, has stirred considerable backlash.

With impeccable timing, Ki-tae marches into the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office with his men and begins planting listening devices and gathering documents. He reviews the state of the Manjae gang investigation and finds the photo of himself that Geon-young had been hiding, wearing a look of disbelief. Withdrawing all his men, Ki-tae boldly waits alone for Geon-young to return. Ki-tae tells him that Man-jae’s Zainichi Korean wife has ties to North Korea, and that he is undercover investigating stimulants flowing into North Korea via Japan — pressuring Geon-young to back off the case while fabricating an excuse for the photo. A tip from Dae-il that Man-jae is dealing directly with yakuza reaches Geon-young, who begins assembling an investigation team — but every piece of information flows straight back to Ki-tae. The operation begins. The door is blocked, tear gas explodes, and as Ki-tae storms in with his men to silence everyone, Man-jae freezes completely at the sight of his face.

Man-jae and Dae-il are taken away. Man-jae is swiftly executed by Guk-pyeong, who — needing funds for an upcoming election — installs Dae-il as his replacement on Ki-tae’s recommendation. It’s revealed that the briefcase of stimulants Ki-tae had been carrying was something he’d taken on as a personal favor to the Manjae gang out of curiosity during a business trip. With Dae-il now installed as boss, Ki-tae sets his sights on a new drug deal with Japan. Around this time, Geon-young discovers the listening device Ki-tae had planted in his office.

Episode 3: Enter Bae Geum-ji, Who Shakes the Powerful Through a Child

An era when even the most ordinary everyday freedoms were forbidden for countless reasons. The one force that transcended that prohibition was the Central Intelligence Agency, and this begins the story of Bae Geum-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), who survived that forbidden era. Geum-ji, a former kisaeng house madam, returns to Korea with her child. Guk-pyeong (Park Yong-woo) keeps a secret safe hidden beneath a temple. Troubled by Geum-ji’s return, Guk-pyeong asks Ki-tae (Hyun Bin) — after threatening him by asking if he knows who the child’s father is — to keep watch on her, and Presidential Security Service Chief Seok-joong (Jung Sung-il), who treats the Central Intelligence Agency as his own personal guard unit, makes his appearance. Geum-ji, claiming she only wants to raise her child properly, continues a suggestive conversation.

Watching Guk-pyeong grovel before Seok-joong, Ki-tae keenly senses what power truly means. Geum-ji hints that Ki-tae has no future under Guk-pyeong, suggesting Seok-joong is the more promising patron, skillfully drawing him in. Seok-joong, in turn, sees through the ambition lurking in Ki-tae’s eyes.

“What matters isn’t who the child’s father is — it’s that dozens of candidates for that title, all listed in her notebook, can’t sleep at night. That’s the real problem.” — Hwang Guk-pyeong (played by Park Yong-woo), Made in Korea Episode 3

Geum-ji, trying to control Ki-tae with her notebook, has no intention of going abroad and wants to start a business instead. She hints that both Guk-pyeong’s tenuous position and Seok-joong’s power ultimately spring from “an endless supply of funds.”

Jang Geon-young pursues Baek Ki-tae and picks up a lead on the drug trade. Meanwhile, Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung) sets up a secret investigation base. Doggedly tracking Dae-il’s whereabouts, he suspects the missing Man-jae may have been discarded. He observes Guk-pyeong collecting kickbacks and sets his sights on whoever stands even higher up. Ye-jin (Seo Eun-soo) infiltrates a knitting class attended by Ki-tae’s sister, So-yeon, to dig into Ki-tae’s background. Ki-tae, it turns out, spent his childhood in Osaka and became the head of the family after his parents’ deaths. Information trickles in: his brother’s top ranking at the military academy, and rumors that Dae-il may still be alive. Ki-tae uses Geum-ji’s connections to reconnect with Yuji (Won Ji-an), bluntly proposing they start dealing drugs independently. The two share a tense, uneasy alliance.

Jang Geon-young lays his bait, while Baek Ki-tae dreams of becoming a drug lord. Geon-young deliberately approaches Guk-pyeong, claiming he has no interest in whether Man-jae is alive or dead, but probes for who has taken over his position, letting slip that drug technicians are being gathered. Probing Guk-pyeong, he confirms Guk-pyeong knows little about the drug business but becomes certain the Central Intelligence Agency was behind Man-jae’s elimination — and that Ki-tae is independently trying to start his own drug operation. Ki-tae persuades his sister that even if he starts the drug business, it will only ever be exported to Japan. He tells her to keep a close watch on Dae-il, who is manufacturing the drugs, and to focus purely on managing the funds. They use a pig farm to mask the smell of drug production. Though told simply to monitor Dae-il, So-yeon instead finds herself falling for him.

Despite Ki-tae’s report that Geum-ji did nothing but shop, Hak-soo (Roh Jae-won) — exasperated to learn Ki-tae has secretly been meeting Yuji and installed Dae-il as a front to take over the Manjae gang — nonetheless shows interest once money is mentioned. Geum-ji visits Yong-cheol, the presidential chief of staff and Seok-joong’s rival, and while bringing up the child, declares she wants to expand her kisaeng house business and buy a villa — provoking his anger. Ki-tae, handing over the notebook, demands she return to America and warns that her life is at risk. Geum-ji insists the notebook never existed, proposes they spend the night together, and in turn threatens him — revealing she knows exactly what deal he made with Yuji.

Episode 4: Jang Geon-young’s Tragic Past

Geon-young’s father returned from the Vietnam War a drug addict and brutally murdered his wife, but has spent decades in a psychiatric hospital without any memory of the act. His younger sister, Hye-eun, who works at a dye factory, shyly shows him a guitar she’s taken up as a hobby, and Geon-young notices her calloused, worn hands. Geon-young coldly demands the death penalty for the American soldiers who killed the drug-dealing couple, and is warned again by a senior judge not to provoke the Central Intelligence Agency.

Guk-pyeong (Park Yong-woo), learning that Ki-tae (Hyun Bin) reported that Geum-ji had no notebook, points a gun at him, having found out Ki-tae had been secretly stashing away money. Ki-tae grovels and is spared, on condition of paying 300 million a month in tribute. Convinced that Hak-soo (Roh Jae-won) informed on him, Ki-tae confronts him. Hak-soo lies, claiming Guk-pyeong already knew everything and that it was Geon-young who revealed Dae-il’s connection. Ki-tae asks Seok-joong (Jung Sung-il) to serve as an intermediary, revealing he already knew Hak-soo was a spy sent to monitor Guk-pyeong. Seok-joong, upon hearing the report, says he’ll consider it, while Hak-soo reports that Guk-pyeong secretly embezzled one billion.

Geon-young warmly welcomes Ki-tae, who suddenly says he wants to visit. Tension simmers beneath the small talk. “Ki-tae claims he joined the Central Intelligence Agency out of patriotism — Geon-young counters that the drug dealer he caught also called exporting drugs to Japan an act of patriotism, needling Ki-tae. ‘I don’t care whether it’s the Central Intelligence Agency or its own grandfather — anyone who comes after me had better be ready, because I won’t bend easily.'” — Jang Geon-young (played by Jung Woo-sung), Made in Korea Episode 4. Ki-tae skillfully feigns ignorance of Geon-young’s intent and brings up his sister, and Geon-young retaliates by bringing up Ki-tae’s brother. Geon-young points out, one by one, the listening devices Ki-tae planted, openly displaying his displeasure, and the meeting ends in a complete breakdown.

“I can’t afford to be the one cast aside.” Guk-pyeong sends Hak-soo along on the drug deal and secretly orders him to make an independent deal with Yuji, instructing him to kill Ki-tae before he enters the country. Ki-tae, however, has bugged and overheard the entire exchange.

Dae-il (Kang Gil-woo) is followed by Geon-young while on a movie date with So-yeon, and his true identity is uncovered. Having bragged that no prosecutor could ever beat the Central Intelligence Agency, Dae-il is nearly killed and ultimately forced to resume his role as a spy. Yuji (Won Ji-an), desperate to be recognized within the organization, is told by her adoptive father Osamu Ikeda (Lily Franky) that she must succeed without relying on his name — revealing a ruthless streak willing to cast aside even family for the sake of the organization. After learning from Dae-il about the first drug deal, Geon-young springs into action, gathering photographic evidence of Geon-young, Yuji, and Hak-soo together. Yuji has been using fish shipments to distribute drugs nationwide. Neither fully Japanese nor fully Korean, the two share an emotional bond rooted in their confused upbringings, and their conversation deepens rapidly. Eager to solidify her position within the organization quickly, Yuji admits she needs a partner who can supply enough drugs to cover all of Japan. On the way back to Korea, Hak-soo hides a gun and goes to visit Ki-tae, but Geon-young — now convinced the Central Intelligence Agency is systematically selling drugs — begins preparing an arrest. Unsettled when Ki-tae fails to disembark from the ship, he decides to wait and watch. Hak-soo, who alone gets off the boat, reports to Guk-pyeong that he has killed Ki-tae, and is instructed to take over Dae-il’s side of the operation and manage the drugs. Guk-pyeong, visiting the temple’s secret safe, comes face to face with Ki-tae and begs for his life. Just then, Geon-young — who has tracked them to the temple — discovers a hidden door in the main hall. Startled to find Guk-pyeong shot and barely breathing, Geon-young sees Ki-tae pointing a gun at him from the darkness. His attempt to save Guk-pyeong buys him just enough time to escape with his life. Having bought a brief window, Ki-tae sets the temple ablaze to destroy the evidence, and after reporting the fire, Geon-young returns to find the temple engulfed in flames.

Episode 5: Baek Ki-tae’s Past — Service in the Vietnam War

The story shows Ki-tae (Hyun Bin) serving in the Vietnam War in 1965. On a battlefield where someone’s death becomes another’s opportunity, Ki-tae and his unit discover a Viet Cong hideout and move to enter it. Yet Ki-tae recalls that even this tour of duty existed only to serve someone else’s advancement.

Geon-young closes in on Ki-tae over the Guk-pyeong case. Seok-joong (Jung Sung-il) tells Hak-soo (Roh Jae-won) that everything has been handled and that Ki-tae will collect the money. Hak-soo casually visits the bureau chief, only to be promptly arrested by Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung), leaving Hak-soo stunned by the move. Ki-tae calls his brother to ask Dae-il’s whereabouts, but So-yeon lies to him — she and Dae-il (Kang Gil-woo) have already grown close. Though the shape of the truth is beginning to emerge, Geon-young deliberately tries to frame Hak-soo as a murderer before abruptly pivoting to bring up Ki-tae. “You were at that temple with Baek Ki-tae, weren’t you — weren’t you.” — Jang Geon-young, Made in Korea Episode 5. He presses Hak-soo with photos of the deal with Yuji to extract information, but Hak-soo insists it’s a state secret and holds firm. Geon-young reports to the senior prosecutor that Ki-tae has started a drug operation with Dae-il under him and also killed Guk-pyeong, and says he’ll extract a confession from Hak-soo. Though he pushes Hak-soo hard, jurisdiction is seized by the Central Intelligence Agency, and he’s ultimately forced to release him.

Chun Seok-joong ordered Bae Geum-ji’s killing; Baek Ki-tae’s boldness in using the notebook to propose a business deal. Ki-tae, who was supposed to be investigating Guk-pyeong’s embezzled funds and hidden assets under other names, arrives having brought along Geum-ji’s notebook. He admits to having seen the notebook and says Seok-joong’s name is in it too. Ki-tae boldly proposes that if Seok-joong reinvests through him, he can raise the 70 billion needed for the election. Seok-joong, who knows Ki-tae’s nature, tests him by telling him to try sitting in his seat — Ki-tae kneels, hiding the ambition in his eyes. The rivalry between Chief of Staff Yong-cheol and Security Chief Seok-joong deepens further, and Bae Geum-ji’s name keeps coming up in their exchanges.

Jang Geon-young is outmaneuvered by Baek Ki-tae once again. Hak-soo, noting that Geon-young seems to know far too much — suggesting a leak — says he is convinced Ki-tae killed Guk-pyeong. Hak-soo says he reported, as promised, that Guk-pyeong died in the fire, and Ki-tae responds that Seok-joong still seems to have grasped everything, though he adds that Seok-joong didn’t seem to mind. Ki-tae, calling him a traitor, points a gun at Dae-il, who nonetheless holds his ground. Telling Geon-young this is the last time, Dae-il hands over information. Both the ship and the pig farm are raided, but the drugs are gone. In truth, after being repeatedly threatened with a game of Russian roulette, Dae-il broke and passed along false information, hiding out exactly as Ki-tae instructed. Furious at the botched raid, Geon-young is further undone as a report of drug diversion triggers an internal affairs investigation and the drug task force is dissolved. The senior judge takes action. Was it Yong-cheol, Seok-joong’s rival, who exposed the drug scandal after visiting him? “As if Chief Chun were backing a drug dealer.” — Na Yong-cheol, Made in Korea Episode 5.

Yuji (Won Ji-an), pressed to secure her standing within the organization, urgently needs to establish a production base in Korea. Was it Yuji who leaked that Ki-tae killed Guk-pyeong? As for who now sits in Guk-pyeong’s seat, she doesn’t particularly care. Yuji is wary of Ki-tae, who prizes his younger siblings above all else. A soldier being bullied in Ki-hyeon’s (Woo Do-hwan) unit opens fire, causing an uproar. With the well-connected company commander protected, it looks as though platoon leader Ki-hyeon will be made to take the fall alone. Geon-young visits Ki-hyeon, hinting that his brother’s drug business could cost him his military career, pressuring him to persuade So-yeon to confess. But Ki-hyeon sees through it — recognizing that Geon-young’s visit itself means he can’t easily catch his brother. Learning of what happened to his brother, Ki-tae flies into a rage and storms in, beating the company commander regardless of consequence. Displeased with how his brother handled things, Ki-hyeon snaps back with frustration: “I’m heading to Vietnam next week. I intend to learn firsthand the kind of power you’re always talking about.” — Baek Ki-hyeon, Made in Korea Episode 5. Ki-hyeon thrusts the business card Geon-young gave him in front of his brother and rebels, telling him not to interfere with his path. Something seems off with Oh Ye-jin. Jang Geon-young is abducted by the Central Intelligence Agency. Geon-young, telling Ye-jin (Seo Eun-soo), released from internal affairs, that he met with Ki-hyeon, vows he will never give up.