South Korea · Drama · 2026
Made in Korea Season 2
Binge Brief
- Disney+ released the six episodes two at a time on 9, 16 and 23 September 2026.
- Season 2 is set in 1979, nine years after season 1.
- By 11 September 2026 it was No. 1 in the Disney+ Korea series ranking and the most-searched drama on Naver, according to Tenasia.
- The cast and director met the press on 2 September 2026 at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido.
- Hyun Bin won Best Actor at the 2026 Baeksang Arts Awards for season 1.
Synopsis
Made in Korea Season 2 is the second and shorter chapter of the Disney+ crime thriller, set in 1979, nine years after the first season. It follows the same two men: Baek Ki-tae (Hyun Bin), a KCIA officer who also runs the country's most profitable illegal trade, and Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo Sung), the prosecutor who tried and failed to bring him down. Disney+ describes them as two formidable men on a collision course once again.
Ki-tae has climbed from the agency's Busan office to the deputy director's desk in Seoul. The Korea Times described him in this season as richer, more powerful and more isolated, and Hyun Bin said at the 2 September 2026 press conference that the character grows lonelier and more dangerous as he rises.
Geon-young comes back as a special adviser to the joint investigation headquarters. His reason has changed. The Korea Times wrote that it shifts from public justice to personal vengeance, and Jung Woo Sung told JoongAng Daily that his character does not even realise revenge is what is driving him.
The new centre of the story is family. Ki-tae's younger brother Baek Ki-hyeon (Woo Do Hwan) is now a lieutenant colonel in the Defense Security Command, and Newspim described the season as a story of confrontation and betrayal between the two brothers. Woo Do Hwan said season two explains why Ki-hyeon grew up the way he did. Seo Eun Soo returns as Busan narcotics prosecutor Oh Ye-jin, and Won Ji An plays Ikeda Yuji, a lobbyist for a Japanese crime syndicate.
The fiction runs alongside real history: the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in October 1979 and the power vacuum that led to the 12 December coup. Unlike the episodic first season, the six episodes form one continuous story, released two at a time on 9, 16 and 23 September 2026. Director Woo Min-ho summed up the difference this way: if season one was a fight between kids, season two is a fight among adults.
Made in Korea Season 2 cast
Themes and messages
Power that isolates. Hyun Bin said at the 2 September 2026 press conference that Ki-tae becomes lonelier and more dangerous the higher he climbs, and the Korea Times read the season the same way: richer, stronger and more alone.
Justice turned personal. Jung Woo Sung told JoongAng Daily that Geon-young does not realise his pursuit has become personal vengeance, a shift the Korea Times traced from public justice to private revenge.
Brothers on opposite sides. Woo Do Hwan said the season explains why Ki-hyeon turned out as he did, and Newspim summed up the core as confrontation and betrayal between brothers.
History as pressure. The story is set against the October 1979 assassination of Park Chung-hee and the December coup, which allkpop noted is the same period as the film 12.12: The Day, seen from another side.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2026-09-09 | Aired | ||
| 2 | 2026-09-09 | Aired | ||
| 3 | 2026-09-16 | Aired | ||
| 4 | 2026-09-16 | Aired | ||
| 5 | 2026-09-23 | Aired | ||
| 6 | 2026-09-23 | Aired |
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes are in Made in Korea season 2?
Six, the same number as season 1. Disney+ released them two at a time over three weeks, and they form one continuous story rather than separate cases.
When did Made in Korea season 2 come out?
Episodes 1 and 2 came out on Wednesday 9 September 2026, episodes 3 and 4 on 16 September and the last two on 23 September 2026.
Where can I watch Made in Korea season 2?
On Disney+ with a subscription. In the United States the series streams on Hulu.
Who is in the Made in Korea season 2 cast?
Hyun Bin (Baek Ki-tae) and Jung Woo Sung (Jang Geon-young) lead again, with Woo Do Hwan as Ki-tae's brother Baek Ki-hyeon, Seo Eun Soo as prosecutor Oh Ye-jin and Won Ji An as lobbyist Ikeda Yuji. Jung Sung Il and Roh Jae Won are also in the cast.
What year is Made in Korea season 2 set in?
1979, nine years after the events of season 1. The story moves between Seoul, Busan and Japan.
Is Made in Korea season 2 based on a true story?
Partly. The characters are fictional, but the plot runs alongside real events: the assassination of President Park Chung-hee on 26 October 1979 and the military coup of 12 December 1979.
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