Here’s The 101 On The Much Anticipated Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area

Image credit: Netflix

A remake of the successful and much-loved Spanish Netflix series La Casa de Papel, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area sets up an interesting premise with a Korean twist that will thrill and delight K-drama fans and fans of La Casa de Papel alike.

Check out the trailer below:


When and Where?

Image credit: Netflix

Catch part 1 of Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area on Netflix from June 24, 2022 onwards. There are 6 episodes with each one being 60-80 minutes long. There is no official release date as yet for part 2 which contains the remaining 6 episodes.


What Is It All About?

Image credit: Netflix

“This will go down as a revolution in the history of crime.”

Set in a fictional Korea where North Korea and South Korea are about to be unified, a band of robbers in Hahoe masks raids the Unified Korea Mint (UKM) and holds the people inside hostage – all this to steal 4 trillion won. Led by PROFESSOR and his crew of thieves – BERLIN, TOKYO, MOSCOW, DENVER, NAIROBI, RIO, HELSINKI, and OSLO, they plan to pull off the biggest heist in history.

They are joined by South Korea’s top crisis mediator, Senior Inspector Seon Woojin, and Captain Cha Moohyuk from the Ministry of Social Security Headquarters of North Korea who join forces to stop the heist.

It is an ultimate heist like no other. Will they succeed?


Who Are The Men and Women Behind The Masks?

While some of the actors may be new faces to you and some who looks very familar (think Parasite, Lost and Squid Game), every single one of them come with an impressive track record and have worked in distinguished shows and films. Their acting credentials created the perfect synergy and gave life to their character’s personalities – a highlight you can look forward to in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.

PROFESSOR

Yoo Ji-tae

The very person who brought together robbers of various talents and plan the unprecedented hostage robbery against Unified Korea Mint (UKM)

BERLIN

Park Hae-soo

North Korea’s most wanted criminal who managed to escape from North Korea’s Gaecheon concentration camp (known to be escapable only after death)

TOKYO

Jun Jong-seo

Escaped from the North to go to South Korea to dream the “Korean dream” only to taste the bitterness of capitalism

MOSCOW

Lee Won-jong

DENVER’s father and former miner whose expertise is to dig

DENVER

Kim Ji-hun

MOSCOW’s son and former backstreet gang with a history of brawling at illegal fight arenas

NAIROBI

Jang Yoon-ju

Counterfeit expert and scammer

RIO

Lee Hyun-woo

Genius hacker and youngest member of the team

Helsinki & Oslo

Kim Ji-hun & Lee Kyu-ho

Best friends and trouble shooters

The Task Force

Seon Woojin

Kim Yunjin

Senior Inspector and chief of the crisis negotiation team who used her keen observation to spot the weakness of the gang

Cha Moohyuk

Kim Seung-o

Former special agent and Captain of the Ministry of People’s Security of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea


Fun Facts & Behind The Scenes

Image credit: Netflix

Get to know how the show came together and what the cast thinks are the highlights of Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area!

1. Hahoe mask

In the original, Salvador Dali masks were used to symbolise freedom. However, in the Korean adaptation, a modernised version of the traditional Hahoe masks were used instead. Director Kim Hong-sun explains the reason for this choice, “Hahoe mask and the vein of humor it represents fits Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.”

2. Joint Economic Area

Writer Ryu Young-jae shares how the story came about, “When I was first offered a remake, the premise was to set it against the backdrop of the two Koreas. In addition to the confrontation between the robber and the police, I saw the possibility to take further layers of suspicion, conflict, and harmony between the South and the North to work, so I took the offer and started planning.”

3. Highlights in Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area

PROFESSOR (Yoo Ji-tae) on his opinion on the highlight of this show, “The setting of the Mint in the Joint Economic Zone before the unification of the two Koreas and PROFESSOR’s principles of “no victim acceptable” were both pretty intriguing for me.”

TOKYO (Jun Jong-seo) also adds, “The concept of a divided nation is uniquely Korean specific. Korean culture and mood is something that viewers of other countries will find very distinguishable.”

BERLIN (Park Hae-soo) comments that the highlight are the characters themselves, “It’s amazing how the characters with such different dramas are really mingling and playing around in the limited space. I like how every single character’s uniqueness is so carefully portrayed.”


What are you waiting for? It’s time to start binge watching Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area!

You might also want to catch the Money Heist: Korea Experience @ Joint Economic Area (Cawangan Malaysia). #JoinTheHeist that is happening from 25 June to 10 July! Admission is free of charge but you have to reserve your slot via this link. Don’t forget to check out our Instagram to get a glimpse on what happens inside 👀

Like this? You might enjoy this too: