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| A scene from Netflix's Korean production "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area" / Courtesy of Netflix |
By Lee Gyu-lee
Director Kim Hong-sun, who led Netflix's latest Korean production, "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area," shared that he had expected a mixed response from the audience on the remake of the Spanish smash-hit series "Money Heist."
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| Director Kim Hong-sun / Courtesy of Netflix |
"We tried to take in the strong elements that the original work had and thought it would be interesting to add our own story to it. So I think it's natural that we are getting such varied reviews."
The new thriller crime series follows the plot of the original series, in which a band of thieves plan to pull off the country's biggest heist ever at a mint, led by a criminal mastermind known as "the professor."
The remake is set in a fictional future when the two Koreas are in the process of unifying.
In Part 1, released on Friday, the group of thieves, comprised of criminals from both the South and the North, take over a mint at the Joint Economic Area that prints a unified Korean currency, while holding hostages inside.
The director noted that it was not easy to incorporate elements specific to the remake while staying true to the plot of the original series.
"We thought it was only right for the remake to keep the identity of the original work. So we tried to portray our distinctive features within the boundary that doesn't mass with the entertainment and traits of the original," he said.
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| A still from Netflix's Korean production "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area" / Courtesy of Netflix |
Although the remake's plot follows an already familiar story of the professor's brilliant strategies for the heist to the colorful thieves, the remake added a touch of Korean traditional flair.
The director added that he created the fictional space of the Joint Economic Area and its mint to mix the modern and traditional look of Korea.
"We imagined what would happen if a joint economic area was established before unification and unfolded the story. It could have modern-style architecture, but we imagined it could also have a traditional Korean flair," he said. "Because we had to make up a fictional place, and it's set in the near future, the space will look current. But with the mint, we wanted it to look like a castle with a Korean feeling. We wanted it to give the vibe that it looks hard to get in from outside and hard to get out from the inside."
The story also portrays the conflicts between South and North Koreans, clashing due to their backgrounds despite the imminent unification of the divided country.
"Because people have been living apart for over 70 years, I doubted that people will live as if nothing has happened after unification … People from both the South and North live in the area and I wanted to portray the barriers breaking down. I tried to deliver a message that these are the processes we need to face and endure" he said, adding that the conflict between the characters will escalate even more in the upcoming second episode.
"In Part 2, the characters will face even tougher conflicts and the fight between the thieves and the police will develop. It will get more interesting."
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