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Here's what has me most curious about Made in Korea Season 2.
Gi-tae saw war.
He saw soldiers used as cannon fodder for officers climbing the ladder—bullet shields for men chasing promotion.
That experience radicalized him. That's what made him believe power is the only thing that matters.
So when Gi-hyun experiences the same war, when he sees the same corruption, the same brutality, the same betrayal...
Will he stay righteous like Prosecutor Jang Geon-young?
Or will he understand his brother's hunger?
Table of Contents
Episode 5 ended with a fracture
Gi-hyun refused his brother's corrupt help and chose Vietnam deployment. Not because it was safer—because it was his way of solving the problem. Without KCIA money. Without compromise. Without his brother's shadow.
Gi-tae, who raised Gi-hyun like a son, watched his brother walk away.
And Choi Yoo-ji immediately told Security Chief Cheon:
"Baek Gi-tae's deep affection for his younger brother is a weakness. It interferes with business."
She's right. Blood loyalty is Gi-tae's vulnerability. The one thing he values above power.
But here's the question Season 2 will force us to answer:
If Gi-hyun returns from Vietnam and stands in Gi-tae's way, can Gi-tae remove him?
Like he removes everyone else?
Or will blood prove stronger than power?
- E5 S1 Made In Korea from Disney+
The Brothers' Split
Episode 5 confused a lot of international viewers. Not because the storytelling was unclear, but because the drama assumes you understand:
Command responsibility (jihwi chaegim) in the Korean military—why an officer is held accountable for everything under their watch, even tragedies they didn't commit
Why accepting discharge meant career death, social death, family shame in 1970s Korea
How the KCIA operated above the law—unlimited arrest authority, direct presidential access, torture facilities, economic control
Why Gi-tae's "this is patriotic" justification for drug dealing actually worked in the "Let's Live Well" era of rapid economic development
The cultural weight of "Gamdang ganeunghaeyo?" ("Can you handle this?")—not a question, but a threat from someone with power to someone without
Made in Korea is dense, layered, and built on historical context that most international audiences don't have.
What I Keep Thinking About
Gi-tae's philosophy: "The world belongs to the guys with power."
He told Gi-hyun this after serving in Vietnam himself. After watching soldiers die for officers' promotions. After learning that powerlessness kills.
But Gi-hyun rejected that philosophy.
He chose honor over power. Vietnam over corruption. Pain over compromise.
So what happens when Vietnam teaches Gi-hyun the same lesson it taught his brother?
What happens when the righteous brother returns from war carrying the same hunger, the same disillusionment, the same belief that power is survival?
Director Woo Min-ho excels at drawing men whose desires collide like sparks—racing toward the same summit in a fight where it's you or me, where someone must fall.
The Insiders. Prosecutor vs. corrupt politicians, businesspeople, and journalists
The Man Standing Next. Aide vs. president.
Made in Korea. Brother vs. brother.
Season 1 showed us Gi-tae's rise.
Season 2 will show us what happens when two men shaped by the same war stand on opposite sides.
Want the Full Breakdown?
I made a Q&A video answering every question international viewers asked about Episode 5:
🎬 [Watch: Made in Korea Episode 5 Q&A]
And I wrote a long-form essay analyzing:
The military base incident and command responsibility
Why Gi-hyun's refusal cuts so deep
How "patriotism" justified drug dealing in 1970s Korea
KCIA power structure and why prosecutors were powerless
Season 2 predictions: Will Gi-hyun become another Baek Gi-tae?
The Question Season 2 Will Answer
Is power stronger than blood?
Gi-tae believes it is. He's built his empire on that belief—removing obstacles, climbing ruthlessly, trusting only his blood relatives because everyone else will betray him.
But when the brother he loves like a son becomes the obstacle...
When Gi-hyun returns from Vietnam no longer the idealistic younger brother, but a man hardened by war, carrying the same philosophy Gi-tae preaches...
Which bond breaks first?
Episode 6—the Season 1 finale—airs January 14 on Disney+.
I'll be back next week with the finale breakdown.
Until then,
—Jennie
P.S. Every cigarette in Made in Korea is a power move. Who offers? Who accepts? Who lights? Who refuses? It's not smoking—it's choreographed hierarchy. Silent warfare in 1970s business culture where you couldn't say "I don't trust you," but you could refuse someone's cigarette.
(I explain this—and why Pyo Hak-su's "Gamdang ganeunghaeyo?" is a threat, not a question—in the video.)
🎬 WATCH: [Episode 5 Q&A on YouTube]
📖 READ: [Full Essay on JenniLeekdrama.com]
📝 한국어: [네이버 블로그 영한 대역 버전]
Love catching cultural layers subtitles miss? You're exactly who I write for.
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