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Watch a few episodes of Made in Korea, and one question comes naturally:
Did this really happen?
The world feels too specific to be completely invented.
The KCIA.
Prosecutors.
Political power.
Smuggling.
Japan.
An airplane hijacking.
And behind everything, a version of 1970s South Korea that looks very different from the Korea many international viewers know today.
So, is Made in Korea a true story?
Not exactly.
But that's also what makes the answer interesting.
Made in Korea is a fictional story built inside a world shaped by real people, institutions, events, and tensions from 1970s Korean history.
Director Woo Min-ho has specifically said that he used real historical events—including the 1970 Yodogo airplane hijacking—to establish the period in which his fictional story takes place.
Once you understand that history, the drama looks very different.
Is Made in Korea Based on a True Story?
Made in Korea is not a direct dramatization of one true story. It is a fictional crime and political thriller that incorporates real historical events and institutions from 1970s Korea.
That's the short answer.
Disney+ officially describes the series as taking place in 1970s South Korea, following a man pursuing wealth and power while living a double life as a KCIA agent and businessman, opposed by a determined prosecutor.
So don't watch the drama thinking:
Baek Ki-tae = one specific real historical person.
A better way to approach it is:
fictional characters
real historical setting
real institutions
selected real events
dramatic imagination
That's the formula behind Made in Korea.
The First Big Clue: The Airplane Hijacking Really Happened
The first episode immediately gives international viewers a clue that this fictional story is entering real history.
An airplane headed toward Fukuoka is hijacked.
That part has a real historical basis.
Director Woo Min-ho has identified the 1970 Yodogo airplane hijacking as one of the actual historical events he used to establish the drama's world.
The real incident involved a Japan Airlines aircraft hijacked in March 1970 by members of the Japanese Red Army Faction.
The drama does something important here.
It doesn't simply make a documentary about the hijacking.
Instead, it inserts its fictional story into the atmosphere surrounding a real event.
That's why the drama can feel historical and fictional at the same time.
So Was Baek Ki-tae a Real Person?
This is where viewers need to separate history from storytelling.
Baek Ki-tae, played by Hyun Bin, functions as the central fictional figure moving through this historical world.
Disney+ describes him as a man seeking enormous wealth and power while operating both as an intelligence agent and a dangerous businessman.
The important question isn't necessarily:
“Who was the real Baek Ki-tae?”
It's:
“What kind of Korea could produce a character like Baek Ki-tae?”
And that takes us to the most important piece of historical background in the entire drama.
What Was the KCIA?
If you're American, the letters probably make you think immediately of the CIA.
That's useful—but don't assume the two institutions had identical roles or histories.
KCIA stands for:
Korean Central Intelligence Agency
In Korean:
중앙정보부
Jungang Jeongbbu
It was South Korea's powerful intelligence agency during much of the authoritarian period depicted by the drama.
And this is one of the parts of Made in Korea that is absolutely rooted in reality.
The KCIA really existed.
Understanding its position in Korean political history helps explain why intelligence officials in the drama can appear to possess such extraordinary power.
Disney+'s own description makes Ki-tae's KCIA position central to the premise rather than treating it as incidental background.
Why Does the KCIA Seem So Powerful?
This is probably where many international viewers misunderstand the drama.
You may watch Ki-tae and think:
Wait—he's an intelligence agent. Why does he have this much influence?
The answer lies partly in the political structure of South Korea during this period.
The Korea of the 1970s was not the liberal democracy international viewers know today.
President Park Chung-hee had ruled South Korea since the 1960s, and political power became increasingly centralized and authoritarian.
The KCIA became deeply connected to:
political intelligence,
surveillance,
national security,
anti-communist activities,
and the protection of the existing political order.
So when Made in Korea presents intelligence, politics, business, law enforcement, and personal ambition as overlapping worlds, it is drawing on a very particular period of Korean history.
1970s Korea Was Also Growing Extremely Fast
And here's where the history becomes more complicated.
If we describe 1970s Korea only as authoritarian, we miss another huge part of the story.
South Korea was also transforming economically at extraordinary speed.
Factories expanded.
Exports increased.
Cities grew.
Infrastructure changed.
Large businesses expanded.
Millions of people's lives were being transformed.
The country that had emerged devastated from the Korean War was rapidly industrializing.
This combination is essential to understanding Made in Korea:
rapid economic development
existing alongside
authoritarian political power.
Director Woo Min-ho has described the 1970s as important to understanding the dynamic but chaotic energy that later shaped modern Korea.
That's a much more useful lens for watching the drama than simply thinking:
“1970s Korea = old Korea.”
It was a country changing at enormous speed.
Why Does Everyone Want Power and Money?
Now the drama's title starts to become more interesting.
Made in Korea
sounds almost like a product label.
You've probably seen those three words printed on:
electronics,
clothing,
household products,
or manufactured goods.
But in the drama, the title carries another possibility.
What else was being “made in Korea” during this era?
A new economy?
New elites?
New institutions?
New forms of ambition?
New relationships between money and power?
Director Woo has said the title carries symbolic significance connected to the protagonist's development.
So the title isn't just telling you where something was manufactured.
It's asking you to look at what kind of people and power structures were being produced by this period of Korean history.
Korea and Japan: Why Is Japan So Important in the Drama?
Another thing international viewers may notice is how often Japan enters the story.
That isn't random either.
Korea and Japan have an extraordinarily complicated modern history.
Korea was under Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.
Only twenty years after liberation, South Korea and Japan normalized diplomatic relations in 1965.
By the 1970s, the two countries had growing economic and political connections—but the historical wounds of colonization had certainly not disappeared.
That creates an important background for a drama involving:
Korea,
Japan,
business,
crime,
politics,
and cross-border networks.
International viewers don't need to know every detail of Korean-Japanese history to follow Made in Korea.
But knowing that this relationship carried both economic importance and historical tension adds another layer to the story.
Why Does a Prosecutor Have So Much Power?
Then there's Jang Geon-young.
International viewers—especially Americans—may recognize the word prosecutor but not automatically understand why prosecutors are so frequently powerful central characters in Korean dramas.
In Korean:
검사 — geomsa
means prosecutor.
Korean prosecutors have historically occupied an unusually visible position in the country's legal and political life.
That helps explain why Korean dramas repeatedly use prosecutors in stories involving:
corruption,
politics,
business,
police,
and powerful elites.
So Made in Korea isn't simply creating a convenient hero to chase Ki-tae.
The confrontation between:
intelligence power
and
prosecutorial power
also feels distinctly Korean.
We'll explore 검사 (geomsa) and Korea's prosecutor culture separately in a future article.
What Is Real and What Is Fictional?
Here's the easiest way to watch Made in Korea without confusing drama with history.
| In the Drama | Historical Connection |
|---|---|
| 1970s South Korea | Real historical period |
| KCIA | Real institution |
| Yodogo hijacking | Real 1970 event used by the drama |
| Korea-Japan political/economic environment | Real historical context |
| Rapid industrialization | Real historical transformation |
| Authoritarian political environment | Real historical context |
| Baek Ki-tae's story | Fictional narrative |
| Main character conflicts | Dramatized/fictional storytelling |
That's the distinction worth remembering.
Don't use Made in Korea as a history textbook.
But don't dismiss its historical background as invented either.
The drama deliberately places fictional characters inside recognizable history.
Why 1979 Will Matter Even More
Season 2 makes the historical connection even more interesting.
Disney+'s current episode information places Ki-tae in 1979, now enjoying considerable power as a KCIA deputy director.
For Korean viewers, 1979 immediately carries enormous historical significance.
For international viewers, it may just look like another date.
It isn't.
1979 became one of the most consequential years in modern South Korean political history.
And understanding what happened that year will make Season 2 much easier to understand.
We're going to explain that separately rather than spoil it here.
👉 Coming Next: Why Is 1979 So Important in Made in Korea Season 2?
But before that, there's another question we need to answer:
👉 What Was the KCIA? Why It Had So Much Power in Made in Korea
That will be Part 2 of this mini-series.
A Korean Word to Notice: 중앙정보부
Even though today's article is mainly about culture and history, here's one Korean term worth recognizing.
중앙정보부
Jungang Jeongbbu
means:
Korean Central Intelligence Agency
Break it down:
중앙 (jungang) = central
정보 (jeongbo) = information / intelligence
부 (bu) = department or agency
So when you hear 정보 in Korean dramas, pay attention.
The word itself means information, but depending on context it can also relate to intelligence.
That's one small piece of Korean that suddenly becomes much more meaningful once you understand the history behind it.
Quick Korean Culture Tip 🇰🇷
The next time you watch Made in Korea, don't ask only:
“Did this scene really happen?”
Ask:
“Is this character fictional, but the world around them historical?”
That's the key to understanding this drama.
A fictional character can still show you something meaningful about a real period.
FAQ
Is Made in Korea based on a true story?
Not directly. Made in Korea is a fictional drama set against real events, institutions, and political conditions from 1970s South Korea. Director Woo Min-ho has confirmed that real historical events such as the 1970 Yodogo hijacking were used to establish the drama's historical setting.
Was Baek Ki-tae a real person?
Baek Ki-tae is a fictional character within the drama's historically inspired world. Viewers should not assume that his actions represent the biography of one specific real KCIA official.
Was the KCIA real?
Yes. The Korean Central Intelligence Agency was a real South Korean intelligence organization and became extremely influential during the country's authoritarian period.
Was the airplane hijacking in Made in Korea real?
The drama incorporates the real 1970 Yodogo hijacking into its fictional narrative. Director Woo Min-ho has specifically cited the event as part of the real history used to establish the series.
Is Made in Korea historically accurate?
It is better described as historical fiction than as a documentary reconstruction. It combines real historical context and events with fictional characters and dramatized storylines.
Why is Made in Korea set in the 1970s?
The period combines rapid economic development with intense political power struggles and authoritarian rule, making it central to the themes of wealth, ambition, corruption, and power explored in the series. Director Woo has also described the era as foundational to understanding aspects of modern Korea.
Why is Japan important in Made in Korea?
Korea and Japan had normalized diplomatic relations in 1965 after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. By the 1970s, economic and political connections were growing while the historical relationship remained complicated.
What does KCIA stand for?
KCIA stands for Korean Central Intelligence Agency, known in Korean as 중앙정보부 (Jungang Jeongbbu).
Recommended Resources
Want to Go Deeper Into 1970s Korea?
If Made in Korea made you curious about the real society behind the drama, Cultures of Yusin: South Korea in the 1970s, edited by Youngju Ryu, takes a much deeper look at the period.
Rather than focusing only on political events, the book explores how the Yusin era shaped Korean culture and everyday life—from literature, film, and television to urban planning, consumption, and the relationship between culture and state power.
This is an academic read rather than a casual K-drama guide, but that makes it especially useful for readers who want to understand the 1970s world behind Made in Korea in greater depth.
[View Cultures of Yusin: South Korea in the 1970s on Amazon →]
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Understanding the History Changes the Drama
At first, Made in Korea may look like a stylish crime thriller.
Then you learn that the KCIA was real.
The 1970 hijacking was real.
The rapid economic transformation was real.
The political tensions were real.
And suddenly the drama feels different.
Baek Ki-tae's story may be fiction.
But the Korea surrounding him has deep roots in history.
And that's exactly why K-content can be such an interesting way to discover Korea.
Continue the Made in Korea Series
Part 1 — Is Made in Korea Based on a True Story? ← You are here
Part 2 — What Was the KCIA? Why It Had So Much Power in Made in Korea
Part 3 — Why Is 1979 So Important in Made in Korea Season 2?
Keep listening.
Keep discovering the history behind the K-contents you already love.
Understand Korean. Enjoy K-Contents More.
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