"Made in Korea: Season 2" is a Disney+ original political period drama reuniting stars Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung, releasing in three biweekly episode batches starting September 9, 2026, and picking up nine years after the events of its record-breaking first season. Combining multiple Korean entertainment outlets and Disney+'s own series description, the show continues its story of ambition, betrayal, and power set against real turning points in Korea's modern history — a premise that has made it one of the platform's most closely watched Korean originals since its first season debuted.
Where Season 1 Left Off
Directed by Woo Min-ho and written by Park Eun-gyo and Park Joon-suk, the first season of "Made in Korea" followed Baek Ki-tae (Hyun Bin), a shrewd, ambition-driven operative navigating Korea's turbulent 1970s, and prosecutor Jang Geon-young (Jung Woo-sung), who sacrificed everything in his effort to stop him. The season premiered on Hulu and Disney+ on December 24, 2025, and went on to become the most-watched Korean Disney+ original release worldwide at the time, alongside sweeping recognition at major domestic award ceremonies — a reception that set unusually high expectations for a sequel.
Season 2's Story and Setting
Season 2 picks up nine years later, in a Korea thrown into chaos by a vacuum of absolute power. Baek Ki-tae has spent the intervening years building wealth and influence, rising to acting head and second-in-command of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. The new season is built around a collision between those holding power, those trying to seize it, and those attempting to chart their own path through the chaos — a dynamic sharpened by the addition of Baek Ki-tae's brother, Baek Ki-hyun (Woo Do-hwan), who pursues a different route to power than his older brother, and rival military commander Hwang Dae-sik, whose forces clash with Baek Ki-tae's over control of the intelligence agency. Jang Geon-young, having lost everything by the end of Season 1, returns having spent the years since channeling that loss into what the show frames as a slow-building, more personal drive for retribution. The season's promotional material centers its opening tension around October 26, 1979 — a real, historically significant date in Korean political history — giving the fictional power struggle a backdrop audiences will recognize even as the show builds new characters and relationships around it rather than simply reenacting known events.
Cast and Release Schedule
The season's confirmed cast includes Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Woo Do-hwan, Seo Eun-soo, Won Ji-an, Jung Sung-il, and Roh Jae-won, joined by new additions including Jang Hye-jin and Heo Jung-do in previously unseen roles. Rather than a single full-season release, the six episodes roll out in three paired batches: two episodes on September 9, two more on September 16, and the final two on September 23, all airing Wednesdays at 4 p.m. KST on Disney+.
Why It's One of the Year's Most Anticipated
"Made in Korea: Season 2" was named among Time magazine's most anticipated Korean dramas of 2026, and its teaser trailer reportedly drew hundreds of viewer comments within a single day of release. Combined production costs across both seasons are reported to run into the hundreds of billions of won, funding large-scale period sets built to recreate the era in detail — a production scale that industry coverage has cited as a factor in the show's visual reception. Director Woo Min-ho has described the first season as told through several interwoven stories, while the second season is built to drive toward a single, more unified narrative arc.
Made in Korea: Season 2 at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Platform | Disney+ (Hulu in select regions) |
| Director | Woo Min-ho |
| Lead Cast | Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Woo Do-hwan, Seo Eun-soo, Won Ji-an |
| Release Schedule | Two episodes each on Sept 9, Sept 16, and Sept 23 |
| Broadcast Time | Wednesdays, 4 p.m. KST |
| Setting | Korea, nine years after Season 1, opening around October 1979 |
FAQ
Do I need to watch Season 1 before Season 2?
Yes — Season 2 builds directly on the power dynamics and character relationships established in Season 1, which premiered on Disney+ and Hulu in December 2025.
How many episodes does Season 2 have, and when do they release?
Six episodes total, releasing in three batches of two: September 9, September 16, and September 23, 2026, each Wednesday at 4 p.m. KST.
Is "Made in Korea" based on real historical events?
The series is a fictional political drama that uses real turning points in 1970s and late-1970s Korean history as a backdrop, without directly dramatizing specific real individuals' documented actions.
Sources: Disney+ official series page, Money Today, Ilgan Sports, and WikiTree.