'Money Heist: Korea' cast get candid about how Korean version has 'its own strengths'

Money Heist: Korea dropped on Netflix this week and largely drew positive reception from fans and critics alike. The series is the Korean remake of the Spanish version of Money Heist, touted as one of the biggest and critically acclaimed series. The new adaptation follows the same story of a professor recruiting masterminds to commit a heist in the Korean Peninsula. 

The series also includes original characters from the series played by Korean actors like Yoo Ji-tae as Professor, Park Hae-soo as Berlin, Jeon Jong-seo as Tokyo, Lee Won-jong as Moscow and more. While the Spanish version is a total hit, the cast believes the Koren remake comes with its own unique charms. 

Money Heist: Korea cast on Korean remake

In an interview with Elle magazine, Yoo Ji Tae, Jeon Jong Seo, and Park Hae Soo talked about the newly released series. They touched upon the topics like facing the pressure of remaking a popular series to taking on challenging roles. Yoo Ji Tae, who plays the role of Professor, dished on how the Korean remake sets itself apart from the original Spanish version. Revealing that two seasons' worth of plot was 'condensed' into 12 episodes, he added, 

''There’s no exposition for exposition’s sake, and we only deliver the key plot points as necessary. There’s a certain pleasure that comes from the fast-paced plot development.” For his role, Ji Tae focused on his voice to convincingly play the crowd-favourite role of Professor. ''After giving it lots of thought, I began developing the Professor’s voice while turning to narrations or animated dialogue for reference,'' the actor stated.

On the other hand, Park Hae Soo, who was previously in Netflix's biggest series Squid Game, will be seen in the role of Berlin. Addressing the pressure of making a Korean version of the hit series, the seasoned actor said, ''Of course, there were concerns and pressure due to the fact that the original series received such a great response. But while reading the script, I could clearly see the differences that were unique to ‘Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.’ There was a fast pace to the story, and the characters definitively gave the Korean version its own strength.”

Jeon Jong Seo will be seen taking on the popular role of Tokyo. The actor said Money Heist: Korea did a good job at portraying the near future. ''The North Korea-South Korea situation adds an element of tension and suspense, and it also bears the meaning of unity. This two-sided situation completely fills up the background setting of the Mint,'' Jong Seo concluded. 

Image: Instagram/@netflixkr