Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area
By Monique Jones,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Korean take on Spanish heist series has violence, intrigue.
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Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area
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Based on 3 parent reviews
not as good as the orginal
good
What's the Story?
MONEY HEIST: KOREA-JOINT ECONOMIC AREA gives viewers a look at what Korea could be if it was a unified country while tackling the economic strife that's affecting the world today. Former North Korean citizen and soldier Tokyo (Jeong Jong-seo) feels a life of new opportunity is around the corner once the two Koreas unite. But her life devolves into a nightmare and she becomes a thief. Her skills come in handy for The Professor (Yoo Ji-tae), who is putting together a elite team to pull off the biggest heist in Korean history.
Is It Any Good?
Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area is, unlike what other reviews may say, nothing like Squid Game. An important distinction, since it can seem reductionist to assume that every high-budget K-drama on Netflix will be just like the juggernaut that captured the world's attention. While Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area does have characters in jumpsuits, it's completely different, owing to its source material, Spanish Netflix drama Money Heist. Also differentiating it from other K-drama and its source material is the focus on a speculative near-future in which North and South Korea finally unify, and capitalism is able to make even deeper roots in the country as a whole.
Viewers who love international history and culture will get a kick out of this what-if look at Korea figuring out its identity as a unified country. Themes regarding traditionalism versus globalism abound in the series, and tell a uniquely Korean story. In fact, because the series is a show with Korean audiences in mind first, the show's political and social nuances might be lost or disregarded by American audiences. What American audiences can take from Money Heist: Korea-Joint Economic Area is that the country is on a journey towards solidifying its own internal identity amid pressures from the global community, late-stage capitalism and from within its borders.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Korean history. How does the series engage with Korean history? What can audiences learn?
How does the series portray its female characters?
How is capitalism analyzed in this series? What is it?
How is teamwork portrayed in the series?
Why do you think the series focuses on a speculative future of a unified Korea?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 24, 2022
- Cast: Jeong Jong-seo , Park Hae-soo , Yunjin Kim , Yoo Ji-tae
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- Character Strengths: Teamwork
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 19, 2023
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