On the surface, the story plot of Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area might seem like a way to piggy ride off the success of the original Money Heist series. However, the deeper meaning of these two heist dramas is that there are two different messages behind them. I would argue that the original money heist created a genre and the director Kim Hong-sun used this genre to explain the economic, political and social issues the Korean people face.
The original Money Heist took place in Spain and the underlying message was mainly focused on Spain and its relation to the European Union. Spain is often seen as a peripheral member state of the European Union and they suffer from austerity measures imposed by the European bank which has led to social problems such as unemployment and low income.
So at its core, the original show is a critique of European Neoliberalism. Conveying the message that the European Union is the biggest thief since they could steal money by printing as much as they want. Which is what the robber did in the original drama.
The Korean version adapted the plot of this story to talk about the issues Korea faces. While I would argue that the director is too optimistic about the progress of Korean reunification. It reflects a dream that many Koreans share. In this drama both parties: the police and the bank robbers are a mix of Korean from all different backgrounds.
The task force is a combination of the South Korean police and the DPRK’s special force, and the robbers are also from all walks of life across the peninsula. Including one member who is a Korean minority in China, which is side-lined in the talks of Korean unification.
This drama reflects the aspiration the people of Korea have for their future, the image of North and South Korea working side by side is an image most Korean wish to see. However, the director also brings a degree of realism by bringing out potential social issues that may arise when these two divided states get ever closer together.
For example, he shows North Korean being exploited in South Korea to do cheap labour and South Korea having North Korean cars considered unsafe by South Korean standards. These are social problems that could be even seen today, as many North Korean defectors live in poverty and face discrimination in the South. And South Korea exploit North Korea by giving them low-quality goods for profit through the Kaesong Industrial region and its black market.
While the plot between the two shows generally follows the original series with minimal change to its original plot. It has a rather different meaning. They both tell the story of a group of robbers robbing an inter-governmental mint. However, one is set in our current state of Europe, whereas the other is a dream many Koreans share.
I would personally recommend anyone who wants to get into watching Korean drama or want to learn about the Korean mindset to watch Money Heist Korea. I have watched both dramas and I believe viewers who had not watched the original heist will have a different understanding of this drama. So I encourage those two groups to discuss and share their experience and the meaning of this Korean heist programme.
Image Credits – The MovieDB