Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area

A highly organized mastermind known as the Professor gathers a diverse crew of criminals to pull off an audacious robbery aimed at an unprecedented target in the Korean peninsula. Each member adopts a city-based alias and a mask to hide identity while following the Professor's intricate plans, relying on timing, misdirection, and alliances forged under pressure. Set against the politically charged backdrop implied by its title, the series focuses on the logistics of the heist, the strain of life inside a sealed operation, and the shifting loyalties that test both strategy and conscience, all without revealing key surprises or the finale.

Released in 2022, the show was created by Ryu Yong-jae, Kim Hong-sun, and Kim Hwan-chae as a South Korean adaptation of the Spanish series La Casa de Papel. The cast includes Yoo Ji-tae as the Professor, Park Hae-soo as Berlin, and Jun Jong-seo as Tokyo, among others, translating the franchise into a new cultural and political landscape.

By reimagining the Money Heist formula in a Korean context, the series brought the franchise's visual and narrative motifs to viewers who hadn’t seen the original, prompting conversations about reunification, national identity, and economic disparity. Its arrival widened the global profile of Korean genre television and sparked fan discussion about how the remake preserves or alters the source material’s symbolism.

Audience scores show generally positive reactions, with a vote average around 7.73/10 from several hundred votes, while critics highlighted strong lead performances and tense set pieces. Reviewers noted the series leans into themes of solidarity, morality under pressure, class tensions, and political ambiguity, even as some comparisons to the original pointed out differences in pacing and tone.

Domestically, the show drew attention during awards season and earned recognition for cast and production values in Korean television circles. It did not dominate major international awards, but it helped solidify several cast members as prominent figures in serialized action and drama.