October 03, 2023
Analysis

New Netflix drama paints dismal picture of road to Korean unification

In ‘Money Heist: Korea,’ economic integration and North Korean migration to South only lead to crime and exploitation

High crime, exploitation and massive inequality: This is how a new K-drama on Netflix imagines life after North Korea opens its doors to investment and migrants flood the South.

“Money Heist: Korea — Joint Economic Area” is about a group of criminals from both sides of the Demilitarized Zone who seize the inter-Korean mint, created to print money for the North and South’s newly integrated economy only a few years from now.