"Made in Korea" Overview
- Platform: Disney+
- Type: Disney+ Original Korean Drama
- Release Date: Season 1 began airing on December 24, 2025.
- Genre: Period drama, political, action thriller.
- Setting: The turbulent 1970s, depicting a bloody war among those who covet wealth and power.
- Cast: Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Won Ji-an, Seo Eun-soo, among others.
- Director: Woo Min-ho.
Performance and Popularity
"Made in Korea" achieved significant popularity, ranking first in the Korean Disney+ series category for two consecutive weeks. It also reached second place in the global rankings. This early success underscores its strong appeal both domestically and internationally.
Future Plans
Building on its critical acclaim and audience engagement, Season 2 production has been confirmed. Filming is currently underway, with a target release in the second half of 2026, promising more thrilling developments for fans.
Other Disney+ Korean Original Dramas
2022 Releases
- 《Our Police Class》
- 《Grid》
- 《Soundtrack #1》
- 《Kiss Sixth Sense》
- 《May It Please You》
- 《Shadow Detective》 (Season 1)
- 《Revenge of Others》
- 《Connect》
- 《Big Bet》 (Season 1)
2023 Releases
- 《Big Bet》 (Season 2)
- 《Call It Love》
- 《Race》
- 《Shadow Detective》 (Season 2)
- 《The 8 Show》
- 《The Worst of Evil》
- 《Vigilante》
- 《Soundtrack #2》
2024 Releases & Upcoming Titles
- 《A Shop for Killers》
- 《Royal Loader》
- 《Wonderful World》
- 《Blood Free》
- 《Uncle Samsik》
- 《Connection》
Upcoming (Scheduled):
- 《Trigger》
- 《Hyperknife》
- 《Knock Off》
- 《Nine Puzzle》
- 《Pine_Country Folk》
- 《North Star》
- 《Turbulent Flow》
- 《Sculpture City》
"Made in Korea" Leaked on Illegal Streaming Sites
Incident Details
Disney+'s highly anticipated Korean original series "Made in Korea" has unfortunately been confirmed to have been leaked onto illegal streaming sites. According to a Herald Economy report on January 9, 2026, multiple episodes were uploaded, with currently all 5 out of 6 episodes available on a specific illegal streaming TV site.
Impact on Disney+
This leak is expected to significantly impact "Made in Korea," a series considered a major hit for Disney+ following the success of "Moving." The show garnered substantial domestic and international attention, contributing to an increase of approximately 150,000 weekly active users (WAU) for Disney+ post-release. It also topped rankings in several Asian countries, including Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, on FlixPatrol, and reached third place in Disney+'s global Top 10 TV Shows category, highlighting its widespread appeal. The leak jeopardizes this momentum and revenue.
Economic Damage from Illegal Streaming
Economic losses due to illegal streaming are staggering. Previously, a shut-down illegal streaming site was estimated to have caused industry-wide damages of up to 5 trillion KRW during its operational period. Such incidents underscore the severe financial threat posed by piracy to content creators and platforms.
Severe Illegal Streaming in Korean OTT Market: Trillions in Damages Threaten K-Content Industry
The Korean OTT market is grappling with immense economic damage due to illegal streaming, posing a serious threat to the entire domestic content industry. Illegal streaming sites like "Nunu TV" continue to infringe copyrights by illegally providing paid content such as movies, dramas, and variety shows from domestic and international OTT platforms.
Illegal Streaming Status
- Proliferation of Illegal Sites: Even after the closure of "Nunu TV," similar illegal streaming sites like "Nunu TV Season 2" and "TV Wiki" continuously emerge and operate. These sites offer content for free viewing without requiring membership registration or downloads, making them highly accessible to users seeking free content.
- Sophisticated Operation Methods: To evade government access blocking, illegal streaming sites frequently change their URLs or operate servers overseas. They also increase accessibility by launching mobile apps and providing alternative access methods via social media platforms like Telegram when their primary URLs are blocked. This adaptability makes them difficult to track and shut down.
- Primary Revenue Source: Illegal Gambling Advertisements: Most illegal streaming sites generate substantial revenue by prominently displaying advertisements for illegal gambling sites and cryptocurrencies. This illicit financial model is what enables them to provide copyrighted content for free, perpetuating the cycle of infringement.
Scale of Damage
- Massive Economic Losses: The damage to the Korean content industry from illegal streaming is colossal. "Nunu TV" alone recorded approximately 83.48 million cumulative users over two years, with copyright damages estimated by experts to be around 5 trillion KRW, highlighting the immense financial impact of such operations.
- Expansion to Other Content: The adverse impact of illegal streaming extends beyond video content to the webtoon industry. In 2023, damages from illegal webtoons amounted to 446.5 billion KRW, representing 20.4% of the total industry size. Some analyses suggest actual damages could reach tens of trillions of KRW when indirect losses are considered.
- Challenges for Legitimate OTT Platforms: The proliferation of illegal streaming sites directly leads to a decrease in paid subscribers and revenue for legitimate Korean OTT platforms like TVING and Wavve. The significant increase in monthly active users for four domestic OTT services after the closure of "Nunu TV" clearly demonstrates the direct negative correlation between illegal streaming and the legal market's health.
- Disruption of Overseas Business: Illegal sharing severely affects the overseas expansion of K-content, causing substantial setbacks in business growth. A notable example is Kakao Entertainment's withdrawal from the Indonesian and Taiwanese webtoon markets due to overwhelming piracy, illustrating the global reach of this problem.
Response and Challenges
The government and related industries are continuously striving to eradicate illegal streaming. The Korea Communications Standards Commission has taken action to block access to illegal sites, and the Korea Copyright Protection Agency actively monitors and requests blocking of alternative sites that emerge. Additional measures include requesting search portals to restrict illegal site-related search terms and blocking advertisements on these illicit platforms. The Korean National Police Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have achieved success in apprehending operators of overseas-based illegal streaming sites through robust international cooperation with foreign investigative agencies.
However, complete eradication remains an uphill battle as illegal site operators evade crackdowns through sophisticated methods, such as frequently changing URLs and guiding users to bypass blocking measures. Experts emphasize the urgent need to sever the financial lifeline of illegal streaming sites by addressing their pervasive connection to illegal gambling advertisements. Furthermore, stronger legal responses, such as increasing the maximum penalty for copyright infringement through amendments to copyright law, are deemed necessary. Users are also strongly warned of significant risks, including personal information leakage and malware infection, when accessing and utilizing illegal streaming sites.
