‘Money Heist: Korea’: How the K-Drama Makes Changes to the Spanish Original’s Negotiation Team
The K-drama remake of Money Heist had made considerable changes to its characters. Not only has Money Heist: Korea: Joint Economic Area changed Tokyo and Berlin’s backstories, but the negotiation team is in charge of the heist. Actor Itziar Ituño played the role of Raquel Morillo, inspector of the National Police Corps and negotiator. Kim Yun-jin stars as Seon Woo-jin, a crisis negotiator for the police force.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area]
Raquel is separated and has a daughter in ‘Money Heist’
Raquel is the lead negotiator when the thieves take over the Royal Mint. Like in the K-drama, the Professor (Álvaro Morte) planned her involvement from the start. She is a woman in her 40s with a teen daughter and a mother with Alzheimer’s. Raquel is divorced from her husband for abuse. He is also a forensic investigator.
Raquel’s right-hand man and partner is Ángel Rubio (Fernando Soto), who works with her to negotiate with the thieves. But one of the main differences with the negotiation team in Money Heist: Korea is that Woo-jin does not have a partner. She goes into the field alone, but there is another teammate, but he holds no real authority on the team.
Woo-jin holds many similarities to her Spanish counterpart. She is also in her 40s, has a daughter, a mother with Alzheimer’s, and is separated from her husband. One difference is that her husband is a powerful politician with high standing.
Woo-jin has no romantic ties to a member of her negotiation team in ‘Money Heist: Korea’
While Raquel works with the thieves to devise a game plan, fans learn that Angel has been in love with her for years. Fans saw as he grew jealous of Raquel possibly pursuing a relationship with the Professor. He even asks her if she would consider sleeping with him.
Raquel is very much aware that Angel has feelings for her. While Angel knows she would never love him in return, he still tries to protect her. In Money Heist: Korea, the Angel character is not included and not a part of the negotiation team like in the Spanish original. Therefore Woo-jin has no conflict of interest with her partner romantically.
The absence of Angel also means the K-drama does not include significant events like how Angel uncovers the Professor’s identity and his car crash. Another change made to the negotiation team in Money Heist: Korea is the absence of Raquel’s superior, Colonel Luis Prieto (Juan Fernández). The K-drama does keep the romantic relationship between the Professor and Woo-jin.
Captain Cha Moo-hyuk is a North Korean negotiator with equivalent features to Angel
Money Heist: Korea takes place in the near future where Noth and South Korea have become a unified country. The two countries co-exist in a Joint Economic Area. When the team takes over the Royal Mint, Woo-jin is brought in to represent the South with Cha Moo-hyuk (Kim Sung-oh) from the North.
The two characters work together on the negotiation team in Money Heist: Korea. Moo-hyuk is the equivalent of Angel and Prieto. While he has no romantic connection or history with Woo-jin, he has a few similar storyline details.
By the finale of the K-drama, Moo-hyuk starts to believe Woo-jin’s new boyfriend has an ulterior motive, much like Angel. In a cliffhanger, Moo-hyuk visits the Professor (Yoo Ji-tae) and could be the one to uncover his identity in Money Heist: Korea Season 2.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area is available to stream on Netflix.
