Meet ‘Money Heist’ Korea’s Professor Yoo Ji Tae + Reasons Why He is Perfect to be the Mastermind of the Biggest Heist in History
Netflix introduces the much-awaited Korean remake of "Money Heist" starting off with The Professor, played by Yoo Ji Tae.
Based on the mega hit Spanish series, "La Casa de Papel," the streaming giant officially announced the adaptation back in December 2020.
At the time, fans were eager to witness how the drama unfolds, featuring South Korea's brightest stars.
Interestingly, multiple media outlets cited that the upcoming remake titled "Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Area" will have completely different characters from their counterparts in the Spanish series.
As we wait for the highly anticipated remake, let's get to know more about the cast, starting with Yoo Jin Tae as The Professor.
Yoo Jin Tae is 'Money Heist' Korea's Professor
In March 2021, Netflix unveiled the complete cast lineup of upcoming Korean adaptation featuring a roster of talented stars.
As mentioned, the "Mad Dog" star will portray the heist's mastermind, also known as The Professor and is set to launch the biggest robbery in history alongside Berlin (Park Hae Soo,) Tokyo (Jeon Jong Seo,) Denver (Kim Ji Hoon,) Nairobi (Jang Yoon Ju,) Rio (Lee Hyun Woo,) Moscow (Lee Won Jong,) Helsinki (Kim Ji Hun) and Oslo (Lee Gyu Ho.)
READ MORE: Netflix Reveals the Official Cast of K-Drama Adaptation of 'Money Heist'
Following the confirmation of the cast, the streaming giant began to release teasers of "Money Heist Korea: Joint Economic Area."
The latest was the 1 minute and 12-second trailer featuring Yoo Jin Tae as he transformed as The Professor, originally portrayed by Álvaro Morte.
In the trailer, The Professor appears to be in the hideout, while in front of him is a wall featuring several masks. He got to pick the one which happens to be a Salvador Dali mask, which symbolizes revolution against the system.
Reasons Why Yoo Ji Tae is the Perfect Professor of 'Money Heist' Korea
The 45-year-old actor is not new when it comes to portraying serious roles, particularly involving police and a group of con artists.
In fact, he took on the role of Park Hee Soo, an aggressive prosecutor who is assigned to eliminate a skilled swindler named Jang Doo Chil after committing a grand fraud and faking his death.
Interestingly, he meets another con man, Hwang Ji Sung, played by Hyun Bin, who is also after Doo Chil. The two decide to team up with one goal of capturing a fraudster.
Almost the same with his role as The Professor, Yoo Ji Tae's character in the 2017 movie recruited other swindlers to form a group and throw bait at Jang Doo Chil's right-hand man, Seung Gun.
Not only that, Yoo Ji Tae will surely ace portraying the heist's mastermind since he is not new with this kind of character.
Apart from "The Swindlers," he also did an action thriller Kdrama "Mad Dog," where he played Choi Kang Woo, a former police turnedTaeyang Insurance's investigators team leader.
In the series, he created his own investigation team after his wife and son died in a plane crash.
He joined forces with a talented con artist whose brother was also a plane crash victim.
With these Kdramas under his belt, it only means that Yoo Ji Tae has an extensive background playing a mastermind and executing a big plan.
Moreover, he has that calm yet serious aura that definitely describes the personality of The Professor.
