"Made in Korea," an original series from Disney+ that premiered in 2022, was an instant success for the service this summer when it began airing.
The popularity of this drama is due in part to the return to television of popular Korean actor Jung Woo Sung, whose private life has faced intense scrutiny.The series has done well on streaming charts, but people have had very different reactions to Jung's acting. After the first episodes aired, criticism of his acting grew stronger.
Jung plays Jang Geon Young, a prosecutor in the drama who is determined to find and punish corruption and evil. Many people thought that the role would give the veteran actor a chance to get people talking about his work again.
But a report from Koreaboo says that many viewers think the comeback has made them even more unsure of his acting skills, especially when compared to his co-stars.
Jung plays Baek Ki Tae, and Hyun Bin plays Jung. People have mostly praised Hyun Bin's performance online, while Jung has been criticized. As reported by domestic viewers, Hyun's performance was described as "restrained yet ambitious," while Jung's range and emotional delivery were questioned.
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After a post on the Korean online community theqoo went viral, the conversation got even more heated. The post collected responses from a number of sites, such as Naver blogs, Daum cafés, and social media site X.
The comments were all very critical of Jung's performance. Someone said, "Jung Woo Sung has basically never been good at acting. He only got roles because of his looks... and now that he's older and his reputation has tanked, there's really nothing left."
Another person said, "Made In Korea was decent right up until Jung Woo Sung appeared in Episode 1... His acting is so bad it's distracting. Feels like he hasn't improved at all since Padam Padam."
Other comments said that his work was not as good as his past projects or his co-stars'. "Even in 12.12: The Day, Jung Woo Sung was the only one who couldn't act," one comment said. "Seriously, when you watch it, Hyun Bin is good, but Jung Woo Sung keeps f*cking the whole thing over, LOL." another said.
Sports Khan also said that these kinds of criticisms have been the main topic of conversation online since the show first aired.
"Made In Korea" is still doing well around the world, even though there has been a lot of criticism. Multiple sources that keep track of the industry say that as of January 7, 2026, the series was the number one show on Disney+'s TV Show Top 10.
It came in first in Hong Kong and Taiwan and second in Japan and Singapore, showing that it is very popular in those areas even though it is still getting criticism at home.
