8 Biggest Differences Between Original and Korean Remake

Money Heist: Korea is one of Netflix’s formats that continues to grow the Money Heist universe after the original series ended in Season 5. The question remains: how much does the remake from South Korea really differ from the Spanish original? At first glance, surprisingly little. We have you 8 biggest changes of the remake picked out.

Netflix’s Money Heist Korea changes little on the Spanish template

While the Money Heist trailer promised changes and even talked about an “all new heist,” viewers of the original Spanish series will find out pretty quickly that Money Heist Korea is the Attack on a money printing plant including the taking of hostages copied almost 1:1.

See the trailer for Money Heist Korea here

However, we are interested in the differences. This does not mean small gestures, such as the new professor pushing his glasses up differently or the inspector now putting up her hair with a hair tie instead of a pin, but the really decisive things that give the Netflix series a new spin.

1. House of Money Change: From Spain to Korea

The most obvious difference between the original and remake series is of course the (title-giving) location. From Madrid, Spain, we go to a money printing company in the new divided economic zone between North and South Korea. Strictly speaking, Money Heist Korea is a social sci-fi narrative in which the two countries that have been isolated for decades reconcile and open their borders in the year 2025. Some prejudices against each other have to be overcome – or are exploited by the robbers, for example when the hostages of different origins are played off against each other.

2. House of Money difference: The new detective duo

Because the raided money printing plant of the new Korean currency is in a border region, (similar to series formats such as The Bridge – Transit to Death) Investigators from both countries dispatched to the crisis situation. The South Korean negotiator Seon Woo-jin (Yunjin Kim from Lost) takes over the exact part of the Spanish Inspectora Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño). Their Spanish partner Angel (Fernando Soto), on the other hand, is reinterpreted as North Korean special agent Captain Cha Moo-hyuk (Seong-oh Kim), in order to further expand the country conflict in terms of personnel.

3. Money Heist change: The new masks

Visually, the look of Netflix’s Korean remake closely resembles the Spanish original, with its iconic red jumpsuits, white staircases, and black guns. The fashion of bank robbers has only changed in one respect: The Altered Money Heist Masks are no longer based on the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí, but now represent South Korean ones Hahoe masks These traditional “valley” masks from Korea were formerly worn in drama and dance performances and sometimes used at funerals.

4. House of Money difference: The not pregnant hostage

While Mónica Gaztambide aka Stockholm (Esther Acebo) is carrying a child of the print shop boss Arturo Román (Enrique Arce) in the Spanish Money Heist, her counterpart is Misun (Joo-Bin Lee) according to the current status of the first 6 episodes of season 1 not pregnant at all. The initially fake pregnancy is just a means of pressure that she first brings into play against director Cho Youngmin (Myeong-hoon Park) and later by him against the hostage-takers.

5. House of Money Change: The Professor and His Cafe

Unlike the original professor in Money Heist (Álvaro Morte), who only approaches the investigator during the heist, the Korean professor (Ji-tae Yoo) has planned his ensnarement of the negotiator well in advance: Yes two months before the robbery he opened a café. In the back room he makes his calls and surveillance, up front he serves sandwiches and lays the foundation for the relationship with his opponent. A nice cross-reference: The professor’s restaurant is called “Bella Ciao”, the old house of money anthem.

6. Money Heist Difference: Berlin’s Backstory

The fact that Rio was a medical student in the new Money Heist before his hacking career and Tokyo was a North Korean soldier doesn’t add much that is new to the plot at the moment. On the other hand, it is more exciting Change in the history of Berlin (Pedro Alonso / Hae Soo Park). There is currently nothing to suggest that he is the professor’s brother. In return, the Spanish professional burglar becomes the most wanted criminal in the country in Netflix’s new interpretation. After 25 years in a North Korean prison camp, he escaped across the border.

7. Money Heist Change: The Junkyard Escape with Chase

The initial situation that an improperly scrapped gang car becomes a danger remains the same in House of Money Korea. However, it is solved differently in both series: while the Spanish professor disguises himself as a homeless man to narrowly escape after fingerprints have been removed, a chase takes place in Netflix’s remake, in which the professor finally drives the incriminating car into a river and escapes diving.

8. House of Money Difference: The Professor’s “Blame”.

Netflix’s remake of the Korean series only adds the most exciting new (political) facet at the very end of the 6 episodes. While Spain’s mastermind simply planned his perfect heist for a long time, the Korean professor has other motives: he was once a real professor of economics who helped develop the North-South Korea plan of unification. But his idea that balance could only be achieved if everyone benefited financially was reversed, with only the rich emerging richer from the situation. At the same time, House of Money Korea becomes a story of revenge for his failed utopia.

In the end, the following still applies: what sounds like a lot of changes between the two House of Money series are, strictly speaking, only small things. The basic features of the remake are very close to the original with decisive plot twists such as gang members who are upset against each other, a camera team to check hostages, glasses cameras, listening devices and temporarily swapped masks.

The top 20 new series launches in June: The Boys, Money Heist and 7 Marvel series

Need more fresh streaming tips? You can find the most exciting series that you can stream on Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Co. in June here in the monthly preview:

We checked Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Sky, Apple TV+ and other services and present you the 20 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast stream trawl. Also included are the new MCU series Ms. Marvel, the Money Heist remake, and the new seasons of The Boys and The Umbrella Academy.

*The links to the Amazon offer are so-called affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, we will receive a commission.

Have you noticed any other changes between the original and remake series of Netflix’s Money Heist?