'Made In Korea' Episodes 3-4 Recap: Is Hwang Dead?

Episodes 3 and 4 dive deeper into Kitae’s antics as a KCIA agent trying to sell drugs. I now understand why the show might be called Made In Korea. Not only is it in reference to the Koreans living in Japan, but also the meth that will now be produced in Korea (from this episode onwards) and then shipped off to Japan. Additionally, Kitae himself is, well, “Made In Korea.” The 4th episode was definitely the most entertaining of the episodes so far. I thought the 3rd episode was quite confusing because it introduces a new character and gives us her perspective only, but then she’s gone by the end of the episode. I have a feeling she’s not dead, though. What do y’all think? Anyway, are you enjoying Made In Korea? I think it’s a decent enough show, and if the rest of the episode follows in the footsteps of episode 4, then I think I’ll like it way more. With that said, though, let’s jump into episodes 3 and 4.

Spoiler Alert

Who Is Bae Geumji? 

Episode 3 begins with the “age of prohibition,” a description of all the things that were banned in Korea at the time the KCIA came into power. From not having long hair and not wearing mini skirts, early curfews, and many more prohibitions, Korea became an entirely different country. This is when we’re introduced to Geumji, an escort and bar girl. Geumji returns to Korea after being shipped off to America with her child. She seems to want to make a deal with Hwang, and Kitae refers to her as fearless. The thing nobody knows here is who the father of this child is; that’s what’s keeping her alive. It doesn’t take long for Kitae to befriend Geumji. When they arrive there, Geumji is chatting with Cheon Seokjung, chief of the presidential security service. Geumji wants to make a deal with him because she doesn’t want to raise her son in hiding. Seokjung appears to know who the father of the child is, but we don’t really find out ourselves. 

Geumji doesn’t take long to realize that Kitae wants to be as powerful as Seokjung, because the KCIA is basically his private army. Geumji tells Kitae that she has a notebook with the names of all the men she’s ever slept with, which means the father of the child would be in there, too. If anybody gets hold of the book, men in very powerful positions will get in trouble. Geumji is the connection Kitae needs to the Yakuza, aka Choi Yuji. Meanwhile, Ye-Jin goes undercover to befriend Kitae’s younger sister, who works in Busan. 

What Does Kitae Want With The Yakuza? 

Yuji immediately gets to business when she’s introduced to Kitae for the second time. Kitae tells Yuji that he wants to replace Manjae (the guy his boss killed in the last episode). Yuji tells Kitae that if he doesn’t hold up his end of the bargain again, she’ll make sure he pays the price this time. Meanwhile, back in Busan, Geon-Yeong meets with Hwang to confirm his suspicion that the KCIA was involved in Manjae’s death. While Hwang plays dumb, Geon-Yeong is clear that he did it. Meanwhile, back at home, Kitae’s sister worries about his new drug job. She doesn’t want him to do it, but he tells her they have no choice, and she needs to keep an eye on Daeil. Daeil is already tattling to Geon-Young, but I’m not sure when Kitae will realize this. The important thing is that Kitae wants the meth to be sold in Japan, not Korea. 

What Happens to Geumji? 

Turns out the person Geumji wants to meet up with is the president himself. But Geumji meets with a man named Chief Na, and they still don’t reveal who the father is, but it seems to me like the hint is the president himself. Anyway, Geumji tells Na she’s going to let all the men believe they’re the father of the child because it benefits her, but she’s excited to start a business in Korea and isn’t going anywhere. Finally, Kitae meets up with Geumji, and she admits to him that there’s no notebook. She asks him to stay with her. She tries to threaten him too by bringing up Yuji, but he doesn’t seem to care. He leaves her alone anyway. But finally, when Geumji tries to escape, the episode ends with Kitae pointing a gun straight at her. Now, the screen goes black before he actually shoots, but I suppose she’s actually dead, but there’s a chance he made a deal with her? 

Why Is Geonyoung Determined To Catch Kitae? 

Episode 4 begins with a flashback to Geonyoung’s childhood. Turns out his father had become addicted to meth and killed his mother while his little sibling crawled around. In the present day, his father is in a mental hospital and has been there since that day he killed his wife. He now asks for her as if he didn’t do anything at all. Suppose this is why Geon-Young is so obsessed with the whole drug ordeal. Now Geon-Young looks after his sister himself. Also, he gives the American a death sentence (as prosecutor) for the murder of the innocent Koreans for meth. 

What’s The Deal Kitae Makes With Hwang? 

On the other hand, Hwang learns of Kitae’s actions thanks to Haksoo tattling on him. Kitae promises Hwang 300 million won every month in return for letting him do his drug dealing. I mean, it’s a bribe from the business. If Kitae can’t make the money, he’s got to kill himself (yikes). Kitae and Geonyoung even meet up for lunch, but Kitae brings up his sister, almost as a threat. He knows everything about the guy’s family. On the other hand, back in Osaka, Yuji’s father threatens to let her go if she doesn’t keep her business afloat. Meanwhile, Geonyoung and Yejin arrive in Osaka to catch Kitae red-handed. Also, it appears Yuji and Kitae may get romantically involved at some point, but I could be wrong. 

How Does Hwang Die? 

At the end of Made In Korea episode 4, Hwang tries to get Haksoo to kill Kitae, but they make a secret deal, and when Hwang gets to the Buddhist temple where his bribery money is hidden, Kitae shows up with a gun. At the same time, Geonyoung follows the car to the same temple because Kitae is nowhere to be seen and gets stuck in the middle of a ritual where a seemingly possessed person starts harming everyone, causing commotion. By the time Geonyoung finds Hwang, Kitae has shot him in the eye and hidden in a corner (the same corner we saw at the beginning of episode 3, as if like a premonition). I don’t think Geonyoung sees Kitae before he realizes Hwang is still alive and runs to call for an ambulance. However, Kitae sets the temple on fire, making sure Hwang is dead, and there’s no evidence. The fight continues. 

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