Netflix has confirmed production of Korean crime drama series “Paper Man” (working title), with Cho Jung-seok, Park Hae-soo and Claudia Kim leading the cast under director Lee Il-hyung.
The series centers on Cha Myung-jo, a meek worker at a company producing imitation character stickers who, despite nominally heading his household, lives in the shadow of his far more capable wife. His life pivots when he accidentally produces a counterfeit banknote so convincing it cannot be distinguished from the real thing, drawing him into a criminal world beyond anything he has known.
Cho Jung-seok, whose credits include “Hospital Playlist,” “Pilot” and “Exit,” plays Myung-jo as he moves from domestic obscurity to dangerous new ambitions. Park Hae-soo, known for “Squid Game,” “Narco-Saints” and “Karma,” plays Oh Seung-eop, the First Deputy Director of the Anti-Counterfeiting Division at the Korea Mint, a dogged investigator set on Myung-jo’s trail. Claudia Kim, who appeared in “Gyeongseong Creature,” “The Atypical Family” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” plays Ko Hye-seok, Myung-jo’s wife and an elite judge who, beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect life, faces real dilemmas and compounding family pressures.
Lee Il-hyung, who previously directed “Karma” and “A Violent Prosecutor,” helms the series. Both prior credits established Lee as a director drawn to morally complex protagonists navigating institutional and criminal systems.
“Paper Man” joins a busy Netflix Korea crime and thriller slate for 2026 that also includes “The Art of Sarah,” starring Shin Hye-sun and Lee Jun-hyuk, and “Mousetrap,” with Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu, as the streamer continues to expand its Korean-language output.
Leave a Reply