Netflix to release decade-old K-drama that got its lead actor banned after massive popularity sparked messy court battle

Indian Express

3 days ago

Netflix has reportedly secured the rights to re-release Park Shin Yang and Kim Ok Vin's 2007 SBS K-drama that smashed records for the network at the time. Based on a webtoon, the series earned legendary status as one of the earliest to throw a spotlight on South Korea's brutal loan shark culture. Originally set for a shorter run, it was extended from May 16 to July 19 due to overwhelming fan demand. If you haven't caught on yet, keep reading.
According to a Nate News update, the OTT platform is set to drop the K-drama War of Money, also known as Money's Warfare, in a restored high-definition format, almost two decades after its debut. Originally titled Jjeonui Jeonjaeng, the drama pulled in ratings that soared past the 36% mark, a rare feat then and even now. Officially recognised by the Financial Supervisory Service, it left a lasting mark on both the public and the entertainment industry with its unflinching portrayal of Korea's loan shark underworld.
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Planned as a 16-episode run, the show's runaway popularity forced the directors to stretch it to 20 episodes plus a bonus, peaking at 36.3%. It set a benchmark in an industry dominated by soft-tone rom-coms, proving that fierce, gritty themes could bring massive audiences. While it's been streaming around a few domestic OTT platforms, this marks its first-ever global release on Netflix, part of the streamer's plan to expand its K-drama library, owing to the genre's sky-high viewership.
While the show was a hit, it somehow led to its star Park Shin Yang, getting banned. When the actor first signed on for the drama, he was paid ₩45 million for each of the first 16 episodes. However, later, the director decided to make 4 more episodes, and by that time, the show had already gone viral, so Park hiked his fee and negotiated for ₩170 million per episode. The producers agreed at first, but later changed their minds, accusing Park of taking advantage. The actor then dragged everyone to court, and the court ruled in his favour. But it was after that that the Corea Drama Production Association (CODA) banned Park from appearing in any dramas made by its members. They claimed his high pay was more than what some production companies earned from broadcasters and said it was damaging to the industry. Fans around the world, about 5,600 of them, signed a petition against the ban. After being off TV for three years, Park was finally allowed to return in 2011.
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The story follows Geum Na-ra, an investment banker with one of the highest performance ratings in the game. But his life slams into its biggest wall when he's forced to face his father's massive debt, a burden that pushes him to the edge, nearly ready to end it all as loan sharks torture him. The chaos sends his mother into shock, she collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Desperate, Na Ra applies for a bank loan, but no one will touch him. His jealous boss sees the opportunity and twists the knife by firing him.
Unable to pay the hospital fees, his mother dies. His sister is forced into a salon job, and Na Ra himself has to break up with his girlfriend in exchange for cash from Cha Yeon's disapproving grandmother, Madam Bong. Convinced now that everything bad in his life is happening because of money, Na Ra begins to see it as his greatest enemy, and to beat the enemy, he decides to become one. He soon jumps into the loan shark business, learning the strategies, secrets, and cutthroat philosophies of the trade, eventually locking horns with the top sharks in the business. While the drama also carries romantic threads for the star, its core stays locked on the dark, twisted turns of Na Ra's rise in the underworld.