‘Money Heist: Korea’ Keeps One of the Professor’s Key Rules for the Team
Pulling off the biggest heists in Spain and the world had ever seen requires immense planning, down to the last detail. In Netflix’s Money Heist, the Professor (Álvaro Morte) has three main rules for the team of thieves. One of them is based on his morals: kill no one. The other is that everyone uses code names. The last rule is to ensure a smooth heist, and Money Heist: Korea K-drama keeps the fundamental rule.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area .]
The Professor makes it clear the thieves can not have personal relationships
The first episode of Money Heist introduces the main players. The group of thieves meets the Professor in a secure location where they will spend five months together. Together they will learn everything they need to know about the heist. But the Professor has a set of rules they must follow.
When they first meet, they know nothing about each other, and the Professor wants it to stay that way. If something goes wrong or they are arrested, they cannot rat each other out. The second important rule is that none of them can have personal or sexual relationships. It ensures no emotional connection that could go wrong in the heist.
But the Professor’s rule is entirely ignored by Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó) and Rio (Miguel Herrán), who begin a friends-with-benefits relationship into real love. Fans see firsthand how their romance poses a problem in the series. But in Money Heist: Korea, the Professor’s rule is mentioned only once.
The ‘no relationships’ rule in ‘Money Heist: Korea’ is a part of the plan
The K-drama follows a similar idea where the Professor (Yoo Ji-tae) gathers the thieves in a secure location. It is the first time they meet as a group and learn about the grand plan to rob the Mint in the Joint Economic Area. The Professor’s first rule in Money Heist: Korea is that they drop the formalities and speak without honorifics. Also, no one knows each other’s personal details.
The second rule is the team can not know each other’s real names, only known by their code names. Each member picks a city from around the world. But fans may notice the Professor never says the “no personal relationships” rule like in the Spanish series.
This is because Moscow (Lee Won-jong) is the one who reveals it in the fifth episode. While in the six episodes Tokyo (Jeon Jong-seo) and Rio (Lee Hyun-woo) do not form a relationship, it is teased. In the Spanish series, Tokyo and Rio developed their romance within the five months, but it does not occur in the K-drama.
Fans see hints that Rio starts to like Tokyo in the K-drama, but nothing more. In the fifth episode, Tokyo and Moscow are talking until he notices Rio looking at her. He says there a “no relationship” rule for a reason. He says youngsters see sparks fly in tense situations.
Denver falls in love with a hostage in the K-drama remake
While fans may be disappointed that Rio and Tokyo do not become a couple, other main characters do. One of the key relationships in the Spanish original was between Denver (Jaime Lorente) and Mónica Gaztambide (Esther Acebo).
In the K-drama, Mónica is the character Yoon Mi-seon (Lee Joo-bin). Comically Denver never thinks about the rule in Money Heist: Korea, allowing a bit more leeway to develop feelings for Mi-seon. Their relationship forms the same way as in the Spanish series, but there is still more to explore.
Another relationship is the Professor’s growing feelings for the negotiator Seon Woo-jin (Kim Yun-jin). She was initially part of his plan to stay one step ahead of the authorities. But by the finale, he realizes he is in too deep.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area is available on Netflix.
