Made in Korea Review (2026): Convenient Journey of Self-Discovery Fails to Inspire

Made in Korea Review: In this Netflix film, Shenba, after being dumped by her boyfriend, goes to South Korea to realise her dreams and finds herself in the process.

The movie has a runtime of 111 minutes.

Made in Korea Review

In Netflix’s Made in Korea, rebellious but also oddly timid Shenba, who is “forced” to go to South Korea by her cowardly boyfriend on false pretences, is dumped on the plane. The film is a lighthearted and inspirational watch that reminds us to believe in ourselves…

… except it never delves into anything beyond surface-level fan service about Shenba discovering herself by using South Korea and its people as a crutch for her self-discovery. There’s nothing to inspire us here as the film doesn’t get anywhere near what connects Shenba to South Korea, where the similarities lie or why random people in this huge country would be drawn to her.

Everything just happens to Shenba because she’s the Protagonist™ of this film. She doesn’t need to think of consequences for her actions, where she will sleep, how she will overcome the language barrier or how she will gain employment because everything just works out thanks to her miracle friend Jun-jae, who exists to make her life easier.

Thus, beyond her wallowing for the man who deceived her and stole from her father, she never faces a singular challenge as a random foreigner in a new country. It’s hilarious, unhinged, and unbelievable, and it doesn’t feel inspirational because her struggle doesn’t feel real. She somehow becomes friends with a random old woman who has a secret of her own. That storyline would’ve been sweet had we gotten any deeper than Granny wanting to live her life and not wanting to be a maid for her son.

There are a few seconds when she comes across as a bad guy, but that’s about it. South Korea only has the best people, and while I believe most people are generally good in any country, it’s hardly possible to be this clueless and make ALL the right decisions. Director Ra Karthik wanted to bring us to South Korea beyond the Hallyu wave, which is great. But this movie is empty and pointless because it inspire nor leaves us moved. Sure, it doesn’t harm either, but that just leaves it to be another forgettable film riding on the Hallyu wave.

Just like Shenba, Made in Korea is rushed and all over the place. I couldn’t understand either of their motivations, and I kept waiting to be moved by this woman’s journey. The last confrontation between her and Mani, or the reunion between her and her parents, feels rushed and odd. There is no warmth because it feels like it’s written to be warm, not because the relationships feel authentic. There is not a moment of respite for viewers to sit back and take the emotions in because we are moved from one forgettable sequence to the next, leaving us to wonder what the point of it all is.

I think the problem is also that Priyanka Mohan’s character is as bland as one can imagine. Shenba is absolutely flat, has no qualities that stand out other than wanting to go to Korea, and we don’t see any spark from her. Sure, she’s rebellious, but we don’t see her nature being highlighted anywhere. She goes to South Korea because her boyfriend forces her on a plane under false pretences, and then somehow things happen in her favour thanks to Jun-jae. But she herself never makes an impression because her character is written to be nothing. Mohan could’ve given us a memorable performance, but with a character devoid of personality, there’s only so much she can do.

Final Thoughts

Made in Korea made me wonder what I was watching several times throughout its runtime. It’s absolutely unmemorable because neither the character nor the storyline has any personality. I don’t see the point of watching it at all, least of all if you expect something to move you in the process.

What are your thoughts on Made in Korea? Let us know in the comments below!

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