Netflix begins production on Korean crime thriller ‘Paper Man’ with Cho Jung-seok, Park Hae-soo and Claudia Kim

Netflix has confirmed it is moving forward with production of a new Korean crime thriller titled Paper Man (working title), assembling a cast led by Cho Jung-seok, Park Hae-soo and Claudia Kim. The announcement comes as Netflix continues to expand its Korean slate for 2026, which it previously described as including dozens of series and films.

According to the Netflix announcement, the show centers on Cha Myung-jo (Cho), a wearied head of household who works for a business producing imitation character stickers and is overshadowed at home by his wife. The project’s premise turns when Myung-jo creates a counterfeit bill so accurate that it cannot be readily distinguished from the real thing, setting the story into motion. Netflix characterizes the series as blending crime-thriller tension with family and character drama, and as exploring “the value of money, human desire and the thin line between what is considered ‘real’ and ‘fake’ in society,” with humor and conflict.

Netflix also tied the series to the Korean mint’s enforcement apparatus through the character of Oh Seung-eop (Park Hae-soo). Park is described as the First Deputy Director of the Anti-Counterfeiting Division at the Korea Mint, and the role is framed around a methodical investigator closing in on the man behind the counterfeit bill. In the Netflix description, the counterfeiting plot intersects with Myung-jo’s home life, where Ko Hye-seok (Claudia Kim) is an elite judge whose own dilemmas are said to remain beneath the family’s public image.

The Hollywood Reporter said the series is directed by Lee Il-hyung, whose past work includes Netflix’s Karma and the film A Violent Prosecutor. The report also said the series reunites Lee with Park Hae-soo, who previously starred in Karma, positioning Paper Man as part of an ongoing creative relationship inside Netflix’s Korean productions.

Netflix said Paper Man is now heading into production but did not provide a target release date. Additional production details, episode count, and filming schedules were not disclosed in the announcements cited here. Other entertainment trade coverage similarly reported the cast and director alignment ahead of production.

In practical terms for audiences, Paper Man adds to Netflix’s ongoing emphasis on original Korean crime and thriller content, a category that has been among the streamer’s most visible non-English offerings in recent years. For rights holders and the broader local production sector, the project also represents another commissioned series tied to Netflix’s scale of Korean investment as reflected in its larger 2026 slate announcement earlier in the year.

If and when Paper Man’s release date is set, Netflix will likely face the same scheduling and classification considerations typically involved with crime-thriller programming, including content standards for depictions of financial fraud. For now, the confirmed facts remain limited to production status, principal cast, and the broad plot framework involving counterfeit currency and a Korea Mint anti-counterfeiting investigator.