Netflix has announced the production of the Korean crime drama series “Paperman” (tentative title), directed by Lee Il-hyun and starring Jo Jung-seok, Park Hye-soo, and Claudia Kim.
The series centers on Cha Myeong-jo, who despite being nominally the head of the household, lives in the shadow of his much more capable wife, who meekly works at a company that manufactures imitation character stickers. His life changes dramatically when he accidentally creates fake banknotes that are indistinguishable from the real ones, and he is drawn into a world of crime that he has never known before.
Jo Jung-seok, whose credits include “Hospital Playlist,” “Pilot,” and “Exit,” will play Myung-jo, who goes from being unknown in the country to a dangerous new ambition. Park Hye-soo, known for her roles in “Squid Game,” “Drug Saint,” and “Karma,” will play Oh Seung-yeop, the first deputy head of the counterfeiting division at the Mint, a tenacious investigator who follows Myung-jo’s footsteps. Claudia Kim, who appeared in “Gyeongseong Creature,” “Atypical Family,” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” will play Myung-jo’s wife and elite judge Go Hae-seok. Beneath the surface of his seemingly perfect life, Go Hye-seok faces real dilemmas and increasingly complicated family pressures.
Lee Il-hyun, who previously directed “Karma” and “Violent Prosecutor,” will direct the series. Both of his previous credits established Lee as a director drawn to morally complex protagonists navigating institutional and criminal systems.
“Paperman” joins Netflix Korea’s busy crime thriller slate in 2026, including “The Art of Sarah,” starring Shin Hye-sung and Lee Jun-hyuk, and “The Mousetrap,” starring Ryu Jun-yeol and Sol Kyung-gu, as the streamer continues to expand its Korean-language slate.
