The price of greed: Inside ‘Gold Land’

In Disney+’s thriller Gold Land, an irresistible promise of wealth pushes ordinary people into extraordinary — and often dangerous — choices. Leading the cast are Park Bo Young, Kim Sung Cheol and Lee Hyun Wook, each bringing a distinct intensity to a story where greed blurs the line between survival and self-destruction.

At the center of the chaos is Heeju, whose life takes a drastic turn after she unexpectedly comes into possession of a cache of illegally trafficked gold. What begins as a chance encounter quickly spirals into a ruthless struggle, as those around her close in, driven by their own ambitions. Caught in the crossfire, Heeju finds herself pulled deeper into a dangerous obsession — one that transforms her from an unlikely participant into someone willing to risk everything just to hold on.

Park Bo Young takes on the role of Heeju. Known for her warmth in past roles, the actress deliberately sought something darker this time. “It was a genre that I wanted to try. I had a meeting with Director Kim, and he told me that people would think that I’m the type who wouldn’t want to seize the gold and just return it. If someone who is not the type that would be chasing desires ends up chasing desires, then people would feel differently about this story. So that’s why I wanted to be part of the show,” she said.

To fully inhabit the character, Bo Young underwent a physical and emotional shift. “Director Kim said that he wanted me very thin because Heeju is a character who did not have a happy family. When she is on the run with the gold, she would be very nervous and always on edge. He wanted me to look drained and worn out. He said that maybe having no makeup would work better,” she shared, with the toll of portraying Heeju lingered even after filming. “Now that I’ve lived as Heeju, I don’t want the gold anymore. But if I do have my hands on the gold, I would use some of it and donate it for good purposes.”

Despite the intensity of the material, Bo Young found comfort in her co-stars. “Hyun Wook is a very sweet guy. He would always ask me, ‘Would this work better for you or that work better for you?’ With Kwang Soo, because we are close, we could go all out.” 

Some scenes proved especially challenging, including a high-stakes sequence Bo Young won’t forget: “I was really scared because there was someone coming down from the ceiling of the car, so I kept screaming and squinting because I was very scared.”

Kim Sung Cheol, who plays Woo Gi, approaches his character with a stripped-down realism that mirrors Woo Gi’s unapologetic nature. “Woo Gi is a person who is unafraid of his desires. He’s very shallow, very frank and honest, and that frankness actually leads to a mysterious aura,” he explained. To maintain that rawness, Sung Cheol kept his look minimal. “I also thought it would make the most sense for me to not put on any makeup, so it only took me about five minutes to get ready.”

Off-screen, Sung Cheol reflected on the drama’s central question: what would one do for unimaginable wealth? “If I had ₩ 150 billion, sometimes I would want it, sometimes I don’t. If I do have it, I would use it for good reasons. I don’t believe in anything that comes so easy,” he said. 

 Meanwhile, Lee Hyun Wook’s Do Kyung offers a more grounded entry point into the story’s moral spiral. “Do Kyung is a character who is caught between love and desire. My character is the most grounded. He’s like a John Doe,” he noted. “If I have 150 billion won worth of gold bars, I don’t think I would steal it because it’s too dangerous, too risky. But if I do have my hands on it, I will use it well.”

Gold Land, which promises more than just a suspense-driven narrative, premieres on 29 April on Disney+.