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'Beef' season 2 sinks teeth into world of the ultrarich with megastars Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho

Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 18:06 Updated: 07 Apr. 2026, 18:55

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Youn Yuh-jung as Chairwoman Park, center, in the second season of the Netflix series ″Beef″ (2023-), set to premiere on April 16 [NETFLIX]

A conglomerate-inspired character in a TV series set in Korea? Groundbreaking.

That's what someone with, well, beef with the too-familiar trope might say.

But Lee Sung-jin, the creator of the hit Netflix series "Beef" (2023-), has a bone to pick with the ultrarich — or at least, the system that generates them — in the anthology series' second season, this time drawing inspiration from members of the powerful family-owned business empires.

The family-run conglomerates — often referred to disdainfully as chaebol — like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Group, which dominate much of Korea’s economy, have long captivated the public's imagination. Fictional portrayals often center on powerful, glamorous heirs raised amid succession battles and vast influence across business, politics and public life, while also drawing on real-life criticisms that the dynasties behind them foster inequality and corruption.

″Beef″(2023-) director Lee Sung-jin [NETFLIX]

"As capitalism has become more and more unhinged, without checks and balances […] the system we all live in presses down so hard on the middle class. You cannot write anything in 2026 without writing about capitalism and class divide," he told local reporters in a video conference on Tuesday, ahead of season two's April 16 release.

The second season has a different plotline and cast from the highly acclaimed first, which won multiple accolades including eight Emmys and three Golden Globes. It's a “spiritual sibling” of the first season, where conflict was sparked by a road rage incident, Lee said.

It follows a young couple working at a country club, played by Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny, who witness a fight between their boss and his wife, played by Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan.

From left to right: Charles Melton as Austin Davis, Cailee Spaeny as Ashley Miller, Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martin and Oscar Isaac as Josh Martin in the second season of the Netflix series ″Beef″ (2023-), set to premiere on April 16 [NETFLIX]

Korea's super-affluent comes in the form of screen icons Youn Yuh-jung, who plays the fictional club's billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park, and Song Kang-ho as her husband, Doctor Kim. The couples compete to win Park's approval through favors and coercion, which at some point involves the main characters coming to Korea, as seen in the trailer for the season.

Lee said he knew "Korea would be a big part of the season before he even wrote a single word," but felt drawn to shoot more in the country after experiencing its exclusive world of wealth.

The American creator was born in Korea and lived six years in the country, but first dined "with K-pop idols and Korean chaebol CEOs" during his visit to the country following the first season's whirlwind success, he said.

"I was exposed to an upper echelon of Korea that I've never gotten to see before," Lee said. "It was very tempting and alluring."

Charles Melton as Austin Davis, left, in the second season of ″Beef″ (2023-), set to premiere on April 16 [NETFLIX]

That experience infused Melton's character Austin, one half of the young couple at the center of the upcoming season's conflict, according to Lee.

Melton, who spoke next to Lee in the Tuesday interview, described his character as "navigating the disintegration of his honeymoon phase" as he contemplates "what it means to be Korean American when he's in proximity to Koreans, and a conviction and identity he slowly realizes is a mask."

With the heavy emphasis in Korea, it was fitting for the director to "shoot for the moon" and cast Youn and Song, "the greatest actors alive," Lee said.

Song Kang-ho as Doctor Kim, right, in the second season of the Netflix series ″Beef″ (2023-), set to premiere on April 16 [NETFLIX]

Song will be playing the opposite economic standing of the role he is probably best known for outside of Korea — the patriarch of a struggling, low-income family in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” (2019).

He initially turned it down because he "wasn't sure if the role fit him," according to Lee. The director said he was glad Youn convinced him to join, not only because he "can't imagine anyone else playing that role" but also because it brought Lee to what he called the "best moment of my career" — seeing "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho on set.

"It was at Amorepacific, which is one of the most beautiful buildings in Seoul. In the middle of shooting […] director Bong Joon-ho showed up on set and surprised everybody."

"He came up to the monitor and elbowed me and joked, 'Are you sure you want to frame it like that?'"

"I'll remember that forever," Lee said.

Melton, also a fan of Korean cinema, called working with Youn and Song "a profound dream come true."

"Everyone was over the moon that I was working with these legends," he said.

Oscar Isaac as Josh Martin, left, and Carey Mulligan as Lindsay Crane-Martin in the second season of the Netflix series ″Beef″ (2023-), set to premiere on April 16 [NETFLIX]

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]