Yoo Ji-tae is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. He is all set to play the character of “The Professor” in Netflix’s upcoming tv-series Money Heist Korea- Joint Economic Area Part 2. The second of season 1 will have six-episode. A short teaser of the sequel was released on Netflix’s fan show- Tudum.

The show, based on Alex Pina’s Spanish mega-hit, is directed by Kim Hong-sun and written by Ryu Yong-jae and is set in a world where the two Koreas are on the verge of reunification. Famous actors such as Jeon Jong Seo (as Tokyo), Lee Won Jong (Moscow), Kim Yunjin (Woo Jin), Kim Ji Hun (Denver), Jang Yoon Ju (Nairobi), Lee Hyun Woo (Rio), Kim JiHoon (Helsinki), and Lee Kyu Ho (Oslo) will be featured in the second part. The plot of Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part 2 will be similar to that of the Spanish original.

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Who is Yoo Ji-tae? 

Yoo Ji-tae was born on April 13, 1976, in Seoul, South Korea to Kim and Bong-Hee. He was raised by a single parent. In an interview with KBS Global, Yoo revealed her relationship with her mother and said, “My mother, who worked as a nurse for a long time, wants to run a hospital for the elderly someday. I want to financially help her realize her dream, and then establish an orphanage.” 

Yoo graduated Catholic University of Korea Graduate School of Social Work and has since then remained extremely active in social causes. Some of his philanthropic deeds include- establishing a kindergarten school in Nepal, spearheading donation campaigns in Myanmar, and spreading awareness regarding domestic violence against migrant wives. He is also a member of numerous international forums including World Vision, Compassion Korea, DAIL Community, Social Welfare Society Inc. and YWCA of Korea. 

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Yoo married Korean actress and modeller,  Kim Hyo-jin on December 2, 2011. The couple was soon blessed with two children- Yoo Soo In and Yoo Roo In. 

Yoo Ji-tae’s acting career

Yoo Ji-tae started his fashion modelling career in 1995, when he walked the runway for the Seoul Fashion Artist Association collections.I n 2000, Yoo was more consistently in the spotlight than any other actor, thanks to a string of successful movies and widely seen TV appearances. 

His first brush with fame came in the role of Paint in his second feature, the 1999 hit Attack the Gas Station. His sympathetic and aesthetic demeanour in this film, as well as his warm character as a guest on TV talk shows, helped propel him to stardom.

In the years since, he has acquired acting recognition by collaborating with renowned filmmakers such as Hur Jin-ho in One Fine Spring Day (2001), Park Chan-wook in Oldboy (2003), and Hong Sang-soo in Woman is the Future of Man (2004). Yoo began directing short films in 2003, and they were well received at film festivals. Mai Ratima, his feature directorial debut, was released in 2013.