The Manipulated (Korean: 조각도시) is a 2025 South Korean revenge action crime thriller television series written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Park Shin-woo and Kim Chang-ju, and starring Ji Chang-wook, Doh Kyung-soo, Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-su, and Lee Kwang-soo. It is based on the film Fabricated City, which Oh Sang-ho co-wrote.
It depicts the story of an ordinary man whose life is abruptly shattered for being wrongly accused of a major crime, but returns to pursue a bloody vengeance after discovering it was a fabrication. The series premiered with 4 episodes on Disney+ as a Hulu original series on November 5, 2025, as the Star content hub was replaced by Hulu on October 8, 2025.
Synopsis
It follows an ordinary man, Park Tae-jung, whose life takes a drastic turn when he is wrongfully accused of a heinous crime and sent to prison. After discovering that everything was orchestrated by An Yo-han, he sets out on a path of revenge.
Cast and characters
Main
- Ji Chang-wook as Park Tae-jung
- A man who lived an ordinary life but was falsely accused of committing a heinous crime, and was sentenced to life.
- Doh Kyung-soo as An Yo-han
- The CEO of an exclusive security service who is linked to the incident that led to Tae-jung's imprisonment.
- Kim Jong-soo as No Yong-sik
- Tae-jung's benefactor in prison.
- Jo Yoon-su as No Eun-bi
- Yong-sik's daughter.
- Lee Kwang-soo as Baek Do-kyoung
- Yo-han's VIP client.
Supporting
Guan Prison
- Yang Dong-geun as Yeo Deok-su
- The most influential person in Guan Prison.
- Kim Jae-chul as Yang Chul-hwan
- A prison officer of Guan Prison.
- Eum Moon-suk as Do Gang-jae
- A fellow inmate in Guan Prison, and the fierce rival of Deok-su.
- Lee Jae-kyoon as Koo Ji-yong
- Tae-jung's cellmate in Guan Prison.
- Lee Seo-hwan as Park Han-hee
- The warden of Guan Prison.
Others
- Kim Joong-hee as Kim Sang-rak
- A public defender of Kim Sang-rak Law Office.
- Ahn Ji-ho as Park Tae-jin
- Tae-jung's younger brother.
- Kwon Da-ham as Woo-jong
- Tae-jung's friend.
- Kim Jung-heon as Jung-soo
- Tae-jung's friend.
- Lee Suk-hyeong as Dae-hoon
- Tae-jung's friend.
- Han Ji-hyo as Lee Sun-ah
- Eun-bi's roommate.
- Son Jong-hak as Baek Sang-man
- Do-kyoung's father and a sitting member of the National Assembly.
- Lim Hwa-young as So Hyun-jung
- The boss of a hair salon, and the next manipulated target of Yo-han.
- Lee Sung-woo as Hwang Il-guk
- A corrupt detective of the Seoul Junggu Police Station.
- Lee Hyun-jin as Ching Li
- A Chinese killer working for Yo-han.
- Kim Min as Yoo Seon-gyu
- Do-kyoung's partner.
- Do Hyun-jin as Han-byeol
- Eun-bi's friend in Busan.
Special appearances
- Pyo Ye-jin as Song Su-ji
- Tae-jung's girlfriend.
- Lee Jong-hyun as a sports car driver
- Lee Jae-won as a prosecutor
- Bae Na-ra as Woo Min-hyung
- A killer working for Yo-han.
- Jeong In-gi as Yo-han's nanny
- Park Mi-hyun as Do-kyoung's mother
Production
Development
The series was developed by the film division of CJENM, which also produced it with Studio Dragon and Simplex Films with a production budget of 35 billion won. It was written by Oh Sang-ho, who also wrote the series Taxi Driver. In November 2024, Disney+ announced official English name for the series.
Casting
On November 13, 2023, Ji Chang-wook and Doh Kyung-soo were confirmed to be cast in the roles of the main characters.
Jo Yoon-su announced her casting in series in September 2024. In October 2024, news outlets revealed that Pyo Ye-jin was cast as Ji Chang-wook's love interest. In November same year, Lee Kwang-soo's agency King Kong by Starship confirmed his appearance in series as Baek Do-kyung.
Release
The Manipulated was released with 4 episodes on November 5, 2025, on Disney+ under the Hulu on Disney+ label. Subsequently, 2 episodes per week would be released on every Wednesday, with the final 2 episodes on December 3.
Reception
The Manipulated achieved strong viewership, ranking first in South Korea for two consecutive weeks and placed within the worldwide Top 4 as of 17 November, according to FlixPatrol. It also topped KinoLights’ OTT Trend Rankings for the second week of November. The related film Fabricated City similarly experienced a resurgence, rising to No. 2 on several OTT platforms. It also recorded 1.14 million participants on Naver Open Talk, the highest engagement among entertainment programs.
