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Netflix K-Drama The Whirlwind aired its first episode on June 28, 2024, starring Sol Kyung-gu as South Korean Prime Minister Park Dong-ho and Kim Hee-ae as Vice Prime Minister Jeong Su-jin. Among a sterling cast lineup of good actors such as Kim Hong-pa, Im Se-mi, Kim Mi-sook, and Lee Hae-young, the story revolves around Park Dong-ho and Jeong Su-jin locking horns in this political warfare.
From the beginning, the limited series doesn't let viewers take a breath and opens with the failed assassination attempt of South Korean President Jang Il-joon (Kim Hong-pa) by his trusted Prime Minister, Park Dong-ho (Sol Kyung-gu). This snowballs into Park Dong-ho becoming the acting president since Jang Il-joon falls into a coma.
It is crucial to note that The Whirlwind is not about good versus evil or a hero triumphing by slaying his enemies. It is just about politics and how far a person can go to achieve their goals. Park Dong-ho is one such man who led the massacre to the Blue House to slay all the corrupted ministers, especially Jeong Su-jin—the corrupted Vice Prime Minister who led assemblyman Seo Gi-tae to his death.
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Furthermore, it's one of those Korean series that deserves to be watched but didn't receive the credit it deserves.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this series review belong solely to the author.
The Whirlwind is reminiscent of Hollywood's House of Cards but better
With a runtime of 12 episodes, The Whirlwind opens with Park Dong-ho announcing his intention to wage a full-scale political war on the political establishment to expose all dishonest officials in and around the President's Blue House and bring those responsible for the Private Equity Fund swindle to justice.
This includes the South Korean chaebols along with the President of the Republic of Korea, Jang Il-joon, and Vice Prime Minister Jeong Su-jin. Each episode's ending is a cliffhanger with multiple plot twists after every 10 minutes.
The story moves ahead as Vice Prime Minister Jeong Su-jin ends up assassinating the comatose President Jang Il-joon in his hospital bed to protect her skin and become the next head of the country.
The protagonist of The Whirlwind, nevertheless, is Park Dong-ho, played by Sol Kyung-gu, an anti-hero who risks his life twice to rid the Korean Liberal Party of corruption and build a more just and fairer South Korea. To do so, he is prepared to deceive, intimidate, and defeat the corrupt politicians and the immoral chaebols, or even kill.
Hence, Park Dong-ho resigned as the acting President and the Prime Minister of the Korean Liberal Party, joined the presidential election as a candidate, and ended up winning it despite having a 5% popularity vote compared to Jeong Su-jin's 71%.
Director Kim Yong-wan well captured the internal rage of Park Dong-ho. Having lost his longtime friend—prosecutor and assemblyman Seo Gi-tae—Park Dong-ho becomes a hound looking for blood. Seo Gi-tae was framed for accepting bribery by Jeong Su-jin as he was investigating the Private Equity Fund embezzlement, which involved former President Jang Il-joon's son and Jeong Su-jin's husband.
Neither Park Dong-ho nor Jeong Su-jin spares an inch as they go toe-to-toe attacking each other. One of the finest things about Korean movies and series is their sheer ability to portray human horror under a veneer of grace and beauty, which is among its greatest qualities.
The natural tendency of people to deceive and turn on one another when faced with difficulties is frequently brought to light by Korean dramas and films such as The Worst of Evil, Kill Boksoon, Exhuma, Parasite, and Pachinko. And the lengths a person will go to deliberately harm another to further their own agenda.
The Whirlwind serves as a similar reminder, with Cho Sang-cheon, another presidential candidate, getting his father, half-brother, and other family members murdered to win the election. Comparably, it is extremely unsettling to watch Jeong Su-jin's lack of attempt to stop her husband Han Min-ho (Lee Hae-young) from ending his own life so that she could later place all the blame on him.
The Whirlwind ends with Park Dong-ho sacrificing his life to reveal Jeong Su-jin's truth to the country as she unknowingly confesses to murdering former President Jang Il-joon on live national television. The series wraps up with President Park Dong-ho getting his due respect and recognition and getting the national burial as the President of the Republic of Korea.
Although a few scenes were too theatrical to ever be regarded as realistic, one may view it as the director's creative license. Nonetheless, the actors performed their parts flawlessly.
Director Kim Yong-wan brought together an enviable cast lineup of Sol Kyung-yu, who is known for Kill Boksoon, Im Se-mi from The Worst of Evil and Wonderful World, Kim Hae-ae from The World of the Married, and Lee Hae-young from Bloodhounds. The result of such a project would inevitably be phenomenal.
While The Whirlwind may not be the classic tale of good vs. evil, it does a wonderful job keeping viewers on the edge of their seats with its twists and turns. It couldn't have gotten better than this.
All 12 episodes of The Whirlwind are available on Netflix for global streaming.
