“The Whirlwind” ~ A 2024 Netflix Limited Series

“The Whirlwind” is a Korean drama series released in 2024, has 12 episodes, and can be categorized as a Political Thriller and Suspense; currently streaming on Netflix.

♦ Attempted Assassination and Assassination are Solutions to Corruption?

In “The Whirlwind”, Park Dong-Ho is currently serving as the prime minister of South Korea. But not for long as he will soon be arrested.  It’s a frame-up and the one who had a hand in framing him is President Jang Il-Ju. These two men are not strangers to each other. Park Dong-Ho has served loyally by the side of Jang Il-Ju, trusted him, and believed he would keep the promises he made to the country. However, he discovered that the president’s son was involved in criminal activities and the president chose to cover it up by framing his prime minister.

That betrayal was doubled. Park Dong-Ho also told his Deputy Prime Minister, Jeong Su-Jin about the crimes and expected her to join him in exposing it. However, her husband was also involved in criminal activities so she decided to help the president with the cover-up.

Park Dong-Ho is stuck between the proverbial “rock and a hard place”. He has tried desperately to persuade the president. But the president responded that he had better not hold out his hand and expect someone to throw him a lifeline. If something is not done immediately the prime minister would be arrested. It was a desperate act but he dared. He tried to assassinate the president and almost succeeded. The president did not die but was in a coma. In the interim, he stepped into his shoes as the Acting President. His first official act was removing the Deputy Prime Minister from her official position.

He had turned the tables on Jeong Su-Jin and of course, who did she run to for help? A corrupt chaebol. The one who had the president in his back pocket and had a leash around her neck as well. She found out that Park Dong-Ho had attempted to assassinate the president and gave the chaebol the evidence he needed. But instead of getting rid of the acting president, the chaebol decided to try to control him, keeping the evidence. That plan backfired!

Park Dong-Ho was one step ahead of him and the chaebol was arrested for having incriminating evidence that was sufficient to indicate he had a hand in attempting to assassinate the president. After all, there were no names written on the evidence. It could belong to anybody. But it was found in the chaebol’s safe. So who is the likely owner?

Jeong Su-Jin continued using political tricks and treachery to turn the people against Park Dong-Ho and her plans kept backfiring. Just like Park Dong-Ho, she was now about to be arrested. In desperation, she assassinated the president. While lying in his hospital bed trying to recover, she finished him off by suffocating him. She thought her secret would be safe.

Park Dong-Ho knew what she had done but needed proof. Even though he had managed to get elected as president, the war in The Blue House was far from over. Indeed … it was just beginning.

Main Characters:

• Park Dong-Ho (played by Sol Kyung-Gu, “The Moon”, “Yaksha: Ruthless Operations”)
• Jeong Su-Jin (played by Kim Hee-Ae, “Queenmaker”, “The Vanished”)
• Choi Yeon-Sook (played by Kim Mi-Sook, “The Flower in Prison”, “Insu, The Queen Mother”)
• Seo Jeong-Yeon (played by Lim Se-Mi, “The Worst of Evil”, “Duty After School”)
• President Jang Il-Ju (played by Kim Hong-Fa, “Shadow Detective 1 and 2”, “Juror 8”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.6 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 7.9 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 9 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 7 out of 10 stars.

Despite having a stellar cast, the storyline was tiresome. Right from the start we hear the boring cliché phrase that everything being done if “for the good of the country and its future”. That’s the justification and lame excuses used by so-called “righteous” politicians doing unrighteous things like assassinations and refuting a big lie with an even bigger lie and the vicious circle just spins and spins and spins.

• It was like one politician says: “Oh! You think you know what’s best for the country. Well I know better!”

• Then that politician says: “Oh now you don’t! You think you have info about my sins? Well I got double the dirt on you!”

And they go back and forth and back and forth and round and round. If that isn’t bad enough, there’s a corrupt guy in charge of the CIO (Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials). It’s laughable.

There’s no way to watch ‘The Whirlwind” without getting nauseous and dizzy. However, if you want to take an introductory crash romance in Corrupt Politics in a Democracy, then watch this K-drama series.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Netflix K-drama The Whirlwind: Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Hee-ae face off in boring political drama | South China Morning Post

The Whirlwind: The Whirlwind: See all we know about K-drama’s release date, plot, cast and production | The Economic Times

Hierarchy To The Whirlwind: 5 New K-dramas To Binge Watch | ABP Live

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Netflix K-Content. “The Whirlwind | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube Video. YouTube, June 13, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aamqJDLjMYc.‌