Your next K-DRAMA obsession

Disney+ Hotstar's spy-romance thriller Tempest cements its role as a producer of rich Korean content for global audiences

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

When the opening scene of Tempest hits, viewers are immediately drawn into a world of political deceit, shadowy operatives and fragile trust — the kind of high-stakes storytelling that South Korean dramas have become renowned for.

But Tempest, premiering exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar, raises the bar even higher. Helmed by Queen Of Tears (2024) director Kim Hee-won and Little Women (2022) screenwriter Jung Seok-kyung, the nine-episode series pairs two of South Korea's biggest stars — Jun Ji-hyun and Gang Dong-won — in a story that fuses global espionage with an aching undercurrent of romance.

The result is a show that's as emotionally charged as it is politically explosive.

When a presidential candidate becomes the target of an assassination attempt, former diplomat Seo Mun-ju (Jun Ji-hyun) finds herself caught in the eye of an international storm. As she unravels a conspiracy that spans rogue nations and intelligence agencies, her only protection comes from Paik San-ho (Gang Dong-won), a mysterious mercenary with a shadowy past. But trust, in this world of lies and shifting alliances, may be the most dangerous gamble of all.

To understand how a story this intricate and emotionally layered came together, one must look at Disney's growing investment in Korean storytelling. "Tempest is our tentpole original of the year," said Carol Choi, executive vice-president of Original Content Strategy at The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific.

"It represents our creative ambition to produce a high-quality collection of premium, talent-driven originals from APAC for global audiences and solidify Disney+ Hotstar as the home to new worlds of entertainment for fans to discover and celebrate."