Breaking Down the Thrilling Ending of Tempest

After Seo Mun-ju’s (My Love From the Star’s Jun Ji-hyun) husband is murdered before her eyes while campaigning for president, she’s determined to find out who was behind the assassination-even if it means running for president herself. This setup might not seem ideal for a grand love story between Mun-ju and someone else. But with the skillful writing of Jung Seo-kyung, and direction from Kim Hee-won (Vincenzo, Queen of Tears) and Heo Myeong-haeng (Badland Hunters), along with the performances of popular actors Jun Ji-hyun and Gang Dong-won (Uprising), Disney+’s Tempest delivers both a thrilling political action story and a deeply romantic series-making it one of the year’s best.

Jung, who has collaborated with director Park Chan-wook on many acclaimed Korean films-including Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden-transitioned to television production in 2018 with the drama Mother. The idea for Tempest (also called 북극성, or Polar Star, in Korean) came about while Jung was working with director Kim on her second K-drama, Netflix’s Little Women. “[Kim] expressed her desire to create a story featuring a powerful woman and a man dedicated to protecting her,” Jung shared with TIME, also mentioning Gang’s character, Paik San-ho, a mysterious bodyguard who consistently shields Mun-ju from numerous threats. “She envisioned blending a genre storyline with romance and impressive visuals.”

So, Jung started working on the story. When Jun Ji-hyun – truly the one and only – was cast as the lead, the writer realized the story needed to be epic enough for such a huge star. She explains that to really capture attention worldwide, the character needed some seriously heroic moments. That led her to create someone a little different from her usual characters, who tended to be very personal and quirky. Instead, she ended up with a character who felt more normal and relatable – someone many people could connect with.

Throughout the nine episodes of the series, Mun-ju struggles with whether or not she truly wants to be the next president of Korea. However, Jung, the creator, always intended for her to ultimately pursue that goal. Jung explains to TIME, “I knew that her running for office, her presidential candidacy, would be the culmination of her story, so I wanted her to face many difficulties and hardships.” He believed the most crucial trait for a presidential candidate wasn’t just skill, but the ability to empathize with the struggles of everyday people. “Because I thought that the most important quality that she needed to have as a presidential candidate was not just the capabilities to perform her tasks, but her ability to understand the pain that the ordinary people were suffering from.”

Mun-ju and San-ho’s love story

Mun-ju starts the series married to Jang Ju-nik (When Life Gives You Tangerines’ Park Hae-joon). They care for each other, but their relationship is more about being comfortable companions than intense romance. Mun-ju doesn’t expect to fall in love again soon after her husband passes away, but the intense feelings brought on by dangerous circumstances create a strong attraction and a profound bond that they can’t deny. By the end of the series, both are ready to sacrifice everything for each other.

“At its core, [Tempest] is a love story, isn’t it?” Jung explains. “When considering what Mun-ju lacked in her life, I realized the thing she needed most was self-love.”

My hope was to place someone near her who felt such strong affection for her, hoping it would help her recognize her own self-worth and love.

According to Jung, the series flips some common expectations about gender roles. She explains, “These two characters take on roles historically played by the opposite sex.” Specifically, “Mun-ju is a very rational, reasonable, and powerful woman – qualities traditionally seen in men.” Conversely, “San-ho is delicate, caring, and emotional – someone with a big heart and a lot of warmth,” which are traits more often associated with women.

To play the important character of San-ho, Tempest chose Gang Dong-won, a film actor well-known for his work in Temptation of Wolves, Broker, and Uprising. Jung explains, “Similar to how we cast Ji-hyun, we decided on Gang Dong-won early in the scriptwriting process, while I was working on the first draft.” He adds, “I think Gang Dong-won possesses both the appearance of a very young, innocent boy and that of a mature man. He’s both powerfully masculine and delicately soft and feminine.”

When Mun-ju and San-ho first encounter each other, Mun-ju is stateless. As the story unfolds, we discover he originally came from North Korea, escaping to become an assassin. He’s spent most of his adult life as a bodyguard, protecting wealthy individuals for payment. However, Mun-ju feels a connection with her, believing in her ideals and ultimately falling in love. “I viewed these two characters as deeply isolated individuals,” explains Jung. “They lacked anyone to confide in, anyone who truly understood them. They found solace only in each other.”

Korean reunification as central theme

Conflict can be financially beneficial, and in Tempest, numerous individuals and groups globally are trying to disrupt the long-held peace between North and South Korea. As a politician dedicated to achieving reunification, Mun-ju finds herself a target. This same position ultimately led to the assassination of Jun-ik.

From the start, I aimed to create a story deeply connected to real-world politics, given that Mun-ju was designed to be a political figure. However, I didn’t want a direct copy of Korean politics; I wanted something similar yet distinct,” explains Jung. “Reunification is a topic that resonates with all Koreans, a subject of conversation and personal connection since the war.”

However, Jung believes the central idea extends beyond the political separation of Korea. “The idea of unification, as presented in the work, isn’t just about reunifying the Korean peninsula. I aimed to explore the broader concepts of unity and wholeness, because there are many clashes between masculine and feminine energies, and between different generations.”

Who killed Mun-ju’s husband, Jang Ju-nik?

Ju-nik’s death was carefully planned by his mother, Im Ok-seon (Queen of Tears’ Lee Mi-sook), who is secretly a major arms dealer. For the past five years, Ok-seon has been constructing a nuclear submarine in North Korea. She then sells it to Idisha, a made-up country in the Middle East, with the intention of the government using it to attack the United States. Within the setting of Tempest, Idisha is currently occupied by American soldiers. The plan is to use the threat of nuclear war to pressure the U.S. government into withdrawing its troops and allowing Idisha to govern itself.

Like many compelling villains, Ok-seon has a tragic past. She was left behind by her mother, who went to the U.S. with an American soldier, forcing her to survive on her own in a country torn apart by war. As a child, she witnessed American military tanks passing by, which represented both her mother’s desertion and the part the U.S. government and military played in dividing Korea and igniting the conflict that followed.

Jung explains that her goal with the character of Ok-seon was to present a summarized look at modern Korean history. She believes many Koreans had mixed emotions watching the United States intervene after the Korean War, seeing them as both rescuers and something more complex. Ok-seon embodies those complicated and negative feelings. Furthermore, the character’s lingering anger towards her mother intensifies these internal conflicts.

As a film enthusiast, I found it really interesting how Ok-seon’s power just kept growing without anyone stopping her. According to Jung, a big part of that was the historical context – Korea was heavily influenced by the United States at the time. But it also had to do with societal expectations. She explains that being a woman *and* a wife meant Ok-seon often went unnoticed and wasn’t really held accountable. Basically, nobody took her seriously enough to try and control her actions. It’s a fascinating point about how those roles can inadvertently allow someone to gain influence, especially in that era.

As the events of Tempest unfold, Ok-seon is nearing her main objective: to make the United States (and, symbolically, her mother) pay for the suffering they inflicted upon her. She’s prepared to even kill her own son, who now represents the possibility of Korea being reunited. By causing Jun-ik’s death, she can more readily blame him for the spying she’s been doing herself.

Even though Jun-ik wasn’t Ok-seon’s biological child – he was the product of her husband’s infidelity – she raised him as if he were her own and loved him deeply. She grieves privately in her room after his death, despite being the one who arranged for him to be killed.

Tempest ending explained

In the last episode, Ok-seon abducts Mun-ju, wanting her daughter-in-law to see the culmination of her life’s work. Ok-seon, Mun-ju, Ok-seon’s son Jun-sang-a prosecutor played by Oh Jung-se (Good Boy)-and a group of mercenaries all get on a ship headed for the Pacific Ocean. From there, Ok-seon intends to trigger an attack on America. She’s unsure if the King of Idisha will follow through with an attack, so she has a contingency plan. She’ll use a second nuclear launch briefcase to detonate the nuke herself.

Just as Ok-seon is about to launch the missiles, Jun-sang intervenes to arrest her. He’s deeply affected by his mother’s actions, as he deeply loved his brother, and struggles to accept what she’s done. He’s been collecting proof of her spying and intends to bring her to justice. A gun battle begins, and Mun-ju and Jun-sang briefly get away from Ok-seon. Jun-sang is wounded during the fight, but he stays behind to allow Mun-ju a clearer path to a second control room. He tells her to use the phone there to contact Kim Han-sang (Light Shop’s Uhm Tae-goo), the made-up leader of North Korea, and try to convince him to change the submarine’s course.

I’m really getting into this movie! It’s good to know Mun-ju isn’t facing this alone. The Korean coast guard and military have shown up, and thankfully, San-ho finally found her – it looks like he’s going to try and protect her one last time. She also manages to get a message to Kim, letting him know the payment for the submarine has been blocked. It’s a tense situation because she points out that if Ok-seon actually attacks the U.S., both North Korea and Idisha will face serious consequences. It’s a high-stakes gamble, and I’m on the edge of my seat!

Kim reluctantly agrees to change the submarine’s course, but points out that Ok-seon still retains the ability to launch the missiles independently. At the same time, Ok-seon is actively using that power, beginning the process to send a nuclear missile towards the U.S. When Mun-ju and San-ho confront her, she throws the key that could stop the launch into the water, and then takes her own life.

Okay, so Mun-ju and San-ho were stuck without the code to stop those nukes, but thankfully the King of Idisha had it! They managed to get him on the phone, and he agreed to help them out. San-ho entered the code, which thankfully aborted the missile strike. But just when you think things are okay, Ok-seon pulls another move – she’s rigged the main control room with explosives, enough to blow the whole ship! It’s similar to the bomb she planted on the train in Episode 3 – it’s set with both a timer *and* a pressure sensor. The really scary part? As soon as San-ho stepped into the carriage to enter the code, he triggered the pressure sensor. He’s basically trapped – he can’t leave without causing a massive explosion. It’s a seriously tense situation!

Mun-ju is determined to stay with him, wanting to do everything she can to help, even if it means facing death together. However, the ship is crowded with people-Korean soldiers and the mercenaries who have been captured. If no one is alerted and the bomb detonates, many lives will be lost. San-ho manages to persuade Mun-ju to go and warn the officer in charge, and to request someone who knows about bombs.

Naturally, when that happens, the officer gives the order to evacuate, and that includes Mun-ju. She is physically forced off the ship. From a lifeboat close by, she is left to watch the ship-and, we can assume, the person she loves-explode.

Is Paik San-ho really dead?

Initially, about halfway through writing the script, I hadn’t thought about killing off San-ho,” explains Jung. Her original idea was to put Mun-ju in a difficult position, forcing her to choose “between love and career, between individual and a group.” But as the story developed, it became clear what Mun-ju’s decision would be. “Because they were so deeply in love, San-ho wasn’t just a secondary character. He felt like an extension of Mun-ju herself. Ultimately, the story evolved so that San-ho became Mun-ju’s ‘Polar Star.’”

Jung explains that when she initially concluded the story with San-ho’s death, the staff and crew expressed their dissatisfaction. “This led me to reconsider the ending,” she says. “We all watch stories to enjoy a bit of fantasy, and the narrative needs to keep going. Would it be right to end it in a way that would upset so many viewers?” Ultimately, Jung and the production team decided to leave San-ho’s fate open-ended, even for themselves as the storytellers.

Even so, Jung hints that San-ho might still be alive and able to help Mun-ju once more. “Perhaps he survived? This has happened before, several times actually. He endured so much, yet always came through unharmed, and was often right there for Mun-ju when she needed him, didn’t he?” she points out. “So it’s possible that this could happen again – that if she faces another difficult situation, he might be there waiting for her if she looks back.”

Will there be a Season 2 of Tempest?

Unlike many Korean dramas that tell a complete story in a single season, Tempest feels like it could have more to offer. While the mystery surrounding Jun-ik’s death is solved and Mun-ju’s reputation is restored, the complex political situation and underlying conflicts that led to everything are still present. Ok-seom exploited the circumstances, but she didn’t start them. It was a problem bigger than any one individual.

Now that Mun-ju is officially running for president of South Korea, and we still don’t really know what’s happening with San-ho, it feels like there’s definitely space for another story in this world. I’m really hoping Jung would be interested in writing it! He said that he and the director are always open to the idea, if Disney is on board.

2025-10-03 23:08