FIVE MONTHS AGO
[reporter] The Nobel Committee in Oslo, Norway,
announced today that President Jang Il-jun
has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
President Jang is now the second individual…
I'll stop looking into the PE fund if you take full responsibility.
[reporter] …to receive the prestigious recognition
from the Nobel Committee.
Now, let's go live to our reporter in Norway, Gong Yeon-tak.
[Yeon-tak] The Nobel Committee described President Jang
as an exceptionally moral leader
who champions the protections of human rights
for the working class and the underprivileged in Asia.
His efforts to enhance social welfare and reduce the wealth gap
were praised as they announced his award.
[remote beeps]
[unsettling music playing]
I'll step down after the election.
You can be the president
after I win this next race.
No can do, President Jang.
I have no intention of cleaning up your mess.
[unsettling music continues]
So you want to start a war.
I have no choice.
I can't stand by and watch you
destroy the future of this country.
[music intensifies]
[music fades]
[sighs]
[Su-jin] I'll try to secure an invitation to Harvard's East Asian Institute.
You've always been pretty interested in social welfare,
so maybe the Sweden Royal Institute could also work.
For ten years, we've been working towards the same dreams--
No, that's not true at all.
While I was investigating the PE fund, I learned you were--
[Su-jin] …working towards economic reform and peace.
All that work would've crumbled if the administration did as well.
If it weren't for us, this country--
[Dong-ho] Back then, you fought against the dictatorship.
Yet, one could say they built the economy.
-Prime Minister! -Why did you resist the coup that year?
One could say the government was just trying to help our poor country.
[unsettling music playing]
So which is it?
What makes the past… different from what you're doing?
You said earlier
that if the administration were to collapse, so would the country.
I think you're arrogant.
You claim to care about this country,
but you're all wolves wearing sheep's clothing.
The prosecution is starting an investigation.
An internal investigation on you.
The police, the NTS, and NIS are involved.
There's a rough path ahead of you now.
If only you hadn't strayed from it.
I stayed on the path. I didn't stray at all.
You did.
One will chop her up, and the other will rip her apart.
-[unsettling music continues] -[Dong-ho] Her family will be destroyed.
Her husband will be humiliated before the whole nation.
Do you think she can withstand it all?
[Dong-ho] This hearing
will be Jeong Su-jin's execution.
[smarmy chuckle]
[music fades]
[opening theme music playing]
THE WHIRLWIND
[music fades]
EPISODE 7
[reporter] As candidate Jeong Su-jin's confirmation hearing approaches,
suspicions surrounding the private equity fund
of her husband Han Min-ho's company, Namsan C&C, have been mounting.
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUILDING
[Sang-cheon] Five billion won.
Ten billion won. Another ten.
SOLAR CELL BUSINESS PLAN
You sure got a whole lot of money out of Vice Chairman Kang.
What wife attends her husband's business meeting?
That seems suspicious, don't you think?
Did you get these from the Blue House?
Apparently, your confirmation hearing will be very intense, so I hear.
My goodness.
It's so hot these days. My gosh.
[Sang-cheon clears throat]
I need a little… breeze of relief on me.
And you definitely need some relief as well.
You help me. I help you.
I'll throw you a lifeline if you support me first.
I think you've forgotten
that even after six days of torture,
I refused your offers back then.
There's a saying. "Politics is the art of taking chances."
What does an animal know of art?
[Sang-cheon] Show some respect!
Do you remember what I told you?
What'd you say?
[breathing shakily]
I will always
protect my
leaders.
[Su-jin] I will always protect
President Jang's honor and his family's honor.
Nothing has changed.
Even if you kill me,
I will put up a wall with my bones and a river with my blood.
Just know that your filthy hands will never reach
President Jang or any of his relatives.
[music fades]
[phone beeps]
[phone line ringing]
Hey, are you there?
Good. Put one more witness down for the hearing.
Jang Il-jun's son, Jang Hyeon-su.
[breathes heavily] You need to stop.
Put that rascal on the podium and rip the kid open!
[phone disconnect tone]
After Park Chang-sik bites a chunk out of you and I sink my claws in,
you'll be wishing you were back in the torture room.
[tense music playing]
[reporter] President Jang Il-jun's followers have gathered
in front of the National Assembly Building,
protesting against the request for Jang Hyeon-su, the late president's son,
to appear as a witness at the confirmation hearing.
Some protestors clashed with the police
as they tried to breach the barricade in front of the building.
This confirmation hearing isn't about me.
This is a battle between two forces.
One trying to crush President Jang's honor,
and another, simply trying to protect it.
Regarding the breaches of trust--
Rumors and conspiracies!
This is all part of their scheme.
So let them throw stones.
I will stand up for what's right.
But if I were to fall,
then that will be the end of not only President Jang's legacy,
but justice for all of his citizens.
[supporter chanting] Jeong Su-jin!
[remote beeps]
First of all, I'd like to thank you for accepting my invitation.
[mysterious music playing]
We recently discovered these up in the annex.
Look familiar?
[door closes]
They were the tea cups you were gifted on your trip to Spain.
Illegally.
[sighs]
Did you know Caesar's second wife was once suspected of having an affair?
Do you know what he said when he chose to divorce her?
"The lady of Caesar must be above suspicion."
President Jang's wife should be too.
I trusted you.
You shouldn't worry.
The president will keep your secret safe.
So what are we going to do here?
Let's begin a friendship, shall we?
Your secrets are safe with me.
But can I trust you with mine?
[music fades]
WE SUPPORT JEONG SU-JIN PLEASE PROTECT PRESIDENT JANG
[Man-gil] They're planning a rally in your support this weekend.
And apparently, over 10,000 people are coming.
I wasn't expecting that at all.
[phone buzzing]
I did expect this call though.
PARK DONG-HO
President Jang really treasured that orchid.
It was a gift from me for his one-year anniversary as president.
[Dong-ho] He used to cut the rotten leaves whenever he got the chance.
Guess he didn't think he'd rot away too.
A public poll recently showed
that 60% of the population thinks the attacks
against the private equity fund are political maneuvering.
So you flipped the narrative by masking corruption for innocence.
I truly believed I had seen everything,
but I was wrong.
This is on another level of manipulation.
Stop leaking information about the private equity fund to Park Chang-sik.
As for Jo Sang-cheon,
stop giving him information about Namsan C&C.
I'll stop if you stop.
I'm thinking about inviting the First Lady to the weekend rally.
Her display of tears
will set off a political explosion.
[ominous music playing]
Go ahead. Invite her.
She's leaving the country right about now.
[ominous music continues]
First Lady, why did you decide to leave the country so suddenly?
To attend the World Hunger Conference.
It's an event that's been on my radar for a while now.
Some speculate that you're attempting to avoid political conflicts
before the confirmation hearing.
The confirmation hearing is not my issue to handle.
There's a verse from the Bible.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
Therefore, I'd like to ask Assemblywoman Jeong Su-jin
to refrain from mentioning the name of my husband,
President Jang Il-jun, during her hearing.
[remote beeps]
If President Jang is Jesus, that means the First Lady is Maria.
So is this a battle between Maria and Peter,
or is it a battle between Maria and Judas Iscariot?
[breathes deeply]
You never back down, do you?
If you had let this go back in the day, we wouldn't be here.
You're relentless! [gasps]
[Dong-ho] Well, you're beneath me.
And I need to go forward.
[tense music playing]
Up above, there's a dear friend who's no longer here.
Seo Gi-tae.
He's calling my name,
and I haven't answered…
because I'm really ashamed of how my life has been up till now.
He has high standards,
and I need to live up to them.
There's still a lot to do.
So, if you really think that I'm relentless,
just wait and see what's coming.
You'll keep going…
until the very end.
Yes, until the very end.
I truly wait for the day when I see your demise.
It's what Gi-tae would've wanted.
Send our gift to Chief Prosecutor Lee Jang-seok.
BLUE HOUSE- SANGCHUNJAE
[Dong-ho] Abalone, sea urchin, octopus, and other delicacies.
Gi-tae's mother is over 70, but she still dives for a fresh catch.
Gi-tae used to love this stuff.
She sent this food our way since she has no one else to feed.
No, thanks.
I can't eat this.
I'm sure you know a prosecutor and a suspect
can't eat together during an interrogation.
On November 18th,
the day President Jang collapsed from a heart attack…
you were at the Blue House, weren't you?
[pensive music playing]
At 1:26 a.m. that night,
you exited the Gwanghwamun Government Complex.
Five minutes later,
at 1:31 a.m.,
you took a right turn in front of Samcheong-dong.
Two minutes later, at 1:33 a.m.,
you entered an alley.
That road
only leads to the Blue House.
This was reported to me,
so I had to look into it.
If you can't answer me truthfully…
I'll launch an investigation.
You're forgetting that Kang Sang-un was arrested.
I believe he's already on trial too.
[Jang-seok] Kang Sang-un
left the Blue House at 1:20 a.m.,
40 minutes before President Jang's heart attack.
[pensive music continues]
[sighs]
He hasn't denied
any of the murder charges, from what I hear.
But exercising the right to remain silent doesn't mean he committed a crime.
Dong-ho.
I want you to tell me the honest truth here.
I'm asking as a prosecutor.
What were you doing at the Blue House that night?
And as a friend, I'd like to know, why didn't you tell me about this?
[music fades]
[phone buzzing]
JEONG SU-JIN
Park-Dong ho.
[Su-jin] I was so grateful for your generous gifts
that I wanted to return the kindness.
Tell your friend I have plenty more to send his way if he would like.
[tense music playing]
I'll stop if you stop.
What will it be, Mr. President?
[laughing]
Come on, let's eat. Hmm?
Like I said, Gi-tae's mother prepared this for us.
Dong-ho, listen.
Why don't you be my friend for today, okay?
Are you saying
one day I'll face you in court as a prosecutor?
Not today, at least.
[stirring music playing]
Call Park Chang-sik and Lee Jung-gwon. Invite them over.
[Chang-sik] We have three days until Su-jin's confirmation hearing.
Switching committee members this close to the hearing is pushing our luck.
It's too close.
I will take my chances for now.
I believe your son's verdict comes out today.
The new members are Lee Chang-min, Jo Dong-il, and Park Gyu-tae.
They're all former prosecutors, I believe.
He's turning
my hearing into a prosecutorial interrogation.
[Dong-ho] The CIO.
A "Completely Ineffective Office."
You all have been mocked for long enough.
How about
we change that for once? What do you say?
[stirring music continues]
I just heard Namsan C&C is under investigation, ma'am.
By both the CIO and prosecutor's office.
[Jeong-yeon] Jeong Su-jin called a meeting with her party's representatives.
She'll ask for cooperation at the confirmation hearing.
I'll invite them to lunch, then.
Tell them to come to the Blue House at noon.
[people clapping]
[clapping continues]
[music fades]
I'll make sure your afternoon's free, sir. You need some rest.
Call the Director of the FSS to look into--
Mr. President, listen to me.
[sighs]
Jang-seok is…
He's closing in on me.
[stirring music playing]
Right now, Jeong Su-jin is an easier target.
So I need to remove the obstacles in his way.
That way,
we can delay him a little bit
before he comes after me.
[phone buzzing]
LEE JANG-SEOK
Jang-seok.
I hope you didn't forget Gi-tae's birthday.
I'll bring the cake.
[Dong-ho sighs]
[music fades]
GRAVE OF ASSEMBLYMAN SEO GI-TAE
[Dong-ho] He once told me he would live until there was
no more room left on the cake for candles.
[Jang-seok] Dong-ho.
Prosecutor Kim Eung-chan and Oh Yoo-jin are
both incredibly skilled at their job.
We're working together on this.
We're planning on getting a search warrant.
[wind gusts]
I got another report recently.
TO: THE CHIEF PROSECUTOR SEOUL CENTRAL DPO
[intriguing music playing]
[door closes]
[Jang-seok] You entered the Blue House at 1:36 a.m.
You left the Blue House
at 2:00 a.m., which is exactly when
President Jang collapsed from a heart attack.
It could be a coincidence.
There's a limit to what makes a coincidence.
I requested the Blue House entry log for that date,
but it was erased.
Someone who had enough power erased it.
And clearly, for a good reason.
And I really hope it's not…
the reason that I'm thinking of right now.
Dong-ho.
I'm launching the investigation.
And if you decide… to take unjust actions towards me--
[Dong-ho] I made a promise.
[Dong-ho] If you must draw my blood
in order to punish Jeong Su-jin and Vice Chairman Kang Sang-un,
do what must be done.
You also have one to fulfill.
[Dong-ho] Jang-seok, listen.
If I crumble,
and you're the only one left of us,
I hope you will build a world that I… would have wanted to see.
You have a duty, so see to it.
And I will work harder to fulfill my own duty.
We're busy,
you and I.
[music fades]
-[keys jingle] -[door opens]
I'm the president's assistant, Seo Jeong-yeon.
From this point on, everything I say
is on behalf of President Park.
[reporter] Daejin Group's vice chairman, Kang Sang-un,
has announced that he'll attend candidate Jeong Su-jin's hearing as a witness
and address all suspicions linked to her husband's company, Namsan C&C.
Namsan C&C is an investment company headed by Jeong Su-jin's husband, Han Min-ho.
The company faces allegations of illegally profiting billions
using national business records.
Daejin Group invested a large sum of money into Namsan C&C's private equity fund…
We'll do that only if you expose the truth about yourself as well.
[unsettling music playing]
[Sang-un] Su-jin, listen.
I… need to get out of here.
[phone buzzing]
[young Su-jin grunts, screams]
[lighter lid clicks]
[phone buzzing]
[unsettling music continues]
Jeong Su-jin speaking.
[Sang-cheon] My goodness. It took us 30 years to share another meal.
Back then, in the torture chamber, you had no appetite.
You would barely finish half of your beef stew.
Vice Chairman Kang Sang-un is planning on testifying at the confirmation hearing.
So you're finally ready to make a deal, huh?
You'll become the prime minister
if you join me in my palanquin.
Your supporters are still upset with you
after they heard about the money you sent to North Korea.
Everyone is saying your political career is done.
[laughing]
[tense music playing]
I've been catching commies for over 30 years now.
There's one thing I know for sure.
For the South to survive,
the North needs to die.
Did I shock you?
[tense music continues]
The Director of the Cultural Propaganda Division,
Jeong Su-jin.
The head of the SPO, Jo Sang-cheon.
[fist slaps]
I believe that makes for an amazing team, doesn't it?
[sighs]
[music fades]
-[camera beeps] -[shutter clicks]
[elevator dings]
[Yeong-ik laughing]
Sang-un is going to appear at the hearing.
[laughs] Oh wow.
He really did stop listening to me the moment I got old.
He might be a criminal, but he would never disregard his father's orders.
You agreed to this.
You want him to go to the hearing.
[yawning]
It's right about time for a nap. Call me a grandpa.
[Su-jin] While you take a nap, here's what will happen.
You'll become the prime suspect as the person behind the PE fund.
-Assemblywoman! -Jo Sang-cheon will see to that.
[stirring music playing]
You think a false accusation will stop me?
I've gotten away with a lot.
There's a first time for everything, don't you think?
JEONG MEETS WITH CHAIRMAN KANG IN PRIVATE
Reporters will swarm this place in ten minutes.
They will wonder why
a prime ministerial candidate under investigation
is meeting with the chairman of Daejin Group.
[exhales sharply]
Which presidential election was it? Was it 20 years ago?
You paid a North Korean at the border
to fire his gun at us, even though we had a ceasefire.
This certain North Korean individual
now ranks fifth in the North's Labor Party,
and I hear you're still in touch.
[tense music continues]
Well, I have another job for them.
[Sang-jin] They'll ask for a lot of money.
Give them double. We need their help.
That's a violation of the sanctions against North Korea. A bad move.
-It'll put Daejin Group in serious-- -You've got bigger concerns.
If you want Daejin to survive at all, that is.
[music fades]
I'll leave you now.
But you should give me an answer
before I… meet with the reporters.
-[reporter 1] Over here to the right! -[reporter 2] Please give us a statement!
[reporter 3] What did you discuss with Chairman Kang?
[reporter 4] What did you talk about?
[moans]
[reporter 2] Why did you come?
How long have you been here today? How do you know Chairman Kang?
[stirring music playing]
AS YOU SPEAK IT, SO SHALL IT BE
[reporters clamoring]
[stirring music continues]
[phone buzzes]
[Yeong-ik] As you speak it,
so shall it be.
[camera shutters clicking]
Vice Chairman Kang is a fellow alumnus.
His father has been infirm. I just wanted to check in on him.
[reporter 5] What did you two discuss?
[Su-jin] I came to wish Chairman Kang a speedy recovery.
[reporter 2] Over here.
There's still so much he has to do.
[rousing music playing]
RYANGGANG PROVINCE, NORTH KOREA
[man] Here's the verdict from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
as delivered by the Korean People's Army!
For the South to survive…
[man] You have been used as a tool for propaganda by the South,
and you have soiled the dignity of our country.
Therefore, you will be executed in the name of the party and the people.
…the North needs to die.
[dramatic music playing]
[reporter] The father of former presidential candidate
and party leader of the New Conservative Party, Jo Sang-cheon,
has been executed in North Korea along with four family members.
This was reported today
by North Korea's Korean Central Broadcasting,
which strongly denounced Jo Sang-cheon as an enemy
of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
As an older brother, I provided my family with resources so they wouldn't die.
That is all I ever did.
The North Koreans responded by opening fire on my family!
How dare you! How could you call a witness this late into the hearing?
[man 1] Don't talk to me like that!
Well, this is absurd!
[all clamoring]
JEONG SU-JIN'S CONFIRMATION HEARING
[clamoring fades]
[Sang-cheon] The Director of the Cultural Propaganda Division,
Jeong Su-jin.
I, Jo Sang-cheon,
will personally eradicate
the pro-North Korean forces!
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] Jo Sang-cheon! Jo Sang-cheon!
[Sang-cheon] The head of the SPO, Jo Sang Cheon.
I believe that makes for an amazing team.
[dramatic music playing]
[inaudible shouting]
It's been two hours, and they haven't even started asking questions.
Jo Sang-cheon is requesting a new witness, apparently, Mr. President.
Just say yes! I don't care who it is!
He's requesting you, I'm afraid.
This is completely unprecedented, sir.
To ask a sitting president to come in.
[uneasy music playing]
They said the scandal happened while you were prime minister,
so you should be placed under scrutiny as well.
-We're going over there right now. -This will hurt you.
No sitting president has ever sat as a witness in court.
I don't care at all!
If I don't go, the hearing won't start, and Kang Sang-un won't testify.
You can't go, Mr. President.
[guard] What brings you here?
We're from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
[guard] One moment, please.
[music fades]
Jo Sang-cheon's side requested yet another new witness, Mr. President.
Former First Lady.
But she's not even in the country.
This is their attempt to disband the hearing completely.
[Jeong-yeon] Do you really think that
Jeong Su-jin and Jo Sang-cheon worked together
to have his father killed?
I'm no different.
I attempted to kill President Jang, and he was like a father in politics.
But in the end,
Jeong Su-jin committed the final act.
Now, Jo Sang-cheon has done the same.
[sighs]
I should have realized much sooner.
They can do
just as much as I'm willing to.
[phone buzzing]
LEE JANG-SEOK
[sighs]
[Jang-seok] Mr. President.
They won't let us pass through the gates. Please let us into the Blue House.
We have an investigation to conduct.
Jang-seok, you won't conduct your investigation.
-[uneasy music playing] -Dong-ho.
[Dong-ho] Seoul Central District Attorney Lee Jang-seok!
I'm dissolving your team.
You will not conduct any investigations based on slander and baseless claims
against the sitting president of Korea.
That is a presidential order.
[disconnect tone]
Transfer Prosecutor Kim Eung-chan to North America
and Prosecutor Oh Yoo-jin to Germany for training.
That won't stop him from pursuing this investigation. He won't give up.
I know that. Of course he won't.
I wouldn't expect less.
[sighs]
I'm just buying us some time.
I can't let her win when we're so close.
[dramatic music playing]
[all clamoring]
You there!
[man] The vote on the nomination of Prime Minister candidate Jeong Su-jin
has concluded.
With 296 registered assemblymen,
257 in attendance,
and 142 voting in favor,
the motion for appointment
has been passed.
[dramatic music continues]
[Yeon-sook] "Certificate of appointment. Jeong Su-jin."
"I appoint the above person as prime minister."
"By President Park Dong-ho."
[dramatic music playing]
I will do my best
to serve you just as you served President Jang
when you were prime minister.
[Dong-ho] Now, I'll do what I have to do as the prime minister.
I will thoroughly execute the duties of my role,
as you did.
I would like you to step down from your position.
Please don't make me repeat your last act as prime minister.
Prime Minister Jeong Su-Jin.
After all, if it weren't for you,
I wouldn't have made it this far.
[dramatic music continues]
[applause]
[music subsides]
[applause fades]
[music fades]
[closing theme music playing]
[music fades]