At a press conference held the morning of Sept. 2 at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, the team behind Disney+’s original series "Tempest" (written by Chung Seo-kyung; directed by Kim Hee-won and Heo Myung-haeng) ― including stars Jun Ji-hyun, Gang Dong-won, Lee Mi-sook, Park Hae-joon, Kim Hae-sook, Yoo Jae-myung, Oh Jung-se, Lee Sang-hee and Joo Jong-hyuk ― shared their excitement ahead of the premiere.
"Tempest" follows Moon-ju (Jun Ji-hyun), a United Nations ambassador with global clout, as she hunts the forces behind an assassination attempt on a presidential candidate. Tasked with protecting her is San-ho (Gang Dong-won), a shadowy elite operative with no clear nationality. Together, they uncover a conspiracy with stakes that could upend the Korean Peninsula. The series also marks the first on-screen pairing of top stars Jun and Gang ― a matchup fans have long wanted to see.
Gang is returning to television for the first time since the 2004 drama "Magic." Why now? “I signed on because of Jun Ji-hyun,” he said, adding, “Somehow we never managed to work on the same project, and I was thrilled we finally could.”
The actor said slipping back into a drama schedule wasn’t a heavy lift. “I’ve shot films that ran eight months, so this wasn’t tough. TV just means more pages in a day,” he noted. “The preparation as an actor is the same. I didn’t feel much difference.”
Jun Ji-hyun also cited her co-star as a key reason she took the role. “I didn’t want to wait any longer to work with Gang Dong-won,” she said. A self-professed longtime fan, Jun added, “I used to admire his looks, but getting to know him on set made me an even bigger fan. With him as San-ho, the synergy for Moon-ju was incredible.”
"Tempest" brings together screenwriter Chung Seo-kyung ("Decision to Leave," "Little Women") with director Kim Hee-won ("Queen of Tears," "Vincenzo") and filmmaker Heo Myung-haeng ("The Roundup: Punishment," "Badland Hunters"). With a star-packed cast, prestige creatives and a globe-spanning scale, the Disney+ original drops three episodes on Sept. 10, followed by two episodes weekly starting Sept. 17, for a nine-episode season.
[Photo: Baik Seung-Chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)