Netflix released new K-drama The Whirlwind on Friday, June 28, 2024. Consisting of 12 episodes, the political series stars Sol Kyung-Gu and Kim Hee-Ae in lead roles. The first six episodes deal with a brutal clash between the prime minister and deputy prime minister after an assassination attempt on the president.
The Whirlwind episode 1 features Prime Minister Park Dong-Ho’s (Kyung-Gu) attempt to assassinate President Jang Il-Jun. He defends his actions to eradicate corruption from the political world. Furthermore, the series explains Dong-Ho and his secretary Seo Jeong-Yeon’s (Im Se-Mi) agenda after dirty politics killed the latter’s brother. However, Deputy Prime Minister Jung Soo-Jin (Hee-Ae) is the biggest obstacle before Dong-Ho.
While Dong-Ho tries to play the game brutally yet wisely, Soo-Jin takes difficult and illegal paths in the political war. Who will win the battle? Let’s find out!
What happened in The Whirlwind episodes 1-6?
In The Whirlwind episodes 1 to 6, Dong-Ho and Soo-Jin get involved in a battle for the President’s seat. With Il-Jun in the hospital, the prime minister becomes the acting president, which doesn’t sit well with Soo-Jin. A few flashback scenes feature that she has followed Il-Jun from the beginning of his political career and that he is her inspiration. Hence, she fights hard against Dong-Ho.
However, Daejin Group Vice Chairman Kang Sang-Woon’s overconfidence becomes an obstacle for Soo-Jin. For context, Il-Jun has taken money from the popular chaebol group multiple times and thus became corrupt. Dong-Ho plays his cards wisely and sends Sang-Woon to prison. It threatens Soo-Jin’s position in the party, and she fears that her illegal activities may be revealed. Hence, she takes a ruthless step.
Kim Hee-Ae kills the president
In episode 3, Soo-Jin kills President Il-Jun, who is in the hospital. After his death, she portrays her good side to the public and gains support. Meanwhile, Dong-Ho receives criticism as he refuses to stop the investigation of Il-Jun’s son. When he learns that he doesn’t have public support, he steps down from the acting president position. However, Dong-Ho announces that he will only take the role when the people will support him. Therefore, he participates in the presidential election alongside Soo-Jin and Jo Sang-Cheon.
The brutal battle between Soo-Jin and Dong-Ho continues. Eventually, the latter join forces with Soo-Jin as they want Sang-Cheon out of the competition. She digs into Sang-Cheon’s past and finds a connection with North Korea. Although Dong-Ho becomes puzzled about using the evidence, he finally removes Sang-Cheon from his path.
Sol Kyung-Gu becomes the President
Finally, Dong-Ho has become president with public support. Soo-Jin assumes that he will still be on her team, but he ignores her. This irks the deputy prime minister, and she leaves the celebration. Although she helps Dong-Ho in his campaign, Soo-Jin doesn’t stop planning his downfall. Through the late president’s wife, she plants a recording device on Dong-Ho.
In episode 5 ending, Soo-Jin shocks Dong-Ho when she plays his confession to assassinate the former president. For context, the confession recording was in Choi Yeon-Suk’s possession, but Soo-Jin stole it. Episode 6 begins with Soo-Jin keeping it as leverage.
The Whirlwind episode 6 ending spoilers
In The Whirlwind episode 6, Daejin Group Chairman Kang asks Soo-Jin to add his members to the Blue House. She hands over the list to the new President Dong-Ho and threatens with the recording. However, her plan fails as Yeon-Suk announces different names. Things become more difficult for Soo-Jin when Dong-Ho gives Sang-Cheon’s name for prime minister.
When Dong-Ho meets Soo-Jin, she claims she will give the recording to the media houses. Dong-Ho then plays another recording in which Soo-Jin confesses that she has killed Il-Jun. Interestingly, he convinces her to hand over his confession recording and destroys both confessions.
In the episode 6 ending, Soo-Jin thinks her game is over. But Dong-Ho is still determined to eradicate corrupt people from the political world. The end scene shows Yeon-Suk announcing the new prime minister — Soo-Jin. It is not good news for her because now Sang-Cheon and other rivals will think that Soo-Jin is the reason for their downfall.
The Whirlwind K-drama streams on Netflix. Stay tuned for episodes 7-12 recap.
