The Calm Before the Storm: The Creators of Queen of Tears and Vincenzo Are About to Shake KDrama Again with Tempest

When you bring together the architects of the most unforgettable KDramas and films of the last decade, you don’t just get a series, you get a show built to make noise. That’s exactly what Tempest is shaping up to be: a high-stakes espionage romance backed by some of the industry’s boldest creative forces and fronted by two of Korea’s most magnetic stars.

If Queen of Tears made you weep, Vincenzo made you bite your nails, and if Decision to Leave haunted you long after, Tempest is here to do all three at once– and on a grander, global scale.

A Dream Team of Storytelling Giants

Tempest is stacked with heavyweights. Writer Chung Seokyung (Decision to Leave, The Handmaiden) is bringing her signature layered storytelling. Director Kim Heewon (Queen of Tears, Vincenzo) knows how to deliver both emotional punch and sharp suspense. And Heo Myeonghaeng, Korea’s leading martial arts director (The Roundup, Badland Hunters), now co-directing to unleash jaw-dropping action.

Individually, each of them has already shifted the KDrama landscape, but together? They’re building a series designed to push Korean storytelling into new territory.

Icons in Front of the Camera

If the creative team wasn’t enough, Tempest doubles down on star power. Gang Dongwon, long regarded as one of Korea’s most charismatic leading men, finally makes his KDrama comeback. And this time, he’s both the lead actor and executive producer. Alongside him is Jun Jihyun, the screen queen who stole hearts in My Love From the Star and Legend of the Blue Sea.

Together, they anchor a story that balances globe-spanning espionage with intimate human drama– love, loyalty, and survival under impossible stakes.

Why Tempest Matters

More than being regional favorites, KDramas are shaping global pop culture now. Just as Moving redefined the superhero genre and Queen of Tears reignited the melodrama, Tempest is poised to expand the Korean political, action, espionage into a spectacle that audiences everywhere can latch onto.

And this isn’t an empty promise. With other 200 filming locations, Hollywood-caliber VFX, and large-scale action sequences, Tempest has the production scale of cinema with the emotional depth KDramas are loved for. 

A conspiracy that spans nations. A love story caught in the crossfire. Action sequences crafted for the big screen by Korea’s leading martial arts mind, along with the creative brilliance of the teams behind award-winning favorites.

Mark your calendars: Tempest storms onto Disney+ this September 10, set to be the must-watch KDrama of the year.