The Netflix original series "The Whirlwind," which will be released on June 28, is a political drama that depicts a confrontation between the prime minister who decided to kill the president to turn the world upside down and the deputy prime minister for economic affairs who tries to hold power by preventing it. It was written by Park Kyung-soo, the writer of SBS dramas "The Chaser (2012),” “Empire of Gold (2013),” and “Punch (2014),” which are referred to as the "Power Trilogy," and directed by Kim Yong-wan, the director of the film “The Cursed: Dead Man's Prey.” It marks Park's return to the screen after seven years and actor Seol Kyung-gu's comeback to the small screen in 30 years.

In the first two episodes, which were released in advance in the press preview, Prime Minister Park Dong-ho (played by Seol Kyung-gu), who is cornered by political retaliation, assassinates corrupt President Jang Il-joon (Kim Hong-pa) and becomes acting president. Park Dong-ho, who overcomes the risk of an emergency arrest as acting president, makes a four-week plan to correct the broken world. However, Vice Prime Minister Jung Soo-jin (Kim Hee-ae) appears to stop him. She is a corrupt politician who colludes with Kang Sang-woon (Kim Young-min), vice chairman of the leading conglomerate Daejin Group.

The series is characterized by its fast-paced development, with multiple plot twists and turns within a single episode. The story follows the struggle between politicians, prosecutors, and chaebols as the director has been dissecting the nature of power in Korean society. The fast-paced events without much background explanation make the series feel a bit unfriendly, but the veteran actors' steady performances fill in the gaps.

The director's main focus is on “classicism.” Director Kim said at a production presentation held at a hotel in Seoul on the 25th, "I focused on the work rather than the visual technique. I tried to make a work that people could understand as a masterpiece for a long time."

However, the first half of the series oscillates between classic and out-dated. Unlike many recent series on the OTT platforms that lure viewers in with opening sequences as spectacular as the drama itself, the opening of "The Whirlwind" is reminiscent of the old drama series. "Strong wins over right. Politics does," and "This is my Memorial Park." Heavy lines, coming out from the mouths of Park Dong-ho and Jeong Soo-jin, are sometimes burdensome.

The good-versus-evil narrative, set up as "corrupt power and chaebol" versus "righteous forces," is simple enough on its own, but it overlaps with the various landscapes of the late 2010s-2020s that Korean society witnessed after the fall of the Park Geun-hye government, creating a sense of incompatibility rather than empathy. Park said he wanted to write "a drama in which a superhuman sweeps away the stuffy world and creates a new foundation." However, what viewers get after the first two episodes is more like the fatigue of watching real-life politics than the pleasure of subverting reality.

“The Whirlwind" consists of 12 episodes. That means it has ten chances left to turn around at the crossroads between classic and old. All episodes of the series will be released on Netflix on the 28th.