Warning: This article may contain spoilers.

The screenwriter behind Disney+’s “Tempest,” starring Jun Ji-hyun and Gang Dong-won, addressed the controversial line spoken by Jun regarding China, saying she never intended to offend anyone.

“I was the one who wrote that line, and given the situation, I kept thinking about whether I should step forward and say something,” said Chung Seo-kyung, the show’s screenwriter, during a roundtable interview at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Thursday, alongside its producer Kim Hee-won.


"Those who’ve seen the drama would know that it doesn’t really deal with the real world. It’s more like a sci-fi story set in a fictional world. I wasn’t trying to portray any particular country. In fact, if I could have, I would have given each country a different name. But that would have required too much explanation and would have reduced the sense of realism, so I had to settle on the current setting."

In the series, there was a line in which Jun’s character, Seo Mun-ju, says: “But why would China prefer a war? The border region could end up as a nuclear target.” The clip circulated online, leading Jun to face backlash from Chinese viewers, who criticized it as an insult to their country.

Chung also said she felt burdened that Jun was taking the blame, and thanked the actor for handling the situation calmly.

“It’s a fictional story and Jun Ji-hyun really understood that very well,” she added. “And, honestly, I felt really heavyhearted that she got caught up in controversy because of a line I wrote.”

“But she calmly told me, ‘It’s just fiction and people will eventually understand it’s a misunderstanding.’ That honestly meant a lot to me.”

The nine-episode series follows the story of Mun-ju, portrayed by Jun, a former United Nations ambassador with an esteemed international reputation, who becomes a presidential candidate after her husband, also a presidential candidate, is assassinated. She investigates the case, alongside San-ho, portrayed by Gang, a mysterious mercenary of unknown nationality tasked with protecting her, as they confront a truth that threatens the Korean Peninsula.

The series was coproduced by Kim, who helmed hits such as “Queen of Tears” (2024) and “Little Women” (2022), and Heo Myeong-haeng, known for “The Roundup: Punishment” (2024). Chung previously wrote director Park Chan-wook’s “Decision to Leave” (2022).

The show explores a wide range of international political topics surrounding South Korea, North Korea and the United States. For Chung, depicting these matters was a major challenge. Her solution was to create a fictional “Korea-1.”

However, while creating this fictional world, she said that she didn't want to miss two things: Korea’s international position and war.

“I wanted to highlight just how limited Korea’s power can be within international relations and that war can happen even if we have no intention or role in triggering it,” Chung said. “Sometimes war can be driven by another country due to their domestic affairs, shifts in information or how events are interpreted. I wanted to remind the audience of these matters and show what influence our protagonist could have and what changes they could bring about in such a situation.”

The show also portrays a romance between Mun-ju and San-ho, which many viewers anticipated as the two leads had never collaborated before. The characters share an intimate moment while sirens wail, warning of an imminent war, which some viewers found fast paced and unconvincing.

Chung acknowledged that some may find it too fast and explained that the main feature of its romance is that the protagonists, in their mid-40s, are falling in love, which differs from romances between younger characters.

"The first thing I considered was, 'What makes [their love] different from a romance between a man and a woman in their 20s?'" she said. "The main difference, I felt, is that these two people meet carrying the experiences of their past lives."

“I also asked myself, ‘If a war were to break out tomorrow and today these two have just acknowledged their feelings and are alone together, could there really be no intimate scene?’ I thought that there probably would be.”

The writer also discussed the ending. As the series ends, viewers are left wondering about the fate of Gang’s character, which the writer intended.

“At first, the option of San-ho dying was never on my mind,” Chung said, adding that San-ho’s death happened somewhat by chance.

“When I saw the [ship] set, I was overwhelmed and felt that I wanted to place the ending scene there,” she said. After deciding to kill San-ho, she said she received a major backlash from the staff, which led her to change the ending by making it ambiguous.

“Creating a story isn’t just about building it logically,” she said. “It’s also about growing the emotions together with the audience. I wondered if I had the right to kill a beloved character. So, after discussing it with Kim, we decided that even we wouldn’t know for sure whether San-ho lived or died. He could be there behind Mun-ju when she faces difficulties, or maybe not.”

Chung and producer Kim also clarified rumors that the series had a 70 billion won ($49.6 million) budget, emphasizing that this was false.

“When I first heard about the 70-billion-won budget through the news, I was so happy,” Chung said, recalling that moment. “I thought, ‘Disney actually invested 70 billion won in my story! They must think it’s worth that much.’ I called Kim and asked if it was true, and she said it was not at all.”

However, Chung admitted that when she saw reactions saying it gives off a sense of having had a lot of money poured in, she had mixed feelings about whether she should feel proud or not.

She also jokingly said, “Please transfer the rest” to Disney if they're satisfied with their work.

All episodes of "Tempest" can be streamed now on Disney+.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]