Tempest episodes 1-3 recap: San-ho and Mun-ju spark intense chemistry amid political threats and life-threatening bomb danger

Disney+ dropped a new thriller K-drama, Tempest, on September 10, 2025, launching a three-episode political thriller. The plot centers on Seo Mun-ju (Jun Ji-hyun), a former ambassador to the U.S. and veteran diplomat. Known for her keen decision-making, she has built trust on the global stage. Her life takes a risky turn after uncovering hidden schemes behind a high-profile assassination of her husband tied to both South and North Korea.

The political contender targeted had been labeled a North Korean spy. Mun-ju’s investigation exposes a buried agenda, putting her constantly on edge while chasing the truth. Operating in the background is Baek San-ho (Gang Dong-won), an enigmatic mercenary with an unclear past. Silent, he emerges as an unexpected partner, aiding Mun-ju.

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Tempest episode 1 recap

Episode 1 of Tempest opens with Jun-ik asking his wife Mun-ju to join her morning jog alongside bodyguards for safety. She refuses, saying it’s her personal prayer time. Mun-ju is a stern diplomat and UN envoy who suddenly steps down from her post. The next day, Mun-ju and Jun-ik attend church service.

Park Hae-joon as Jang Jun-ik in Tempest (Image via X/@DisneyPlusKR)

Outside, protesters chant against peaceful reunification. Inside, Jun-ik is assassinated by Sergeant Kim Yong-jun. When he turns his gun toward Mun-ju, San-ho tackles him. The sergeant then swallows a pill and dies. At a family dinner with their mother and grandmother, Jun-ik’s brother Jang Jun-sang claims he should step in to replace him.

Their mother, Im Ok-seon, rejects this, insisting Mun-ju should succeed, pointing to “widow succession” in U.S. politics, where people rally behind a late leader’s spouse. Soon after, news follows that Jun-ik had hired a lawyer two weeks earlier, leaving all assets in Mun-ju’s name, with nothing for his mother or grandmother.

Shocked and angered, they lash out at her, though she defends herself. Meanwhile, San-ho is approached with an offer to monitor Mun-ju and report on her. He refuses, remarking on her toughness. Still, he seems intrigued by her.

Later, Mun-ju goes to the church to meet San-ho, but misses him. So, rather than have a conversation with Father Yang, there. Later, San-ho approaches her, only for her to be tailed by pursuers, whom San-ho swiftly defeats. The two then head to the mountains for a quiet conversation.

There, they uncover that the sergeant had met Jun-sang before the assassination, and that his final words claimed he had killed “the spy.” This implies that Jun-ik was one. The episode closes with Jun-sang sending men to track Mun-ju and San-ho in the mountains.

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Tempest episode 2 recap

The second episode of Tempest opens with a flashback of Anderson Miller (a Korean in Washington who supports hardline U.S. policies against North Korea) before Jun-ik's assassination. He pens a letter to Jun-ik, who later receives it.

John Cho as Anderson Miller in Tempest (Image via X/@DisneyPlusKR)

Next, Mun-jun questions Park Chang-hee, Jun-ik's aide, when Jun-ik had asked for extra security and his schedule. She’s told he was often busy with personal calls and, oddly, that a squirrel kept trailing him. Meanwhile, Mun-ju’s assistant, Min-ji, visits the sergeant’s family, only to see them hurriedly packing and being escorted into a van with unfamiliar people. Suspicious, she begins tailing them.

Elsewhere, Father Yang advises San-ho to move his grandmother across the border to North Korea. He gifts him a St. Anthony pendant for protection. Min-ji continues tracking the sergeant’s family to the airport, discovering they are relocating to Melbourne. When Mun-ju calls her, it is answered by Jun-sang, who has captured Min-ji. Mun-ju meets him, asking if he is tied to Jun-ik's death.

Jun-sang admits he shadowed Jun-ik, labeling him a spy, and warns that exposing a presidential candidate as such could trigger war at any moment. Later, Mun-ju visits Father Yang. Before heading to North Korea, San-ho, sensing something amiss, goes to see him as well, only to find him murdered.

San-ho nearly catches the assassin, but he slips away. To shield Mun-ju, San-ho leads her through an underground passage from the Japanese occupation hidden beneath the church. Before dying, Father Yang had carried a message left by Jun-ik, which was a letter from Anderson.

The letter revealed that, two months earlier, America discovered North Korea’s new submarine project and planned precision strikes to wipe out its nuclear arsenal. Anderson asked Jun-ik for cooperation. Mun-ju tells San-ho to leave for North Korea to protect his family, while she handles the brewing crisis herself. She plans to negotiate with Chae Kyung-shin, the South Korean President. Before parting, San-ho places the St. Anthony pendant on her.

When Mun-ju meets Chae, the President dismisses her, accusing Jun-ik of simply aligning with the U.S. to gain leverage. Finally, Mun-ju reaches out to Ok-seon, asking her to persuade Jun-sang to release Min-ji. In exchange, she promises that Jun-sang can withdraw his candidacy and leave South Korea within 24 hours. If Ok-seon helps, Mun-ju vows to return all of Jun-ik's assets.

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Tempest episode 3 recap

Jun Ji-hyun as Seo Mun-ju in Tempest (Image via X/@DisneyPlusKR)

Episode 3 begins with Mun-ju visiting Mr. Im, whom Jun-ik had been meeting for over a month. Jun-ik had asked the writer to oversee the reunification initiative. Mun-ju appeals to him for guidance, noting that he was her teacher and that his strategies on North Korea had always proven right.

Meanwhile, Ok-seon steps in to help Mun-ju, working to remove Jun-sang from her path and from the New Republican Party’s primary race. Mun-ju continues trying to contact Anderson, but Ok-seon urges her to focus on rallying crowds and launching her campaign. At the same time, Mr. Hwang warns Ok-seon that several Americans had flown in just before Mun-ju’s announcement, raising fears for her safety.

Mun-ju proceeds with her campaign trail, beginning at Memorial Park in Gwangju, then visiting the National Cemetery, and finally heading to Seoul. During this, San-ho urgently tries to warn her of danger, but can’t reach her. He relays a message through Chang that terrorists have placed an explosive under her seat. It is rigged with a pressure-release trigger that will detonate if she stands up.

San-ho rushes in just in time, taking her place and keeping pressure on the seat. He disarms the device by cutting the wiring, though he sustains injuries in the process. That evening, Mun-ju delivers a political address, vowing to pursue peaceful reunification.

The crowd responds with cheers. Later, Mun-ju and San-ho meet outside a church, where he asks her to officially take him on as her bodyguard. The Tempest's episode 3 closes with the ominous image of a missile launching at sea.

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The next two episodes, 4 and 5 of Tempest, will be released on September 17, 2025.