Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
REVIEW Thriller 'Climax' exposes power-entertainment shadows
Actor Ju Ji-hoon plays the lead role of prosecutor Bang Tae-seob in ENA's "Climax," which is streaming globally on Disney+, Viu and Rakuten Viki. Courtesy of ENA
By Park Jin-hai
ENA's "Climax," which premiered March 16, dives into the shadowy ties between power brokers and entertainment elites through bold plotting and vivid characters.
Protagonist Bang Tae-seop (Ju Ji-hoon) — driven by his factory-worker father's suicide after a corrupt prosecutor wrongly jailed him for labor activism — pursues a career in prosecution to seize power and reach authority's peak.
Alongside his wife, Chu Sang-ah (Ha Ji-won), once a top star but who has since declined, and WR Group power broker Lee Yang-mi (Cha Joo-young), who links entertainment and politics by exploiting celebrities' weaknesses to "entertain" elites, the series thrillingly charts their high-society ambition and backstabbing.
Tae-seop comes from humble beginnings and thought becoming a prosecutor would enable him to conquer all, only to hit walls of school and regional cliques inside. He draws public attention following his marriage to Korea's top actress, Sang-ah, and leverages this clout to climb up the social ladder. Meanwhile, as a top star facing scandals, Sang-ah needs a prosecutor's protection and status to safeguard her career.
In the first two episodes, Yang-mi threatens Sang-ah with an ultimatum: force her male co-star into sex with a mayor or see an end to her acting career. When the desperate co-star heads to the mayor's motel for a lead role, Sang-ah intervenes, confronting her own past as a victim and suffering a mental breakdown. Her husband, Tae-seop, pursues the bust for his gain — even if linked to her past — using it to launch a political career.
The next two episodes piece together the death of Sang-ah's manager and past events, explaining her and Tae-seop's tangled bond of affection, distrust and contract marriage. It turns out Sang-ah was in a relationship with rookie actress Han Ji-soo (Han Dong-hee). Dragged by her agency head into forced bed scenes and sex in exchange for roles, Ji-soo took her own life. Sang-ah then plotted the death of manager Oh Kwang-jae as revenge.
Actress Ha Ji-won in a scene from ENA’s “Climax” / Courtesy of ENA
In their encounter, she declares, "Whether Han Ji-soo or the other voiceless actresses who vanished, I'm standing on their graves — for them, I won't step down." Tae-seop proposes, standing by her side, promising to bury her files, adding: "Right now, I'm a leashless, starving hound with no connections. I need a master to feed me — I want that to be you." Far from a mere confession, it's a declaration of entering a power game. When she calls it blackmail, he firmly replies, "It's a proposal." That line crystalizes his path.
The drama evokes real tragedies. In 2009, "Boys Over Flowers" breakout star Jang Ja-yeon was found dead at home; her note detailed agency-forced bar parties, sex bribes and the names of media tycoons and officials — the infamous "Jang Ja-yeon List" exposed entertainment-power cartels. Yet most escaped due to evidence gaps and statute limitations.
Actress Cha Joo-young, left, in a scene from ENA’s “Climax” / Courtesy of ENA
Episode 3's Han Ji-soo arc recalls 2005's late Lee Eun-joo, whose psychological torment after intense exposure scenes in "Scarlet Letter" left a haunting legacy.
Standout acting defines the series. Ju plays Tae-seop as calmly polite on the surface, his eyes betraying raw desire. Viewers root for his love and ambition as he strikes without hesitation at conglomerate-power sex rings.
Ha finely captures fallen star Sang-ah's mix of stage hunger and fear of ruin. This couple's marriage cracks under suspicion and self-interest, their bond growing perilously unstable as truths emerge — leaving audiences guessing if it's love, and what kind.
Yang-mi — the second wife of a conglomerate heir, who remains crudely unpolished — adds a delicious paradox to the show.
Produced by Hive Media, the company behind "The Informer," "12.12: The Day" and Disney+'s "Made in Korea", the 10-episode "Climax" shifts from setup to core conflicts with relentless energy. As Tae-seop asks in the first episode — "What will our climax look like at the highest peak?" — this desire-fueled juggernaut demands to be followed.