# The Tyrant (폭군)
**The Tyrant** (폭군) is a 2024 South Korean action thriller miniseries released on Disney+, written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, in which the last sample of a secret South Korean bioweapon program disappears in a delivery accident and rival parties converge to seize it.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-tyrant) • [2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10029578) It premiered on August 14, 2024, as a four-episode series and shares its fictional world with Park's two-part film *The Witch* (2018, 2022).[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-tyrant) • [3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/398_378703.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | 4-episode miniseries, about 40 minutes per episode, all episodes released at once on August 14, 2024[4](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/the-tyrant/) • [5](https://www.kca.kr/Media_Issue_Trend/vol64/pdf/Media_Issue_Trend%28vol64%29.pdf) |
| Creator | Written and directed by Park Hoon-jung, his first television series[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10029578) • [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g3H07GXcqI) |
| Cast | Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho, Kim Kang-woo, and Jo Yoon-su[7](https://m.its-new.co.kr/studio/works/dramaDetail.aspx?Id=35&lang=en&pageNum=1&type=drama) |
| Premise | A secret South Korean bioweapon program is exposed by US intelligence; the last sample vanishes in a delivery accident[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8) |
| Connection | Spinoff sharing a worldview with Park's *The Witch* film series[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/398_378703.html) |
| Ratings | 19+ in South Korea and TV-MA on Hulu, for graphic violence and torture[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8) • [9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-tyrant) |
| Reception | 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (5 reviews) against an 84% audience score[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tyrant/s01) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
The story centers on the "Tyrant Program," a secret South Korean project to develop a virus that enhances human abilities, run unofficially by Director Choe ([Kim Seon-ho](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-seon-ho)) of the National Intelligence Service.[11](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3274773/disney-k-drama-tyrant-review-kim-seon-ho-violent-action-sci-fi-thats-convoluted) • [12](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-tyrant-review-k-drama-disney-plus-hulu-3783917) After US intelligence discovers the program, the United States demands its immediate termination and the handover of all samples.[1](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-tyrant) The covert handover is attacked, and the final sample disappears in a delivery accident.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8)
From there the series becomes a chase thriller. The American agent Paul ([Kim Kang-woo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-kang-woo)) pressures the Korean intelligence service and confronts Director Choe directly in search of the lost sample.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8) Chae Ja-gyeong ([Jo Yoon-su](https://www.edgepedia.org/jo-yoon-su)), a cold-blooded contract killer entangled with the case, and Im Sang ([Cha Seung-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/cha-seung-won)), a retired veteran operative, each pursue Choe's subordinate Moyong for their own reasons; in episode 2 Im Sang is hired to eliminate both Moyong and Ja-gyeong.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8) All parties eventually converge in one place, and the contest for the last sample ends in an unforeseen situation.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8)
## Production
**From film to series.** The project was originally planned as a feature film for theatrical release, but during post-production it was changed to a four-part series for Disney+; the announcement of the format change came on February 19, 2024.[13](https://namu.moe/w/%ED%8F%AD%EA%B5%B0%28%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88%29) It was Park Hoon-jung's first drama series after a film career that includes directing *The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion* (2018), *Night in Paradise* (2019), *The Witch: Part 2. The Other One* (2022), and *The Childe* (2023).[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10029578) • [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g3H07GXcqI) Production companies were Yeonghwasa Geumwol and Studio&New.[14](https://www.alio.go.kr/download/download.json?fileNo=2935421)
Park described the series as sharing a worldview with *The Witch* franchise, and the Korea Times introduced it as a spinoff of the two-part film.[3](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/398_378703.html) Ahead of release, French media took note of the series as the first series work from the director whose *The Witch* and *New World* had earned critics' praise.[15](https://welcon.kocca.kr/cmm/fms/crawling/%5BKOCCA%5D%20%EC%9C%84%ED%81%B4%EB%A6%AC%EA%B8%80%EB%A1%9C%EB%B2%8C%20389%ED%98%B8_%EB%AF%B8%EB%A6%AC%EB%B3%B4%EA%B8%B0?atchFileId=FILE_ec05ff52-b8de-41e7-bb60-3297f98ca36a&fileSn=1)
**Casting and action.** Jo Yoon-su, a newcomer, took her first lead role as the assassin Chae Ja-gyeong, performing the action scenes herself; she trained in kickboxing for the part, and director Park told her that while the male agents fight with words, the seemingly delicate Ja-gyeong fights with her body.[16](https://kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/news_pdf_2024-08-29.pdf) The role was cast as a successor to the deadly young women played by [Kim Da-mi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-da-mi) and Shin Si-a in the *Witch* films.[16](https://kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/news_pdf_2024-08-29.pdf)
**Release strategy.** Disney+ released all four episodes at once, a decision the platform said it made with the director and production company to present the work's strengths as effectively as possible.[5](https://www.kca.kr/Media_Issue_Trend/vol64/pdf/Media_Issue_Trend%28vol64%29.pdf)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. On Rotten Tomatoes the season held a 40% Tomatometer from five reviews against an 84% audience score.[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tyrant/s01) Pierce Conran of the *South China Morning Post* gave it 2 of 5 stars, writing that the series "puts style over substance and narrative cohesion."[11](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3274773/disney-k-drama-tyrant-review-kim-seon-ho-violent-action-sci-fi-thats-convoluted) Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut called it "a perfectly decent show; a dark, action-packed, and blood-soaked good time for the four episodes it lasts," and Common Sense Media described it as "a violent, intriguing, and intricate entry to the spy genre."[10](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tyrant/s01) • [9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-tyrant) NME's review called it a stylish spy thriller that does not overstay its welcome.[12](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-tyrant-review-k-drama-disney-plus-hulu-3783917)
The series reached the top five in overall viewing rankings in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore after its August 14 release.[16](https://kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/news_pdf_2024-08-29.pdf) In a ranking of 2024 OTT Korean dramas it placed 49th with a score of 1,222.[17](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/130000/130772/20250701115354552.pdf)
## Content rating
The series carries a 19+ rating in South Korea and TV-MA on Hulu.[8](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8) • [9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-tyrant) The New Zealand Classification Office's record, based on Disney+'s self-rating, cites a large amount of blood, graphic details of injury, and torture and cruelty as common themes, including a scene in which a man being experimented on bleeds in serious pain and then explodes.[4](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/the-tyrant/)
## References
1. [폭군 (The Tyrant), TheTVDB](https://thetvdb.com/series/the-tyrant)
2. [PARK Hoon-jung filmography, Korean Film Council (KOFIC)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/peopleView2.jsp?peopleCd=10029578)
3. [Director Park Hoon-jung ventures into TV production with 'The Tyrant', The Korea Times](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2024/07/398_378703.html)
4. [The Tyrant | Age Rating and Content Breakdown, New Zealand Classification Office](https://www.classificationoffice.govt.nz/find-a-rating/quick-takes/the-tyrant/)
5. [Media Issue Trend vol. 64, Korea Communications Agency](https://www.kca.kr/Media_Issue_Trend/vol64/pdf/Media_Issue_Trend%28vol64%29.pdf)
6. [디즈니+ '폭군' 제작보고회 full video, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g3H07GXcqI)
7. [The Tyrant, Studio&New works page](https://m.its-new.co.kr/studio/works/dramaDetail.aspx?Id=35&lang=en&pageNum=1&type=drama)
8. [폭군, Disney+ (Korea)](https://www.disneyplus.com/ko-kr/browse/entity-3f1e307c-1868-4255-980b-ce28b60167f8)
9. [The Tyrant - Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-tyrant)
10. [The Tyrant: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_tyrant/s01)
11. [Disney+ K-drama The Tyrant review, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3274773/disney-k-drama-tyrant-review-kim-seon-ho-violent-action-sci-fi-thats-convoluted)
12. ['The Tyrant' review: stylish spy thriller doesn't overstay its welcome, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-tyrant-review-k-drama-disney-plus-hulu-3783917)
13. [폭군(드라마), Namu wiki](https://namu.moe/w/%ED%8F%AD%EA%B5%B0%28%EB%93%9C%EB%9D%BC%EB%A7%88%29)
14. [KOFIC 연구 2025-02: 2024년 콘텐츠 목록, ALIO](https://www.alio.go.kr/download/download.json?fileNo=2935421)
15. [KOCCA Weekly Global No. 389: French press on The Tyrant](https://welcon.kocca.kr/cmm/fms/crawling/%5BKOCCA%5D%20%EC%9C%84%ED%81%B4%EB%A6%AC%EA%B8%80%EB%A1%9C%EB%B2%8C%20389%ED%98%B8_%EB%AF%B8%EB%A6%AC%EB%B3%B4%EA%B8%B0?atchFileId=FILE_ec05ff52-b8de-41e7-bb60-3297f98ca36a&fileSn=1)
16. [조윤수 인터뷰, K-media rods weekly bulletin (August 29, 2024)](https://kmediarods.com/fileUpload/bulletins/news_pdf_2024-08-29.pdf)
17. [2024년 OTT 한국 드라마 순위 50위, KAIT Archive](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/130000/130772/20250701115354552.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2023 to 2027*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license