# Chief of Staff (2019)

> A chief of staff in South Korea's National Assembly works behind the scenes to advance both his bosses' agendas and his own rise to power.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/76037

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Kwak Jung-hwan
- Network: JTBC
- Cast: Lee Jung-jae, Shin Min-a, Lee Elijah, Kim Dong-jun, Jung Jin-young, Kim Kap-soo, Jung Woong-in, Im Won-hee
- TMDB rating: 7.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10220476/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: intense, melodramatic, tense, emotional, glossy

## What critics say

Viewers praise its sharp portrayal of backroom political maneuvering and its ambitious lead performance, while finding the melodrama and repetitive flashbacks excessive.

## Synopsis

Chief of Staff (2019) is a South Korean political drama created by Kwak Jung-hwan for JTBC, running two seasons across twenty episodes. Lee Jung-jae plays Jang Tae-joon, a chief of staff in the National Assembly who shapes legislation and party deals from the shadows while quietly pursuing his own climb toward the top of government. Shin Min-a plays Kang Sun-Young, and Lee Elijah plays Yoon Hye-Won, with Kim Dong-jun, Jung Jin-young and Kim Kap-soo among the principal players orbiting the same backroom world. Each season is built from negotiations, bill fights, party rivalries and aides maneuvering for advantage in the corridors of Seoul's legislature. The story stays in one continuing arc, so the scheming accumulates across both seasons rather than resetting. The tone is intense and melodramatic, with romantic entanglements and emotional confrontations running alongside the political plotting. Fans of House of Cards, Scandal and Designated Survivor will find resonance in its appetite for ambition, alliances and betrayal inside government. Set in contemporary Seoul, it plays as a workplace drama where every favor carries a price and loyalty is always provisional.

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