The K2

A patriotic bodyguard who was abandoned by his country and colleagues, a hidden daughter of leading Presidential candidate who regards love as a tool for revenge, and the First Lady contender who hides her ambition and charisma behind a kind and friendly personality.

The K2 (2016) is a South Korean political thriller series created for the cable network tvN, a k-drama built around power, betrayal and revenge across a single sixteen-episode season. Ji Chang-wook plays Kim Je-ha, a patriotic bodyguard who has been abandoned by his country and his former colleagues and is pulled back into a dangerous world of influence. Song Yun-ah plays Choi Yoo-jin, a first lady contender who hides her ambition and charisma behind a warm, friendly public image, while Yoona plays Ko An-na, the hidden daughter of a leading presidential candidate who treats love as a tool for revenge. Cho Seong-ha and Kim Kap-soo round out the principal cast as figures tied to the political machine. The engine of the story is a constant tug of war: each character protects a secret, each alliance can flip, and each episode strips away another layer of a corrupt political game. Rather than dwelling on lengthy family melodrama, the series treats the cutthroat politics of a clan with enormous money at stake from an outsider's angle. Its tone is tense, sharp and layered, with a steady stream of reversals that reward attentive viewing. Fans of Designated Survivor, House of Cards and The Penthouse will find resonance in its mix of conspiracy, personal vendetta and high-stakes political maneuvering set in contemporary South Korea.

Viewers rate the series positively for its twisty political conspiracy plot and its layered family and power-politics storytelling.

• Designated Survivorkorean political thriller with corruption intrigue and a bodyguard protagonist
• House of Cardsserialized political conspiracy with power plays among elites and a dual-protagonist structure
• The Penthousekorean network drama with revenge, class tension and tightly plotted reversals

Release Date

2016-09-23

Episode runtime

60 min

Rating

7.7 / 10 (231)

What is The K2 about?

A patriotic bodyguard abandoned by his country becomes entangled with a presidential candidate's hidden daughter and a rival first lady contender in a corrupt political game.

What is The K2 like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The K2 as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is The K2 violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The K2 as moderate.

What did critics think of The K2?

Viewers rate the series positively for its twisty political conspiracy plot and its layered family and power-politics storytelling.

Which shows are like The K2?

Shows with a similar feel include Designated Survivor, House of Cards, and The Penthouse.

How long is The K2?

The K2: 1 season, 16 episodes.

Is The K2 still running?

No, The K2 has ended.

Where can I watch The K2?

In United States, The K2 streams on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Rakuten Viki, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Tubi TV, WeTV.