Why “The Veil” is One of 2021’s Most Highly Anticipated K-dramas

By Jae-Ha Kim
KOCOWA
September 18, 2021

Who else watched the premiere episode of “The Veil” on Sept. 17?! Known in South Korea as “검은 태양” — aka Black Sun — this intriguing series has been one of 2021’s most highly anticipated K-dramas.

Why? Well, for a variety of reasons.

THE CAST:

As the mysterious National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent Han Ji Hyuk, Namkoong Min is the charismatic male lead. An ace agent who mysteriously went MIA during a mission near the North Korean/China border, he disappeared without a trace. When he returns to South Korea, it is without any memory of what transpired during the previous year. Is it true memory loss? Was he faking it for a mission? Who’s the traitor that turned on him? What really happened?

We don’t know yet, because only one episode has aired so far!

Then there’s Seo Soo Yeon, portrayed by Park Ha Sun. She’s the head of the Criminal Information Integration Center and one of Ji Hyuk’s colleagues. She’s a ace markswoman and skilled NIS agent. What part — if any — did she play in any of this? Is she someone Ji Hyuk can trust? How will he know who is a true ally when he can’t remember important parts of his past?

I. Don’t. Know! But I’m anxious to find out…

THE BUDGET:

“The Veil” showrunners at MBC spent Netflix kind of money on this production: about $1.1 million per episode. To put things into perspective, “The Veil” cost a whopping ₩15 billion (or almost $13 million U.S. dollars) to produce. That’s ₩2 billion more than it cost to film “Descendants of the Sun.” These figures are a far cry from the K-dramas of the past that aired in the early aughts, which cost less than $500,000 USD for an entire season.

According to a press release from MBC, this kind of blockbuster budget was do-able, thanks to their partnership with the South Korean video streaming platform Waave. MBC has stated that this large-scale series is a special project to celebrate the network’s 60th anniversary.

THE WRITER:

Yes, Namkoong Min and Park Ha Sun obviously are big names that will draw in viewers. But the scriptwriter, Park Seok Ho is a MBC favorite, having won the network’s Best Drama Screenplay award in 2018. He had high praise for his stars, who turned his written words into believable characters.

THE DURATION:

Like Netflix — which has been producing shorter K-dramas like “Kingdom,” which has a mere six episodes in each of its two seasons — MBC veered from the standard 16-episode series to produce a taut 12 episodes. After premiering on September 17, its finale is scheduled to air on October 7. Two episodes air each week on Friday and Saturday.

THE INTRIGUE:

“The Veil” is as much a whodunnit as it is a spy thriller. The viewers don’t know how Ji Hyuk ended up the way he did, who set him up, and what he will do once he figures things out. What kind of justice will be served? Straight-out revenge? Or perhaps a meticulous plot to right the wrongs and separate the bad guys from the good.

This is a series I’m looking forward to watching each weekend. How about you? Let me know in the comments.