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[Drama 2019] Designated Survivor : 60 Days, 60일, 지정생존자


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I've been watching the drama and so far I love the pace of the show! I read up some wiki on the American version so I'm not going to hold my breath on the makjang! I hope Agent Han's story takes a bit of a detour from the original though!

Spoiler

please don't kill her!

Also should I be worried about the First lady too!!

I keep rooting for her and the President. But also I wanna speed up the process of her getting promoted!

 

Also that person (Park Soo-Kyo )who opens doors for the President  gets doors slammed in his face! LOL

 

 

 

Also I should not have watched the American version of Mr. Cha getting promoted on YouTube before the episode happened! lol

 

Also I love the tandem between An Se-Young and Min Hee-Kyung.

Spoiler

OMG she is Kim Guem's mother in Mama Fairy and the Wood Cutter! I could not even recognize her LOL

The one who said illegal wire tapping is wrong when the woman who keeps recording everything, keep recording every thing. Sorry I need to look up what their positions are again. Maybe I need to go to first page of thread and see what rank they hold.

   

 

PS: I was watching Chief of Staff but got bored with it but I love the intrigue and what the heckness of this show!

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43 minutes ago, angelbeast90 said:

 

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OMG she is Kim Guem's mother in Mama Fairy and the Wood Cutter! I could not even recognize her LOL

 

She is also Veronica Park-ie ye yo Mom in The Secret Life of My Secretary

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3 hours ago, nrllee said:

  I did kinda think it weird that there was such a big age gap between brother and sister and he seemed so detached from her when she kept trying to engage him upon her return from hospital.

Actually it is kinda normal for working parents to have such a big gap between their kids. Especially in a modern and developing country like South Korea and Japan. Cost to raise a child (nursery,, necessities and such) is too high so sometimes parents gap their kids and only think to have second baby once the first has go to school. 

 

 

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Late to the party and Hello! There is not much discussion around except here, twitter and a few posts in weibo. So I urm try to enliven up the atmosphere here :w00t:

 

EP5 Thoughts

 

  • This EP is about PMJ grasping his new role, struggling between his idealism and what he actually is. And he did not realise that part of him wants power until Sec Cha convo. Sec Cha knew that part of him the best when he confronted him,  and be the first one to made PMJ realise he wants power too. Even a smart and cunning man like Ex Sec Han misses that out. Sec Han thought that a person without ambitious background (he includes his lack of exp even in high school) is incapable of wanting power and leadership.

 

  • One review in Weibo mentioned this
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https://weibo.com/2817339751/HDIeB0Bvb

车荣真看似险棋,其实是胜券在握。明知眼下的情况朴武镇不可能对他怎样,辞职书只不过是自己通往室长办公室的上位加速剂罢了。不过每次听他发飙都很爽,这个角色既代表了观众,又开了天眼,总是踩在最关键的剧情G点上。
这个人虽然不甚讨喜(对于朴武镇来讲)但是有立场有原则,认准了就护主到底,他也是第一个看透朴武镇对权力有欲望的人,说明眼光比韩室长更毒,如此全能所以对家尹代表都要拼命挖墙脚。
Secretary Cha looks like a dangerous chess piece, however in reality he holds the winning piece. He knew well that PMJ cant do anything against him. His resignation letter is a way for him to rise in ranks. But its really enjoying to see him rant each time. This character represents the audience, and held the strings to the story. Although he is not likeable (to PMJ), he has principle and his own opinion ie once he recognised his master, he will aid/protects him to the end. He is the first person to really understood PMJ desire power, this implies that he is much more sharper than Han. That's why others including Ms Yun wants such a well rounded person. 

  • For me, Song Seok Koo's Secretary Cha is the star of this EP (And its something I didnt expect when I start watching it). His microexpressions, his mannerism, his foul-mouth-and-dont know how to compliment persona is so well done, and unlike some actors who used the same expressions for all the other films they have acted. He truly make this character one of its own. 
  • Sec Cha is also have great chemistry with anyone. From the argument with Park, and the writer (anyone loves him fooling him around all the time?). Agree with @triplem that we can pretty much ship him with everyone. However his chemistry with Sec Jeong is on another level, like insane. Both of their verbal sparring is great, and in EP4 I think viewers may be putting it as afterthought, but holy cow in EP5 we see this cocky and confident guy gets flustered, speaking in a low voice and trying to wipe of his nervous sweats, and totally inviting his potential date to the wrong place out of nervousness. This is a ship I really like and its really natural. Btw did anyone noticed that he peeps at her not just on EP6 but also EP1?
  • In terms of female roles, I noticed that this drama avoids all those cliches in kdrama: weak, not independent females. All female characters have their own identities and agenda. Even Sec Jeong, whom can be naive, she is very capable, understand her boss needs, super good in understanding the law (dont sneeze at those hanjas! As a native chinese speaker these hanjas/chinese characters is a headache!) and recognising good strategies from others.

 

There is too much stuff for me to rewatch again and write it. I will write a review for EP6 once I have collect my thoughts. Btw I hope we could discuss more!

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I rewatched some segments of Ep6.  Sec Han is now gone to the top of my list of suspects as the mastermind.  He was the one who suggested President Yang (?) hire PMJ to be the Minister of Environment.  He knows PMJ’s weaknesses (strengths).  He has PMJ’s trust.  He knows PMJ is likely to come to him for advice when the going gets tough.  And now that PMJ has pretty much asked him to come back to the Blue House, he’s back to where he started again?  Not sure if he will say yes and if so what position will he take up coz Cha has stepped into his role.  I agree with @jenappelle about Cha being the stand out “minor” character thus far.  He and NamWook (love how he deadpanned about the negotiations with Cambodia/Vietnam failure to the other staff members and then giving them the happy news complete with high five :lol:).  The team seems to be rallying around the President.  There still seems to be a mole?  Who leaked the information about his sacking?  Was it Kang?  Actually who knew about his sacking - it was never public knowledge because the document was never formally signed off.  Sec Han seemed to be the only one who knew?  Only he was in the room with PMJ when he showed him the unsigned document.  Did he plot to put PMJ on the hot seat all along?  He seemed instrumental in getting him into politics, he knew about the sacking, he installed PMJ as Acting President.  He seems to be popping in at key moments of change.  

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I have a confession to make.   I could not resist checking out the American version and I watched it through the end.  I promise not to disclose anything and will put "spoiler" warnings if needed. :vicx:

 

 As mentioned by @ryanallright a few comments ago, the K-version is thus far still faithful to the main storyline but with a few tweaks to accommodate the socio and geo-political differences between the two settings. @Carmarie also echoed a similar observation.  I really wonder how far and how deeply the parallelism would run.  More importantly, I am curious how they would handle the character development of OYS.  Afterall, I started with this drama because of LJH.:)

 

Thanks @joccu for your reply. I went back to the episode and you're correct. It was a picture of a pregnant first lady with another man.  Suffice it to say, this will later on become a significant sub-plot. 

 

Personally, it's easier to relate to the characters of the K-version.  It's probably because I am Asian and because the cast are more endearing and all very effective actors -- except maybe for a few instances when NIS officer Hana came across as too standoffish or too one-dimensional.   Anyway, am sure we'll see her get better through the series. (And please don't get me wrong.  I've liked actress Kang Ha Na eversince I saw her get along so well with Song Ji Hyo in Running Man.:lol:

 

Looking forward to the next episodes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thoughts re: Episode 5 

Talk about a crash course in politics for Park Mu Jin... I have so much time for Cha Young Jin and often I am grateful that there is someone like him alongside PMJ to not only watch his back but also to drive home a few home truths where needed. Honestly he doesn't need to be there. The fact he's been headhunted by the other side is testament to that. But he chooses to hang around for some reason. Just having him there makes the show much more watchable for me. In a real enough way I feel like he speaks for me on all the issues I have with PMJ. The main issue I have with JSJ is that she's almost too besotted with PMJ to be a good chief secretary. She's a fangirl. Sure she's been very supportive of him but she has yet to develop that razor sharp political savvy that's absolutely needed in the role. On that note, PMJ, to his credit... listens to reason and I imagine he must be tired of being pushed around... and falling victim to the schemes of others. 

 

The great economist Thomas Sowell once said that there are no solutions, only trade-offs and he's right. The show does a reasonable job proving the observation and it's something PMJ is coming to grips with as he gradually comes to the conclusion that there are perks to be in-charge.  But it's not all hearts and stars. Even when he does what is "right", it can work against him as well.

 

O Young Seok is quite the intriguing figure. Fascinating actually. Because there is a kind of frustrated calm that belies the charming frankness. However it's not clear to me if he's angry enough to have masterminded or conspired in the bombing event. He certainly has the audacity and the know-how to have planned and participated in the bombing although in some ways he is too perfect a candidate. Then there's that cryptic comment at the memorial when he whispers to what appears to be the picture of the late president, "I will make sure this was not for nothing." As far as story goes, the character is a much needed addition to the show. He's a bit of a wild card and a dark horse which injects some measure of fun. I'm now convinced  that the title of "designated survivor" has a double... or maybe triple entendre. It's become a recurring motif in this series. The obvious designated survivor would be PMJ who was left to govern when most of the rest of the party went up in smoke. The mantle fell on him accidentally as no one knew that he wasn't going to be in attendance. So is he really the "designated survivor"? Then there's OYS who is himself is a survivor not once but twice. He's not just a highly awarded heroic figure in combat but also a saviour to his subordinates. He has the scars the prove it. But are they just physical scars? Are the mental ones so deep that it drove him to become a part of the conspiracy to blow up the government in vengeance. At this stage I don't see it. Not because I believe him incapable of it but more the fact that everything I've seen of him (so far) suggests to me that he wouldn't. Unless he's a much better actor than I credit him for being :P Why did he go into politics if all it took to change things was to blow up the assembly? I'm not ready to pin the whole thing on him just yet.

 

The eulogy was quite instructive I thought. The camera work was deliberate in giving the impression that OYS was directing his comments at everyone. But I kept wondering if he was directing them at someone in particular. Is it just survivor's guilt? Is it a veiled statement to claim responsibility for the bombing? Or is it just what it seems... an accusation of government incompetence leading to national shame?

 

I've also been wondering too if his subordinate with PTSD, IJH (?) and/or the one in the car with Agent Han are involved in the bombing. I have no doubt that people in the military are involved but who... it's early days yet to come to any firm conclusions.

 

I don't mind admitting that I shed a few tears when we saw a flashback to when President Yang explained to Chief Han why he sacked PMJ the day before the fateful event. It was lovely although odd... because I've been watching Kim Gap Soo in Chief of Staff being the quintessential scoundrel. Here he is a reasonable human being who had a consistent moral compass. Very surreal. 

 

I must apologize for the faux pas I made in my last post re: Assemblywoman Yun. I called her Assemblywoman O and that must have caused some confusion. YCK (I will hereon address her) seems to me to be yet another variable in the bombing incident. I'm not ready to acquit her of any kind of involvement with the bombing at this stage although she's largely portrayed as the consummate political wheeler dealer than a suspect in the bombing.

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13 hours ago, mel22 said:

except maybe for a few instances when NIS officer Hana came across as too standoffish or too one-dimensional.   Anyway, am sure we'll see her get better through the series. (And please don't get me wrong.  I've liked actress Kang Ha Na eversince I saw her get along so well with Song Ji Hyo in Running Man.:lol:

 

Looking forward to the next episodes. 

@mel22  I watched the entire American series also, and I agree with you about the character Hana, was a bit standoffish and had a "I know more than you" attitude.  I was hoping her attitude stemmed from the fact that she lost her lover in the bomb blast.  

I have  loved Ji Jin Hee's acting since he acted in Dong Yi.  I will watch this drama as a standalone and not compare it to the American version.  To me, it is unfair to the writers, directors, and actors to make comparisons.  Since I enjoyed the American version, even if they stick close to the script, I am sure I will enjoy this version also.  I have applied the same principal as I did to the remake of other dramas, such as "Boys over Flowers," "Scarlet Heart," and "Fated to Love You".

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8 hours ago, Carmarie said:

@mel22  I watched the entire American series also, and I agree with you about the character Hana, was a bit standoffish and had a "I know more than you" attitude.  I was hoping her attitude stemmed from the fact that she lost her lover in the bomb blast.  

I have  loved Ji Jin Hee's acting since he acted in Dong Yi.  I will watch this drama as a standalone and not compare it to the American version.  To me, it is unfair to the writers, directors, and actors to make comparisons.  Since I enjoyed the American version, even if they stick close to the script, I am sure I will enjoy this version also.  I have applied the same principal as I did to the remake of other dramas, such as "Boys over Flowers," "Scarlet Heart," and "Fated to Love You".

Who is Hana? Do you mean Han Na Gyeong?

 

I think for her it is not standoffish. She keeps having doubts about the whole situation but no one wants to listen to her. For example when she said the bomb is what the North could do but she never said it was the North. She even doubt it was the North considering how 'quiet' they are responding to the attack but no one listen to her. And she was right. 

 

As for agent Oh, only she has doubt how come he is the only one survives while everyone else thinks it is a miracle. Not to forget, she research most of the case on her own (with the help of the hacker)  including tracking the installation company where the perpetrator died in front of her. 

 

We have to remember she knew her fiance behaving weird. First of all, he wasn't supposed to be at the national assembly. He had no reason as he is not security team. Than he took subway instead of driving. She sense something totally off but people thinks she is behaving that way because of loosing someone she love. 

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I agree with @liltash85 I think for Agent Han, her stand offish attitude is likely to stem from the fact that she indeed knows more than everyone else?  She’s been hiding this fact since she got her fiancé’s phone which was conveniently taken away from her.  She knew this but couldn’t reveal it.  She’s torn.  She couldn’t quite believe the man she thought she knew may well be a stranger to her.  So imagine her relief when Oh turned up as a more likely suspect for the bombing.  She doggedly pursues this line of questioning because to her if Oh is guilty, then chances are her fiancé is not?  

 

@40somethingahjumma I think when the American version aired there were critics who thought like you did (I read some reviews).  Honest men just don’t belong in politics.  It was too ludicrous a concept to accept.  And on that premise they decided that it was too hard to suspend their belief and watch with full hearted enthusiasm.  So you’re not alone in your thoughts. :)  Anyway I am with you with Oh being too convenient a scapegoat to pin the whole plotting to.  He may be a pawn but I feel like someone else is the mastermind?  Someone else who is capable of moving all the chess pieces (including PMJ).  

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22 minutes ago, triplem said:

Chief Secretary Han! My money is on him. :lol:. But Oh may be still part of the operations 

That's why I said earlier, I am quite sure Oh is involved in the bombing plan but the question is his REAL position in the plot. Is he the real mastermind or he is the one trusted to carry out the plan. (means someone else is behind him). But who could it be. Who is the person that wants the whole ministers being wipe out and capable to do so. I have doubt on Chief Sec Han too. But so far, we still did not given the hint that he is involved. 

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50901-E23-7-A29-4-D75-AFF6-4549-D8-A39-F

 

This was the scene from Ep5 when Sec Han was watching PMJ on TV when reporter cornered him with the question about his dismissal.  I thought the person in the pic with Sec Han was a woman but it may be a man?  It was just very odd for the camera to pan in to focus on it.  The person is obviously sick (with a drip and in a wheelchair).  Only lasted a couple of seconds but it was deliberate.  There’s a story there.  My money is on him (Sec Han) too being the mastermind.

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I'm waiting for Agent Han to start reporting to President Park. The story needs to converge at some point. I feel it will take the drama to it's high point. Right now it seems the President is not yet aware of the NIS findings. I feel normally you have to write a summary report on a daily basis to your higher ups.

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2 hours ago, angelbeast90 said:

I'm waiting for Agent Han to start reporting to President Park. The story needs to converge at some point. I feel it will take the drama to it's high point. Right now it seems the President is not yet aware of the NIS findings. I feel normally you have to write a summary report on a daily basis to your higher ups.

That's why i said in my earlier post. The NIS (Agent Han and her team leader) are working in silo. And their boss seems not being invited to discuss with the president regarding the security issue. SHouldn't it be that there is a representative from NIS, Police, together with the military to discuss on this kind of matter? I am not sure how the security enforcement in South Korea works in time of emergency but to me that's a bit unusual when NIS was not in the picture. 

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Episode 6

I'd need a lot more than a bomb shelter in the basement to say with any degree of certainty that OYS is part of the bombing incident -- as mastermind or co-conspirator. It is suspicious... no arguments about that and must be investigated... but I still have doubts. And why is someone tipping off Agent Han about blueprints and bomb shelters? What is their motive? What's in it for them to leave her a trail of bread crumbs to follow? I'm quite willing to believe that there are people in various branches of the public service involved in the event because they think it an act of patriotism. Principled men and women who have come together to act decisively. My guess is that it's related to N. Korea even if the N. Korean leadership did not sanction the actual bombing. 

 

I continue to be somewhat suspicious of YCK... because of all her talk of revolution and change has that sort of contemptuous slant to it. There may be nothing more to it than a kind of political hubris and an overdeveloped sense of self-righteousness but she shouldn't be disregarded as a possible suspect.

 

PMJ continues to suffer growing pains. While he's learning to adapt to the needs of the role mostly out of necessity, he finds himself at odds with his hitherto unchallenged conscience. No amount of training can prepare him for the enormousness of the task before him. He wants to do good... to do what is right and yet is ill-prepared for the consequences. The death of the team operations leader strikes at the very heart of his dilemma. There are no solutions... only trade-offs. Still I'm not without sympathy for PMJ because these weighty life and death issues have been thrust on him and ironically it's because of his innate goodness that he's in the position that he's in. 

Over and over again, we're reminded that he's certainly not anyone's first choice for the Blue House. OYS makes that cryptic comment to his tailor. The Netflix subber translates it as "It's someone who is not Blue House material". I looked up the C-subs for that line out of curiosity and to get a sense of OYS' attitude real attitude towards PMJ. It seems that it could be translated in a number of ways... "It's someone who isn't suited/suitable for the Blue House." would be the obvious and simplest translation.

Was it a comment made out of contempt? Or a mere observation? Or does he pity him? Those questions continue to linger in my mind.

 

The obvious thing to say about OYS is that he is hard to read. My take on him at this stage is that he's almost the complete opposite of PMJ. I can see why early character descriptions called him PMJ's rival. He's cool, calm and politically savvy. Not surprising considering his background as a highly decorated military officer. He's a natural fit for political life and even the Blue House in a way PMJ mightn't be. I'm sure he thinks that PMJ is completely out of his depth but probably only because he's a decent human being.

 If he's behind the bombing, it would be because he thinks it's his patriotic duty to change things and shake things up because the people who ran things were hopeless.

 

At this stage it's hard for me to see that Sec Han is part of any conspiracy in the bombing. He seems so attached to the late President Yang. I think if we get a sense of why the plot was hatched, we might get a better sense of who was involved.

 

8 hours ago, nrllee said:

  

@40somethingahjumma I think when the American version aired there were critics who thought like you did (I read some reviews).  Honest men just don’t belong in politics.  It was too ludicrous a concept to accept.  And on that premise they decided that it was too hard to suspend their belief and watch with full hearted enthusiasm.  So you’re not alone in your thoughts. :)  Anyway I am with you with Oh being too convenient a scapegoat to pin the whole plotting to.  He may be a pawn but I feel like someone else is the mastermind?  Someone else who is capable of moving all the chess pieces (including PMJ).  

 

It isn't that I believe honest people should not be in politics. ;) I would love for more people of integrity to be in politics actually. What I want is for honest people to be smart when in politics. Goodness should not be a substitute for intelligence and vice versa. They're not diametrically opposed. There are good people in politics even today but I've seen good people in politics get white-anted by their own party, fall victim to media bias and hostility and be outclassed by their opponents. It's depressing. Make no mistake, the mainstream media is quite tribal these days and they choose who they scrutinize and give a pass to so the public doesn't always get an accurate picture of what's on offer.

The problem though is not with honest people per se but that politics seems to attract particular kinds of individuals. Plus the fact that people are corruptible especially when they've had a taste of power.

 

I like PMJ as a man. He seems to be a great father and husband... and that scores big with me. And I believe he's intelligent enough to make a decent go of it at being the president, given the chance. But he has to learn fast that not everyone thinks the way he does. Game theory anyone? I also understand that he wants to hold on to his ideals and not compromise his moral compass. There is no reason he has to. The thing though is that his moral universe is being mugged by the reality of what it means to be the leader of a nation. He did everything he could to avoid direct confrontation and to contain whatever violence was necessary in the Cambodian affair through diplomacy but at the end of the day, he can't control everything especially on the ground. Like the missions leader said -- the chance of success was 50-50. The mission was as far as the primary objective was concerned... a success but there was a casualty. He was grief stricken and that shows his fundamental decency but soldiers know that there's always a chance that they don't make it home. 

 

I have to say JJH is doing a good job with the role and he does better with each new crisis.

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8 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

It isn't that I believe honest people should not be in politics. ;) I would love for more people of integrity to be in politics actually. What I want is for honest people to be smart when in politics. Goodness should not be a substitute for intelligence and vice versa. They're not diametrically opposed. There are good people in politics even today but I've seen good people in politics get white-anted by their own party, fall victim to media bias and hostility and be outclassed by their opponents. It's depressing

 

Yeah I agree wholeheartedly.  I struggle with what is the ideal Vs what the reality is. Do we keep pushing for the ideal knowing these very people are more than likely going to get crushed by their entry into the arena?  It does beg the question though, what would you say in his position on national TV?  No comment? Let’s go to an ad break whilst I convene with my advisors?  It’s hard not to get all bitter about the process and just resign ourselves to the reality and to tell people like PMJ that he is better served staying in academia and making a difference to humanity there.  That people like him lack the nuance and versatility to spin or be agile enough to dodge bullets.  Perhaps these people of integrity (straight shooters like PMJ) function as beacons of what can be. That whilst their time in the sun may have been short, it was worthwhile if only to shed light on the dark side of politics.  I think had PMJ been any less honest, he would not have caused the stir that he has.  He is meant to make us squirm.  I like that he keeps his humanity rather than rationalize it away like more seasoned politicians would.  A soldier’s loss of life is not somehow expediently tucked away as a glorified sacrifice.  Personally I do feel (as you do) that he does need to learn how to deal with his emotions better if he wants to do this long term.  Just like doctors.  If they were to implode every time a patient dies on their watch they’d be a wreck and of little use in the field.  He needs to believe that whilst he can’t win all the battles, he can win the ones that matter.  That he can make a difference.  That basic human decency counts for something.   That weeping with the family when a patient dies on your operating table doesn’t make you any less professional, it keeps you real. 

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16 hours ago, nrllee said:

 

This was the scene from Ep5 when Sec Han was watching PMJ on TV when reporter cornered him with the question about his dismissal.  I thought the person in the pic with Sec Han was a woman but it may be a man?  It was just very odd for the camera to pan in to focus on it.  The person is obviously sick (with a drip and in a wheelchair).  Only lasted a couple of seconds but it was deliberate.  There’s a story there.  My money is on him (Sec Han) too being the mastermind.

That's his son 

Spoiler

It's written in his character profile. 

That son is already dead. Han spent his time on helping late president's political career even when the son died. He didn't even let the late president know because it will distract the late president. 

 

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Episode 6 just broke me!:bawling:  The torment and sadness in the President's face when he heard Major Yang died was so heartbreaking that I ended up crying.  Excellent acting JJH!  I haven't seen the US version and I'm not going to until this drama ends so I don't compare the two,.  I do really like Keifer Sutherland though.  I haven't read all the posts, but is the consensus that the President's wife had an affair?  I really hope not.  That would crush PMJ.  

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