Tempest Ending Explained: Is Mun-ju Able to Stop the War? Do Mun-ju and Sang-ho Find Peace Together?

Tempest Ending Explained: When her husband is murdered, UN ambassador Mun-ju finds herself sucked into a conspiracy when war becomes imminent between two nations. The only person on her side turns out to be a mysterious mercenary, who protects her while trying to get to the bottom of the terrifying situation.

The series has 9 episodes and will stream from September 10, 2025, to October 1, 2025.

Tempest Ending Explained

The season starts with Mun-ju, a recently returned UN ambassador, left devastated after her husband, Assemblyman Jang Jun-ik, is murdered right in front of her. Saving her from the carnage is a mysterious man called Baek San-ho, who turns out to be a mercenary hired via an American contractor.

Mun-ju’s grief turns into devastation as she senses betrayals from close to home, particularly from her brother-in-law, who wanted to run in place of Jun-ik. However, Mun-ju decides to run instead and sidelines him from the get-go, leaving him bitter. Mun-ju further discovers correspondence between her husband and the American government official, Anderson Miller, who had told him about North Korea’s nuke submarine and a possible U.S. military strike in the future.

Regardless, she soldiers on with the campaign as the tensions rise and the threat to her life increases. As San-ho continues to protect her from the shadows, the looming threat of the nuclear disaster deepens the tension as Mun-ju desperately tries to figure out a way to stop it while campaigning for peace and unity.

Eventually, San-ho becomes an official part of Mun-ju’s security team and helps her gain confidence and independence. Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Although Mun-ju’s relationship with San-ho grows more intimate, she discovers that Jun-ik wasn’t the man that she had thought after discovering his infidelity. Elsewhere, Chang-hee’s assassination attempt leaves her scared as she forms an unlikely alliance with Mi-ji and San-ho.

As Mun-ju and San-ho enjoy a few moments of normalcy, North Korea shoots down an American airliner after it unveils a shocking submarine, but the US President’s silence leaves everyone stunned. With the world going into chaos, Mun-ju gets further devastating news that Jung-ik might have been a spy for North Korea after a mystery informant gives her video evidence of her husband being awarded in an enemy state. And if that isn’t enough, they both realise that their safehouse is bugged and they can’t help but doubt each other.

In the end, Mun-ju realises where the bug was hidden and listens in as San-ho is propositioned by Director Yoo to betray Mun-ju in exchange for a life with his grandmother. San-ho does eventually get out of the deal, but only to come back and find Mun-ju gone. She, meanwhile, takes her evidence to Anderson, who realises his own naivety as North Korea and China increase their military arsenal while the US contemplates an all-out war.

At the end of episode 7, a lot of things come to light: San-ho confronts Han-na as being Stella Young and threatens to expose her if she betrays them. Chang-hee confesses to betraying Mun-ju at the direction of Ok-seon, who also comes out to be a second Stella Young. Before they can speak further, thought, Director Yoo’s men arrive and a shootout ensues, resulting in Mun-ju and Sang-ho diving into the sea to escape.

As Mi-jee and Chang-hee are caught by the police instead of Mun-ju and Sang-ho, the latter pair tries to make their exit but find their roads blocked. Meanwhile, Ok-seon is seen trying to frame this incident to her benefit and having conversations with several foreign dignitaries. As Mun-ju and Sang-ho get past their differences, she suddenly remembers going to the only place that no one knows about. As she opens her baby’s urn, she finds a letter and a pendrive that Jang-ik had left behind. In it, he left behind all the evidence that is needed to expose Ok-seon and her misdeeds and a warm letter that sets her free.

Is Ok-seon caught?

In the aftermath of Mun-ju’s escape and Du-jin’s murder, Un-hak tells Ok-seon that Jun-sang found evidence of Jun-ik spying after going through call records and finding someone in his own house talking to the North Korean spy network. There was money being diverted from a shell company owned by Jung-ik, which clearly states that he was up to something shady. However, Un-hak eventually casts doubt on Ok-seon but gives her an option – if she helps them to assassinate Kim Han-sang, she will be termed a patriot, otherwise a spy. She renegotiates and asks him to get rid of Mun-ju in exchange for her support.

However, what Ok-seon is actually after is the secret money in Jun-ik’s account, and after a brief stint trying to pressure Mun-ju using Eun-seong and Mi-ji, Mun-ju agrees to give up her claims to the money if she agrees to let the others go. Apart from money, though, Ok-seon is obsessed with blasting the nukes on the US to feel like the most powerful woman in the world, but all of her hopes are dashed when Jun-sang brings an arrest warrant right at midnight with all of the evidence against her. However, as with all antagonists, she decides to shoot herself after causing massive pandemonium for the entire world.

Is there a war?

With the help of Jun-ik’s evidence, Mun-ju and Anderson piece together that money is flowing from Idisha to Shiv Holdings, which are then sending the money to North Korea. With Idisha trying to start a war with the UN with North Korean weapons, Shiv Holdings seems to be the broker in this entire thing. However, there also seems to be someone within the US who is funding the terror against the country, and Anderson eventually figures out that it must be Eagleton.

Mun-ju eventually decides to go to President Chae and let her deliver the message so that the US President will take their warnings seriously.

However, things soon take a shocking turn as Idisha declares war against the US. Desperate, Mun-ju asks Anderson to freeze Han-sang’s account before the payment for the submarine hits, so that the nukes are not delivered, and he immediately gets to the job. With time running out, Mun-ju goes after Ok-seon while she asks Sang-ho to tell the president about the nukes.

Sang-ho takes Un-hak hostage to speak to the president and is eventually arrested, but it gets the job done – President Chae informs the US President, who, after talking to Anderson, freezes Aesom Shipping’s accounts. Mun-ju eventually talks to Han-sang and tells him everything that Ok-seon has been planning. Disappointed, he simply tells her to get the case, and Sang-ho goes after her to make it happen. In the end, Mun-ju talks to the King of Idisha for the activation codes and stops the nukes from going off, effectively ending the war.

What happens in the end?

After Jun-sang tries to arrest his mother, the Coast Guard gets on their trail, and things go haywire. After they dismantle the nukes, however, Sang-ho makes the startling realisation that there are 20 kg of C4 explosives in the ship and it’s about to explode. He makes Mun-ju leave and promises to dismantle the bomb and return to her. In the end, though, the ship blows up and she thinks that he has died. However, we see that the room with the C4 is open, and Sang-ho is not inside.

Later, Mun-ju is thrown out of the party for her relationship with Sang-ho, but she remains steadfast in her belief in him. In the end, she goes to the US to negotiate peace talks between North Korea and Idisha and discuss the timeline and finally meet Anderson. She is hopeful for the future, now that there is no war, and hopes that Sang-ho is alive somewhere. President Chae eventually asks her to take her place after her term is over, and although Mun-ju refuses at first, she is eventually convinced to create history. In the end, we see that Sang-ho is alive as well.

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Also Read: Tempest Review: Fantastic Performances and Tense Worldbuilding Make For a Good Watch