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Pierce Conran

Lead cast: Lee Je-hoon, Sung Dong-il, Kim Dae-myung
Latest Nielsen rating: 6.07 per cent
Lee Je-hoon swaps sunglasses and handcuffs for suits and a shock of grey hair in his latest role as the vaunted leader of a crack corporate team.
Leaving behind the world of crime he explored in Taxi Driver and Chief Detective 1958, he plays expert in mergers and acquisitions Yoon Joo-no in The Art of Negotiation.


We first see Joo-no seen seated in business class on a plane whisking him back to Korea at a crucial juncture after several years out of the picture.
Meanwhile, as they prepare for a big meeting that may dictate the future of Sanin Group, one of South Korea’s top corporations, staff refer to Joo-no in hushed tones.
Not everyone at Sanin is a fan, not least ambitious chief financial officer Ha Tae-soo (Jang Hyun-sung, Flex X Cop), who has his eyes on becoming chief executive. It is also not clear what company chairman Song Jae-sik (Sung Dong-il, The Tale of Lady Ok) thinks of Joo-no.
Regardless of their views, everyone recognises Joo-no’s influence, and there is no question that he is coming back to take the fate of the company in his hands.

Sanin’s debt load has grown too big and the company has a few months to come up with 11 trillion won (US$750 million) to meet its financial obligations and avoid bankruptcy. As the head of a newly formed M&A team, Yoo-no must find a way to sell off parts of the company in order to come up with the cash.
His first action is to round up two former colleagues – Sanin employee Kwak Min-jeong (Aha Hyun-ho, Revenge of Others) and freelance lawyer Oh Soon-young (Kim Dae-myung, Hospital Playlist).
They are only too happy to escape their current dead-end positions, which they presumably found themselves in because of their earlier work with Yoo-no before his abrupt departure.
Also joining the team is eager intern Choi Jin-soo (Cha Kang-yoon, The Midnight Romance in Hagwon), who, despite the risk of being associated with the controversial M&A team, sees an opportunity to learn from Yoo-no.

The Art of Negotiation features many characters talking up Yoo-no’s skills, but they do so in rather vague terms. He is extremely skilled at mergers and acquisitions, although we are not clued in on what makes him special.
Rather than facts, the series leads with sensation. Yoo-no enters the big boardroom to some very aggressive music, the soundtrack suggesting that something important is happening.
Turn down the volume, however, and what you have is a typically confrontational executive meeting.
The points being discussed do not generate much excitement in and of themselves. But when it comes to corporate dramas, it is not the companies themselves that draw us in but the characters.
Another recent tale of a corporate genius swooping in to fix a company on the inside, despite opposition from the executive ranks, was the thrilling series The Auditors with Shin Ha-kyun. But in that series we saw right from the get-go why Shin’s corporate auditor was so feared and respected.

When Yoo-no does start showing his mettle in episode two we begin to see a little of why he is so well regarded, but these cues are surprisingly subtle, with the focus on his eye-catching wardrobe and hairstyle.
Without something significant to back it up, the mystery surrounding Yoo-no runs the risk of overwhelming the character. How long must we take his brilliance on faith alone?
We don’t even know how old he is – a rival chief executive is rebuffed when she asks him that question.
That said, it is nice to see Lee rely more on an internal style of performance for a change, after a series of very entertaining but occasionally overly performative roles. Although for now his character is a bit too much of a cipher, Lee is slowly being allowed to show his range.
The early episodes follow the bold sale by Yoo-no’s M&A team of Sanin’s crown jewel, Sanin Construction.

Yet that alone will not be enough to save the company, so expect a string of other corporate deals in the weeks ahead engineered by the M&A team, who all the while draw the ire of the people they are trying to save.
Ultimately, what will make or break the show will be how the internal politics play out at Sanin, since the story is destined to end in an internal showdown.
Tae-soo is a garden-variety corporate villain but Song, the charismatic and wily company chairman, could be an ace up the show’s sleeve. Sung, who plays him, is always a joy to watch and his character’s journey will be crucial.
The Art of Negotiation is streaming on Viu.


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K-drama The Art of Negotiation: Lee Je-hoon greys up for showy corporate world drama

Lee Je-hoon as Joon Yoo-no, leader of a corporate mergers and acquisitions team, in a still from Korean drama series The Art of Negotiation.

Jang Hyun-sung as chief financial officer Ha Tae-soo in a still from The Art of Negotiation.

Sung Dong-il as Sanin Group chairman Song Jae-sik in a still from The Art of Negotiation.

Kim Dae-myung as freelance lawyer Oh Soon-young in a still from The Art of Negotiation.

Lee Je-hoon as Yoon Joo-no in a still from The Art of Negotiation.

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Playing an expert in mergers and acquisitions on a mission to save a debt-laden business, Lee’s slow-burn performance has us wanting more


Playing an expert in mergers and acquisitions on a mission to save a debt-laden business, Lee’s slow-burn performance has us wanting more.


K-drama The Art of Negotiation: Lee Je-hoon greys up for showy corporate world drama

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Playing an expert in mergers and acquisitions on a mission to save a debt-laden business, Lee’s slow-burn performance has us wanting more

Playing an expert in mergers and acquisitions on a mission to save a debt-laden business, Lee’s slow-burn performance has us wanting more