The Art of Negotiation (2025) A Recommendation

The place — the hallowed corridors of Sanin. The problem — an 11 trillion won debt with a deadline. The players — A board made up of competing interests. The solution? A silver-haired M & A (Mergers and Acquisition) expert returning to South Korea from a stint in Hawaii. He’s been tasked to plough through the company’s assets and subsidiaries to do the dirty work of cleaning up after Sanin Group’s old guard. And I choose my words deliberately because the various executives see themselves as gatekeepers, maneuvering to keep their jobs and protect their interests. These relationships are characterized by shifting alliances and the transient backroom deals among disingenuous bedfellows sparing little thought for the company’s financial position.

This entire scenario is what confronts Yun Ju-no (Lee Je-hoon). Saving Sanin is the least of his problems. On the request of an old mentor, Lee Dong-ju (Oh Man-seok) the chairman’s right hand man, he saunters into the lion’s den in the hope of creating miracles while confronting roadblocks at every turn. There are elements of a David and Goliath scenario. But no fear, Yun Ju-no is a perceptive generalist who can grasp the big picture quickly. All that to say Sanin Group’s M & A specialist a masterful negotiator, quietly playing well-considered cards close to his chest.

In this business backdrop with all the wheeling, dealing and industry jargon to discombobulate the most attentive, the main lesson of the day is that life is a series of negotiations. Every interaction, every transaction see human agents negotiating who’s going to do what and when. In fact the only successful negotiation is the one where everyone gets what they want at the end of it. Yun Ju-no is certainly not the most glib salesman from Sanin but he’s something of an unacknowledged psychologist. He understands something that most people in a negotiation forget. Getting what you want almost always involves knowing what makes the other parties tick.

Compounding the problems in no small way, the boot-licking old foxes of the Sanin executive board line up to deal with Ju-no depending on whether they think that his objectives align with their personal agenda. Mostly they dance to the tune of the chief financial officer who is on the succession route. Of course everyone’s inclination is to hold on to their positions so they cast a leery eye at the outsider lest he rocks the boat a tad more than they’re comfortable with and together they fall into the drink. With him. The chief instigator of just about everything is the chief financial officer, Ha Tae-su (Jang Hyun-su) who is a glorified used car salesman. He is set-up as the show’s primary antagonist and he does his oiliest best to ride on the coattails of others especially the seemingly unflappable Yun Ju-no to get in on the action. The two aren’t just one another’s foil but serve as contrasts in terms of workplace loyalty. One is always trying to dip his grubby fingers into the pie when it could jeopardize the company’s position. The other, wants everyone to leave the negotiation table happy.

As the protagonist Lee Je-hoon brings the right mix of stoicism, austerity and calm. Not a lot fazes the man even when the unexpected crisis arises. Or when he’s summoned to the chairman’s chambers. But the disciplined eye acting serves us well in terms of conveying sudden mood changes. Given that his personal mantra is not to let emotions get in the way of a negotiation, Yun Ju-no is a walking enigma even to members of his own team comprised of lawyer Oh Sun-yeong (Kim Myeong-dae), human calculator Kwak Min-jeong (Ahn Hyun-ho) and inquisitive intern Choi Jin-su (Cha Kang-yoon). It’s a hand-picked team complete with a novice in the trade who asks all the pertinent questions. Mr Newbie is full of them especially about his new team leader. So what is Yun Ju-no’s angle on all this? Why does he return to Korea amidst rumours of his involvement in stock manipulation and insider trading in the matter of Jumbo Pharma?

This 12 episode drama is divided into 6 arcs. Each arc throws up a problem that needs to be solved. The company’s financial woes must be resolved soon but before that can happen, the baggage that each party brings to the table have to be addressed for goodwill to be maintained. Given that, bringing out their backstories is key to creating the miracle. Knowing their stories expedite the negotiations and builds trust. With all the different occupations covered I can only imagine the amount of research and thought that went into writing the scripts. In The Art of Negotiation, God is really in the minutiae.

Director Ahn Pan-seok has gathered a highly experienced cast to tell his story. Familiar veterans of tv and popular character actors dot the landscape of office politics making the overall experience immersive. Sung Dong-il plays the Sanin chairman with a common touch. Jang Hyung-sung must relish inhabiting the headspace of the slippery Ha Tae-su who has made it his mission to the back of Yun Ju-no.

Considering the subject matter and the pacing it wouldn’t necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea although it does play out like a police procedural in the vein of The Auditors. For a viewer like me, it’s heartening a quality drama like this gets made so that I can praise it unreservedly.