Main themes/messages:
When Hyun-Jun is saved from the plane crash, Roosevelt’s quote (after his Presidential term) is applied that, “In politics, nothing happens by chance. If something happens, it is because it was planned to happen.” This shows the audience that the trap Hyun-Jun is involved in is basically all planned by someone, perhaps, "IRIS" secrete organization in order to get Hyun-Jun eliminated.
(Hyun-Jun saved from the plane crash)The drama "Iris" focuses more on violence solving the controversies of the drama happening such as killing people with any type of gun weapons, and using kidnap, traps, and other type of threatening tricks.
(Bloody violence scene)
This drama mainly has a theme of trust, betrayal and conspiracy between the North and South Korean agents in a secret national security system.
(Hyun-Jun[SK agent] vs Chul-Young[NK agent])
The theme of betrayal: “If a person’s ambition wavers because of one’s conscience or feeling of responsibility, there is nothing that person can win". This quote was said by Baek-San, a NSS executive, to Sa-Woo after Sa-woo has completed his mission in eliminating Hyun-Jun. He was basically implying that friendship will only get in the way of achieving something greater, so conscience and feeling of responsibility should be forgotten if one wants to win.
(Baek-San and Sa-Woo talking in the car)The theme of conspiracy: Hyun-Jun is being chased by both North and South Korea. He is ordered by the South Korean NSS to assassinate a prime minister of a North Korean nuclear weapon developer. After he has fulfills his mission in Hungary, the NSS abandons him. When he tries to escape from the North Korean agents, he gets chased by his own best friend, Sa-Woo (from NSS), to be killed so that the NSS doesn’t have to be involved with this assassination matter.
(Hyun-Jun getting chased by both North and South Korean angencies)
Winners and losers
There are really no winners and losers in this drama.
Mainly the winners are Hyun-Jun, Seung-Hee, the good side characters, but then there is one who is at blurry boundary between the good side and the bad side and that one is Sa-Woo.
Because he falls to the dark side just for the sake of Seung-Hee who he wants to protect, he doesn’t side with the bad side.
Another indecisive character is Sun-Hwa and this is because she was first a bad side when siding with the North Korean in the beginning, but later joins with Hyun-Jun. She can’t be fully at good side since she already had done something bad before.
Therefore, there is really no winners and losers in this drama.
