Agent Kim Reactivated

Main

• So Ji-sub as Kim Do-hyeon / Manager Kim

A former secret intelligence agent who operated between North and South Korea, currently works as an ordinary employee at Sangsaeng Savings Bank, and Min-ji's father.^[2]

• Choi Dae-hoon as Seong Han-su

A highly skilled former secret agent, former Taekwondo gold medalist who now runs a martial arts dojang for children, Tae-hoon's father, and Manager Kim's long-time friend.^[2]

• Yoon Kyung-ho as Park Jin-cheol

A former ROK Marines volunteer, he is an elite combat veteran once referred to as a "god of war", Da-bin's father, and Manager Kim's long-time friend.^[2]

• Joo Sang-wook as Joo Kang-chan

The chairman of Juhak Construction who relies on wealth and violence to achieve his goals, and Joo Hye-ri’s father.^[2]

• Son Na-eun as Jung Sang-ah

A workplace colleague of Manager Kim who is actually an agent of the National Special Missions Bureau.^[2]

Supporting

People around Manager Kim

• Seo Su-min as Kim Min-ji

Manager Kim's daughter.

• Seo Ji-hye as Lim Yu-jin

Manager Kim's deceased wife.

People of the Special Mission Bureau

• Won Hyun-jun [ko] as Kang Guk-cheol

Nicknamed Mole Cricket, he is the director of the National Special Missions Bureau who is tasked with tracking down Manager Kim.^[3]

• Choi Bum-ho [ko] as Chief Jang
• Park Jin-woo [ko] as Mr. Lim

A neighbor of Manager Kim, and the boss of Dowon Laundry. He is actually an agent of the Special Missions Bureau.

People of the Reconnaissance General Bureau

• Kim Sung-kyu as Park Kang-seong

A North Korean agent dispatched to South Korea on a classified mission.^[2]

• Lee Jae-yong as Ri Eung-ryeong

The director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau.

People around Joo Kang-chan

• Yoo Ji-an as Joo Hye-ri

Kang-chan's daughter who frequently bullies Min-ji.

• Lee Dong-ha [ko] as Manager Nam

Kang-chan's right-hand man who opposes Manager Kim.^[4]

Others

• Jo Bok-rae as Gold Tooth

The head of a demolition contractor company who holds a deep grudge against Kang-chan and possesses key information regarding his company's corruption.^[5]

• Kim Dae-han [ko] as Kim Sang-man
• Kim Yoon-bae [ko] as Park Kang-min
• Kim Kyeong-ryong [ko] as Assemblyman Shim
• Kael as Kim Nam-hoon

A volleyball player at Songin High School.^[6]

Special appearances

• Ok Taec-yeon as Park Young-kwang

A North Korean operative and Kang-seong's older brother.

• Kim Ji-young as Kang Ji-young

Jin-cheol's wife and former Brigadier General of the ROK Marines.

Development

The Grimm Entertainment recently signed a drama production contract for the Naver webtoon Manager Kim with Fantagio in April 2023. The webtoon is a spin-off series centered around the character Manager Kim from Lookism, alongside Park Jin-cheol from My Life as a Loser [ko] and Seong Han-su from Viral Hit. The series marks a major expansion of the "One Source Multi-Use" (OSMU) strategy for the PTJ Universe.^[7] It is described as a revenge-action drama revolving around a father who uses a dangerous skillset to rescue his daughter. Media and production sources have frequently compared its premise to the Hollywood film Taken.^[2][8]

The script is written by Nam Dae-joong, known for his work on films such as The Last Ride (2016) and Homme Fatale (2019), and directed by Lee Seung-young, whose previous credits include Voice 2 (2018), Tracer (2022), and Wonderful World (2024). It is planned and produced by Studio S along with Fantagio.^[9][10]

Casting

In September 2025, My Daily [ko] reported that So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, and Yoon Kyung-ho would lead the series as the central trio. So was cast in the titular role of Manager Kim, marking his return to the action-noir genre, while Choi was selected to portray Seong Han-su and Yoon was cast as Park Jin-cheol.^[9] Media outlets highlighted So's casting by drawing comparisons between his character's trajectory in the revenge thriller and Bryan Mills from the action film Taken.^[8] The following month, Kim Sung-kyu and Son Na-eun were reportedly joined the cast.^[11][12] By the end of 2025, Joo Sang-wook, Lee Dong-ha [ko], and Jo Bok-rae were cast to play various villain roles.^[13][4][5]

In May 2026, Won Hyun-jun [ko] was confirmed to join the cast.^[3] The same month, SBS officially confirmed the onscreen appearances of So, Choi, Yoon, Joo, Son, and Kim.^[2]

Visual effects

The series was the first Korean drama to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) generation for an entire major sequence.^[14] In the first two episodes, which depict the backstory of protagonist Manager Kim (played by So Ji-sub) as a North Korean secret agent, a three-minute action sequence was produced through AI technology rather than live-action filming.^[14][15] The sequence includes depictions of building explosions, car chases on snowy roads and inside tunnels, a vehicle overturning and crashing into a river, gunfights, and martial arts choreography.^[14][15][16]

The sequence was created by Morpheus Studio using its "AICRON" platform, an AI content creation system launched in February 2026.^[14][15][16] The platform uses a node-based integrated pipeline that processes prompts, image and video generation, audio generation, and editing on a single interface using various commercial AI models.^[15] The AI production was supervised by Ryu Jae-hwan, the vice president of Morpheus Studio and a visual effects (VFX) director who previously won technical awards at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards.^[14][15][16]

According to the production team, an AI-generated sequence was selected to manage the high location, set construction, pyrotechnic, and conventional VFX costs associated with filming a large-scale scene within budget constraints.^[14][15][16] The production team stated that the platform minimized character consistency issues typical of AI-generated video, allowing the actor's facial expressions and appearance to remain stable during fast-moving action shots.^{[14][15][17][16][18]} Following the broadcast, South Korean media outlets reported that audience reception to the visual quality of the sequence was generally positive, with minimal criticism regarding visual awkwardness.^[16]

Ryu stated that the sequence demonstrated AI could be used to construct entire narrative scenes rather than just replacing short VFX shots.^[14][15][16] He argued that when used with clear planning and production objectives, AI technology can function as a viable tool for storytellers.^[14][15][16]

Critical response

The series received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its balance of action and emotional character development. James Melzer of MovieWeb compared the show's narrative elements and action style to franchises such as Taken, John Wick, and Reacher, noting that the series builds suspense before transitioning into its action sequences.^[19] Both Melzer and Joel Keller of Decider commented on the show's pacing; Keller observed that the premiere episode serves as a "slow build" but noted that this deliberate pacing provided necessary insight into the protagonist's transition from an elite operative to a mild-mannered banker.^[19][20]

The emotional core of the series was also highlighted by reviewers. Writing for the Hindustan Times, Monica Yadav commended the series' "confident start," stating that while it delivers the expected conventions of a revenge thriller, the central emotional narrative is what keeps viewers invested. Yadav concluded that if the writing remained focused and developed more layered antagonists, the series had the potential to be one of the stronger action thrillers of the year.^[21] Additionally, critics noted favorable reception toward the release format and early audience data; Melzer opined that Netflix's staggered release strategy of two episodes per week was effective, and pointed to favorable early audience metrics on IMDb, where the show held an average user rating of 8 out of 10.^[19]

Viewership

Agent Kim Reactivated recorded strong viewership ratings upon its debut. According to Nielsen Korea, the premiere episode broadcast on June 26, 2026, achieved a nationwide rating of 9.5%, marking the highest premiere rating for any miniseries broadcast in 2026.^[22] The series experienced a significant increase for its second episode, rising 6.2 percentage points to a nationwide rating of 15.7%, with a peak real-time rating reaching 18.1%. This marked the first time a miniseries surpassed the 15% viewership threshold within two episodes since the third season of The Penthouse: War in Life in 2021.^[23]

By its fourth episode on July 4, 2026, the series surpassed the 20% mark, recording a nationwide viewership rating of 21.6%. This achievement set a record as the fastest SBS Friday–Saturday drama to cross the 20% threshold, surpassing the pacing of previous series such as The Fiery Priest, Hot Stove League, and The Penthouse 2. The 21.6% rating also positioned Agent Kim Reactivated as the third highest-rated SBS Friday–Saturday drama series in the network's history, behind The Penthouse 2 (29.2%) and The Fiery Priest (22%).^[24]

Agent Kim Reactivated : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

More information Season, Episode number ...

Season		Episode number										Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
	1	1.971	3.253	3.767	4.430	4.021	4.582	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

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Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[25]