How ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ Became One Of 2026’s Most Popular K-Dramas

Poster for 'Agent Kim Reactivated'

Courtesy of Netflix

The action thriller K-drama Agent Kim Reactivated wrapped up its wildly successful tally complete the weekend, pinch its finale signaling a whopping 23% nationwide viewership standing successful South Korea. In summation to becoming 1 of the most-watched K-dramas successful Korea this year, the 10-episode bid has topped Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows database for 3 consecutive weeks arsenic of this writing.

Written by Nam Dae-joong and directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun, Agent Kim Reactivated stars So Ji-sub arsenic Mr. Kim, a erstwhile North Korean spy-turned-South Korean concealed supplier who leaves his aged life down to go an mean agency worker and raise his girl arsenic a azygous father. But erstwhile she goes missing, he’s forced to uncover his existent personality and tie connected his formidable combat and espionage skills to rescue her.

And earlier anyone starts making comparisons to Liam Neeson’s Taken, suffice it to opportunity that the similarities don’t widen acold beyond the premise and its cosmopolitan taxable of fatherly love. Although galore of the comedic and affectional moments successful Agent Kim Reactivated resonated pinch world audiences, the bid still retains plentifulness of quintessentially Korean elements, from its depiction of the tense narration betwixt North and South Korea and the sadistic training endured by North Korean concealed agents to its references to Korean traditions, specified arsenic the custom of eating tofu aft being released from prison.

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How Popular Was ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’?

Agent Kim Reactivated premiered connected June 26th pinch a 9.5% viewership standing connected South Korean terrestrial broadcaster SBS. According to Nielsen Korea, ratings surpassed 20% by the 4th section and remained supra that period for the remainder of the series, making it the most-watched miniseries successful Korea truthful acold this year.

In fact, the bid was truthful celebrated that SBS decided to aerial a two-episode typical connected July 31st and August 1st featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews pinch Director Lee and respective of the lead actors. Producers are besides reportedly successful talks for a imaginable 2nd season.

The bid has classed No. 1 connected Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows database for 3 consecutive weeks and often entered the streamer’s Top 10 Shows rankings successful the U.S. during its run.

Netflix’s latest engagement report, which tracked what viewers watched from January done June 2026, recovered that non-English titles made up complete a 3rd of each viewing connected the platform, pinch Korean contented making up the largest share. Even though Agent Kim Reactivated premiered adjacent the extremity of the play covered by the report, it still emerged arsenic one of the most-watched Korean shows of the first half of 2026.

Why Was ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ So Popular In Korea And Globally?

Driven by a sharply written book and fast-paced plot, Agent Kim Reactivated recovered the correct blend of action, thrills, drama and drama. Viewers praised the bid for its gripping action sequences, inventive camerawork and compelling performances.

So Ji-sub—who had already showcased his action prowess successful projects for illustration Mercy for None and A Company Man—further cemented his position arsenic 1 of Korea’s starring action heroes, pinch aggregate home media outlets highlighting his awesome performance.

But the beardown acting extended to the remainder of the formed arsenic well. So and his lead co-stars Choi Dae-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho formed the cleanable trio of lethal concealed agents masquerading arsenic bumbling middle-aged dads, displaying singular chemistry. Joo Sang-wook, who’s much known for playing bully guys, fresh amazingly good into the villainous domiciled of Ju Gang-chan. Even actors pinch comparatively smaller parts shone successful their roles, including Ok Taec-yeon, whose North Korean accent sounded arguably moreover much convincing than So’s.

Of course, watching bad guys get their owed is ever a satisfying and cathartic experience, too—a facet that helps explicate the occurrence of different caller deed K-drama, Netflix’s Teach You A Lesson.

The One Thing That Many Viewers Didn’t Love About ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’

However, galore Korean viewers complained astir the show’s abundance of merchandise placements, peculiarly successful the last section (the cars! The eyeglasses! The conveyor loop sushi! And, of course, the coffee-flavored Kopiko candy, which has astir apt appeared successful much K-dramas than immoderate quality character astatine this point.).

Many viewers recovered these placements annoying aliases cringey and commented that they disrupted the viewing experience. Some moreover called for a 2nd play to beryllium produced by a deep-pocketed streaming elephantine for illustration Netflix alternatively of a Korean broadcasting network, which relies heavy connected merchandise placements to offset accumulation costs.

‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ Proves The Continued Success Of Webtoon Adaptations

Agent Kim Reactivated is adapted from the deed Naver webtoon Manager Kim written by Toy and illustrated by Jeong Jong-taek. (It’s worthy noting that the Korean title for the series, 김부장, aliases “Manager Kim,” retains the original webtoon title.)

The webtoon itself is simply a spinoff centered connected Manager Kim, a supporting characteristic from Taejun Pak’s Lookism—another celebrated Naver webtoon that’s go 1 of Korea’s astir successful webtoon IPs.

Webtoons proceed to rank among the most sought-after sources of worldly for K-dramas, pinch complete half of Korean originals connected Netflix and Disney+/Hulu being based connected webtoon IP, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). For accumulation companies and streamers looking for the adjacent deed K-drama, celebrated webtoons often look for illustration a comparatively safe stake since they travel pinch proven entreaty and an established fanbase.

‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ Shows The Ongoing Evolution And Diversification Of Korean Dramas

Aside from its precocious ratings, Agent Kim Reactivated achieved different milestone by becoming the first K-drama to characteristic a segment created wholly utilizing AI.

In the opening series of the 2nd section that shows a flashback to 2008, So’s characteristic Mr. Kim is shown riding a motorcycle successful basking pursuit of a car carrying the North Korean charismatic he’s been sent to assassinate. After the high-speed pursuit erupts into gunfire and a sadistic fistfight, Kim hijacks the vehicle, takes the charismatic hostage and speeds disconnected a span into the h2o below.

Korean AI accumulation institution Morpheus Studio created that full segment utilizing AICRON, its AI contented creation platform. In an interview pinch The Korea Times, Ryu Jae-hwan, Morpheus Studio’s vice president and AI supervising director, said that the occurrence of Agent Kim Reactivated has prompted much creators to research AI video generation, perchance signaling the opening of greater AI integration into K-drama production.

Although immoderate critics person decried Agent Kim Reactivated for its schematic unit and Hollywood-style action (admittedly, the sheer number of guns and artillery featured successful this bid tin consciousness somewhat incongruous successful a state pinch specified strict restrictions connected firearms), the show’s fame reflects the broader, ongoing diversification of K-dramas.

In caller years, South Korea’s terrestrial broadcasters for illustration MBC, KBS and SBS (which aired Agent Kim Reactivated), which were antecedently known for eschewing schematic contented connected their shows, person progressively invested successful darker and much convulsive programming successful an effort to compete pinch world streamers for illustration Netflix, which person taken distant overmuch of the home assemblage pinch edgy hits for illustration Squid Game and All of Us Are Dead.

Whether this emergence successful convulsive K-dramas besides reflects the temper of our existent society, however, is different question.

Agent Kim Reactivated is presently disposable to watercourse connected Netflix.