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

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Regina Kim covers Korean and Asian American entertainment. Follow Author Jul 28, 2026, 11:53am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The K-drama "Agent Kim Reactivated" concluded its highly successful run, achieving a 23% viewership rating in Korea and topping Netflix's Global Top 10 Non-English Shows chart for three consecutive weeks. Starring So Ji-sub as a covert operative-turned-ordinary office worker who's forced to reveal his true identity in order to save his missing daughter, the series blends action, comedy and drama. Its popularity stems from a well-written script, strong execution and compelling acting, though some viewers criticized excessive product placements. Adapted from the "Manager Kim" webtoon, the series also made history with the first K-drama scene created entirely by AI. The hit K-drama reflects the broader trend of Korean broadcasters producing darker content to compete with global streamers.

The action thriller K-drama Agent Kim Reactivated wrapped up its wildly successful run over the weekend, with its finale recording a whopping 23% nationwide viewership rating in South Korea. In addition to becoming one of the most-watched K-dramas in Korea this year, the 10-episode series has topped Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows list for three straight weeks as 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 as Mr. Kim, a former North Korean spy-turned-South Korean secret agent who leaves his old life behind to become an ordinary office worker and raise his daughter as a single father. But when she goes missing, he’s forced to reveal his true identity and draw on his formidable combat and espionage skills to rescue her.

And before anyone starts making comparisons to Liam Neeson’s Taken , suffice it to say that the similarities don’t extend far beyond the premise and its universal theme of fatherly love. Although many of the comedic and emotional moments in Agent Kim Reactivated resonated with international audiences, the series still retains plenty of quintessentially Korean elements, from its depiction of the tense relationship between North and South Korea and the brutal training endured by North Korean secret agents to its references to Korean traditions, such as the custom of eating tofu after being released from prison .

Agent Kim Reactivated premiered on June 26 th with a 9.5% viewership rating on South Korean terrestrial broadcaster SBS. According to Nielsen Korea, ratings surpassed 20% by the fourth episode and remained above that threshold for the rest of the series, making it the most-watched miniseries in Korea so far this year.

In fact, the series was so popular that SBS decided to air a two-episode special on July 31 st and August 1 st featuring behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Director Lee and several of the lead actors. Producers are also reportedly in talks for a possible second season.

The series has ranked No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English Shows list for three consecutive weeks and frequently entered the streamer’s Top 10 Shows rankings in the U.S. during its run.

Netflix’s latest engagement report , which tracked what viewers watched from January through June 2026, found that non-English titles made up over a third of all viewing on the platform, with Korean content making up the largest share. Even though Agent Kim Reactivated premiered near the end of the period covered by the report, it still emerged as one of the most-watched Korean shows of the first half of 2026 .

Driven by a sharply written script and fast-paced plot, Agent Kim Reactivated found the right blend of action, thrills, comedy and drama. Viewers praised the series for its gripping action sequences, inventive camerawork and compelling performances.

So Ji-sub—who had already showcased his action prowess in projects like Mercy for None and A Company Man —further cemented his status as one of Korea’s leading action heroes, with multiple domestic media outlets highlighting his impressive performance.

But the strong acting extended to the rest of the cast as well. So and his lead co-stars Choi Dae-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho formed the perfect trio of lethal secret agents masquerading as bumbling middle-aged dads, displaying remarkable chemistry. Joo Sang-wook, who’s more known for playing good guys, fit surprisingly well into the villainous role of Ju Gang-chan. Even actors with relatively smaller parts shone in their roles, including Ok Taec-yeon, whose North Korean accent sounded arguably even more convincing than So’s.

Of course, watching bad guys get their due is always a satisfying and cathartic experience, too—a factor that helps explain the success of another recent hit K-drama, Netflix’s Teach You A Lesson .

However, many Korean viewers complained about the show’s abundance of product placements, particularly in the final episode (the cars! The eyeglasses! The conveyor belt sushi! And, of course, the coffee-flavored Kopiko candy, which has probably appeared in more K-dramas than any human actor at this point.).

Many viewers found these placements annoying or cringey and commented that they disrupted the viewing experience. Some even called for a second season to be produced by a deep-pocketed streaming giant like Netflix instead of a Korean broadcasting network, which relies heavily on product placements to offset production costs.

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

The webtoon itself is a spinoff centered on Manager Kim, a supporting character from Taejun Pak’s Lookism —another popular Naver w...