23 years ago, humanity’s dark impulse for vengeance was encapsulated in one line, “Revenge is good for your health, but pain will find you again.” Uttered by Oh Dae-su, this quote is originally from Oldboy, the iconic poster-child for Korea’s decades-long dominance in revenge cinema. While Dae-su’s actor, Choi Min-sik, just debuted his own drama for streaming on Netflix, another, more explosive addition dropped later today as well: Agent Kim Reactivated, starring recurring K-drama badass So Ji-sub. Now, every Friday and Saturday from June 26 through July 25, 2026, subscribers can see uploads of two weekly episodes after they air in South Korea.
Originally broadcast on SBS TV, Agent Kim Reactivated adapts the iconic revenge manhwa Manager Kimcreated by Park Tae-jun. It’s been a highly-anticipated K-drama adapting the brutally thrilling saga of a seemingly meek, passive man finally pushed to the breaking point. Much like the film Taken, Kim Do-hyeon has some deep secrets of his own while trying to pass as a single family man. But once his daughter, Min-ji, goes missing and foul play is confirmed, “Manager Kim” sets all default choices to violence as he gets ready to carve a bloody trail to rescue Min-ji. It’ll be an exciting 10 episodes releasing across the next solid month on Netflix.
Netflix’s New Revenge Thriller Is Destined For #1 Status
So Ji-sub’s revenge thrillers are not a new sensation on Netflix, with Mercy for None releasing on the platform a full year ago on June 6, 2025. The series immediately debuted at the #2 spot for non-English TV shows in only two days, and by the second week of its release, it was #1. Agent Kim Reactivated has the potential to match and exceed this legacy, with roughly 40 times the readership on its original webtoon’s page on North America’s Webtoon platform alongside a dedicated following and an increasingly hungry K-drama market.
This Netflix series only raises the stakes higher and higher with each new season, and it’s become a must-see thriller for any action fan.
This isn’t to say Netflix hasn’t introduced anything else fantastic out of South Korea. On the same day, the platform dropped all six episodes of the limited series Notes from the Last Row starring Oldboy’s Choi Min-sik. While that series has a solid appeal of its own, the action element in Agent Kim Reactivated has renewable weekly momentum on its side, with two episodes every Friday and Saturday alongside the approachable premise of an unassuming father unleashing his deadly skills against those who cross him. However, while the first episode ends with a bang, expect things to get even crazier over the coming weeks.
Damned Are Those Who Prey On The Meek In Agent Kim Reactivated
Agent Kim Reactivated starts as many popular revenge thriller K-dramas do: it presents an outwardly pleasant atmosphere, building up its lovable characters before exposing the rot that threatens to take them down. In the series, So portrays Do-hyeon as a humble salaryman “Manager Kim” who is arguably too passive for his own good. He lets people harass him in public, coworkers abuse his trust, and turns the other cheek every time Min-ji hurls her resentment and verbal abuse his way. Min-ji, meanwhile, is the typical bullied high school girl with a crush, but when she stands up to her abusers, they turn around and report her for abuse, with Do-hyeon only apologizing for his daughter.
But viewers will quickly notice something is off. Manager Kim’s almost aggressive attempt to lie low comes off as over-the-top, down to his antiquated flip phone, and his peculiar veteran friends, Taekwondo instructor Seong Han-su and local volunteer Park Jin-cheol. It’s pretty quickly hinted that Kim has talents of his own alongside his friends, with Jin-cheol being an incredible fighter with a short fuse. But soon enough, by the end of the first episode, all audience suspicions will be handily confirmed as Kim’s absurdly dark past in Korean intelligence on both sides of the border is laid out. But rather than be consumed by vengeance, Kim’s ruthlessly dedicated to protecting his daughter above all else.
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01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?
✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.
05
The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?
✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.
06
Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?
✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.
07
La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?
✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.
08
Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?
✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.
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For the most part, two-thirds of the episode feels like an extended prologue in which Kim’s seemingly normal life crumbles in real-time. It feels reasonably faithful, even if Min-ji’s characterization is a lot more typical of a high school girl trying to get by in the series. But as incidents pile on, her resentment grows to the point of threatening to run away as Kim, instead of speaking up for his daughter, allows her to be forcefully transferred despite actually being the victim of physical assault. But as a mysterious syndicate takes Min-ji away, with Nam-hoon, her crush, being her last witness and only a trail of blood left behind, Manager Kim is pulled out of retirement, and onto a ruthless warpath.
Much like many recent licensed Netflix K-dramas, expect to see familiar faces in bold new roles. Cha Dae-hoon from When Life Gives You Tangerines and The WONDERFools plays Han-su while My Name and The Legend of Kitchen Soldier’s Yoon Kyung-ho plays Jin-cheol. Others soon to play a bigger role are Kim’s coworker Sang-ah, played by Apink K-pop performer and actress Son Na-eun, and Jo Bok-rae (Sold Out on You) as Gold Tooth, with more on the way. As the show devolves into its true revenge thriller identity loaded with action and canted angles, Netflix subscribers will be in for a treat as Agent Kim Reactivated threatens to dominate their weekends going forward.
