So Jisub Returns to SBS After 13 Years With Action Hit 'Agent Kim Reactivated'

Actor So Jisub is having his biggest television moment in years. His new SBS drama "Agent Kim Reactivated" opened with a 9.5% rating and climbed to 15.7% by its second episode, according to Nielsen Korea. The show also topped Netflix's daily rankings in South Korea right after its premiere.

"Agent Kim Reactivated" premiered on June 26 as SBS's Friday-Saturday drama. It marks So Jisub's first SBS drama since "The Master's Sun" 13 years ago, and interest was high well before the first episode aired. The action series follows an ordinary father, a former North Korea operative, who turns into the most dangerous man in the world to get his only daughter back.

The buzz numbers backed up the ratings. In the fourth week of June, So Jisub ranked first on Good Data Corporation's weekly list of most-talked-about drama cast members across TV and streaming.

Early reviews have been strong. Viewers have praised the show for mixing action and crime thriller elements with a fast pace and a satisfying good-versus-evil story. At the center of it is So Jisub, who plays the title character with restrained emotion and heavy physical action.

This year marks 30 years since So Jisub debuted. He started his acting career in 1997 with the SBS drama "The Woman", and later built his reputation through hits like "Love In Bali", "I'm Sorry, I Love You", and "The Master's Sun." Cha Mu-hyuk from "I'm Sorry, I Love You" and Joo Joong-won from "The Master's Sun" are still remembered as two of his defining roles.

His more recent projects have not landed with the same force. He has kept working steadily across film and television, including "Doctor Lawyer," "Alienoid" Part 1 and Part 2, "Confession", and "Mercy for None". None of them, though, gave him a new signature character that stuck with the public.

That is what makes "Agent Kim Reactivated" different. The role is shaping up to be the kind of part audiences remember an actor by. It is still early in the show's run, but the reaction so far has been strong. If the momentum holds, Kim Bu-jang could become another name people say alongside So Jisub's own, three decades into his career.