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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-07-31 09:45:38
SEOUL, July 31 (Yonhap) -- Director Lee Seung-young said he was surprised by actor So Ji-sub's depth of acting after finally casting him in the SBS series "Agent Kim Reactivated" following years of unsuccessful attempts.
The series, which follows a father's desperate fight to rescue his kidnapped daughter, wrapped up its run after becoming a breakout hit.
The show earned praise for the chemistry among its cast led by So, as well as its blend of fast-paced, stylish action and comedy.
Speaking to reporters in Seoul's Samcheong-dong on Thursday, Lee said directing action and comedy was a new challenge for him.
"It was something I wasn't familiar with at all," he said. "Small miracles happened on set."
"The actors poured their souls into their characters, which made everything feel more authentic," Lee added. "Not only the leads but also the supporting and minor actors approached filming with a real sense of ownership."
He reserved special praise for So.
"He's an actor who excels at action and also at portraying a father. There are just too many things to praise," Lee said.
"This man simply looks incredible when he moves. It's an effortless kind of cool," he added. "Even without deliberately staging flashy scenes, his charisma naturally came through."
So has been widely praised for delivering one of the defining performances of his career as the father determined to save his daughter.
"As directors, we study actors extensively before casting them, so I thought I knew So Ji-sub well," Lee said. "But while filming the first episode, I saw a level of emotional depth I'd never seen from him before. I actually felt I owed him an apology."
Lee said he finally succeeded in casting So on his third attempt after the actor turned down offers for different projects in 2019 and 2024.
Based on the webtoon of the same title, "Agent Kim Reactivated" follows a former special agent who has been living an ordinary life until his daughter is kidnapped, forcing him to reveal his true identity and fight for her life.
Alongside So, actors Choi Dae-hoon and Yoon Kyung-ho also drew attention from global viewers for their performances and action sequences.
The series became particularly known for its stylish action scenes, which are rarely seen in Korean television dramas.
One notable sequence in Episode 5 highlighted a fight between Agent Kim Reactivated and Park Kang-sung (Kim Sung-kyu) through their silhouettes, while Episode 9 featured a first-person perspective during a nighttime gunfight from the viewpoint of a North Korean operative confronting the protagonist.
"I had one principle for the action," Lee said. "I wanted the story of Agent Kim Reactivated searching for his daughter to feel like clearing stages in a game."
To achieve that, the production varied filming locations and lighting while giving each major character a distinct fighting style.
The production also relied entirely on artificial intelligence (AI) to create action scenes depicting Agent Kim Reactivated's past as a human weapon. Those sequences included large-scale gunfights, high-speed driving and a vehicle plunging off a cliff into a river.
According to Lee, "Agent Kim Reactivated" is the first Korean drama to produce an entire sequence using AI, though the technology was used cautiously and only for flashback scenes.
While the fantasy-style action contributed to the drama's popularity, some viewers criticized its graphic violence, including scenes involving scalping and teeth being pulled.
"We did our best to stay within broadcasting standards while expressing the core of the story as dramatically as possible," Lee said. "If viewers felt uncomfortable, that's something we as creators need to reflect on."
Responding to criticism over excessive product placement (PPL), he said it was an unavoidable reality of the struggling drama industry.
"Some people assume we added PPL because the drama became successful, but that's not true," Lee said. "By the day the first episode aired, we had already completed production through Episode 10."
Lee said he hoped viewers would see "Agent Kim Reactivated" not simply as a revenge drama but as a story about justice ultimately prevailing.
"The drama's success made me realize that people are fundamentally good," he said. "I think viewers want to see justice prevail, even if only in a fictional world. I believe the series fulfilled that wish to some extent."
The friendship among the middle-aged protagonists, who risk their lives to save each other's children, was another key factor behind the drama's popularity, he said.
Lee recalled becoming emotional while filming a scene in which Sung Han-soo and Park Jin-cheol confront Agent Kim Reactivated in an effort to save their children.
"Looking at the actors' expressions, I thought, 'This must be what the friendship of comrades who have survived life-and-death situations together for years looks like,'" he said. "It was deeply moving."
Lee began his directing career with Season 1 of the cable drama "Byeolsungeom" in 2007 and later directed series including "Special Affairs Team TEN," "Missing Noir M" and "Voice 2."
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