Agent Kim Reactivated episode 1 follows Mr. Kim as he faces family struggles and danger while his forgotten past as a skilled intelligence operative slowly returns.
On June 26, Agent Kim Reactivated episode 1 premiered on Netflix. The episode introduces Mr. Kim, a quiet father whose ordinary life begins to unravel after he faces threats from dangerous individuals. As he struggles to protect his daughter Min-ji from school conflicts, hidden details about his past slowly come to light. Moreover, the episode reveals his identity as a former intelligence operative, setting the stage for his return to a life he thought he had left behind.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers about the series. Read at your own risk.
Mr. Kim’s New Life Begins in Agent Kim Reactivated Episode 1
Agent Kim Reactivated episode 1 opens with Mr. Kim making his way home. While walking down the street, he encounters a group of thugs who harass him. The situation escalates when they attack and punch him before leaving. Security cameras capture the entire incident.
Mr. Kim lives with his daughter, Min-ji, and takes care of her as a single parent. To prepare for emergencies, he asks for Min-ji’s friend’s contact number as an additional person to reach out to. Meanwhile, Min-ji heads to school, where the owner of the dry cleaning shop approaches her.
The shop owner reveals that he witnessed Mr. Kim being assaulted by the thugs. However, he stops himself from sharing more details and changes the topic by offering to fix Min-ji’s uniform. She politely refuses and leaves on the bus, where she notices a boy from her class and looks at him with interest.
Later, Mr. Kim prepares for work and heads to the office. A staff member offers him a suit ironing service, but he declines and continues on his way to catch his bus. Meanwhile, Min-ji’s bus narrowly avoids hitting a cyclist crossing the road. The sudden stop causes her to fall into the arms of the boy she was watching earlier, creating a memorable moment between them.
Mr. Kim also experiences a crowded bus ride but eventually arrives at his workplace, Sangsaeng Savings Bank (SSB). While reviewing documents, he notices unusual details in his boss’ corporate expenses. Remembering the attack from the previous night, Mr. Kim decides to look for self-defence tools. His colleague, Sang-a, approaches him and offers to help him find a gift for Min-ji’s birthday.
Min-ji Faces School Troubles
At school, Min-ji continues to deal with bullying from her classmates. While in the washroom, she overhears a group of girls smoking. The girls once again make rude remarks toward her, prompting Min-ji to confront them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kim and Miss Sang-a visit a department store to buy a birthday present for Min-ji. Miss Sang-a asks Mr. Kim to wait in line for a pastry order while she searches for a gift. She eventually chooses an expensive T-shirt for Min-ji. However, Mr. Kim hesitates and plans to return it because of the price. Miss Sang-a convinces him to keep the gift, and he eventually agrees.
Back at home, Min-ji helps with the laundry and tells her father not to mix his clothes with hers because they make her clothes smell like an “old man.” She then returns to her room and checks her crush’s social media account.
While browsing his profile, Min-ji accidentally likes one of his posts. She immediately panics when he sends her a message, unsure of how to respond. The following day at school, Min-ji discovers that her gym clothes have disappeared. She later finds out that the bullies threw them into the trash.
Nam-hoon, the boy she likes, notices her situation after leaving the school gym. He lends her his sweatshirt to help her. However, the physical education teacher scolds Min-ji for not wearing the proper uniform. The teacher then notices the name tag on the sweatshirt and reveals the name written on it: Kim Nam-hoon. This catches Hye-ri’s attention.
Jin-cheol and Han-su in Agent Kim Reactivated Episode 1
Agent Kim Reactivated episode 1 introduces more characters, including a taekwondo instructor and Park Jin-cheol, a man who walks around the streets wearing a military uniform and acting strangely.
Jin-cheol enjoys helping people and believes he is making a difference, but he fails to realise that his efforts may not change anything. Later, he enters a trailer marked “Korean Marine Veterans Division,” only to reveal that he spends his time playing a video game where he takes on the role of a Marine. Meanwhile, Jin-cheol asks the taekwondo instructor to alter his uniform. Underneath it, he wears a shirt featuring his daughter Da-bin’s face with the message, “I love my daughter.”
The thugs from earlier arrive at a diner, where Mr. Kim hands them money envelopes before preparing to leave. However, the taekwondo instructor stops him and encourages him to meet them more often instead of only appearing once a year. He also tells Mr. Kim to start living for himself.
Their conversation is interrupted when the thugs cause trouble after the diner owner asks them to smoke outside. The group notices the three men watching them and provokes them before leaving. Jin-cheol refuses to ignore their actions and punches one of the thugs. While Mr. Kim quietly walks away, Jin-cheol takes on the entire group. The fight gets captured by security cameras as it moves outside after the door breaks. The police eventually arrive and use tasers to stop both sides.
Hye-ri’s Powerful Family
The next morning, Mr. Kim notices Nam-hoon’s sweatshirt at home. Min-ji quickly takes it and leaves, causing Mr. Kim to wonder if she has a boyfriend. At school, Min-ji returns the sweatshirt to Nam-hoon and gives him strawberry milk as a thank-you gift. When he mentions the social media incident, she becomes embarrassed.
However, Hye-ri and her friends see the two talking and become upset. Hye-ri attacks Min-ji and insults her, making cruel comments about her being a motherless child. Min-ji fights back, but Mr. Kim soon receives a call from the school about the incident.
The episode then introduces Hye-ri’s father, Mr. Ju, the chairman of Juhak Construction. He meets with Assemblyman Shin at a spa to discuss a redevelopment project. The plan benefits both the company and the politician’s future ambitions.
Mr. Ju carries visible scars across his back and shoulders. He explains that he once had tattoos from his previous business, but he removed them himself because he felt ashamed to show them to his daughter.
When Assemblyman Shin comments on the pain, Mr. Ju responds that breaking promises causes even greater pain. Soon after, he receives a call from his wife about Hye-ri’s conflict with Min-ji. Later, a man with golden teeth and scars on his face arrives to meet Mr. Ju. However, his secretary, Mr. Nam, informs him that the meeting plans have changed.
Agent Kim Reactivated Episode 1 Recap: Mr. Kim Protects His Daughter
At the school, Hye-ri’s mother confronts Mr. Kim, who immediately apologises. Min-ji tries to defend herself, but Mr Kim tells her to stay quiet.
Hye-ri’s mother demands a disciplinary hearing and wants the incident recorded permanently. To protect Min-ji, Mr. Kim kneels and begs for forgiveness. Mr. Ju eventually steps in and suggests transferring Min-ji to another school to resolve the matter.
The school staff thanks Mr. Ju for his understanding, but he warns them that another incident could destroy both their positions and the school itself. On their way home, Min-ji becomes angry with her father. She cries and expresses disappointment over how he handled the situation. Min-ji refuses to return home and decides to stay with her friend Hye-ryeong for the night. She also threatens to run away if Mr. Kim tries to contact her.
When Mr. Kim mentions her birthday, Min-ji reveals that she hates the day because it is also the anniversary of her mother’s death.
Mr. Kim’s Past Returns
Mr. Kim visits his wife’s memorial at a funeral parlour. There, he remembers a conversation they shared while she was pregnant with Min-ji. His wife once told him that honeysuckles were her favourite flowers because they represented love and devotion.
Standing before her altar, Mr. Kim apologises for failing to protect their daughter. Later, he checks Min-ji’s room and waits for midnight before calling her. However, she does not answer. Unbeknownst to him, Min-ji lies unconscious somewhere outside.
Remembering her threat not to contact her, Mr. Kim decides to wait. The next morning, he realises she is still missing. After calling Hye-ryeong, he learns that Min-ji never stayed with her. He immediately rushes to school, but she is nowhere to be found.
Mr. Kim follows blood marks that lead toward a construction site. There, he discovers a pool of blood and finds Hye-ri’s hair tie nearby. Rain begins to fall, and Hye-ri arrives with a thug. Mr. Kim confronts them and demands answers about the hair tie. When the thug attacks him, Mr. Kim effortlessly avoids the hit and continues questioning Hye-ri.
The thug tears Mr. Kim’s clothes, revealing multiple scars across his torso. A flashback then reveals his hidden past. Mr. Kim once held a boss at gunpoint and demanded his immediate discharge. He was actually Codename 66, a North Korean defector operative recruited by South Korean intelligence. Mr. Kim unleashes his old combat skills and brutally defeats the thug. The episode ends with him filled with anger and determination.
Agent Kim Reactivated episode 1 delivers a strong introduction by balancing family struggles, school conflicts, and the mystery behind Mr Kim’s hidden past. This episode is really interesting as it slowly reveals the contrast between Mr Kim’s quiet life as a father and his abilities as a former intelligence operative.
The emotional scenes between Mr Kim and Min-ji add depth to their relationship, especially as their misunderstandings begin to create tension between them. With its engaging action sequences and intriguing character setups, the episode successfully builds curiosity for what will happen next.
Catch the next episode of Agent Kim Reactivated at 8:50 PHT, with new episodes airing every Friday and Saturday.
Sources: SBS (YouTube), SBSNOW
