Friday, 25 September 2026

Reunited and Ready for Drama: Lee Joon Gi and Kim Jae Kyung Team Up in High-Stakes Global Thriller, Kidnap Game

 



REUNITED AND READY 

FOR

DRAMA

 

LEE JOON GI

AND

KIM JAE KYUNG


TEAM UP


IN


HIGH-STAKES

GLOBAL

THRILLER


KIDNAP GAME






 

 








The entertainment world is buzzing following a major announcement for the upcoming global series Kidnap Game - a powerhouse collaboration between Fuji TV, MakerVille, and Sim Story. Adding fuel to the excitement, Kim Jae Kyung, Lee Joon Gi’s fellow Namoo Actors agency mate and former co-star, has been cast as Nam Ah Yoon, the devoted wife of Lee Joon Gi’s character, Dr. Han Ki Joo.

 







Fans are thrilled to see the pair share the screen once more. While they previously captivated audiences as loyal friends in the hit 2022 fantasy-action drama Again My Life, this dynamic duo will now test their palpable on-screen chemistry as a loving husband and wife. Rounding out the cast in this high-tension thriller are Choi So Yul as their visually impaired daughter, Han Ri An, and Lee Seo Hwan as the mysterious undertaker, Park Dong.

 

 






AN ELECTRIFYING ON-SCREEN CHEMISTRY

 


 







https://www.instagram.com/jg_k_drama/reel/DdsgCl1SPMG/?hl=en




For viewers who followed Again My Life, the reunion is a massive treat. In that series, Lee Joon Gi delivered a tour-de-force performance as Kim Hee Woo, a fearless prosecutor murdered in the line of duty, who is granted a miracle second chance at life to bring down corrupt power players. Kim Jae Kyung shone as Kim Han Mi, a feisty, independent reporter who becomes one of Hee Woo’s crucial allies.

 







Though his character was a laser-focused, time-traveling crusader with little room for romance, the pure screen synergy between Lee Joon Gi and Kim Jae Kyung was undeniable. Critics and viewers alike raved about Lee Joon Gi’s standout performance, particularly praising his extraordinary ability to convincingly regress from a battle-hardened 42-year-old prosecutor to an 18-year-old high school student. With his effortless charm, precise body language, and nuanced expressions, Lee made the age regression feel entirely organic, cementing his reputation as one of Korea’s most versatile and captivating leading men.

 



A DEADLY DILEMMA

WHAT TO EXPECT IN KIDNAP GAME







In Kidnap Game, Lee Joon Gi steps into the role of Dr. Han Ki Joo, a world-renowned surgeon and devoted family man whose life is shattered when his beloved daughter is suddenly snatched away. 








The tragedy sends shockwaves through his world, setting off a heart-pounding race against time.




 

 

 

Dr. Ki Joo isn't the only person facing a nightmare. Victims’ families or loved ones are targeted across Asia - spanning Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore, Manila, Bangkok, and Nara. Seven carefully selected individuals receive a sinister ultimatum: complete a series of twisted challenges within 10 days to rescue their loved ones. The horrifying catch? Only one victim can be saved, forcing the desperate families into a deadly competition.

 

 


A SOLEMN MEDICAL PLEDGE



 

 


As a surgeon who has taken a sacred oath to preserve life, will Dr. Ki Joo abandon his moral code and compromise his ethics and principles to save his own child?

 

 

SYMBOLISM





 

 


Symbolism runs deep in the series’ early teasers. From delicate roses - often signaling passionate love, but shown dropped on the floor to hint at impending tragedy - to the chilling arrival of the undertaker, Park Dong, danger lurks around every corner.

 






 

 


COMPETITION OR COLLABORATION






 


Tensions escalate further when Dr. Ki Joo crosses paths with an elite Tokyo detective whose wife has also been taken. Will these two desperate men tear each other apart in the competition, or join forces to unmask the mastermind behind the game?

 

 







With Lee Joon Gi bringing his trademark depth, emotional intensity, and commanding presence to anchor the series, Kidnap Game promises an unmissable, edge-of-your-seat psychological rollercoaster.




 

 

 

 


Tuesday, 22 September 2026

Inside The High-Stakes World of Lee Joon Gi's Kidnap Game: A Surgeon's Intellect vs. A Mastermind's Trap



INSIDE

THE HIGH-STAKES WORLD

 

OF

 

LEE JOON GI’S

KIDNAP GAME

 

A

SURGEON’S INTELLECT

 

VS.

 

A

MASTERMIND’S TRAP






 

 

 






South Korea’s Channel A has launched an extensive promotional campaign featuring exclusive interviews, games, and behind-the-scenes teasers with Lee Joon Gi, the central anchor of Kidnap Game. Between early stills and atmospheric write-ups detailing this high-stakes survival thriller, eager audiences are already buzzing with anticipation for Lee Joon Gi's performance in the 11-episode television series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A joint production between Fuji Television, Sim Story, and MakerVille, the drama will air across Fuji TV, Channel A, Viu TV, and Disney+ starting 6 October 2026 (Tuesday). The excitement kicks off ahead of time with a grand World Premiere in Tokyo on 2 October 2026 (Friday), featuring Lee Joon Gi, Kentaro Sakaguchi, and a stellar ensemble of international and Japanese co-stars.

 

 

 

 

A SHADOWY MASTERMIND

AND

A CRUEL 10-DAY GAME








Beyond individual tragedies, the series hinges on a sinister, highly orchestrated scheme. An enigmatic mastermind has executed simultaneous kidnappings across seven major Asian cities - targeting the most cherished people in the lives of seven carefully chosen strangers, from daughters and spouses to fiancés and lovers (including a Bangkok contestant fighting to rescue her female partner).

 

 


 


 

 

The targets are given a chilling proposition: "How far will you go to save the person you love most?" Forced into a twisted 10-day survival competition, each participant receives a custom, high-stakes mission. The cruelest rule of the mastermind’s trap is its zero-sum design: only the participant who completes their mission first succeeds, leaving the remaining hostages at fatal risk. 




 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4zYsoL8U60





For Dr. Han Ki Joo, he isn't just racing against time - he is pitted directly against six other desperate players in a game engineered for heartbreak.

 

 

 

THE CLUES AND DARK THEMES

 


 

 


Early promotional footage paints a grim picture for Dr. Han Ki Joo. Despite his brilliant surgical mind, sharp intellect, and fierce paternal devotion, the teasers subtly imply that his desperate bid to save his visually-impaired daughter may end in heartbreak.

 



 

 




Lee Joon Gi's own reflections on filming point to a deeply tragic arc.

 

 

 

 

 


 

Central to this foreboding tone is a recurring motif in the trailers: a fallen rose gently retrieved by Dr. Han. Carrying heavy symbolic weight, the bruised, fallen bloom strongly hints at a tragic fate for his beloved daughter.

 



 

 

 

 


THE JAPANESE CONNECTION

 

 



 

 


Across the sea, the mystery deepens in Tokyo, where Saori, the wife of elite detective Toshiro Niide (Kentaro Sakaguchi), has also been abducted as part of the mastermind's grand design. Assigned the specific mission to unmask and arrest the person behind the entire syndicate, Toshiro dives into the investigation with the full backing of national law enforcement.

 

 

 


 

 

 

Toshiro Niide is joined by Akina Isobe, a tenacious Toto Television reporter who shares a deep, family-like bond with the couple. A sharp and resourceful career woman, Akina taps into her network’s vast resources to feed Toshiro crucial intelligence. Yet, given the dark trajectory of the narrative and the mastermind's single-winner rule, Saori may well be the only victim destined for rescue.

 






For Dr. Han Ki Joo, the odds look heartbreakingly slim, even with the cooperation and help from Toshiro Niide, the elite detective.

 

Viewers should prepare for a gut-wrenching turn of events - and keep a box of tissues close at hand.

 

 









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4zYsoL8U60


























































































































































































 


 

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

 

 

FUJI TV

9:00 PM 

JST


 

CHANNEL A

10:00 PM 

KST

 


VIU

9:00 PM 

SGT / MYT / PHT / NST (8:00 PM WIB / ICT)


 

DISNEY+

10:00 PM 

SGT / MYT / PHT / NST (9:00 PM WIB / ICT)