'Manager Kim' So Ji-sub rescues Ri Eung-ryeong after standoff with North Korean agents... tension peaks amid gunfight

SBS Friday-Saturday drama ’Chief Kim’ continues its success by surpassing a 20% viewership rating for six consecutive episodes. Episode 9 recorded a nationwide rating of 21.5% according to Nielsen Korea and ranked first among programs aired during the week in the 2049 demographic ratings. ’Chief Kim’ maintained its position as the number one non-English show in the global top 10 on the Netflix aggregation site Tudum for the third consecutive week, with 8.2 million views in the fourth week (July 13–19). The recent broadcast depicted Chief Kim (So Ji-sub) embarking on a mission to recapture Lee Eung-ryeong (Lee Jae-yong) alongside Sung Han-soo (Choi Dae-hoon) and Park Jin-chul (Yoon Kyung-ho). Chief Kim rescued Lee Eung-ryeong but was surrounded by North Korean agents, while Joo Kang-chan (Joo Sang-wook) threatened them by taking Sung Han-soo’s and Park Jin-chul’s children hostage. During this process, Chief Kim and his team infiltrated a resort, identified the location of the suite where Lee Eung-ryeong was held captive, and carried out a rescue operation. The North Korean representative interrogated Lee Eung-ryeong about the whereabouts of the hidden $8 million South Korean operation funds and subjected him to water torture, but Chief Kim subdued the North Korean representative at a critical moment and rescued Lee Eung-ryeong. However, a gunfight broke out at the resort under the North Korean representative’s orders, and the activation of an EMP bomb cut off all power, ruining Chief Kim’s team’s plan. Afterward, Chief Kim and Lee Eung-ryeong attempted to escape while surrounded by North Korean agents, and Sung Han-soo and Park Jin-chul confirmed through a video shown by Joo Kang-chan that their children, Tae-hoon (Yang Jun-seok) and Da-bin (Lee Na-yeon), were bound. Joo Kang-chan threatened, ″If you even touch me, the kids will die,″ and Park Jin-chul warned, ″If anything happens to Da-bin, I will chew you up bone by bone.″ Ahead of the final episode, So Ji-sub, Choi Dae-hoon, and Yoon Kyung-ho shared their thoughts on wrapping up the work and memorable scenes. So Ji-sub expressed, ″I sincerely thank all the viewers who loved and supported Chief Kim,″ and chose the moment in the ending of episode 6 when he reunites with his daughter Min-ji (Seo Soo-min) as the most memorable scene. Choi Dae-hoon selected the scene in episode 2 where Chief Kim meets Min-ji and starts a new life after losing his wife as a masterpiece. Yoon Kyung-ho picked the scene in episode 7 where Chief Kim has dinner alone with Min-ji and conveyed his gratitude for the support received during the airing period. The final episode of SBS Friday-Saturday drama ’Chief Kim’ will air on the 25th at 9:45 PM.