Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro Enter a Deadly Game Across 7 Asian Cities

Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro are teaming up for the first time in “kiDnap GAME,” an ambitious international thriller connecting a series of kidnappings across seven Asian cities.

The upcoming series is a joint production involving teams from South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, bringing together actors from across Asia for a survival thriller built around one terrifying rule: several people have been kidnapped, but only one can ultimately be saved.

“kiDnap GAME” premieres October 6, airing on Channel A in South Korea and Fuji TV in Japan.

7 Kidnappings Happen Across Asia at the Same Time

The scale of “kiDnap GAME” immediately sets it apart from a typical crime thriller.

A series of kidnappings suddenly takes place across Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Naha. The victims have seemingly little in common. But their loved ones soon receive a mysterious message telling them that they have been entered into the “kiDnap GAME.”

Each participant is given a different mission. To save the person they love, they must complete their assignment before the other players. And there is one brutal condition: Only one person can be saved.

The mystery therefore goes beyond finding the kidnappers. The characters must discover why these seven families were selected, who created the game and what its mastermind actually wants.

Lee Joon Gi Plays a Surgeon Whose Daughter Is Kidnapped

Lee Joon Gi stars as Han Ki Joo, a brilliant Korean surgeon whose life is destroyed when his visually impaired daughter is kidnapped.

A doctor trained to save lives, Ki Joo suddenly finds himself in a situation where protecting his own family could require choices that go against everything he believes.

As the game becomes increasingly dangerous, he is forced to decide how far he is willing to go to bring his daughter home.

The role places Lee Joon Gi at the center of both the thriller’s action and its moral conflict.

Rather than simply chasing a criminal, his character must confront a much harder question: What would you be willing to sacrifice if the person you loved most was the one in danger?

Sakaguchi Kentaro Becomes a Detective Fighting for His Wife

Japanese actor Sakaguchi Kentaro plays Niide Toshiro, a detective determined to uncover the truth behind the kidnappings.

Normally defined by a strong sense of justice and calm judgment, Toshiro is pushed into unfamiliar territory when his own wife is taken. Suddenly, he is no longer investigating the case from a distance. He becomes one of the people trapped inside the game. His determination to save his wife gradually puts his own beliefs under pressure, creating a potentially dangerous relationship with Han Ki Joo.

Both men want to rescue someone they love.

But if only one victim can survive, will they become allies or eventually turn against each other?

Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro Meet for the First Time

That relationship is likely to become one of the drama’s biggest attractions.

“kiDnap GAME” marks the first acting collaboration between Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro, two actors with sizable fan bases across Asia. Early promotional material places the pair at the center of the same deadly conspiracy while deliberately leaving their relationship unclear.

They may need each other to uncover who is controlling the game. At the same time, the rules are designed to make cooperation nearly impossible.

The tension between collaboration and survival could become one of the series’ defining conflicts.

‘kiDnap GAME’ Is Bigger Than a Korea-Japan Drama

The series is not simply a Korean drama featuring a Japanese actor.

It was developed as an international project involving Fuji Television in Japan, SIMSTORY in South Korea and MakerVille in Hong Kong, with filming taking place across multiple locations.

Fuji TV says the series has already secured broadcast or streaming plans across 18 countries and regions.

The wider cast reflects that scale, bringing together performers representing cities including Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and Bangkok.

That international structure fits directly into the story: instead of treating each country as a separate setting, “kiDnap GAME” connects characters across borders through the same mysterious survival game.

When Does ‘kiDnap GAME’ Premiere?

“kiDnap GAME” premieres on October 6, 2026.

In South Korea, the series will air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. KST on Channel A. In Japan, it will air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. JST on Fuji TV, with the premiere receiving an extended 69-minute broadcast.

With seven cities, seven families and a game apparently designed to save only one victim, the series is setting up a thriller where solving the mystery may not be enough.

For Lee Joon Gi and Sakaguchi Kentaro’s characters, the bigger question is whether they can protect the people they love without losing themselves along the way.