The Kidnapping Day

The Kidnapping Day^[9] (Korean: 유괴의 날) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Yoon Kye-sang, Park Sung-hoon, Jeon Yu-na, and Kim Shin-rok. It is based on a novel of the same title by writer Jung Hae-yeon. It aired on ENA from September 13 to October 25, 2023, every Wednesday and Thursday at 21:00 (KST).^[8][10] It is also available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in selected regions.^[11]

The Kidnapping Day
Promotional poster
Also known as	The Abduction Day[1]
Hangul	유괴의 날
Hanja	誘拐의 날
RR	Yugoeui nal
MR	Yugoeŭi nal
Genre	Thriller[2] Mystery[2] Black comedy[3] Action[4]
Based on	The Kidnapping Day by Jung Hae-yeon[5]
Written by	Kim Je-young[3]
Directed by	Park You-young[3]
Starring	Yoon Kye-sang Park Sung-hoon Jeon Yu-na Kim Shin-rok
Music by	Movie Closer[6]
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producers	Han Sang-jae (CP) Lee Young-hwa
Producers	Lee Sang-baek Yoon Jae-soon Kim Ha-na
Running time	60 minutes[7]
Production companies	AStory[8] KT Studio Genie[8]
Original release
Network	ENA
Release	September 13 (2023-09-13) – October 25, 2023 (2023-10-25)

Synopsis

The series is about the collaboration of a clumsy kidnapper, and a genius girl who has lost her memory.^[12]

Cast

Main

• Yoon Kye-sang as Kim Myung-joon
  • Oh Seung-jun as young Kim Myung-joon^[5]

A former judoka and a desperate father who becomes an unlikely kidnapper to raise the necessary funds to pay for his sick daughter's hospital bills, but is unexpectedly pursued as a murder suspect.^[4][13][14]

• Park Sung-hoon as Park Sang-yoon

A violent crime detective.^[14]

• Jeon Yu-na as Choi Ro-hee

An 11-year-old genius girl who has lost her memory.^[12]

• Kim Shin-rok as Seo Hye-eun

Myung-joon's ex-wife.^[15]

Supporting

• Kim Sang-ho as Park Cheol-won

An employee of a security company.^[16]

• Seo Jae-hee as Mo Eun-seon

A neurosurgeon.^[17]

• Kang Young-seok as Jayden

A fund manager.^[2]

• Woo Ji-hyun as Choi Taek-gyun

A lawyer.^[18]

• Jeong Soon-won as Chae Jung-man

A detective who is the partner of Sang-yoon.^[19]

• Go Ha as So Jin-yu

Ro-hee's mother.^[20]

• Jeon Kwang-jin as Choi Jin-tae

Ro-hee's father who is the director of Hyegwang Hospital.^[21]

• Choi Eun-woo as Kim Hee-ae

Myung-joon and Hye-eun's daughter.^[22]

• Kim Dong-won as Ho-young^[23]
• Song Jae-ryong as Beonggeoji^[24]
• Min Kyung-jin as Gi-sun^[22]
• Park Jin-woo as Jung-do^[22]
• Kwak Ja-hyung as a police team leader^[25]

Special appearances

• Joo Hyun-young as an employee of a computer parts store (ep. 10)^[26]
• Kang Ha-neul as a lawyer (ep. 12)^[27]

Production and release

Actress Jeon Yu-na was selected for the role of Choi Ro-hee through an audition with 500 participants.^[2]

In May 2023, production company AStory announced that it had signed a license supply contract with Amazon for the overseas broadcasting rights of the series.^[28]

Reception

Viewership

The Kidnapping Day : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)

Season		Episode number												Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	1	417	321	658	696	798	708	813	925	946	997	953	1178	784

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[29]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[29]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	September 13, 2023	1.833% (4th)	1.840% (4th)
2	September 14, 2023	1.450% (5th)	1.445% (5th)
3	September 20, 2023	3.094% (3rd)	2.713% (3rd)
4	September 21, 2023	3.605% (1st)	3.382% (1st)
5	September 27, 2023	3.495% (2nd)	3.452% (3rd)
6	September 28, 2023	3.195% (1st)	3.548% (2nd)
7	October 5, 2023	3.955% (1st)	4.038% (1st)
8	October 11, 2023	4.144% (1st)	4.439% (2nd)
9	October 12, 2023	4.177% (1st)	4.258% (1st)
10	October 18, 2023	4.262% (1st)	4.345% (1st)
11	October 19, 2023	4.269% (1st)	4.522% (1st)
12	October 25, 2023	5.245% (1st)	5.495% (1st)
Average		3.560%	3.623%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Accolades

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
APAN Star Awards	2023	Best Child Actress	Jeon Yu-na	Won	[30]
Baeksang Arts Awards	2024	Best New Actress		Won	[31]