The Completion of Marriage

At a Glance

At the heart of the KBS 2TV weekend mini-series lineup in the summer of 2026 is actor Namkoong Min. Returning to KBS primetime after 7 years, he takes on the role of a neurosurgeon and hospital director, leading the crime thriller 《The Completion of Marriage》, where he fights to save his kidnapped wife.

Synopsis

Unlike its title, 《The Completion of Marriage》 is not a story of a harmonious newlywed couple. The starting point of the drama is a couple on the verge of divorce: Kang Tae-joo (Namkoong Min), a neurosurgeon and hospital director, and his wife Go Se-yoon (Lee Seol), the hospital's chairwoman. Amidst their tangled resentment and lingering attachments, Se-yoon is suddenly kidnapped one day, and the couple's relationship, which was about to end, begins to twist in unexpected directions.

Tae-joo loses his wife to the unidentified kidnapper Noh Man-hee (Kim Dae-myung) and finds himself in an extreme situation where he must pursue him and rescue his wife. With the mysterious woman Kim Kyung-ae (Lee Sang-hee) suddenly appearing before Se-yoon, the narrative goes beyond a simple kidnapping drama, gradually revealing the characters' hidden relationships and truths with each episode. Like the paradoxical title "The Completion of Marriage," the story of a couple finally facing each other's true feelings in a moment of crisis unfolds with the tension of a thriller. A notable characteristic of this work is that it is not an adaptation of an existing webtoon or novel, but an original screenplay newly written by writer Jung Jae-ha from the start.

Characters·Cast

Key Points

1. Return to KBS after 7 Years, and the Doctor's Gown Again — This marks Namkoong Min's return to a KBS drama after 7 years since 2019's 《Doctor Prisoner》. Praised for his doctor role back then, he now returns as a neurosurgeon and hospital director, portraying a desperate survival drama that is different in nature from his previous work.
2. Kim Dae-myung's Faceless Terror — Kim Dae-myung, playing the kidnapper Noh Man-hee, whose setting is "an ordinary appearance that is hard to remember if you see him casually," raises the tension of the drama with the character's duality as a hidden threat in everyday life.
3. Original Thriller with No Original Work — The fact that it is a purely original screenplay with no webtoon or novel as its source makes it difficult to predict the plot in advance, which is cited as a point of immersion. Caution is advised not to confuse the ending with other works of similar titles.
4. Rising Viewership with Strong Momentum — After a smooth start with 4.4% nationwide for episode 1, it climbed to 6.4% for episode 2, and a peak of 7.3% per minute (5.3% nationwide) for episode 3, showing an upward curve with each episode and emerging as a dark horse in the weekend drama market.

Schedule·Broadcast Dates

《The Completion of Marriage》 airs on KBS 2TV every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM. It is scheduled to premiere on July 4, 2026, and conclude on August 9 with a total of 12 episodes. If you missed the live broadcast or wish to binge-watch, you can stream it domestically on Wavve, and internationally via Disney+.

Namkoong Min's Works So Far

Namkoong Min has solidified his position as a reliable leading actor, achieving consecutive successes with SBS dramas such as 《Hot Stove League》 and 《One Dollar Lawyer》. In 2023-2024, he was praised for his melodrama performance in the historical romance drama 《My Dearest》 on MBC, and his acting prowess was once again recognized when he won the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actor in a TV series in 2024 for this work.

Subsequently, in 2025, he played the role of film director Lee Je-ha in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama 《Our Movie》, and made a special appearance in SBS's 《Kiss for No Reason!》 in the same year. Then, in the summer of 2026, he moved to KBS and returned as Kang Tae-joo in 《The Completion of Marriage》. Having played a doctor who risks everything for his patients in 2019's 《Doctor Prisoner》, he is now evaluated as a character who adds new desperation to the common denominator of "doctor role" by risking everything to save his wife.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Is 《The Completion of Marriage》 based on a webtoon or novel? A. No. It is an original screenplay newly written by writer Jung Jae-ha from the start. Caution is needed not to confuse it with other original content of similar titles and inadvertently spoil the ending.

Q. How many episodes are there in total? A. It is planned for 12 episodes and is scheduled to conclude on August 9, 2026.

Q. When and on which channel can I watch it? A. It airs on KBS 2TV every Saturday and Sunday at 9:20 PM.

Q. Where can I re-watch it if I miss the live broadcast? A. Domestically, it can be streamed on Wavve, and internationally on Disney+.

Q. How are the viewership ratings? A. Starting with 4.4% nationwide for episode 1, it continued its upward trend to 6.4% for episode 2 and a peak of 7.3% per minute for episode 3, building buzz in the weekend drama market (Nielsen Korea, nationwide standard).