What would a lifelong chairman see if he became an intern overnight? Chairman Kang the New Employee Episode 1 begins with Kang Yong-ho, the man who made every decision from the highest seat of power, waking up in the body of Hwang Jun-hyun, the young man hurt in an accident connected to him.
The premiere opens both a chaebol succession war and a survival story inside the company from the lowest possible position.
Chairman Kang the New Employee Episode 1 Recap: The Retirement Bombshell, a Hit-and-Run, and Kang Yong-ho Waking Up as Hwang Jun-hyun
Basic Information
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Series | Chairman Kang the New Employee |
| Episode | Episode 1 |
| Broadcast | Saturday, May 30, 2026 |
| Network | JTBC Saturday-Sunday drama |
| Streaming | TVING |
| Genre | Reminder life, fantasy, office drama, chaebol family drama |
| Creators | Kim Soon-ok, Hyun Ji-min, Go Hye-jin |
| Main cast | Lee Jun-young, Son Hyun-joo, Lee Joo-myoung, Jeon Hye-jin, Jin Goo |
| Key characters | Kang Yong-ho, Hwang Jun-hyun, Kang Jae-sung, Kang Jae-kyung, people of ChoiSung Group |
Story Flow
Kang Yong-ho, the chairman who built ChoiSung Group into a top-tier conglomerate, announces that the group succession will be completed within one month. His bombshell turns the company and his children into a battlefield.
For Jae-sung and Jae-kyung, the retirement announcement is both an opportunity and the beginning of a war. Each begins moving toward the succession in their own way.
Hwang Jun-hyun is a football player on the verge of joining ChoiSung FC, but a hit-and-run threatens his career and future. Holding evidence that connects the accident to Kang Yong-ho, he goes straight to the chairman.
After the accident, Kang Yong-ho wakes up not in his own body but in the body of 27-year-old Hwang Jun-hyun. The world no longer sees him as a chairman, but as a young victim with a blocked future.
Key Events
| Event | What Happens | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Retirement bombshell | Kang Yong-ho declares that succession will be completed within a month | The ChoiSung family succession war begins |
| Succession race | Jae-sung and Jae-kyung start moving in earnest | Family drama and chaebol power struggle take shape |
| Jun-hyun’s accident | Hwang Jun-hyun is hit before joining ChoiSung FC | The decisive incident linking Jun-hyun and Yong-ho |
| Direct confrontation | Jun-hyun confronts Kang Yong-ho with evidence of the accident | The chairman and the injured young man collide |
| Body switch | Kang Yong-ho wakes up in Hwang Jun-hyun’s body | The fall from chairman life to intern life begins |
| Second life | Yong-ho may have to re-enter ChoiSung Group as a young employee | Office survival and succession politics merge |
Character Notes
Kang Yong-ho
Yong-ho has judged everything through results and numbers. After the accident, he loses every form of power and wakes up in Jun-hyun’s body, finally standing where he can be controlled by others.
Hwang Jun-hyun
Jun-hyun is a football player whose career collapses after the hit-and-run. His anger and ruined future become the starting point of Yong-ho’s second life.
Kang Jae-sung
Jae-sung enters the succession race after his father’s announcement and may become a key variable inside ChoiSung Group.
Kang Jae-kyung
Jae-kyung also refuses to step back in the succession structure and begins securing power in her own way.
People of ChoiSung Group
The moment Yong-ho disappears or weakens, everyone inside the company begins moving according to their own interests.
Why This Episode Matters
The retirement announcement is not a simple exit; it is the opening of the succession war. Ironically, Yong-ho himself falls out of the chairman’s seat before he can watch the game he created.
Jun-hyun’s accident creates the drama’s moral question. The body-switch setup is not only fantasy; it reverses the positions of power and weakness, perpetrator and victim.
Yong-ho’s second life begins less like a reward and more like punishment. The comedy and growth will come from his chairman mindset crashing into the reality of a rookie employee.
FAQ
Q. When did Episode 1 air?
A. Episode 1 aired on JTBC at 10:40 p.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
Q. What kind of drama is Chairman Kang the New Employee?
A. It is a reminder-life story in which ChoiSung Group chairman Kang Yong-ho wakes up in the body of young Hwang Jun-hyun after an accident.
Q. What is the core plot of Episode 1?
A. Kang Yong-ho announces succession, Hwang Jun-hyun suffers a hit-and-run, and the accident changes both men’s fates.
Q. Who is Hwang Jun-hyun?
A. He is a football player who was about to join ChoiSung FC before the hit-and-run threatened his career and future.
Q. Is there an original work?
A. Yes. It is based on the Naver Webtoon Chairman Kang the New Employee.
Final Thoughts
Chairman Kang the New Employee Episode 1 drops Kang Yong-ho from the highest seat to the lowest place. He tried to settle the future of ChoiSung Group through succession, but the accident destroys every plan.
Jun-hyun’s accident is not just bad luck for Yong-ho. It forces the chairman to live the life of someone whose pain he might otherwise have ignored. From Episode 2, the key fun will be watching a chairman mindset collide with rookie employee reality.