The Blue Road () is an upcoming South Korean–Japanese crime drama television series written and directed by Han Jun-hee with Cho Yu-jin as co-writer and starring Son Suk-ku, Eita Nagayama, Kim Shin-rok, Choi Sung-eun, and Jung Jae-young. Based on the 2002 Korean-Japanese manhwa Blue Road by Keishi Edogawa and Kwon Kaya, the series follows two detectives from South Korea and Japan who must form an alliance to track down a serial killer staging a campaign of murders across both countries.
The series was selected as one of the drama series for the On Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, where three of its eight episodes will be screened on October 7, 2026, and is scheduled to be released globally on Netflix on November 20.
Synopsis The case begins when a mutilated body is discovered in Tokyo bearing a chilling message written in Korean, quickly followed by a similarly disfigured corpse found in Seoul accompanied by a message in Japanese. To track down the serial killer responsible, an alliance is formed between Kim Seok and Inose. As the two detectives navigate contrasting styles and jurisdictional hurdles, the trail pulls them into a complex web involving a mysterious Korean-Japanese businesswoman named Lee Yun-ok and recurring cryptic motifs, forcing them to unravel a dark international conspiracy.
Cast and characters Son Suk-ku as Kim Seok, a detective from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Mobile Investigation Unit Eita Nagayama as Inose, a detective from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's First Investigation Division Kim Shin-rok as Lee Yun-ok, a Korean-Japanese facilitator Choi Sung-eun as an National Intelligence Service agent Jung Jae-young as a mysterious figure
Production Development The series was greenlit by Netflix under the working title Road directed by Han Jun-hee, written by Cho Yu-jin and Han, and produced by Shotcake. It is adapted from Blue Road, a co-produced 2002 Korean-Japanese manhwa written by Keishi Edogawa and illustrated by Kwon Kaya.
Casting In February 2025, News1 reported that Son Suk-ku was reviewing an offer to star in the project. His casting marked his fourth collaboration with director Han, following the film Hit-and-Run Squad (2019) and the series D.P. (2021–2023). By September 2025, Netflix later announced that Son and Eita Nagayama would lead the series along with Kim Shin-rok, Choi Sung-eun, and Jung Jae-young.
Filming Principal photography began in 2025.
Release Netflix confirmed The Blue Road was scheduled to be released in the fourth quarter of 2026. In August 2026, BIFF announced that the series was selected as one of three drama series in the On Screen section of the 31st edition, where three of its eight episodes will be screened on October 7, 8, and 12. It was later confirmed that the series will premiere globally on November 20.
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