The Scarecrow () is a 2026 South Korean mystery thriller television series written by Lee Ji-hyun, directed by , and starring Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young. The series follows a detective investigating a serial murder case with a former rival by his side, to uncover the true culprit. It aired on ENA from April 20 to May 26, 2026, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Genie TV and TVING in South Korea and Viu and Rakuten Viki in selected regions.
Synopsis Kang Tae-joo, a former ace detective demoted to his hometown of Gangseong, refuses to compromise with injustice. He sees the Gangseong serial murder case as an opportunity to restore his reputation, but clashes with prosecutor Cha Si-young, a bully from his school days. As they investigate, Tae-joo's character undergoes a transformation, and he encounters unexpected twists and turns in the case. The events of the show are heavily inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders.
Cast Main Park Hae-soo as Kang Tae-joo Choi Hyun-jin as teen Tae-joo A former homicide detective who currently works as a profiler teaching criminology at a university. Lee Hee-joon as Cha Si-young Moon Woo-jin as teen Si-young A prosecutor who led the investigation into the serial murder case. Kwak Sun-young as Seo Ji-won Tae-joo's close high school friend and a reporter for Kangseong Daily.
Supporting Song Geon-hee as Lee Ki-beom / Cha Young-beom Lee Ki-beom: Ki-hwan's younger brother and Sun-young's boyfriend. Cha Young-beom: Ki-beom and Sun-young's son who is an intern at Noise Cut. Seo Ji-hye as Kang Sun-young An elementary school teacher who is Tae-joo's younger sister and Ki-beom's girlfriend. Jung Moon-sung as Lee Ki-hwan The owner of Kangseong Bookstore who is Tae-joo and Ji-won's childhood friend, and Ki-beom's older brother. as Park Dae-ho A rookie detective at Kangseong Police Station. He assists Tae-joo on investigations and works alongside his senior officers. as Cha Joon-young Si-young's half-brother and a high-ranking police official who later gets appointed as the chief of the Kangseong Police Station. Baek Hyun-jin as Kim Man-chun Team Leader at Kangseong Police Station as Jang Myung-do A corrupt detective at Kangseong Police Station who is in cahoots with Si-young. as Do Hyung-gu A corrupt detective at Kangseong Police Station who is in cahoots with Si-young. Baek Seung-hwan as Im Seok-man Ki-beom's friend who is cripple. Sung Yeo-jin as Ki-beom's mother Lim Yun-bi as Jeong-sook Ki-Hwan's wife. Kil Eun-sung as Park Sang-beom Kim Joon-hee as teen Sang-beom The owner of Modoka's Bar and a gangster. Lee Ji-hye as Lee Sook-hee A policewoman at Kangseong Police Station. Hong Bi-ra as Kim Hee-jin Si-young's fiancé and Chairman Kim's daughter. Lee Suk-hyeong as Un-hui A cameraman at Kangseong Daily and Ji-won's assistant. Park Sang-hoon as Lee Sung-jin A former offender with a criminal record for stealing stockings. Kim Hwan-hee as Kim Min-ji A high school student who is Jeong-rin's friend and the sixth victim of the serial murder case. Kong A-reum as Yu Jeong-rin A high school student who is Min-ji's friend and the fourth victim of the serial murder case. Moon Kyung-cho as Park Kyeong-sik Ki-beom's friend who got married. Yoo Seung-mok as Cha Mu-jin Si-young's father, a powerful politician and former military general who has long held significant influence in Kangseong. as Jeon Kyung-ho An elementary school teacher and the nephew of Kangseong Governor. Hwang Eun-hoo as Park Ae-sook A survivor of the serial murder case. Kim Gye-rim as Kim Mi-yeon A survivor of the serial murder case. Park Sung-hoon as Hwang Jae-hoo A prosecutor.
Special appearances
Do Ji-won as adult Cha Sun-young Park Won-sang as adult Park Dae-ho as adult Im Seok-man Cha Ji-yeon as adult Kim Hee-jin Lee Min-ki as Cha Yeon-ho
Production Development Produced under Studio Anseillen, , known for his work on Taxi Driver (2021) and Crash (2024), was attached to direct the series and reunites with screenwriter Lee Ji-hyun, with whom he previously collaborated on Taxi Driver. It is based on the Lee Choon-jae serial murders.
Casting In May 2025, Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young were reportedly cast. The next month, Seo Ji-hye joined the cast. Four months later, Song Geon-hee was cast, and filming was in its final stage. By September 2025, Park, Lee, and Kwak were confirmed to lead the series.
Original soundtrack Album
Singles
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Release The Scarecrow was reportedly scheduled to premiere on ENA in the first half of 2026, and would also be subsequently streaming on Genie TV. By March 2026, the premiere was confirmed to be on April 20, and would air every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 (KST).
Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 April 20, 2026 2 April 21, 2026 4.092% 4.207% 3 April 27, 2026 4.975% 4.834% 4 April 28, 2026 5.243% 5.472% 5 May 4, 2026 6.301% 5.994% 6 May 5, 2026 7.410% 7.650% 7 May 11, 2026 6.455% 6.136% 8 May 12, 2026 7.444% 7.291% 9 May 18, 2026 7.217% 7.182% 10 May 19, 2026 7.925% 7.810% 11 May 25, 2026 7.352% 7.226% 12 May 26, 2026 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. This drama 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).
Awards and nominations Award ceremony Year Category Nominee Result Blue Dragon Series Awards 2026 Best Drama The Scarecrow Best Actor Park Hae-soo Best Supporting Actor Jung Moon-sung Best Supporting Actress Kwak Sun-young Best New Actor Song Geon-hee Best New Actress Seo Ji-hye
References
External links