Chief Detective 1958
2024 South Korean television series
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Chief Detective 1958 (Korean: 수사반장 1958) is a 2024 South Korean television series written by Kim Young-shin, directed by Kim Sung-hoon, and starring Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Choi Woo-sung and Yoon Hyun-soo. As a prequel of the series Chief Inspector, it depicts a retro crime investigation drama with the romance and joy of analog investigation, where crimes are solved solely with innate sense, insight, and tenacity without profiling or the common use of CCTV. It aired on MBC TV from April 19, to May 18, 2024, every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).[5][6] It is also available for streaming on Disney+ in selected regions.[7]
| Chief Detective 1958 | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Also known as | Chief Inspector: The Beginning |
| Hangul | 수사반장 1958 |
| Hanja | 搜査班長 1958 |
| RR | Susabanjang 1958 |
| MR | Susabanjang 1958 |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Park Jae-beom[2] |
| Developed by | |
| Written by | Kim Young-shin[1] |
| Directed by | Kim Sung-hoon[1] |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Kim Woo-geun[3] |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
| Producers | |
| Cinematography | |
| Editor | Shin Min-kyung[3] |
| Production company | Barunson Studio |
| Original release | |
| Network | MBC TV |
| Release | April 19 – May 18, 2024 |
| Related | |
| Chief Inspector | |
Synopsis
Set in the 1950s to 1960s, ten years before the original series, the story follows Detective Park Yeong-han, who specializes in apprehending petty thieves, teams up with three unique colleagues to break down the absurdities of corrupt power with common sense, and is reborn as a detective for the people.[8]
Cast and characters
Main
- Lee Je-hoon as Park Yeong-han[9]
- A detective who is angry and struggling against the reality that tramples on human dignity.
- Lee Dong-hwi as Kim Sang-sun[10]
- A detective at Jongnam Police Station who is called Mad Dog.
- Choi Woo-sung as Jo Gyeong-hwan[11]
- A wealthy and polite detective at Jongnam Police Station.
- Yoon Hyun-soo as Seo Ho-jeong[11]
- A high-spec elite who dreams of becoming a master investigator at Jongnam Police Station.
- Seo Eun-soo as Lee Hye-ju[12]
- An owner of a bookstore called Jongnam Seorim, located near Jongnam Market. Later, she becomes Yeong-han's wife.
Supporting
Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 1
- Choi Deok-moon as Yu Dae-cheon[13]
- Leader of Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 1, and Yeong-han's mentor who is a veteran police officer with a sense of duty.
Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 2
- Song Wook-kyung as Byun Dae-sik[14]
- Leader of Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 2.
- Ryu Yeon-seok as Song Jae-deok[14]
- A detective of Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 2.
- Jo Han-jun as Hwang Soo-man[14]
- A detective of Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 2.
- Nam Hyun-woo as Oh Ji-sub[14]
- The youngest detective of Jongnam Police Station Investigation Unit 2.
National Forensic Service
- Go Sang-ho as Moon Guk-cheol[14]
- A talented autopsy doctor with a strong sense of duty, and a passion for learning.
Jongnam Seorim
- Chung Su-bin as Bong Nan-sil[15]
- A student at Jongnam Girls' High School who dreams of becoming a police officer in the future.
Jongnam Market
- Uhm Jun-gi as Seong-chil[14]
- Hal-mae's grandson.
- Cha Mi-kyung as Grandma Ho[14]
- An owner of a tteokbokki shop at Jeongnam Market.
- Kim Seo-an as Geum-ok[14]
- A daughter of a vegetable store at Jongnam Market.
Dongdaemun gang
- Kim Young-sung as Lee Jung-jae[14]
- Boss of the Dongdaemun gang, an infamous Korean Mafia syndicate in the 1950s, and a member of the Liberal Party.
- Kang In-kwon as Sal Mo-sa[14]
- Self-proclaimed second-in-command of the Dongdaemun gang. He is called Viper of Youngmoon Mountain.
- Park Jung-hyuk as Bang Wool-baem[14]
- Mo-sa's right-hand man, who is a grumpy and frivolous thug obsessed with pseudo-religion.
Boarding House
- Joo In-young as Mrs. Paju[14]
- A boarding house owner who is talkative and good at cooking.
- Shin Min-jae as Geum Eun-dong[14]
- A young man from the boarding house that wears horn-rimmed glasses. He is a banker who is timid, but has a strong work ethic.
- Lee Suk-hyeong as Jung Guk-jin[14]
- A young man from the boarding house who dreams of becoming a prosecutor.
Others
- A mounted police officer, and the youngest member of the Jongnam Police Station.
- Kim Min-jae as Baek Do-seok[17]
- The new chief of the Jongnam Police Station.
- Moon Jin-seung as Detective Kang[18]
- Do-seok's right-hand man.
- Yoon Woo as Kim Soon-kyung[19]
- A man who tries to keep his principles.
Special appearances
- Choi Go as Kim Young-nam[20]
- Choi Bool-am as present day Park Yeong-han[21]
- Kim Soo-jin as Audrey Ko[22]
- A hysterical and vicious orphanage director.
- Ko Seo-hee as Jang Mal-sun[23]
- A woman who commits evil deeds under the pretext of selling American cosmetics products.
Original soundtrack
Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "100 Wins" (지피지기 백전백승) |
|
| Seo Eun-kwang (BtoB) | 3:25 |
| 2. | "100 Wins" (지피지기 백전백승; Inst.) |
| 3:25 | ||
| Total length: | 7:50 | ||||
Viewership

| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||
| 1 | 1.861 | 1.513 | 1.821 | 1.359 | 1.729 | 1.615 | 1.684 | 1.831 | 1.795 | 2.015 | 1.722 | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[24] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | April 19, 2024 | 10.1% (1st) | 10.3% (1st) |
| 2 | April 20, 2024 | 7.8% (2nd) | 8.1% (2nd) |
| 3 | April 26, 2024 | 10.8% (1st) | 10.6% (1st) |
| 4 | April 27, 2024 | 7.1% (2nd) | 7.0% (2nd) |
| 5 | May 3, 2024 | 9.5% (2nd) | 9.1% (1st) |
| 6 | May 4, 2024 | 9.0% (2nd) | 9.2% (2nd) |
| 7 | May 10, 2024 | 9.9% (2nd) | 9.8% (1st) |
| 8 | May 11, 2024 | 9.7% (2nd) | 10.1% (2nd) |
| 9 | May 17, 2024 | 10.0% (2nd) | 9.3% (1st) |
| 10 | May 18, 2024 | 10.6% (2nd) | 10.6% (2nd) |
| Average | 9.5% | 9.4% | |
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