The Chaser (TV series)
2012 South Korean television drama series
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The Chaser (Korean: 추적자; RR: Chujeokja) is a 2012 South Korean television drama series about a grieving father out for revenge against corrupt officials.[1]
| The Chaser | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 추적자 |
| Hanja | 追跡者 |
| RR | Chujeokja |
| MR | Ch'ujŏkcha |
| Genre | |
| Created by | SBS TV |
| Written by | Park Kyung-soo |
| Directed by |
|
| Creative director | Lee Jung-heum |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Park Se-joon |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 + 2 specials |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lee Hyun-jin |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editor | Bang Soo-yun |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 60 min |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS TV |
| Release | 28 May – 15 July 2012 |
Despite no hype or big stars, the thriller gave a strong performance in the ratings, ending its run at 22.1% (number one in its timeslot). Its rise in popularity was based on the tightly written and well-structured storyline, solid direction, and cast members' acting skills.[2][3]
Plot
The series tells the story of Detective Baek Hong-suk, a happily married family man whose life is shattered when his 15-year-old daughter is killed in a car accident, causing his wife to go into a state of shock, eventually killing herself and leaving Hong-suk a widower. He later discovers his daughter's death was the result of a conspiracy led by politician Kang Dong-yoon, to secure his political future as a presidential candidate. Hong-suk goes from loving, doting father and cop to harrowed man hellbent on revenge, as Kang continues to rise in power. With the help of Kang's sister-in-law, a reporter, Hong-suk takes revenge against the man who ruined his life.
Cast
Main
- Son Hyun-joo as Detective Baek Hong-suk
- Kim Sang-joong as Presidential candidate Kang Dong-yoon
Supporting
- Go Joon-hee as Reporter Seo Ji-won
- Kim Sung-ryung as Seo Ji-soo
- Ryu Seung-soo as Choi Jung-woo
- Park Hyo-joo as Detective Jo
- Kang Shin-il as Squad Chief Detective Hwang
- Lee Yong-woo as PK Joon
- Jang Shin-young as Shin Hye-ra
- Lee Hye-in as Baek Soo-jung (Hong-suk's and Mi-yeon's daughter)
- Kim Do-yeon as Song Mi-yeon
- Jo Jae-yoon as Park Yong-sik
- Choi Joon-young as Yoon Chang-min
- Lee Re as Yoon Chang-min's daughter
- Park Geun-hyung as Company president Seo
- Jeon No-min as Seo Young-wook
- Nam Da-reum as Kang Min-sung
- Jeon Gook-hwan as Jang Byung-ho
- Song Jae-ho as Yoo Tae-jin
- Ryohei Otani as Bae Sang-moo
- Kim Min-ha as Hyo-jin
Special appearance
- Lee Jung-gil as Jo Dong-soo
- Jung Soo-in as Choi's secretary
- Jo Young-jin as Kim Chang-jae
Original soundtracks
| The Chaser OST Album | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | 10 July 2012 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 23:01 |
| Language | Korean |
| Label | Sony Music (소니뮤직) |
The Chaser OST
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Saying "I Love You" (Acoustic Ver.)" (사랑한다는 이 말 (Acoustic Ver.)) | The One | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Lily" (나리꽃) | Lee Hye-in | 5:40 |
| 3. | "A Dream (Drama Ver.)" (꿈 (Drama Ver.)) | The One | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Good Person" (좋은 사람) | Ivy | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Saying "I Love You"" (사랑한다는 이 말) | The One | 4:31 |
| 6. | "Callus" (굳은살) | Kim Bum-soo | 4:08 |
| 7. | "A Dream" (꿈) | The One | 3:30 |
| 8. | "The Chaser (Opening Title)" | Various Artists | 1:58 |
| 9. | "Father's Original Story" (아버지 (Original Story)) | Various Artists | 3:11 |
| 10. | "Black Box" | Various Artists | 2:17 |
| 11. | "The Truth is Far Away" (진실은 멀어진다) | Various Artists | 2:03 |
| 12. | "Lily Guitar Story" (나리꽃 Guitar Story) | Various Artists | 1:54 |
| 13. | "Wait for Kang Dong-yoon" (기다려라 강동윤) | Various Artists | 3:33 |
| 14. | "Devil's Tears (Father's Sad Trumpet Story)" (악마의 눈물 (아버지 Sad Trumpet Story)) | Various Artists | 2:15 |
| 15. | "I Run" (나는 달린다) | Various Artists | 1:46 |
| 16. | "Jin-soo (Father's Guitar Story)" (지수야 (아버지 Guitar Story)) | Various Artists | 1:42 |
| 17. | "I'm Sorry" (미안합니다) | Various Artists | 3:32 |
| 18. | "Counterstrike" | Various Artists | 1:42 |
| 19. | "Hong Seok-Yi's Dream" (홍석이의 꿈) | Various Artists | 2:54 |
| 20. | "In Front of a Corpse" (주검앞에서) | Various Artists | 3:00 |
| 21. | "The Beginning of Revenge" (복수의 시작) | Various Artists | 1:37 |
| 22. | "The Dreams of the Poor" (가난한 자들의 꿈) | Various Artists | 2:22 |
| 23. | "A Lonely Fight" (외로운 싸움) | Various Artists | 1:47 |
| 24. | "The Chairman (Father's Waltz Story)" (The Chairman (아버지 Waltz Story)) | Various Artists | 3:08 |
| Total length: | 23:01 | ||
| The Chaser OST Special | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Heo Gong (허공) | |
| Released | 17 July 2012 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 7:04 |
| Language | Korean |
| Label | Sony Music (소니뮤직) |
The Chaser OST Special
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How Can I Forget You?" (어찌 너를 잊어요) | Heo Gong (허공) | 3:32 |
| 2. | "How Can I Forget You? (Inst.)" (어찌 너를 잊어요 (Inst.)) | 3:32 | |
| Total length: | 07:04 | ||
Ratings
- In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS Ratings[4] | AGB Nielsen[5] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
| 1 | 28 May 2012 | 10.0% | 12.6% | 9.3% (13th) | 10.3% (8th) |
| 2 | 29 May 2012 | 10.9% | 13.5% | 9.9% (9th) | 11.0% (6th) |
| 3 | 4 June 2012 | 11.6% | 14.7% | 9.2% (16th) | 9.7% (11th) |
| 4 | 5 June 2012 | 11.5% | 14.1% | 9.8% (9th) | 10.3% (9th) |
| 5 | 11 June 2012 | 13.2% | 16.5% | 10.6% (7th) | 10.7% (7th) |
| 6 | 12 June 2012 | 12.5% | 15.1% | 11.1% (5th) | 11.9% (4th) |
| 7 | 18 June 2012 | 13.2% | 14.5% | 11.5% (5th) | 12.4% (4th) |
| 8 | 19 June 2012 | 13.2% | 14.1% | 13.3% (4th) | 14.2% (4th) |
| 9 | 25 June 2012 | 13.6% | 16.3% | 12.4% (4th) | 13.1% (4th) |
| 10 | 26 June 2012 | 13.8% | 15.8% | 13.2% (4th) | 14.2% (4th) |
| 11 | 2 July 2012 | 14.0% | 15.9% | 13.1% (4th) | 13.9% (4th) |
| 12 | 3 July 2012 | 15.3% | 16.2% | 13.5% (4th) | 14.3% (4th) |
| 13 | 9 July 2012 | 20.0% | 22.4% | 17.9% (3rd) | 19.7% (3rd) |
| 14 | 10 July 2012 | 23.1% | 26.7% | 20.7% (3rd) | 22.3% (2nd) |
| 15 | 16 July 2012 | 22.1% | 26.6% | 20.4% (3rd) | 21.5% (1st) |
| 16 | 17 July 2012 | 25.1% | 28.3% | 22.6% (2nd) | 23.8% (1st) |
| Average | 15.2% | 17.7% | 13.7% | 14.6% | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Best Drama | The Chaser | Nominated | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actor | Son Hyun-joo | Nominated | ||
| Kim Sang-joong | Won | |||
| Excellence Award, Actress | Jang Shin-young | Nominated | ||
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Son Hyun-joo | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor | Kim Sang-joong | Nominated | ||
25th Grimae Awards | Excellence Award in Visuals | Jung Ki-hyun, Kim Dae-kwon | Won | |
20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Popularity Award, Drama category | Go Joon-hee | Won | |
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Son Hyun-joo | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Son Hyun-joo | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Kim Sang-joong | Won | ||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Sung-ryung | Won | ||
| Special Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Ryu Seung-soo | Nominated | ||
| Jo Jae-yoon | Nominated | |||
| Special Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Jang Shin-young | Won | ||
| Kim Do-yeon | Nominated | |||
| Producers' Award | Park Geun-hyung | Won | ||
| Top 10 Stars | Son Hyun-joo | Won | ||
| New Star Award | Park Hyo-joo | Won | ||
| Go Joon-hee | Won | |||
24th Korean PD Awards | Best Drama | The Chaser | Won | |
| 2013 | Best Drama | The Chaser | Won | |
| Best Actor (TV) | Son Hyun-joo | Won | ||
| Best Director (TV) | Jo Nam-kook | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay (TV) | Park Kyung-soo | Won | ||
| 40th Korea Broadcasting Awards | Best Mid-length Drama | The Chaser | Won | |
| Best Actor | Son Hyun-joo | Won | ||
| Best Screenwriter | Park Kyung-soo | Won | ||
| Silver Bird Prize (Runner-up, Best Series Drama) | The Chaser | Won | ||
International broadcast
It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from 20 September – 8 November 2013,[10] and was re-aired on cable channel BS-Fuji.[11]
It aired in Thailand on Workpoint TV in midyear 2015.[12]