The Scarecrow (TV series)
2026 South Korean television series
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The Scarecrow (Korean: 허수아비) is a 2026 South Korean mystery thriller television series written by Lee Ji-hyun, directed by Park Joon-woo, 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.
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| The Scarecrow | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 허수아비 |
| RR | Heosuabi |
| MR | Hŏsuabi |
| Genre | |
| Written by | Lee Ji-hyun |
| Directed by | Park Joon-woo |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Kim Sung-youl |
| Opening theme | Scarecrow by Kim Sung-youl |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editor | Na Hee-soo |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | April 20 – May 26, 2026 |
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.
- Ryu Hae-jun as Park Dae-ho
- A rookie detective at Kangseong Police Station. He assists Tae-joo on investigations and works alongside his senior officers.
- Hur Jung-do 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
- Jeon Jae-hong as Jang Myung-do
- A corrupt detective at Kangseong Police Station who is in cahoots with Si-young.
- Kim Eun-woo 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.
- Kang Jeong-woo 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
- Jeon Seok-chan 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, Park Joon-woo, 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.[1] It is based on the Lee Choon-jae serial murders.[2]
Casting
In May 2025, Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young were reportedly cast.[2] The next month, Seo Ji-hye joined the cast.[3] Four months later, Song Geon-hee was cast, and filming was in its final stage.[4] By September 2025, Park, Lee, and Kwak were confirmed to lead the series.[1]
Original soundtrack
Album
| The Scarecrow (Original Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album | |
| Released | May 26, 2026 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 60:26 |
| Language | Korean |
| Labels | Magic Strawberry Sound, KT Genie Music[5] |
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tonight" (오늘밤) | Soyou | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Tonight" (Instrumental) | 3:53 | |
| 3. | "The Forgotten" (잊혀지는 것) | Park Hae-soo | 4:26 |
| 4. | "The Forgotten" (Instrumental) | 4:26 | |
| 5. | "The Forgotten" (잊혀지는 것) | Kwak Sun-young | 4:14 |
| 6. | "The Forgotten" (Instrumental) | 4:14 | |
| 7. | "SCARECROW" | Kim Sung-youl | 1:40 |
| 8. | "Mist of Gangseong" (강성의 안개) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:08 |
| 9. | "Noose in the Field" (들판의 올가미) | Kim Sung-youl | 3:13 |
| 10. | "Straw Detectives" (지푸라기 수사대) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:08 |
| 11. | "Sunlight Through Dusty Windows" (먼지 낀 창틈의 햇살) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 3:06 |
| 12. | "Two Shadows" (두 개의 그림자) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:12 |
| 13. | "Prosecutor and Detective" (검사와 형사) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:11 |
| 14. | "Night of Decaying Limbs" (사지가 썩는 밤) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:51 |
| 15. | "Stuffed Justice" (박제된 정의) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:10 |
| 16. | "Afterimage of 31 Years" (31년의 잔상) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:23 |
| 17. | "Frozen 1988" (멈춰버린 1988) | Kim Sung-youl | 2:41 |
| 18. | "Dance of the Scarecrow" (허수아비의 춤) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:24 |
| 19. | "The Truth Hidden in the Night" (밤이 삼킨 진실) | Byun Dong-wook | 3:08 |
| 20. | "Human Warmth" (사람의 온기) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:32 |
| 21. | "Solidarity of Hatred" (혐오의 연대) | Kim Sung-youl | 1:58 |
| 22. | "False Confession" (거짓 자백) | Kim Sung-youl | 4:09 |
| 23. | "Codename Scarecrow" (코드 네임 '허수아비') | Kim Sung-youl | 2:24 |
| 24. | "Tae-ju's Drunken Rant" (태주의 술주정) | Byun Dong-wook | 2:01 |
| 25. | "Cold Interrogation Room" (차가운 취조실) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:55 |
| 26. | "Waves of Sorrow" (밀려오는 슬픔) | Byun Dong-wook | 2:15 |
| 27. | "Shadow Hunting" (그림자 사냥) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:18 |
| 28. | "The Blind Spot of Law" (법의 사각지대) | Jo Ham-wook | 3:32 |
| 29. | "The Nameless Grave" (이름 없는 무덤) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:09 |
| 30. | "Fake Confession" (가짜의 고백) | Yoo Jong-hyun | 2:23 |
| Total length: | 60:26 | ||
Singles
Original Soundtrack (Part 1–3)
Part 1
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tonight" (오늘밤) | Soyou | 3:53 |
| 2. | "Tonight" (Inst.) | 3:53 | |
| Total length: | 7:46 | ||
Part 2
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Forgotten" (잊혀지는 것) | Park Hae-soo | 4:26 |
| 2. | "The Forgotten" (Inst.) | 4:26 | |
| Total length: | 8:52 | ||
Part 3
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Forgotten" (잊혀지는 것) | Kwak Sun-young | 4:14 |
| 2. | "The Forgotten" (Inst.) | 4:14 | |
| Total length: | 8:28 | ||
Release
Viewership
The Scarecrow : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[7]
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 1 | 0.654 | 0.951 | 1.239 | 1.251 | 1.537 | 1.826 | 1.604 | 1.857 | 1.746 | 1.938 | 1.823 | 1.995 | 1.535 | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | April 20, 2026 | 2.903% (1st) | 2.712% (1st) |
| 2 | April 21, 2026 | 4.092% (1st) | 4.207% (1st) |
| 3 | April 27, 2026 | 4.975% (1st) | 4.834% (1st) |
| 4 | April 28, 2026 | 5.243% (1st) | 5.472% (1st) |
| 5 | May 4, 2026 | 6.301% (1st) | 5.994% (1st) |
| 6 | May 5, 2026 | 7.410% (1st) | 7.650% (1st) |
| 7 | May 11, 2026 | 6.455% (1st) | 6.136% (2nd) |
| 8 | May 12, 2026 | 7.444% (1st) | 7.291% (1st) |
| 9 | May 18, 2026 | 7.217% (1st) | 7.182% (1st) |
| 10 | May 19, 2026 | 7.925% (1st) | 7.810% (2nd) |
| 11 | May 25, 2026 | 7.352% (2nd) | 7.226% (2nd) |
| 12 | May 26, 2026 | 8.122% (1st) | 8.311% (1st) |
| Average | 6.287% | 6.235% | |
Awards and nominations
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2026 | Best Drama | The Scarecrow | Nominated | [8] |
| Best Actor | Park Hae-soo | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Jung Moon-sung | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Kwak Sun-young | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actor | Song Geon-hee | Nominated | |||
| Best New Actress | Seo Ji-hye | Nominated |
