'The Scarecrow' revisits infamous serial murder case

Actors Park Hae-soo, left, and Lee Hee-jun pose during a press conference for ENA's mystery thriller "The Scarecrow" at the Saint in D-Cube City in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

The infamous Lee Choon-jae serial murder case, which haunted Korea for decades, are returning to the small screen in the new crime thriller “The Scarecrow.”

Inspired by one of Korea’s most notorious serial murder cases that began in 1986, the crime thriller delves into the investigation surrounding the nation’s worst killing spree.

The real-life case left an indelible mark on the public’s memory. Once an unsolved mystery, it resurfaced in 2019 — 33 years later — when the full truth finally came to light, reigniting nationwide attention.

The ENA series, which premieres April 20, follows an elite detective and a cold-blooded prosecutor as they form an unlikely alliance to uncover the truth behind a series of killings spanning 30 years.

Park Hae-soo stars as Kang Tae-joo, an ace detective known for his sharp intuition and relentless observation skills.

After being reassigned to his rural hometown of Gangseong, he becomes involved in a serial murder case and unexpectedly reunites with Cha Si-young (Lee Hee-jun), a prosecutor who was once his nemesis during their school days.

A scene from ENA crime thriller "The Scarecrow" / Courtesy of ENA

“About five years ago, I happened to meet two people connected to the case,” director Park Joon-woo, known for his work “Taxi Driver” (2021), said during a press conference for the series in Seoul last Monday.

“They told me, ‘The serial murders have been misunderstood. Before the criminal was identified, too much focus was placed on the mystery of who the killer was — but that wasn’t what truly mattered.’ They suggested I tell the stories of those who actually lived through it.”

He added, “At first, I wondered if that could even be done. But then I asked myself — why did we fail to catch Lee Choon-jae? Why did the case remain unsolved for 30 years? That’s when the idea for the project took shape.”

When asked about comparisons to Bong Joon-ho's 2003 film “Memories of Murder,” another work inspired by the same case, Park Hae-soo noted that “The Scarecrow” covers a different timeline.

“The previous work was made before the killer was caught,” Park said. “Our story follows the aftermath and the long road to the truth, so the characters and themes do not overlap.”

Park emphasized that the cast and crew felt a heavy responsibility toward the real-life victims and their families.

“I was scared at first,” Park admitted. “Co-star Lee told me on the first day of the table read that if we just ‘acted’ or ‘pretended,’ people would see right through it. We aren't just trying to show off our acting; we are dealing with a tragedy that still causes pain today. The entire staff worked with a sense of gravity and sincerity.”

The drama creates a fictional setting to explore the rural communities of late-1980s Korea. Told through the eyes of journalist Seo Ji-won (Kwak Sun-young), the series examines what those events meant then — and what they mean for society now.

Director Park said he wanted to use criminal cases to capture specific eras in Korean history, reflecting on the atmosphere and the people who lived through them. He described his latest project as the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

“It explores how a rural community in the capital region was affected by serial killings in the mid-to-late 1980s, and why the killer wasn’t caught at the time,” he said.