Scarecrow Actor Lee Choong-hee Search: Obsessed Fan

ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow' has made a smooth debut, recording 4.2% in Seoul metropolitan area household viewership ratings, ranking first among Monday-Tuesday dramas, and 1.5% in Seoul metropolitan area 2049 target viewership ratings, ranking first across all channels from its very first week of broadcast. From the start, the drama captivated viewers with its breathtaking plot, and it has been praised for its high quality, achieving a perfect harmony of a well-structured script based on actual events, directing that maximizes genre thrills, and the actors' overwhelming performances.

The drama begins with elite detective Kang Tae-joo (played by Park Hae-soo) discovering traces of a serial killer in three murder cases with different dates and locations of the crimes. As the Kangsung serial murder cases surface and an investigation begins to catch the real killer, viewers are engaging their sharp deductive skills amidst the suffocating tension. In particular, scenes hidden throughout the drama are increasing suspicion and confusion about the identity of the real killer, 'Lee Yong-woo'. Testimonies from abduction attempt survivor Park Ae-sook (played by Hwang Eun-hoo), Lee Ki-beom's (played by Song Geon-hee) hand, a red handbag believed to be Park Ae-sook's stored at a bookstore, and Lee Ki-beom's meaningful smile upon seeing Kim Min-ji's (played by Kim Hwan-hee) scarecrow drawing are presented as clues.

Furthermore, a scene was revealed showing Cha Si-young (played by Lee Hee-joon) in the past and 'Lee Yong-woo' in the present exhibiting the same behavior as if they were the same person, delivering an unexpected twist. This development is making viewers empathize with Kang Tae-joo and become deeply engrossed in 'finding Lee Yong-woo', raising expectations for future plot developments.

'Scarecrow' is differentiated from other dramas in that it is based on actual events and is the first work produced after the real killer was identified. It depicts the major events of the past in 1988 and the one-on-one encounter between Kang Tae-joo and the real killer Lee Yong-woo in the present day of 2019, interweaving them. Notably, within the time jump of approximately 30 years, the present-day scenes from 2019 are placed in the prologue and epilogue, enhancing the drama's immersion. Kang Tae-joo's narration upon his first encounter with Lee Yong-woo to elicit a murder confession with insufficient evidence, "We finally meet, the murderer I've been searching for so desperately," along with the unseen psychological battle between Kang Tae-joo, who seeks to uncover the truth, and Lee Yong-woo, who refuses to confess, creates another layer of tension.

The drama is receiving positive reviews for its high level of completion in details such as art, props, music, and sound. The art and props, which capture the sentiment and atmosphere of "those days," provide a rich visual experience, while the music and sound, used appropriately, amplify the urgency of the case and the characters' emotional arcs. Director Park Joon-woo conducted entirely "all-location" filming without sets, and to recreate the industrializing era of rural areas in 1988, he traveled across the country searching for old houses that retained the atmosphere of that time and streets with remnants of the 1980s vibe. He also mentioned that all staff members put in significant effort to recreate "Kangsung in 1988" during the hottest weather of the summer of 2025.