Scarecrow Drama: Real-Life Killer Lee Chun-jae Inspiration

ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow' premiered to an average viewership rating of 2.9% and a peak of 3.3%, securing the top spot among Monday-Tuesday dramas. The series follows a detective chasing a serial killer who unexpectedly begins to cooperate with someone he despises, spanning 30 years from 1988 to 2019. The drama is generating high expectations as a "well-made drama" thanks to the performances of actors like Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young, and the collaboration between director Park Joon-woo, who helmed 'The Fiery Priest' and 'Crash Course in Romance', and writer Lee Ji-hyun.

The drama 'Scarecrow' is morphed from the Lee Chun-jae serial murders. This case, which occurred in the Hwaseong area of Gyeonggi Province from 1986 to 1991, remained unsolved for a long time until 2019 when advancements in DNA analysis identified the perpetrator, Lee Chun-jae. He confessed to 14 murders, revealing the truth after more than 30 years. The case is recorded as the largest mobilization of police personnel in the history of a single domestic case, with approximately 2 million police officers deployed at the time.

During the actual investigation, due to a lack of progress, police, following advice from a shaman, erected scarecrows with the inscription 'If you do not confess, your limbs will rot and you will die' throughout Hwaseong. The drama's title, 'Scarecrow,' reflects the desperation of this real case and also symbolizes the unjustly victimized people in the story.

At the production presentation, actor Park Hae-soo spoke about the burden and fear he felt towards the victims and their families of the actual case, stating he strived to portray the character in depth. Kwak Sun-young also mentioned that although she heard the families had given their permission, she approached the role with caution. Director Park Joon-woo explained that the drama was conceived with a focus on how the Lee Chun-jae serial murders were misreported, why the killer was missed, and why the case remained a mystery for 30 years.

In the first episode of the drama 'Scarecrow,' detective Kang Tae-joo (Park Hae-soo), who was demoted from Seoul and returned to his hometown of Kangseong, witnesses village youth Lee Sung-jin (Park Sang-hoon) being pursued as a suspect in a murder case. Kang Tae-joo instinctively feels that Lee Sung-jin is not the real killer but investigates the case amidst a complex antagonistic relationship with prosecutor Cha Si-young (Lee Hee-joon). Cha Si-young intends to use this case as a political stepping stone and is entangled with Kang Tae-joo due to a past animosity from their school days.