Actors Park Hae-soo and Lee Hee-jun’s latest drama is making waves across Asia.
According to the May Week 1 (May 4–10) weekly chart on global OTT platform Viu, ENA’s Monday–Tuesday drama scarecrow ranked No. 1 in Indonesia. It also placed No. 2 in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia, and No. 3 in Hong Kong, securing a Top 5 spot across five major Asian markets.
Even in an Asian OTT landscape dominated by romantic comedies, this series is standing out as a gripping crime thriller. Inspired by the Lee Choon-jae serial murders that shook South Korea in the 1980s, it delivers a poignant look at a national tragedy and sharp insights into human nature—earning praise for its universal appeal that transcends language and culture.
In the drama, Park Hae-soo plays Detective Kang Tae-joo, a man haunted by a dark past, while Lee Hee-jun takes on the role of Prosecutor Cha Si-young, who forms a tense alliance with him. Their high-wire teamwork keeps the tension at a fever pitch, all while avoiding genre pitfalls like sensationalism or glamorizing crime, and instead maintaining a balanced focus on the truth of the case and the victims’ pain.
Showcasing the strengths of a Korean-style crime thriller, scarecrow continues to draw reactions from local viewers such as “The acting intensity is overwhelming” and “It feels like watching a film.”
Since its premiere on April 20, the ratings for scarecrow have climbed steadily. According to Nielsen Korea, the show started at 2.9% and surpassed 7% by episode 6 on May 5; episode 8 on May 12 recorded 7.4%, marking a new series high.
Meanwhile, scarecrow airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m.