'Woo Young-woo' Ranks No. 2 of All Time as 'Scarecrow' Closes With Park Hae-soo's 8.1%

Scraps of truth ripped out of 30 years of darkness. As 'Scarecrow' crosses the scars of the past it depicts with the absurdities of the present, it delivers a heavy-era warning

At the deepest depth of South Korea's crime history, ENA's Monday-Tuesday drama 'Scarecrow', which pulled the nation's 'Yichong Il Murder Case' up to the surface, ended with a lasting mark. Beyond a simple crime chase thriller, the work dissected the scars of the era with sharp precision, reaching the 8% range amid overwhelming support from viewers and achieving a fitting conclusion.

According to Nielsen Korea, a ratings research firm, the 'Scarecrow' episode aired the previous day—its 12th episode (finale)—reached 8.1% nationwide based on paid households, setting a new personal best. It marks a landmark achievement, ranking as the No. 2 biggest drama box-office hit in ENA channel history, following the mega hit 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo'.

A buried 30 years, a false fortress finally collapsing

The finale closely spotlighted the harrowing struggle of the protagonist 'Kang Tae-joo' ('Park Hae-soo'), who dug into the truth that had been buried for a long 30 years. The confession that burst out of the mouth of the actual culprit 'Lee Yong-woo' ('Jung Moon-sung') knocked down the steadfast walls of lies, and 'Im Seok-man' ('Jeon Seok-chan'), who suffered wrongful imprisonment, was able to secure an acquittal after 30 years, spilling out the long-held resentment.

But the absurdities of reality were not purified entirely. Even in the face of 'Kang Tae-joo''s sharp exposures, the corrupt detective 'Cha Si-young' ('Lee Hee-joon') denied the crimes to the end and kept his brazen attitude. The image of violent prosecutors who hid behind the legal shield of the statute of limitations and avoided punishment left a chilly aftertaste, directly calling out a real-world battle that has not yet ended.

Opening a new horizon for a well-made追跡 thriller

After identifying the actual culprit in 2019, 'Scarecrow', the first drama to focus on the case in earnest, used meticulous historical verification as its weapon. The tightly crafted direction that crosscuts past and present, as well as the way it reconstructed the victims' families and the lives of those wrongfully accused in three dimensions, earned praise from critics.

Above all, the closing period of a 'well-made追跡 thriller' was marked by the combination of a breathtaking acting ensemble led by stars such as 'Park Hae-soo', 'Lee Hee-joon', and 'Kwak Sun-young'. 'Scarecrow', it turned out, remains as a work that proves the weight of truth our society must never forget, going beyond mere entertainment.