Shadow Detective

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Drama: Shadow Detective
Revised romanization: Hyungsarok
Hangul: 형사록
Director: Han Dong-Hwa
Writer: Im Chang-Se
Network: Disney+
Episodes: 8
Release Date: October 26 - November 16, 2022
Runtime: Wednesdays
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Kim Taek-Rok (Lee Sung-Min) is a veteran detective at the Geumo Police Station. He is waiting for his retirement. Kook Jin-Han (Jin Goo) gets transferred to Geumo Police Station as the chief of the investigation squad where Kim Taek-Rok works. One day, Kim Taek-Rok receives a phone call. The caller tells Kim Taek-Rok that he is an old friend. That is how the mysterious phone calls his begins. On a call, Kim Taek-Rok's old friend tells him that he killed Kim Taek-Rok’s colleague Woo Hyun-Seok. Kim Taek-Rok soon becomes a suspect in the murder of Woo Hyun-Seok. The caller suggests that they should look into Kim Taek-Rok's past to find things he did wrong. Initially, Kook Jin-Han suspects Kim Taek-Rok as the murderer in Woo Hyun-Seok's death, but he begins to trust Kim Taek-Rok and his innocence. They begin to look for Kim Taek-Rok’s old friend with the help of detectives Lee Sung-A (Kyung Soo-Jin) and Son Kyung-Chan (Lee Hak-Joo).

Notes

Related titles (drama series):
1. Shadow Detective | Hyungsarok (Disney+ / 2022)
2. Shadow Detective 2 Hyungsarok 2 (Disney+ / 2023)

Cast



Lee Sung-Min	Jin Goo	Kyung Soo-Jin	Lee Hak-Joo
Kim Taek-Rok	Kook Jin-Han	Lee Sung-A	Son Kyung-Chan

Geumo Police Station



Kim Hong-Fa	Kim Tae-Hoon	Yoo Seung-Mok	Kim Min-Jae	Park Joong-Geun
Seo Gwang-Su	Woo Hyun-Seok	Bae Young-Doo	Detective Han	Detective Kwak Sang-Kyu



Hong A-Ron	Kim So-Yang	Jang Ho-Jin
Detective Ko	detective	Detective Ji

Police



Jung Hee-Tae	Lee Yoon-Hee	Eom Ji-Man	Kim Hyun-Tae
Lee Jung-Bum	Police Chief Lee Young-Bae (ep.8)	detective (ep.4)	detective (ep.8)

Noeul Dormitory



Ko Kyu-Pil	Kim Jae-Bum	Lee Moo-Nyoung
Manager Kong	Yang Gi-Tae	resident (ep.1)

Kim Taek-Rok's Family



Kim Soo-Jin	Jung Yi-Ju	Kwon Ye-Eun	Kim Jong-Yoon	Jang Jae-Kwon
Shin Jung-Ae	Kim Ji-Woo	Kim Ji-Woo (child)	Lee Jae-Ho (ep.2)	Shin Jung-Ae's brother (ep.2)

Kim Taek-Rok's Group



Seo Jung-Yeon	Hyun Bong-Sik
Oh Hye-Sung	Gu Dong-Bum

Kook Jin-Han's Family



Seol Yu-Jin	Kim Min-Chul
Kook Jin-Han's wife (ep.7)	Kook Jin-Han (young)

Drug Gang



Yoon Je-Moon	Oh Dae-Hwan	Kwon Hyuk-Bum	Mi Seok	Geum Kwang-San
Cheon Ki-Duk	Ma Sang-Gu	Antenna	Ma Sang-Gu's subordinate (ep.5-6)	Choong-Bok (ep.5-6)

Han Sang-Chul

boat gang member (ep.6)

Town Leaders



Song Young-Chang	Kwon Tae-Won	Kang Shin-Koo	Jang Myung-Kab
An Hyung-Woo	Councilman Park	CEO Joo	CEO Shin Sung-Han

Chairman Jang's Group



Ahn Nae-Sang	Ma Jung-Pil	Kim Jung-Soo
Chairman Jang Sung-Tae (ep.7-8)	informant (ep.7)	Chairman Kim Sung-Hwan (ep.7)

2012 Suam-ri Fratricide Case



Kim Byung-Cheol	Koo See-Yeon	Yoo Eun-A	Gu Bon-Jin	Lee Si-Young
Choi Kyo-Il	Myung-Hee (ep.2-3)	Han Se-Young	prison guard (ep.2)	nurse (ep.2)

2017 Overpass Arson Case



Jang Sung-Bum	Kwon Oh-Jin	Jung Ki-Sun
An Ju-Yong (ep.4)	Sin Sang-Bong (ep.3)	homeless man (ep.3)

Others



Park No-Kyeong	Choi Soo-Min	Kim Bum-Joon	Na Ho-Won	Hwang Jung-Yoon
money scammer (ep.1)	Yeon-Sim (ep.1,8)	Cashier Ji-Min (ep.1)	security guard (ep.1)	saleswoman (ep.1)



Son Seung-Taek	Son Suk-Bae	Yoon Hyun-Gil	Yoo Jae-Sang	Oh Chae-Eun
wedding hall staff (ep.2)	taxi driver (ep.2-3)	Woo Hyun-Seok's wife (ep.5)	Woo Hyun-Seok's son (ep.5)	barista (ep.5)



Min Sang-Chul	Baek Seung-Chul	Son Ki-Chul
cafe manager (ep.5)	Park Chun-Kyu (ep.5)	reporter (ep.8)

Additional Cast Members:

Lee Dong-Kyu - anchorman (ep.1)
Jo Yong-Hwan - Yanbian group 3 (ep.6-7)
Lee Kyung-Oh - Police Commissioner Han Ju-Hwan (ep.7)
Choi Woo-Gyeom - police officer (ep.7)

Trailers

Comments

Ira Dewi Jan 02 2026 8:48 am Watching this in end of 2025.. This Korean drama deserves big applause. The acting of the actors is top notch!

Bernadette Kwock Dec 11 2024 3:47 am Shadow detective is such an exciting drama. I don’t agree with the low ratings. The actors are superb!

Park Min Jul 16 2024 9:55 pm The drama shouldn't have been split up into 2 seasons since it was a one big continuous story. This split created a few more problems along the way. Some of the baddies cast members had a clearer split between both seasons, focusing on a few of them each season despite having one grand story. This created some coherency problems and made it feel disjointed. Personal stories, relationships and side characters had an unequal amount of focus between both seasons. A case in point, the ML's daughter/family had only some focus in season 1 while being completely absent from season 2 (aside from 1 flashback) which took away from the ML's character and drive. Especially when his entire character was built on the ghosts haunting him from his past. The focus shift was exactly the opposite with Lee Sung Ah between both seasons. Anyway, enough about jumping between seasons. The cast members brought a good performance especially our leading shadow detective. I really appreciate the production not turning on the beauty mode on for Sung Ah & Joo Hyeon. You can see the pressure and exhaustion their carrier put on them over the years. The cinematography was good for the most parts, especially with scenes involving the detective alone, but there were some dodgy shots here and there. The story was well written with a decent pace to match the suspense. The thriller and intrigue were blended nicely with some nice action scenes. However, the last stretch of the story got a bit weak and disorganized after building up the story for a grand finale. Also, some overdramatized deliveries ended up backfiring, making important scenes less impactful. The introduction of the last episode was good, as well as that dream sequence. His speech about him wanting to stop running while reciting his past was the most memorable moment in the drama. If that wasn't enough, the very last scene was the cherry on top to tie it all up.

Henna Feb 05 2024 7:41 pm It starts a bit slow, a bit noir for my taste, a bit sketchy, but it soon picks up and it blows your mind. Give it a chance. I'm on to season 2 :)

Not An Igutu Jan 10 2024 6:51 pm A bunch of legendary ahjussi and supermacy acting sunbae-nim gathers here. Totally worth the watch. Storyline is interesting, keeps you guessing who is the actual culprit. Action skill of course top notch - 100/10. Those who give low rating possibly watching kdrama for good looking oppas only.

Female_human Jul 05 2023 4:14 pm F*ckkk yesss season 2 is here, I love this series so much. Lee Sung Min ahjushi acting is top notch

Castlin Jan 22 2023 1:02 pm Ehhhh 6/10 As in... Why Jin Goo took this hopeless series. No need for season 2 if its 8 episode only. Dont waste time.

Female_human Nov 25 2022 8:00 am Aaaaa I Want Season 2, I Can't accept this ending, someone needs to pay :"0.

Story is 10/10, the first episode really reels me in to watch more. Each episodes are interesting and not boring

avery Nov 24 2022 6:31 am the ending is so abrupt and i'm left with so many questions. i hope there's season 2. so many questions about Chairman Jang. the drama is good but a lot of plot holes. love the chemistry between Lee Sung Min and Jin Goo though.

Eonni atelier Nov 22 2022 10:14 am This is sooo good. But I didn't quite catch about Kook Jin Han past in episode 7. There are a lot of story and happen really fast within 5 minutes.

Pimil Nov 18 2022 6:11 pm Really great drama. It is not at all cliche, more film like criminal plot than drama like. Great acting as well.

core Nov 18 2022 8:21 am really underrated drama

jihan Nov 17 2022 10:36 pm A goooddd drraamaaa !! can't wait for season 2!

Mia Gretha Nov 14 2022 5:06 pm This is such be good drama. Although we still have to think who's the 'friend', but the plot very nice. Also, the acting of the actor no doubt! They're the best!!! Lee Sung Min, Jin Hoo, Lee Hak Joo also Kyung Soo Jin, have the point of their act! Very good drama!

Me Nov 14 2022 4:52 am Finally something without political context!!! Pure detective show, pure acting, interesting storyline.

t-Ya Nov 05 2022 10:41 am Finally.. Something to look forward to. 'Signal' vibe. Purely investigation.

cherline14 Nov 03 2022 10:36 am I know that this is a good drama from the synopsis, but I didn't expect this drama to be this good… love the storyline… cant wait for the next 4 episode

Queenbee Nov 02 2022 7:43 pm I really love this series. Looking forward to it ?

Dr Sunshine Nov 01 2022 3:48 am Plan to watch this cos i like really lee sung min’s works. It’s also a plus when you have jin goo & kyung soo jin in the picture. These are really brilliant actors. Mystery, crime & thriller… these three are apt & an art for picture perfect??

Michael Black Oct 30 2022 7:33 pm only two episodes and its flawless so far, hope it stays that way

Dave Oct 28 2022 10:48 pm This series is insanely good. I love it so much

my Oct 27 2022 7:19 pm I have high expectations for this series

Nan Oct 14 2022 3:42 pm Waiting with the highest expectations!

Shadow Detective

Contents

User Rating

Profile

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Notes

Cast

Geumo Police Station

Police

Noeul Dormitory

Kim Taek-Rok's Family

Kim Taek-Rok's Group

Kook Jin-Han's Family

Drug Gang

Town Leaders

Chairman Jang's Group

2012 Suam-ri Fratricide Case

2017 Overpass Arson Case

Others

Trailers

Comments

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