# The Chaser (TV series)

The Chaser (Korean: 추적자; RR: Chujeokja) is a 2012 South Korean television drama series about a grieving father out for revenge against corrupt officials.
Despite no hype or big stars, the thriller gave a strong performance in the ratings, ending its run at 22.1% (number one in its timeslot). Its rise in popularity was based on the tightly written and well-structured storyline, solid direction, and cast members' acting skills.

## Plot

The series tells the story of Detective Baek Hong-suk, a happily married family man whose life is shattered when his 15-year-old daughter is killed in a car accident, causing his wife to go into a state of shock, eventually killing herself and leaving Hong-suk a widower. He later discovers his daughter's death was the result of a conspiracy led by politician Kang Dong-yoon, to secure his political future as a presidential candidate. Hong-suk goes from loving, doting father and cop to harrowed man hellbent on revenge, as Kang continues to rise in power. With the help of Kang's sister-in-law, a reporter, Hong-suk takes revenge against the man who ruined his life.

## Cast
### Main

* Son Hyun-joo as Detective Baek Hong-suk
* Kim Sang-joong as Presidential candidate Kang Dong-yoon

### Supporting

* Go Joon-hee as Reporter Seo Ji-won
* Kim Sung-ryung as Seo Ji-soo
* Ryu Seung-soo as Choi Jung-woo
* Park Hyo-joo as Detective Jo
* Kang Shin-il as Squad Chief Detective Hwang
* Lee Yong-woo as PK Joon
* Jang Shin-young as Shin Hye-ra
* Lee Hye-in as Baek Soo-jung (Hong-suk's and Mi-yeon's daughter)
* Kim Do-yeon as Song Mi-yeon
* Jo Jae-yoon as Park Yong-sik
* Choi Joon-young as Yoon Chang-min
* Lee Re as Yoon Chang-min's daughter
* Park Geun-hyung as Company president Seo
* Jeon No-min as Seo Young-wook
* Nam Da-reum as Kang Min-sung
* Jeon Gook-hwan as Jang Byung-ho
* Song Jae-ho as Yoo Tae-jin
* Ryohei Otani as Bae Sang-moo
* Kim Min-ha as Hyo-jin

### Special appearance

* Lee Jung-gil as Jo Dong-soo
* Jung Soo-in as Choi's secretary
* Jo Young-jin as Kim Chang-jae

## Ratings

* In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
* NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share |
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | TNmS Ratings | TNmS Ratings | AGB Nielsen | AGB Nielsen |
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area |
| 1 | 28 May 2012 | 10.0% | 12.6% | 9.3% (13th) | 10.3% (8th) |
| 2 | 29 May 2012 | 10.9% | 13.5% | 9.9% (9th) | 11.0% (6th) |
| 3 | 4 June 2012 | 11.6% | 14.7% | 9.2% (16th) | 9.7% (11th) |
| 4 | 5 June 2012 | 11.5% | 14.1% | 9.8% (9th) | 10.3% (9th) |
| 5 | 11 June 2012 | 13.2% | 16.5% | 10.6% (7th) | 10.7% (7th) |
| 6 | 12 June 2012 | 12.5% | 15.1% | 11.1% (5th) | 11.9% (4th) |
| 7 | 18 June 2012 | 13.2% | 14.5% | 11.5% (5th) | 12.4% (4th) |
| 8 | 19 June 2012 | 13.2% | 14.1% | 13.3% (4th) | 14.2% (4th) |
| 9 | 25 June 2012 | 13.6% | 16.3% | 12.4% (4th) | 13.1% (4th) |
| 10 | 26 June 2012 | 13.8% | 15.8% | 13.2% (4th) | 14.2% (4th) |
| 11 | 2 July 2012 | 14.0% | 15.9% | 13.1% (4th) | 13.9% (4th) |
| 12 | 3 July 2012 | 15.3% | 16.2% | 13.5% (4th) | 14.3% (4th) |
| 13 | 9 July 2012 | 20.0% | 22.4% | 17.9% (3rd) | 19.7% (3rd) |
| 14 | 10 July 2012 | 23.1% | 26.7% | 20.7% (3rd) | 22.3% (2nd) |
| 15 | 16 July 2012 | 22.1% | 26.6% | 20.4% (3rd) | 21.5% (1st) |
| 16 | 17 July 2012 | 25.1% | 28.3% | 22.6% (2nd) | 23.8% (1st) |
| Average | Average | 15.2% | 17.7% | 13.7% | 14.6% |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2012 | 5th Korea Drama Awards | Best Drama | The Chaser | Nominated |
| 2012 | 5th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Son Hyun-joo | Nominated |
| 2012 | 5th Korea Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Kim Sang-joong | Won |
| 2012 | 5th Korea Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress | Jang Shin-young | Nominated |
| 2012 | 1st K-Drama Star Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Son Hyun-joo | Won |
| 2012 | 1st K-Drama Star Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Kim Sang-joong | Nominated |
| 2012 | 25th Grimae Awards | Excellence Award in Visuals | Jung Ki-hyun, Kim Dae-kwon | Won |
| 2012 | 20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Popularity Award, Drama category | Go Joon-hee | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Son Hyun-joo | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Son Hyun-joo | Nominated |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Kim Sang-joong | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Sung-ryung | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Ryu Seung-soo | Nominated |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Jo Jae-yoon | Nominated |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Jang Shin-young | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Special Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Do-yeon | Nominated |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Producers' Award | Park Geun-hyung | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | Top 10 Stars | Son Hyun-joo | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | New Star Award | Park Hyo-joo | Won |
| 2012 | SBS Drama Awards | New Star Award | Go Joon-hee | Won |
| 2012 | 24th Korean PD Awards | Best Drama | The Chaser | Won |
| 2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Drama | The Chaser | Won |
| 2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (TV) | Son Hyun-joo | Won |
| 2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director (TV) | Jo Nam-kook | Nominated |
| 2013 | 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Screenplay (TV) | Park Kyung-soo | Won |
| 2013 | 40th Korea Broadcasting Awards | Best Mid-length Drama | The Chaser | Won |
| 2013 | 40th Korea Broadcasting Awards | Best Actor | Son Hyun-joo | Won |
| 2013 | 40th Korea Broadcasting Awards | Best Screenwriter | Park Kyung-soo | Won |
| 2013 | 7th Seoul International Drama Awards | Silver Bird Prize (Runner-up, Best Series Drama) | The Chaser | Won |

## International broadcast

It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from 20 September – 8 November 2013, and was re-aired on cable channel BS-Fuji.
It aired in Thailand on Workpoint TV in midyear 2015.