Cover From gritty high school crime rings to Joseon-era con games, dive into the complete television career of Park Ju-hyun (Photo: IMDb)
From gritty high school crime rings to Joseon-era con games, dive into the complete television career of Park Ju-hyun (Photo: IMDb)
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From gritty thrillers to period comedies, track the diverse television career of rising star Park Ju-hyun
South Korean television drama series have consistently evolved in narrative scope over the past decade, shifting away from standard romantic formulas to embrace gritty psychological crime thrillers and historical satires. At the centre of several notable projects within this shifting landscape is actress Park Ju-hyun. Known for her ability to handle intense, emotionally demanding roles, she has built a varied portfolio across major networks and streaming services. Her projects highlight a distinct willingness to balance commercial appeal with challenging genre experiments, allowing her to portray complex human emotions without relying on predictable character tropes.
From high-octane thrillers to period comedies, here are the key television shows featuring Park Ju-hyun and how to watch them.
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‘Hunter With a Scalpel’ (2025)
Above Audiences can stream the 16-episode psychological thriller ‘Hunter With a Scalpel’ on Disney+ to watch a forensic pathologist race against time to stop her serial killer father
The 16-episode psychological crime thriller Hunter With a Scalpel, which streams across Asia on Disney+, features a narrative centred on Seo Se-hyun, a highly skilled forensic pathologist who lives with antisocial personality disorder. Her life is disrupted when she uncovers forensic evidence during an autopsy that directly links a series of violent crimes to her estranged father, a psychopathic serial killer played by Park Yong-woo.
To protect the life she has constructed for herself, Se-hyun enters a tense race against time to track down her father before the authorities discover the truth. Kang Hoon co-stars as a driven violent crimes detective who teams up with Se-hyun while secretly harbouring suspicions about her involvement, resulting in a tense exploration of childhood trauma and psychological regression.
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‘Perfect Family’ (2024)
Above The tension builds in ‘Perfect Family’ on Viu as a model high school student and her seemingly ideal parents become entangled in a classmate's mysterious death
Based on a popular webtoon and available for streaming on Viu, the mystery drama Perfect Family focuses on Choi Sun-hee, a model high school student who becomes entangled in a murder case. Sun-hee is an adopted daughter whose life appears flawless on the surface, backed by her seemingly ideal parents, portrayed by Kim Byung-chul and Yoon Se-ah. However, the unexpected death of her classmate, Park Kyung-ho, triggers a wave of mutual suspicion. This incident reveals deep fractures and dark secrets within the family structure as her parents attempt to handle the fallout of the crime, with Kim Young-dae co-starring as a fellow student caught in the unsettling chain of events.
‘The Forbidden Marriage’ (2022-2023)
Above Viewers looking for a blend of royal deception and comedy can catch ‘The Forbidden Marriage’ on Prime Video, where a clever con artist fakes a spirit possession to outsmart a grieving king
Set during the Joseon dynasty, the historical romantic comedy The Forbidden Marriage streams in Asian territories on Prime Video. The plot follows King Lee Heon, played by Kim Young-dae, who issued a marriage ban across the kingdom seven years prior following the tragic death of his beloved crown princess. The narrative unfolds when Ye So-rang, a clever con artist who makes a living by swindling people through fortune-telling, gets arrested. To escape her predicament, she pretends to be possessed by the spirit of the late crown princess, leading to an intricate web of lies as she is brought directly into the palace before the grieving king. Kim Woo-seok co-stars as a righteous royal guard captain who forms a complex dynamic with the pair.
‘Love All Play’ (2022)
Above Sports enthusiasts can follow the high-stakes world of competitive badminton in ‘Love All Play’ on Disney+ as two teammates fight for personal redemption on and off the court
Set within the world of professional corporate badminton, the sports drama Love All Play tracks the lives of athletes striving for athletic success while navigating personal conflicts, streaming regionally on Disney+. The plot focuses on Park Tae-yang, a former aspiring Olympian who abruptly left the sport for three years due to a controversial bribing scandal, and Park Tae-joon, played by Chae Jong-hyeop, a talented athlete who views badminton merely as a job rather than a passion. Upon Tae-yang's return to the court, the two join the mixed doubles team of the corporate side Yunis, balancing intense training regimens with personal redemption arcs alongside co-star Park Ji-hyun, who plays a former badminton star facing her own career hurdles.
‘Mouse’ (2021)
Above The dark, gripping narrative of ‘Mouse’ on Viu and select Netflix regions introduces a world where a rookie officer and a tough high schooler confront a ruthless serial killer
The dark, high-concept suspense thriller Mouse, streaming on Viu and on Netflix in select Asian regions, revolves around the premise of identifying psychopaths through fetal DNA testing. The storyline tracks Jeong Ba-reum, played by Lee Seung-gi, a seemingly honest and kind-hearted rookie police officer whose life changes entirely after a fateful confrontation with a ruthless serial killer. Working alongside Lee Hee-joon as a vengeful detective, Ba-reum attempts to uncover the truth behind the gruesome crimes, leading to a complex exploration of genetics, morality, and identity. Park Ju-hyun portrays Oh Bong-yi, a tough high school student living with her grandmother who carries deep emotional scars from a childhood crime and possesses strong martial arts skills, with Kyung Soo-jin co-starring as a television producer tied to the investigation.
‘Zombie Detective’ (2020)
Above Fantasy and mystery collide in ‘Zombie Detective’ on Viu and Netflix as an amnesiac undead investigator teams up with a passionate former writer to solve crimes
Blending fantasy, comedy, and mystery, Zombie Detective features Choi Jin-hyuk as Kang Min-ho, a man who wakes up in a medical waste dump only to realise he has transformed into a zombie with no memory of his past life. To survive among humans, he trains himself to walk and speak normally, eventually adopting the identity of a private detective. He crosses paths with Gong Sun-ji, a passionate former investigative journalism programme writer who leaves her media job after a witness in her case is attacked. Sun-ji takes up a position as a part-time employee at Min-ho’s detective agency, unknowingly assisting a zombie in solving crimes while trying to uncover his forgotten human identity. Co-starring Kwon Hwa-woon as a detective friend, the series is available to stream via Viu and Netflix in selected Asian markets.
‘Extracurricular’ (2020)
Above High school pressures take a dark turn in ‘Extracurricular’ on Netflix when a top-tier student and his wealthy classmate plunge into a dangerous underground world of organized crime
The gritty youth crime drama Extracurricular, streaming globally on Netflix, focuses on Oh Ji-soo, played by Kim Dong-hee, a quiet, top-tier high school student who quietly runs an illegal security service for sex workers to fund his future university tuition. His carefully structured double life unravels when Bae Gyu-ri, a wealthy classmate facing intense pressure from her successful parents, discovers his secret business phone. Rather than reporting him, Gyu-ri blackmails her way into becoming his business partner, dragging them both into a dangerous world of organized crime, extortion, and systemic violence that quickly spirals out of their control, with Jung Da-bin and Nam Yoon-su co-starring as vulnerable classmates caught in the fallout.
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Chonx Tibajia is a senior editor at Tatler Asia’s T-Labs team, where she writes widely on lifestyle subjects including beauty, style, entertainment and travel. She has a long career in journalism, including roles as a columnist at The Philippine Star, and is the founder of the creative platform Pineappleversed. Beyond Tatler, her bylines appear in regional lifestyle and business publications, showcasing a broad portfolio that spans beauty trends, travel guides and culture pieces.
