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Actor Seo Ji-hye takes on a bold genre turn with ‘Scarecrow’.

The new ENA Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Scarecrow’ is a crime-investigation thriller that unfolds when a detective, while pursuing the real culprit behind a serial murder case, enters into an unexpected joint operation with the very person he despises. With prior casting news of trusted actors such as Park Hae-soo, Lee Hee-joon, and Kwak Sun-young already drawing attention, the announcement that Seo Ji-hye is joining has further caught the eye.

Seo Ji-hye will play Kang Soon-yeong, the younger sister of Kang Tae-ju (Park Hae-soo), an ace detective who has been reassigned to his hometown of Gangseong. Soon-yeong is a warmhearted elementary school teacher who cherishes children and becomes entangled in an unexpected incident. Seo Ji-hye plans to portray in a delicate way everything from the spunky, bright side the character shows early on to her gradually changing psychology.

Having drawn notice for her fresh looks and depth of expression, Seo Ji-hye has steadily built her own footing through a variety of projects. In her first lead role on a terrestrial network, the drama ‘The Speed to You 493 km’, she perfectly embodied Lee Yu-min, whose confident charm left a strong impression on viewers.

She then transformed into Sun-ae, a literature-loving girl from 1987, in ‘A Chance Encounter, You’, finely depicting the complex inner life of the character. In ‘Assembled Family’, as Park Dal, she captured the growing pains of youth and drew empathy from viewers.

On the strength of this solid filmography, Seo Ji-hye is attempting another acting transformation through ‘Scarecrow’. Having recently shared news of signing an exclusive contract with her agency 51k, adding to the string of good news, attention is focused on her path ahead.

‘Scarecrow’ will premiere on ENA in the first half of 2026 and will also be available on KT Genie TV.