Hunter with a Scalpel

Seo Se-hyeon is a high-profile forensic investigator whose clinical competence masks a turbulent past and a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. She has built a reputation on cold logic and efficient results, but when details about the man she killed, her father, begin to circulate, the safe distance between her work and her history starts to collapse. As colleagues, rivals, and the media circle closer, Seo must keep her mistakes from becoming professional scandals while the legal and social consequences of that earlier act threaten her standing and safety. The show follows the slow unspooling of secrets around her, with tense casework scenes that keep personal stakes just out of total exposure.

Released in 2025, Hunter with a Scalpel is a South Korean crime drama led by Park Ju-hyun as Seo Se-hyeon, with Park Yong-woo, Kang Hoon, Ryu Seung-su, and Bin Chan-uk in key roles. It premiered as a television series and positions itself at the intersection of procedural detail and character study.

By its initial run there were no widely reported major international awards or large festival prizes attached to the series. That said, several reviewers highlighted performances and storytelling choices, and it may receive more recognition as it reaches broader audiences.

The show has prompted discussion online about how antisocial personality disorder is represented on screen and about ethical lines in forensic work. Fans and critics have quoted scenes and debated Seo’s decisions, and the series has been noted for raising questions about institutional failures and how personal history colors professional judgment.

Critical response has been mixed, reflected in a 6.6/10 user vote average from 25 votes, with many praising Park Ju-hyun’s central performance and the moody atmosphere, while others criticized uneven pacing and occasional plotting holes. Recurring themes include moral ambiguity, the aftermath of violence, identity under scrutiny, and the costs of keeping secrets within systems that demand objectivity.