When it comes to crafting crime thrillers, the Korean film and television industry is unrivaled, as seen by dramas such as Signal, Beyond Evil, Taxi Driver, and Tunnel. While it continues to captivate viewers with fantasy romantic dramas, we equally receive intriguing crime thrillers on a regular basis. One such Korean miniseries is Bait, which raised the bar for the viewers out of nowhere.

Bait is an upcoming Korean drama directed by Kim Hong Seon (Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area) that delves into the truths of unresolved crimes from the past. The official trailer gives a very positive impression of the miniseries, starring well-known performers like Jang Geun Suk, Heo Sung Tae, and Lee Elijah, and combines both thrills and a riveting storyline. Having said that, here’s everything we know about the upcoming Korean drama Bait.

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Bait Season 1: The Plot

Ku Do-Han (Jang Keun-Suk) is a former lawyer who used to bring justice to wrongly accused people and truth to the law for those who abuse it. Due to specific encounters, he became a detective and took a more active role in investigating crimes as he dug further into unresolved cases that link current events to past incidents. During the investigation, he comes across the decade’s largest fraud case, a five trillion won swindle that defrauded tens of thousands of people eight years ago. Unfortunately, at the time of the fraud, the scammer, Noh Sang Cheon (Ho Sung Tae), who carried out his scheme by forming Bigs Network, died in a car accident while fleeing to China.

In the present time, detective Ku Do-Han researches everything related to the fraud case and realizes something isn’t right, eventually getting evidence that Noh Sang Cheon is indeed alive and that there is more to the mystery surrounding his alleged death. Can he track him down and solve the mystery, revealing everything and bringing justice to those who have suffered an irreparable loss?

From the impression of the trailer, Bait Season 1 might be the beginning of a modern-day realistic criminal thriller. The trailer’s compelling statements, “You must die to live” and “You must catch to live,” seem to sum up the protagonist and antagonist’s respective paths.

Bait Season 1: The Cast & Crew

     Coupang Play

Aside from the series’ intriguing premise, fans of Korean action dramas are enthusiastic about it for another reason: Jang Geun Suk. The actor who plays the main character, Koo Do Han, comes back into the spotlight after an absence of five years due to his mandatory military service. He made his acting debut in the 1997 HBS sitcom Selling Happiness and featured in several dramas and films before landing leading roles. Jang Geun Suk’s best-known works include You’re Beautiful, A Korean Odyssey, The Royal Gambler, and The Case of Itaewon Homicide.

Meanwhile, Heo Sung Tae plays the villainous Noh Sang Cheon, who swindles the life savings of many poor people. He made his acting debut at the age of 34 on a drunken whim while competing in an SBS talent show. With the 2016 period thriller film The Age of Shadows, the actor gained national recognition, and his role as Jang Deok Soo in Squid Game made him internationally famous. In addition to these two, you may also recognize him from his roles in Insider, The Silent Sea, Beyond Evil, Rampant, and Tunnel, among many more.

As the diligent reporter Cheon Na-Yeon, stunning actress Lee Elijah plays an essential role in the series. She made her television debut in 2013 with the drama Basketball and soon rose to fame with roles such as Hye Jin in My Bossy Girl, Min Yu Ra in The Last Empress, and Jin Seo Kyung in The Good Detective.

While these three actors take up the majority of the screen time as the show’s main cast, the supporting cast includes renowned actors like Yoo Sung Joo (Pawn), Park Myung Hoon (Crash Landing On You), Lee Sung Wook (The Silent Sea), Lee Seung Joo (Happiness), Oh Yeon Ah (The Legend of the Blue Sea), Lee Won Jong (Empress Ki), and Baek In Kwon (The Good Detective).

The film is directed by Kim Hong-Sun and written by Kim Jin-Wook. While the former has wowed audiences with his work on the 2017 crime thriller Voice, Money Heist: Korea - Joint Economic Area, and L.U.C.A: The Beginning, the latter is making his screenplay debut with the upcoming drama.

Release Date

Bait Season 1 will be released on Coupang Play Network on January 27.

Everything Else We Know

The Korean working title for the drama is Beomjweui Yeondaegi, which translates as Chronicles of Crime. The drama is available on the official streaming network under numerous titles, including Decoy and Bait. Therefore, it may look like the series has multiple titles, but the miniseries is actually listed as Bait Season 1 on various major drama database websites. In any case, the upcoming crime thriller drama certainly seems promising, and we anticipate a new Korean television masterpiece.