Tunnel (Korean: 터널) is a 2017 South Korean television series starring Choi Jin-hyuk, Yoon Hyun-min and Lee Yoo-young. It replaced Voice and aired on cable network OCN on Saturdays and Sundays at 22:00 (KST) from March 25 to May 21, 2017 for 16 episodes. The series was inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders.
The series was a hit in China. It received a Thai remake in 2019, and an Indonesian remake was announced in 2020.
Contents
Synopsis
In 1986, Park Gwang-ho works as a successful detective in an enthusiastic manner. However, his life changes when he takes the lead in a serial homicide case and passes through a tunnel while chasing the "culprit". He time travels 30 years into the future (2016), where he meets a new partner, Kim Seon-jae, an eccentric elite detective that has a high ability in investigation. When the serial killer continues the "modus operandi" of his murders that happened 30 years ago, the detective duo work together with criminal psychologist, Professor Shin Jae-yi, to solve the unsolved murders and to catch the murderer.
Cast
Main
Choi Jin-hyuk as Park Gwang-ho
Hwayang police station's criminal sergeant detective who mysteriously disappears in 1986 and appears in 2016.
Yoon Hyun-min as Kim Seon-jae
Kim Seul-woo as child Seon-jae
Hwayang police station's elite criminal lieutenant detective in 2016.
Lee Yoo-young as Shin Jae-yi
Kim Se-hee as Park Yeon-ho (Jae-yi's name in the childhood)
Lee Da-kyung as teenage Jae-yi
Park Gwang-ho and Shin Yeon-sook's only daughter. University professor and criminal psychological counselor in 2016.
Supporting
Jo Hee-bong as Jeon Sung-sik
Kim Dong-young as young Jeon Sung-sik
Hwayang police station's criminal team 1 leader in 2016, previously a criminal corporal detective and the youngest of his team in 1986.
Kim Byung-chul as criminal detective Kwak Tae-hee
Kang Ki-young as criminal detective Song Min-ha
Lee Si-a as Shin Yeon-sook
Park Gwang-ho's wife in 1986. She died in a car accident in 1991.
Kim Min-sang as Mok Jin-woo
Choi Seung-hoon as child Jin-woo
No Tae-yeop as teenage Jin-woo (Ep. 12)
Hwayang University's Faculty of Medicine forensic doctor in 2016. He is the real culprit of the mysterious 1986 Hwayang serial killings.
Yang Joo-ho as reporter Oh / Oh Ji-hoon
Reporter Oh who often searched for information at Hwayang police station in 1986; now a taxi driver in 2016 who wants to become a police officer named Oh Ji-hoon.
Cha Hak-yeon as Park Gwang-ho
Criminal corporal police in 2016 with three years of experience, also named Park Gwang-ho but born in 1988. The youngest of team 1, but has been missing since the first day of transferring work, and gets entangled in an unexplained pursuit leading to his death.
Nam Moon-cheol as leader Oh
Case characters
Heo Sung-tae as Jung Ho-young
Ham Sung-min as young Jung Ho-young
N/A as Lee Jeong-sook
First victim, her corpse was discovered in a field.
N/A as Kim Kyung-soon
High school student and the second victim, her corpse was discovered at Haein riverside.
Han Yeo-wool as Hwang Choon-hee
Rose cafe's staff and the third victim. Her corpse was discovered at the reeds area near Sungyoo mountain.
Seok Bo-bae as Seo Yi-soo
Kim Wan's wife and Kim Seon-jae's mother. She was the fourth victim who was killed on her way back home, on the bare ground near the military base.
Kim Jeong-hak as Kim Wan
Seo Yi-soo's husband and Kim Seon-jae's father. He was a military officer in 1986.
Kim Hye-yoon as young Kim Young-ja
The fifth victim but still alive at this time, changed her name to Kim Jeong-hye.
N/A as Jin Seon-mi
The sixth victim who was killed in a tunnel, which is the beginning of Park Gwang-ho's disappearance after he meets the perpetrator again.
Park Myung-shin as Lee Seon-ok
Special appearances
Jung Seok-yong as Kim Jong-doo, forensic doctor of Hwayang Public Health Center in 1986 (Ep. 1)
Oh Yoon-hong as Madam Jung, owner of Rose café located in front of the police station in 1986 (Ep. 1)
Kwak In-joon as Hwayang police station chief in 1986 (Ep. 1)
Jung Yi-rang as Lee Geum-soon (Ep. 3)
Na Jae-geun as priest in the church when Jung Ho-young comes to confess after killing the seventh woman in 2016 (Ep. 4)
Choi Il-hwa as Yoo Sung-jae, a pharmacist who loved Yeon-sook after Gwang-ho was believed to be dead in 1986 (Ep. 8)
Park Jeong-hak as senior police officer (Ep. 9)
Song Jae-ryong as Kim Kyung-tae (Ep. 12)
Kim Ji-sung as Hwayang police station's criminal team 2's leader (Ep. 15)
Seo Yoon-ah as Park Kwang-ho (born 1988)'s mother (Ep. 16)
Ratings
In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
Due to South Korean presidential election on May 9, 2017, the episodes 13 and 14 were canceled to air on May 6 and 7. Those episodes were broadcast on May 13 and 14.
Remake
The series remade into Thai language with the same title in 2019.
An Indonesian adaptation starring Donny Alamsyah and Hana Malasan, and directed by Ifa Isfansyah as one of the three directors assigned to direct different episodes. Tanya Yuson and Shanty Harmayn served as the showrunners, while Fourcolors Films produced the show.