A Killer Paradox

A Killer Paradox is a 2024 South Korean crime thriller dark comedy television series written by Kim Da-min, directed by Lee Chang-hee, and starring Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku, and Lee Hee-joon. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kkomabi, it tells the story of a man who accidentally murders a serial killer, and a detective who pursues him relentlessly. It was released on Netflix on February 9, 2024, and received generally positive reviews.

Synopsis
Lee Tang, who was discharged from the army six months ago, struggles with his life and dreams of visiting Canada. He works at a convenience store and relies heavily on his parents for support. One night, he is assaulted by a customer, leading to a violent confrontation and the subsequent murder of the customer. Tang is guilt-ridden and prepares to turn himself in but discovers his victim was a serial killer. Dutiful detective Jang Nan-gam remains uncooperative and keeps investigating. It is unclear if Nan-gam is onto him, but Tang continues to kill, revealing his hidden talent for detecting and killing previously unpunished evildoers without leaving any traceable evidence. The story explores the question of whether Tang is serving justice or evading it.

Main

 * Choi Woo-shik as Lee Tang
 * An ordinary college student who realizes that he has the ability to identify evil people after his first accidental murder


 * Son Suk-ku as Jang Nan-gam
 * A detective who pursues a murder case committed by Lee Tang


 * Lee Hee-joon as Song Chon
 * A former detective who hunts down Lee Tang

Supporting

 * Kim Yo-han as Roh Bin
 * Kwon Da-ham as Yong-jae
 * The youngest detective of Violent Crime Team 1 at Daejeon Northern Police Station and Nan-gam's junior


 * Hyun Bong-sik as Park Chung-jin
 * A detective of Violent Crime Team 1 at Daejeon Northern Police Station and Nan-gam's marksman


 * Jung Yi-seo as Seon Yeo-ok
 * A murder witness


 * Jo Hyun-woo as Kim Myeong-jin / Yeo Bu-il
 * A customer at the convenience store where Tang works who turns out as the suspect in a serial murder


 * Roh Jae-won as Ha Sang-min
 * A man who spends time with his girlfriend, looking through old diaries


 * Lim Se-joo as Choi Gyeong-ah
 * A woman living a hard life after being betrayed by her trusted lover. She changed her name and face after her private video was distributed by her ex-lover.


 * Lee Joong-ok as Kang Sang-muk
 * A father who struggles after losing his daughter in an unexpected incident


 * Seo Jae-kwon as Kang Jae-jun
 * Baek Yu-sung as Lee Jin-seong
 * Choi Sun-woo as Kyung-hwan
 * Tang's friend


 * Moon Young-dong as Lee Gwan-hun
 * Lee So-won as Yeon-seo
 * Lee Joo-won as Jang Gab-su
 * Nan-gam's father and a former detective at Daejeon Northern Police Station


 * Yang Mal-bok as Nan-gam's mother
 * Oh Hye-won as Lee Yoo-jeong
 * A profiler at the Daejeon Metropolitan Police Department who is known for her sharp analytical skills and beauty


 * Park Kyung-geun as Chief of the Criminal Division at Daejeon Northern Police Station
 * Nam Jin-bok as Prosecutor Ji
 * Lee Ji-hoon as Chief Moon
 * Kim Min-ju as Lee Yeong
 * Tang's sister


 * Oh Min-ae as Tang's mother
 * Heo Sun-haeng as Tang's father
 * Jang Joon-hui as Violent Crime Team 1 leader

Production and release
The series was directed by Lee Chang-hee, who previously worked on the film The Vanished (2018) and the series Hell Is Other People (2019). It was written by Kim Da-min, who won the grand prize in the 2019 Gyeonggi Scenario Planning and Development Feature Category. Showbox and Let's Film managed the production. Filming began in the second half of 2022 and took place in Daejeon. Choi Woo-shik, Son Suk-ku, and Lee Hee-joon were cast for the series.

Netflix confirmed that the show would be released on February 9, 2024.

Critical response
Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post rated it 3/5 and wrote that it "eschews moral introspection in favour of something more troubling". Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? rated it 9.5/10 and wrote that it is "darkly humorous, violent, and never boring, A Killer Paradox is a morality thriller like no other", adding, "what begins as a comedy of errors and morphs into a deep detective thriller, it's one of the finest series on Netflix". Joel Keller of Decider wrote that "while A Killer Paradox seems like a pretty straightforward show, it should have a lot of tense moments", adding that it may have twists along the way. Jonathan Wilson of Ready Steady Cut rated it 3/5 and wrote that "some will think it's great" and "others will find the conceit too trying" but "both will be right in about equal measure". David Opie of Radio Times rated it 3/5 and wrote that "tighter focus and keener sense of the message behind this conceit could have elevated the series more" but that "there's still tons of fun to be had when it comes to Killer's sheer ambition, not to mention the wish fulfilment of it all". Rhian Daly of NME rated it 4/5 and described the series as "far from a typical offering in the genre [that] adds flashes of other styles, like fantasy, into the mix" and "worlds apart from the usual murder and retribution fare", calling Choi Woo-shik, in particular, "phenomenal as the unlikely avenger". Pallavi Keswani of The Hindu wrote that "a product of smart writing, supported by some stellar performances, [it] emerges as slightly disturbing yet deeply intriguing watch". Melissa Camacho of Common Sense Media wrote that "overall, A Killer Paradox is an interesting thriller that requires close attention to fully understand what's happening".

Viewership
A Killer Paradox ranked second in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category after three days of its release and received a warm response in 19 countries, being listed in the top 10, including in South Korea, Bolivia, India, Qatar, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Vietnam. The following week, the series topped the chart with 39.5 million hours watched by 5.5 million viewers, and remained on the chart for the next two consecutive weeks.