Chief Inspector 1958 ~ Retro Crime Investigation Team

“Chief Inspector 1958” is a Korean drama series released in 2024, with 10 episodes, and categorized as a historical, crime, and police procedure drama; streaming on Disney+/Hulu. (aka “Chief Detective 1958”) This series is a prequel to the popular “Chief Inspector” series that ran from 1971–1989.

♦ Meet Unit 1 at the Jongnam Police Station

In “Chief Inspector 1958”, Park Yeong-Han is a humble detective who lives in a humble town and catches cow thieves. Catching a cow thief may not seem important but when you can use it to pay for an important surgery and someone steals it … why didn’t they just murder the person who needed surgery? There’s no difference. Because Park Yeong-Han was so successful at rounding up the thieves, he was recruited to work at Jongnam Police Station in Seoul.

Park Yeong-Han’s first day on the job he caught a notorious gangster and on that same day, the cowardly and spineless head of the police department let the criminal walk free. Life in Seoul was nothing like life in the humble town he came from. When he went back to the area where the gangsters terrorized the people, the people living there all hated him. They accused him of being a dirty cop just like all the rest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Park Yeong-Han was going to have to gain their trust and prove that he was an honest cop.

Being a cop in Seoul was much harder because his co-workers and superiors did not support his hard work. When he did his job the people who worked in the police station took steps to undo everything he did. On the plus side, his immediate supervisor, Chief Yu Dae-Cheon, did support his efforts. The problem is there were only two of them. The other units had more than 1 member on their teams. Why did Unit 1 have only 2 people?

Chief Yu allowed Park Yeong-Han to recruit men who would be willing to work with him. First, he convinced Kim Sang-Sun. He was a “biter”; but he only bit “dogs” (bad guys). Since he was already on the police force, he just needed to be reassigned to Jongnam Police Station. Jo Gyeong-Hwan was a common man with very little education but he could read and write. Seo Ho-Jeong was a graduate of Hanju University. Even so, both had to apply and pass the required examinations to become investigators. Once hired they were assigned to Jongnam Police Station.

Jo Gyeong-Hwan was immediately assigned to Unit 1. His main talent was his physical strength. Initially, Seo Ho-Jeong was assigned to Unit 2. But when an incident involving the US military occurred, since he could speak English, he had to accompany Park Yeong-Han, Kim Sang-Sun, and Jo Gyeong-Hwan to the scene to diffuse the situation. After that, he joined Unit 1.

Detective Park Yeong-Han was not formally their leader, but the team members followed his lead. He told them they only needed to be guided by one rule: “If I don’t solve this case, someone’s life will be destroyed.” They followed him and also worked together with each other as equals. Later in his career, Park Yeong-Han would become a Chief Inspector.

Main Characters:

• Detective Park Yeong-Han (played by Lee Je-Hoon, “Taxi Driver 1 and 2”, “Move to Heaven”)
• Kim Sang-Sun (played by Lee Dong-Hwi, “Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman”, “Glitch”)
• Jo Gyeong-Hwan (played by Choi Woo-Sung, “Sell Your Haunted House”)
• Seo Ho-Jeong (played by Yoon Hyun-Soo, “A Good Day to Be a Dog”)
• Chief Yu Dae-Cheon (played by Choi Duk-Moon, “The Deal”, “The Forbidden Marriage”, “Jeon Woo-chi”)

Where to Watch

• “Chief Inspector 1958” is the prequel to the Chief Inspector series that ran from 1971–1989.

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.5 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 9 out of 10 stars.

It’s the late 1950s in South Korea. But the time period does not matter because:

• There are always corrupt self-serving politicians.
• There are always gangsters who engage in criminal mischief, bully people, and serve crooked politicians and themselves.
• There are always troublemakers ~ usually foreigners ~ who cause problems because they’re ignorant, stupid, and think they can get away with it.
• There are always cowards too scared to stand up and fight.
• There are always common people who want to live in peace.
• There are always heroes who come to save the day

Unit 1 at the Jongnam Police Station are the heroes.

In 1958, I was 3 years old. It was fun to see the 50s recreated and to follow this retro crime investigation team who solved crimes without criminal profiling, computers, mobile phones, electronic surveillance cameras, and other high-tech equipment. Those guys were so likable. They were the kind of people you would want as your best friends. LOL.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• [INTERVIEW] Actor Lee Je-hoon revives classic in ‘Chief Inspector 1958,’ bringing nostalgia with new twists | The Korea Times
• Watch Lee Je-hoon in the action-packed trailer for ‘Chief Inspector 1958’ | NME
• Lee Je Hoon is Legendary Detective in ‘Chief Inspector 1958’ Trailer | KDramaStars
• Lee Je Hoon, Lee Dong Hwi, Choi Woo Sung, And Yoon Hyun Soo Make A Tight-Knit Squad In “Chief Inspector 1958” |Soompi

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

K-WORLD HIGHLIGHTS. “Chief Inspector 1958 { 2024 } Official Trailer { PREVIEW }.” YouTube Video. YouTube, April 13, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_pO0RKvZqY.‌