# Rugal (2020)

> A wronged Korean police detective gains biotech powers and hunts the criminal organization that destroyed his life.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/82341

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 16
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: action, crime, drama, science fiction
- Created by: Rilmae, Do Hyun-joo
- Network: OCN
- Cast: Choi Jin-hyuk, Park Sung-woong, Cho Dong-hyuk, Jung Hye-in, Kim Min-sang, Park Sun-ho, Park Jeong-hak, Ji Dae-han
- TMDB rating: 6.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11769798/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: brutal
- Tone: dark, propulsive, violent, bleak, intense

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with a strong first-season rating offset by a small number of votes and a limited critical record.

## Synopsis

Rugal (2020) is a South Korean crime action series created by Rilmae and Do Hyun-joo for OCN, produced by Studio Dragon. Choi Jin-hyuk stars as Kang Ki Beom, a police detective who loses everything to a criminal organization and returns with abilities granted by experimental biotechnology. Park Sung-woong plays Hwang Deuk Goo, and Jung Hye-in plays Song Mi Na, with Cho Dong-hyuk, Kim Min-sang and Park Sun-ho among the principal cast. The engine is revenge: Kang wants payback, and the obstacles are a shadowy syndicate, corrupt officers and an evil corporation that hides its experiments behind legitimate fronts. Each episode pushes the hunt forward through confrontations, investigations and bloody reversals in a single continuing storyline told across one sixteen-episode season. Its tone is dark, propulsive and violent, with an emotionally driven core about loyalty and betrayal. Set in contemporary South Korea, it stands in the tradition of Korean cable crime thrillers. Fans of Vincenzo, Hellbound and RoboCop will find resonance in its mix of vengeance, corporate conspiracy and enhanced-body action.

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