Son Suk-ku, Eita Nagayama Hunt a Cross-Border Killer in Netflix's "The Blue Road"

Netflix is heading into the second half of November with a cross-border crime thriller. The streamer's new Korean series "The Blue Road" premieres on Nov. 20, pairing Son Seok-koo with Japanese actor Eita Nagayama as two detectives chasing a serial killer whose crimes span South Korea and Japan.

The series is directed by Han Jun-hee, the filmmaker behind the Netflix hit "D.P." and the 2015 film "Coin Locker Girl" (Chinatown). Netflix has released two posters and a trailer that offer a first look at the pair's uneasy partnership.

"The Blue Road" follows two detectives investigating a string of grisly killings that cross national borders. The crime scenes share the same clues: twisted bodies and strange messages left behind.

Son Seok-koo plays Kim Seok, a detective with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's mobile investigation unit. Eita Nagayama plays Inose, a detective with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's first investigation division. The two men have contrasting personalities and different ways of working a case, but both end up chasing the truth behind the same serial murders.

The two posters show each detective standing in a back alley, one in Japan and one in South Korea. Behind them, strange messages written in Korean and Japanese hint at clues from the case. A tagline reads, "Twisted bodies, mysterious messages, bizarre murders across borders."

The trailer opens with Kim and Inose rushing to a crime scene. Their dialogue describes the sound of breaking bones, intercut with shots of messages written in the victims' blood in both Korean and Japanese. The imagery leans into the strangeness of the killings.

Kim pushes through crowds at a full run. Inose shouts, unable to hold back his anger. As the two chase the case in their own ways, the trailer also introduces Lee Yoon-ok, a Korean-Japanese businesswoman played by Kim Shin-rok, along with a mysterious tiger painting. How Lee and the painting are connected to the serial killings has not been revealed.

The trailer ends with Kim lying on the ground, bleeding, as Inose looks down at him coldly. The moment raises questions about what has gone wrong between the two partners.

"The Blue Road" has been officially invited to the On Screen section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival. Director Han Jun-hee, Son Seok-koo, Eita Nagayama and Kim Shin-rok are scheduled to attend the festival and meet with audiences.

"The Blue Road" premieres Nov. 20 on Netflix.