Wanna know about the series – Read The devil judge Intro.
The episode starts with Ji Sung driving his extravagant sports car on the roads of Seoul.
On the one side, they show the glam world where they collect donations for the current economic crisis in an event, and on the contrast side, poor people actually are in crisis, who fight and riot against the government and rich people.
A man at the event in Social responsibility foundation narrates infact brags and screams about how South Korea is in a crisis now and so many riots are breaking out. he says he has come up with a solution that would turn their nation into a wealthy nation once it was. The event is live broadcasted throughout the country and every person in Seoul is watching him.
The man turns out to be the president of South Korea(Heo Jung Se). They show us few big heads who run the politics game in the drama.
Seo Jeong Hak, Board chairman of the social responsibility foundation.
Cha Kyung Hee, minister of justice
Min Yong Sik, Head of the Inbo group
Park du Man, saram media chairman
Bragging that he has found a solution for the 2 year crisis and grandly introduces the show ‘People’s live court’ where for the first time in history the people of Korea are on the jury side of the live court.
As the president introduces Kang Yo Han As the jury for the live show, He Walks into the event like a king, bold and charismatic.
He just says ‘Hello, I am Kang Yo Han’.
The reporters bombard him with so many questions at him like what he thinks of controversy over the constitutionality of this type of trial? criticism that it’s an anti-civil rights show.
One of the reporters accuses him that he lacks concern for the socially disadvantaged.
Kang Yo Han calmly asks the reporter which defendants do you think I have neglected.
The reporter list down homeless and juvenile criminals. Yo Han answers back ‘ are rapist of a classmate, Happy slapping thief and an outrageous murderer, socially disadvantaged’. They are all just defendants. I have no interest in whether they are advantaged or disadvantaged.
The reporter then challenges yo Han to punish JU chemical Chairman- Ju II Do, who has so many powerful connections, for his crime.
Kang Yo Han speaks ‘ I am the authority. I, I, I am the authority!’.”As delegated by the people who are the sovereign of this country the republic of Korea. I exercise my jurisdiction. who is above the people? The people are the power. I will see you in the live court. “.
The next day, they show the entry of Kim Ga-on (Jin-Young). When he reaches the live court building he is stopped by the security and he shows his I’d that he is starting from today as the judge of the live court.
Ga-on then enters into room calls for the professor(Min Jung Ho) and teases that could he call his professors that now, he is chief justice. ( They seem to be so close).
His professor then shows him the grand building where the live courtroom is going to happen.
The building is grand and looks like a temple… Professor Jung Ho says it is the temple of justice.
Ga-on then asks why did he want him as a judge for this show. Jungho explains the Justice can never be free and something is wrong with this show and he needs someone to keep their eyes wide open and watch everything.
Ga-on then goes to meet Kang Yo Han and introduces himself as one of the judges. Yo Han stares at him for a minute. Ga-on asks is there something wrong.
Yo Han says Kim Ga-on right and shakes his hand saying welcome to the battlefield.
As Ga-on leaves Yo-han looks at the personal information files of Ga-on and there is a news article as his parents took their own life. Kang Yo Han then says ‘He looks just like him more than I expected.’.
Ga-on finds his associate Judge in their cabinet and she introduces herself as oh jin jo.
Oh Jin jo seems to be loose mouthed and she confesses to Ga-on that she is a big fan of yo Han and not many would get a chance to work with him.
A chief judge is warning Kang ho Yan not to take risks and asks why to take Ju II Do’s JU chemical case as he has so much power and already only 10 percent of people believe in court trials now.
Kang Ho yan remains stubborn and says it is not people’s court, it is just trials that are transparent to people. Yo Han then assures him he will take care of everything.
Ga-on leaves early that day and on his way out A school bus driver drives crazily to the supreme court building and at the same time, few kindergarten children were crossing the road.
Ga-on tries to save a child who falls while crossing but by that time the truck comes too close and the security guards take their aim to shoot the truck but they don’t shoot.
Suddenly we hear a gunshot that hits the school bus and it is Kang Yo Han ruthlessly shooting the van.
Ga-on and the child luckily get saved as the van skids to another direction just a few inches away.
Ga-on then tries to save the school bus driver noticing the bus can explode soon.
No one tries to help and as Ga-on manages to bring the driver away from the van and the van explodes. Kang ho Yan watches all of this and walks out indifferently.
The group of all the leaders who participated in the opening of the people’s live court is watching the news of the school bus accident near the court.
They discuss the fact that how the school bus driver has done it to outcry the government action and live court and the president Starts mocking Mr.park (media chairman) to be careful with JU chemical case as minister of justice is especially interested in the case.
Ga-on residence is in a common middle-class citizen and as soon as he reaches home he starts fixing broken flower pots and at this time is childhood friend Yoon Soo-Hyun comes.
They both have their drink at his terrace and when Yoon Soo-Hyun asks about his first-day work with Kang Yo Han and wonders he is so lucky to work with him. Ga-on sarcastically replies ‘sure it was’.
Soo-Hyun says since yo Han is from a rich family and has been through tragedy people like him.
Soo-Hyun then playfully confesses her love saying until now she has faced 5 rejections from him. Ga-on says he can’t lose his friends. ( It is very evident that he has feelings for her.).
Ju II Do at his office meets an attorney and chides people are ungrateful and many people live because of him. The attorney advised him nothing could go wrong but in the worst case accept the crime due to professional negligence and rest for 2 years in jail. Ju II Do asks how could he trust him and the attorney states he has no other go.
The next day Ga-on thanks yo Han in front of yo Han office for saving him. Ga-on then asks why did he shoot the driver he could have avoided it. Kang Yo Han simply says 2 is greater than 1 so I had to shoot him to save you both.
Ga-on retorts ‘I guess I shouldn’t be the smaller number in front of you’ and Yo Han says ‘whatever’.
At the judge meeting, the senior judge asks yo Han to avoid the bus driver case for now as a scandal at this time would negatively affect the show.
Yo Han but then convinces the senior judge that he can’t leave a terrorist unpunished and this trial would be noise marketing for the show.
Ga-on argues that the driver’s circumstances were different as his child and mother died due to JU chemical leakage and to consider that it wouldn’t be fair to punish the driver now. Yo Han shuts him by saying Ju II Do is not been proved for his crime yet but the driver has been caught red-handed.
Later that day Ga-on at his office watch news on JU chemical that total deaths were 11 and nearly 47 people were injured.
As Kang Yo Han leaves the court, Ga-on tails him and questions straightforwardly that why does he have to conduct a trial from the votes of a people from an app? If there is no value for his associate judge’s opinions why does he have them?
Kang Yo Han replies nonchalantly people’s vote matters and he calls it democracy and says he just needs them because it would not be good and it would be empty if there were no associate judges, after all, it is a show. ( This man knows how to cut off and irritate someone).
In an attempt to find out anything possible, Ga-on calls his professor and asks for supreme court vault keys… Jung-Ho hesitates for some time. Ga-on teases him he could not call him chief justice if he can’t get just vault keys. Jung-ho warms him to be careful and promises to arrange for it.
That night Ga-on visits the vault and finds out some important documents. He meets up with his professor at a restaurant and Ga-on says “It’s like how the first love is dearest to you.”. He then explains how Cha Kyung-Hee was a prosecutor when Ju II Do started his business expansion and all the crimes he did at that time were covered up by Kyung-Hee . When Kyung-Hee went up and became assembly women the campaign was supported by Ju II Do. Professor Jung Ho processes the fact Ga-on told and says “A first love that is dear to you… Is Soo-Hyun doing well”. Ga-on throws up hearing that😂.
Soo-Hyun is at her duty and receives a call from Ga-on asking her for a listening device and she notices 2 guys dragging a schoolgirl in the nearby street. She fights off the guys and consoles the girl.
The social responsibility foundation secretary meets Kyung-Hee at her office to convey a message from her chairman. She says the people’s live court was started only to punish petty criminals and to gain people’s trust. Taking up JU chemical case is too risky. Kyung-Hee shuts her saying why does a business group worries about how the country is being run. warns her not to overstep.
While leaving Jung sun-ha irks Kyung-Hee saying the building, car, and chair that she is using are funded by their organization and the government is a very bad state.
Soo-Hyun is at Ga-on’s house. she is wondering why does a judge needs a listening device? ‘ are you spying on your cheating girlfriend’. Ga-on is grinning ear to ear (and he is sooo cute ❤️) and says to consider that as truth.
Ga-on reaches the office early morning and sets the listening device to Yo-han’s desk. He nearly gets caught by Kang Yo Han as Yohan also comes to the office early.
Yo Han catches him reading a book in his office library without turning on the light’s and Ga-on manages by saying he has better vision.
Ga-on notes so many things using the listening device, Kang Yo Han says like… yo Han consoling defense minister everything will go according to the law. The public won’t be that foolish.
On another call, he asks someone whether they met the doctor. And confirms that he will meet the lawyer when he is outside.
After the office, Ga-on also follows him and finds out that yo Han met the counsel Advocate the day before trial but this can’t be of any use since they could simply say they met to discuss the procedure of trial.
Ga-on has no choice but to watch what happens the next day.
It is the big day and the entire nation watches the show. In the starting, a man informs how to vote in the app so that judges can see people’s decisions in real time.
And the show starts Kang Yo Han speaks “welcome to a court owned by you”. Then he promises everything in the trial would be transparent and the judgment would be based on people’s opinions and the law.
The trial starts and the prosecutor narrates about the town that is abandoned by the young people and only 47 people live now, out of that 11 are dead and many are injured. Even the discharged people suffer from permanent nerve and breathing problems. He accuses the JU II Do for all this tragedy since his factory is just 5 km away and releases all the wastewater into the river without treatment. He claims it as murder.
As soon as the prosecutor finishes people’s vote shoots to 79% guilty and 21% innocent.
The defendant advocate simply puts the fact that until now whatever the prosecutor said is not proven and says the factory’s wastewater treatment pipe was broken due to the embankment behind the hill collapsed. And this collapse is under government responsibility.
He also states that within an hour the treatment plant was repaired and the factory was shut down as soon as the accident was identified.
The prosecutor argues the leakage could have happened from the previous plant also and says ‘ it is estimated that a small amount of leakage couldn’t cause..’
Before he could finish the defendant’s advocate stops him and asks to provide objective evidence and not some estimation.
Now Ju II Do retorts in this economic crisis he gives lives to 100000 people and how can the prosecutor call a patriotic businessman a murderer.
The prosecutor shouts to mind his language and Ju II Do says he has the right to speak and their is a commotion.(On the screen the guilt % keep decreasing as Ju II Do explains himself.).
Kang Yo Han stops the unrest exclaiming “Defendant!” and there is a pin drop silence.
No one speaks and moves, he then asks the defendant to take a seat and asks him to breathe.
He announces a break and leaves.
After the break, Oh jin jo questions the defense counsel that a person died on the evening when the factory accident occurred and he suffered from the same symptoms as the people who died due to chemical leakage.
The advocate points down that there is no evidence he suffered from chemical leakage and the person who died doesn’t have an autopsy done.
The advocate then calls an expert in heavy metal poisoning Dr. Yu jong baek for his objective opinion.
Mr.Baek explains that the poisoning is not due to leakage but due to contaminated land. since only a small number of pollutants in river water were found and high levels of pesticides and other chemicals are used in farming in the land.
Ga-on interrupts him and asks what was the most found element in the wastewater?
Mr.Baek says potassium cyanide and ga-on then asks for the common name.
People in the courtroom gasp on knowing that the river water had cyanide.
Mr.Baek manages the situation saying a low level of cyanide is present in everyday food like almond peaches ect.. and says he is an expert in the field so he knows better than anybody in the courtroom.
Kang Yo Han interferes and asks Mr.Baek to take a seat and take some water. Ga-on gets frustrated but You Han doesn’t let him speak. As soon as Mr.Baek starts drinking, yo Han says ‘wait is that water a sample water from river??’.
Mr.Baek spits everything out and panics and screams ‘What are you doing?’ and trial helpers assure it’s not the sample water.
Yo Han smiles and apologizes saying he got confused because it all looked the same. everyone in the court murmurs why didn’t he drink if he is sure it is not toxic. (Kang Yo Han then looks at Ga-on like this is how this should be done.).
Mr.Baek takes his leave but while driving home he feels choked and nearly gets into an accident. (something is really fishy about the water).
The defendant’s advocate then calls the caretaker of the factory. The caretaker hesitates for some time and says he is confused. Ju II Do gets tensed and starts shouting. Kang Yo Han shuts him down and encourages the caretaker to speak comfortably.
The caretaker confesses that the leakage was before the embankment collapse and he informed his chairman as soon as the leakage happened. He says Ju II Do neglected his warning and said it’s ok if old people die they have already lived long.he then says people call him Dr.Safety because he always follows the rule.
At this point, Ga-on can connect all the dots and realize he is the doctor yo Han spoke about on the phone and recollects all the phone conversation and it all makes sense now.
The courtroom is in the commotion and Ju II Do denies saying such a thing. Kang Yo Han asks then what did you say?
Ju II Do panics and says he doesn’t remember. At this time his advocate writes down in a paper “professional negligence” and shows it to him. ( His advocate already has advised if in case anything goes wrong they can say professional negligence which has 5 yrs of sentence).
So as per the plan, Ju II Do accept the crime and says he didn’t think it would be this bad and cries. The advocate pleases the judge to hand down the sentence based on the constitution and not on few lies told by the witnesses.
Kang Yo Han says he will consider the counsel and announces a break before the verdict.
After the break, Kang Yo Han announces the verdict that after considering the people’s opinion and submitted evidence he has concluded that it was not an intent of murder but professional negligence which has a sentence of 5 years.
Everyone in the room gasps and murmurs the minister of defense Kyung-Hee who is watching on her tv gives a sigh of relief.
Yo Han then continues… However ” the judicial reform bill that was passed last year I can hand down an accumulated sentence to account for all the victims”.
Kyung-Hee says in disbelief ” no way”.
All the Lights in the courtroom are shut down except for the spotlight on Kang Yo Han and he reads out all the names of the victims. He announces a sentence of 235 years accumulated for all the victims and crumbles the paper. A single tear rolled down from his eyes.
Every person in the country celebrates the verdict and even Ga-on and oh jin ju couldn’t believe the verdict and gasp. Kang yo Han goes to Ju II Do and says ‘I do wish you live a long life.’.
After most people leave, an old lady bows down to yo Han and says she can now live without regrets and the child her grandmother who died was her family.
Yo Han embraces her with teary eyes but stifles a yawn embracing her.
Ga-on catches him yawning and is shocked and looks around to see anyone else have seen him…but no not a single person noticed. He finally gets, so the plan was to punish JU II Do from the start and it has been manipulated that way from the start.
As Ga-on watches him in disbelief, yo Han gets up and stares at him and as usual starts imagining a chapel on fire and sees Ga-on in the chapel in between the fire. He is standing in front of a person and it looks like Ga-on and suddenly he is lying on the floor dead.
This episode was filled with so much suspense and I loved the ways how till the last minute whatever Ga-on Guessed is all wrong… We don’t get the true intension of Kang Yo Han.
Yo Han doesn’t seem to hold back when messing with someone, be it an international businessman or an influential politician or a homeless person on the street… No, he doesn’t care.
I want to find out how Kang Yo Han and Ga-on are linked and what is the flashback! And how would be the next trail? Let’s wait and watch in the coming episodes.