Juvenile Justice

We all make choices, but many of our most important choices were made when we were relatively inexperienced, in fact immature.  Justice is a sort of reckoning for decisions that harmed others and we have a fairly well developed system for dealing with youth crime.

Courtroom dramas are common enough, but is not too often we watch about young offenders.  The law everywhere treats them differently.  Victims and their families often feel treated unfairly with often the perpetrators getting scant punishment.  You are likely to notice some differences with Korea, but unfortunately you are also likely to notice some similarities.

Most of what juveniles do is petty such as shop lifting, but they can do more serious damage to society.  In the first episode we see a boy confessing to a murder and the body is stomach wrenching.  We learn (spoiler) that he didn't actually do the murder, but had befriended an older girl who knew that the boy could not be prosecuted for murder.  Pinning down the details was difficult.

Other crimes involved gang rape, prostitution and blackmail involving setting up adults.  Another major case was an organized cheating scam in a private school.  The cases were often too numerous and complicated with some characters wanting more study and others pushing to resolve.  Inter-twined were politics and personal ambitions.   The victims, more so than with adult crimes felt justice was not served/

 Information is scarce, perhaps because it is a new release.

 Directed by Jong-Chan Hong who also directed "Live Up to Your Name" (2017).  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/07/live-up-to-your-name.html

Written by Kim min-seok.

 Kim Hye-su plays a very stern judge, Shim Eun Seok whose personal history we learn towards the end.  A black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hye-su is a much decorated actress.  Some of her films include:  "The Red Shoes" (2005), "The Thieves" (2012), "Signal" (2016) and "Hyena" (2020) in which she contributed to one of my biggest laughs in years.  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2021/05/frequency-and-its-extended-korean-remake.html

Mu-Yeol Kim played a junior judge Chae Tae Joo, who often accompanied Shim Eun and especially at the beginning thought she was too harsh. 

Lee Sung-min played a top judge who later tried to enter politics.  A much awarded actor his films include ""The Good The Bad the Weird" (2008), "The Attorney" (2013) and "Misaeng" (2014).

Lee Jeong-eun played the judge, Na Geun Hee.   She is a much awarded actress and her films include"Mother" (2009), "The Attorney" (2013), "The Wailing" (2016), "Okja" (2017), "Parasite" (2019), "My Holo Love" (2020) and "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" (2021) .  Check:  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/09/parasite-breaks-oscar-tradition.html

 The evils of society are cyclical.  An abused youth leads to abusive parents.  Justice is elusive, but the attempt needs to be made to help mitigate the cycle.  This series covers much of the problem with an emphasis on the victims who are part of the cycle.  Worth paying attention to.

Available on Netflix in subtitled or dubbed formats.