Original subtitles

(Episode 16)

(Arrest Warrant)

(Judge Lee Jung Joo)

Your glasses looked uncomfortable.

Are you still thinking about it?

No. I issued it.

Did you look through the diary?

Yes.

(Diary of Kang Gi Woong)

The officer wrote down everything that was weighing on his conscience.

This was before he was diagnosed with dementia.

Thus, it qualifies under the rules of criminal procedure...

to prove the defendant's innocence.

Since the officer investigating Seo Gi Ho's murder...

confessed to tampering with the evidence,

I believe the applicable provision...

is that the investigating officer committed a breach of duty,

for which the officer was found guilty.

But he wasn't found guilty...

of tampering with the evidence.

The officer must be found guilty...

of tampering with the evidence...

in order to warrant a retrial.

Chief. In this situation,

because the statute of limitations has expired...

for his tampering with the evidence.

So it falls under Section 422, which provides that...

whereas the officer cannot be found guilty, it may prove the fact...

and serve as grounds for a retrial.

(Head Chief Seo Dae Soo)

Even still, it's difficult to grant based on this alone.

This diary records in detail how the murder weapon...

was manipulated to have Jang Soon Bok's blood on it.

It is very detailed.

Given this persuasive evidence...

and the fact that there is a new suspect,

if you refuse to grant the retrial,

it would be an unduly limiting the retrial.

When there is a grievous error in finding a defendant guilty,

although it is not easy to grant a retrial,

if you consider the objective of the retrial process...

which is there to protect the defendant's rights...

But since when did you two work so well together?

(Head Chief Seo Dae Soo)

Chief.

Fine.

You can say there are sufficient grounds for a retrial.

Let's grant the retrial.

Yes.

- Are you that happy? - Yes.

I'll deliver the decision right now.

We need to rush, so get ready to submit it.

Yes, sir.

Let's also submit an affidavit that confirms...

Kang Gi Woong's current state.

Yes, sir.

Jang Soon Bok.

You did the right thing.

You're cool, Oh Ji Rak.

You went from being an individual to being an associate judge.

How do you like it?

I do.

- Did you call me here to ask that? - No.

I'll get to my point now.

Earlier, during a meeting of the judges,

there was a discussion regarding arrest warrants, correct?

Yes.

It was announced that all judges are equal,

regardless of rank or seniority.

In light of that,

any judge may issue an arrest warrant.

I'd like to hear what you think about that since you have...

the support of every young judge out there.

To be honest, I couldn't understand that.

Other courts appoint judges with the most seniority...

to be on call.

But why does our court let inexperienced judges...

be on call,

let them make unreasonable decisions to issue arrest warrants,

and create this predicament?

What predicament do you mean?

In these times, when we're leaning away from imprisonment,

an arrest warrant...

should be issued with caution.

If it was a judge with years of experience...

Saying a judge is unreasonable because they lack experience...

may sound like you distrust junior judges.

Since the judge performed his or her duty...

according to the rule resulting from the conference,

I think the judge's decision...

to issue an arrest warrant should be respected.

The arrest warrant for Na Dong Soo has been issued.

At Seoul Central District Court,

Judge Lee Jung Joo presided over the hearing...

regarding the issuance of the arrest warrant.

Lee Jung Joo.

How dare she issue an arrest warrant?

What were you doing?

You couldn't take down a baby judge like that?

How could a lawyer take down a judge?

Young or old, a judge is a judge.

It'll be a pain in the neck if he goes to prison.

Do you think they donated money to your firm and my campaign...

for no reason whatsoever?

They want us to clean up the turd they leave behind.

Eui Hyun was right. I shouldn't have stepped down from the bench.

Look. This is no time for life reflections.

Make sure...

he does not get sentenced jail time. You must get him out.

Jang Soon Bok's retrial?

It's been decided?

It wasn't a scam?

What kind of a ridiculous verdict is that?

That arrogant judge.

Not all judges are arrogant.

I tried not to curse judges because of you.

But that woman knew it was real...

when she took the purse.

If she pretended not to and took it, that's a scam.

There's no evidence that she knew it was real.

Judges make their decisions based on evidence.

She would never lie.

What about Myung Soo Jin's sister? She would probably say the same.

"My sister would never lie."

One of them is lying in court.

How can you distinguish the liar? By the evidence.

You people and evidence...

She should've recorded their conversation.

Since she lost the criminal case,

will she lose the civil case too?

You never know about that.

I felt bad for her, so I lent her money too.

What should I do? I may never see my money again.

- I'm going to work. - Already?

I have a lot of work.

Judge Lee.

I say this out of concern.

Even if the arrest warrant that you issued...

gets canceled by the review board,

don't let it get to you.

Of course not. It wouldn't be my first time being overturned.

Don't worry.

I plan to change my outlook on life now.

I'll do my best and make no regrets.

Therefore, I plan to work hard on Choi Kyung Ho's retrial.

As my brother's lawyer 10 years ago,

do you have anything to tell me?

How can I remember something from 10 years ago?

That's right. You know Kim Ik Chul agreed to take the stand, right?

- He did? - He did?

Drink.

I thought...

I'd never see you again.

When you got on the plane to the US,

you agreed...

never to return to Korea again, didn't you?

You came to Korea because you have liver cancer.

Then just get treated.

Why are you getting involved in Jang Soon Bok's affair?

Why? Are you having second thoughts...

after seeing Jang Soon Bok?

After facing her in person,

I feel sorry to Soon Bok and Yong Soo.

And I don't think I can't ever forgive myself.

You killed your friend...

and framed his wife for the murder.

You must have felt devastated.

You're right.

If you want to repent your sins now, you should do it.

If that's what you want, you must do it.

You just rendered a decision that stirred up a sensation.

It's not guilty.

Are you trying to hit on me?

Why are you being so clingy?

Hey, hey, hey.

I think Chief Moon knows about it too.

Hi.

The soup is very warm today. Please take my seat.

- Thank you. - Bye.

You ruled that Myung Soo Jin was not guilty.

Don't you think you might have been too rash with your decision?

The trial is nerve-racking for those who are involved.

I must rule swiftly when I have reached a decision.

I think she was aware...

that the handbag was genuine when she received it.

In my criminal case,

the prosecutor had to prove...

that she had knowledge of it, but he failed to prove it.

There was no evidence either.

I had doubts...

if she even lost the handbag at all.

That is irrelevant to the fraud charge.

What... What's wrong with him?

You're a chief judge.

How could you be so inadequate in interpreting the law?

Chief Choi.

Chief Moon.

He shouldn't be playing hardball.

Don't you think interfering other judges' trials...

is a violation of independence of trials?

Excuse me?

Drop it.

Do you know your weakness as a judge?

A weakness?

What's wrong with you, Chief Choi?

A weakness?

You are swayed by feelings without evidence.

That's called confirmation bias.

Don't you know bias leads to misjudgment?

Gosh, it's hot.

Chief Moon.

Judge Lee.

It's been a while since just the two of us spent some time together.

I've been getting myself into quite a lot of trouble lately.

But deep down, I always rooted for you.

I'm aware of that. You even posted comments.

"Sometimes, we need those rotten apples."

"That's how we know that clean water runs at court."

"Before you blame the rotten apples,"

"let's check on the water at court."

You managed to read my comments in the midst of your troubles.

As I underwent a series of events,

I thought a lot about if I was qualified and well-equipped...

to become a judge.

That's on my mind too.

My intuition tells me...

that A is telling me lies,

but the evidence...

tells me A is telling me the truth.

People say intuition without evidence is dangerous.

Do you think it's more dangerous if you ignore the intuition...

for its lack of evidence?

Precisely. That's it.

The designer handbag case is the example of it.

You're referring to Designer Myung Soo Jin, right?

I'm about to lose it. This intuition will be the death of me.

Thank you for your patience.

This is the decision regarding your petition for retrial.

(Seoul Central District Court, The corresponding retrial will begin.)

Does this mean...

that I can prove my innocence?

I must do my best in order to achieve that.

I will see you in court then.

(The corresponding retrial will begin.)

I'm sorry. I...

should have stopped him from bringing you here.

But then, no one can go against Assemblyman Do Jin Myung.

That's why he framed his own son for the crime he committed.

Mr. Kim.

I didn't...

kill your daughter.

The person who instigated Mr. Seo's murder killed her.

- What did you say? - You shouldn't listen...

to the murderer who killed your daughter.

It's not too late. You should come clean in court.

Tell the whole truth.

Tell them everything, including Assemblyman Do's instigation.

Your daughter...

must feel so wronged to be murdered like that,

but think about how devastated she would be if she learned...

that her own dad killed a man for her murderer.

Witness, so 10 years ago,

(Jang Soon Bok's Retrial)

Are you stating that you killed...

Ms. Jang Soon Bok's husband...

and your best friend, Mr. Seo Gi Ho?

Your Honor,

I am a stage-four liver cancer patient.

I am testifying because I want to repent my sin before my death.

I...

killed Seo Gi Ho.

Ik... Ik Chul.

What... What on earth are you saying?

I...

deserve to die.

I'm offering my sincerest apology...

to you and Yong Soo.

Ik Chul.

How... How could you...

How could you do this to us?

No.

Tell them you didn't do it.

Tell them that you didn't do it.

Defendant, are you all right?

If you need a break, let us know.

If you are the real murderer of Mr. Seo Gi Ho,

can you give us an account of the night of the murder?

10 years ago,

on September 10, 2017,

my daughter was raped and murdered.

Since then, I started to hit the bottle.

I even drank often with Gi Ho.

On the day I murdered him,

I was having drinks with him as usual.

We started to argue over something petty, and I stabbed him...

in a fit of anger.

When I came to my senses, he was already...

Because I was so shocked,

I took the body to a hill...

to conceal the body.

And I chopped up the body with a knife.

The court acknowledges the testimony.

After looking over the ME's report from NFS,

the corpse was chopped with such precision,

which an average person isn't capable of.

Our panel received a report that states...

that the murderer can be someone who uses knives on a daily basis.

Where did you get the knife?

It was at the cottage.

At the cottage?

He was the caretaker of the cottage.

I used to manage the cottage,

but after my daughter's death, I gave my job to Gi Ho.

Can you tell us the name of the cottage owner?

Were you hired by someone to murder Seo Gi Ho...

or anything like that by any chance?

No.

With what money did you live in the US?

I had my daughter's life insurance money, and I had sold my house.

And my old boss helped me.

I used that as capital.

Why did your old boss...

help you?

Well, you don't need to answer that if you do not want to,

although it will raise a huge suspicion regarding why you won't.

Your Honor. In addition to the witness' confession,

the defendant had an alibi.

I submit the cell phone record of the defendant's son, Seo Yong Soo,

as evidence.

Well, Seo Yong Soo was searching for the defendant, who wasn't home,

and tried to call her 2 to 3 times.

However,

these call times coincide with Seo Gi Ho's time of death.

Moreover, it was proved that Seo Yong Soo...

was near the scene of the crime.

That proves that the defendant...

was not at the scene of the crime at the time of the murder.

We submitted the call records at the initial trial,

but sadly, since Seo Yong Soo was nine years old...

and had a mental disability, it wasn't taken into consideration.

We submit it into evidence again. Please consider it.

Prosecution. Give your statement.

Your Honor, please overturn the prior guilty verdict.

If you have no further evidence to submit, we will conclude here.

Defense. Please give your closing argument.

Your Honor.

Jang Soon Bok was wrongfully imprisoned for 10 years.

Your wise decision is requested.

Due to Kim Ik Chul's testimony,

there is reasonable doubt...

regarding the defendant murdering Seo Gi Ho.

Given the health of the defendant Jang Soon Bok,

her sentence will be postponed until the final decision is announced.

From this moment forth until the final judgment date,

Jang Soon Bok shall be released from prison.

We will announce the decision at the next trial date.

Why did you do it?

In exchange,

you did it all on your own.

Even if you are dying,

it's only human nature to want to live at least one more day.

I'll get you treated by the best liver cancer specialist in Korea.

So try to live as well as you can while you're still alive.

Even if you confess your crimes,

since you're sick, you'll serve your sentence in the hospital.

I'll compensate...

Jang Soon Bok's family generously.

The son, whose mother was stripped from him,

waited season after season, in the snow and rain,

and the wife, who lost her husband,

waited season after season in a cramped prison cell.

On days when sunlight entered through the window,

she had hope that tomorrow will come.

She did not let go of that sliver of hope.

Today, the Ministry of Justice of South Korea...

plans to end the injustice, which resulted in the loss of freedom,

and grab the warm hands of freedom...

that permits people, who miss each other, to meet.

The frail hand, which has faith in and longs for justice,

will finally render the right decision.

Please be seated.

We'd like to share with you...

a famous saying in the legal world.

"The desire for what is right, not the letter of the law,"

"is what keeps justice alive."

Prior to announcing the verdict,

we would like to talk about justice, which the law seeks.

The law exists...

to listen to the voices of those who are weak.

Moreover, there must not be a single person wronged...

because the truth is hidden by lies.

According to the Constitution of Korea,

the sovereignty over Korea lies with the people.

The law also dictates...

that the court must follow the Constitution, statutes,

and their conscience when rendering a decision.

The Ministry of Justice has sought...

to prevent the sovereign citizens from suffering injustice,

to uncover the truth that is hidden behind lies,

and to pursue justice,

but we confess we were inadequate.

A human being...

insisted she was innocent and suffered injustice for 10 years...

while she worked hard to uncover the truth.

Due to the harsh conditions surrounding her,

she could've compromised with reality and given up,

but she did not give up...

and strove to uncover the truth.

However, for all those years,

nobody listened to her cries.

Refuting injustice and refusing to bend...

in order to find the truth...

is what the Ministry of Justice must do.

Thus, this court will not ignore a person's efforts...

to pursue justice and uncover the truth.

This court will plan to render its decision...

with the most respect possible.

Everyone in the courtroom,

please rise.

The court hereby finds the defendant Jang Soon Bok...

not guilty.

Mom.

(My mom, Jang Soon Bok, is innocent.)

My baby.

- Let's go home. - Okay.

Don't cry, Mom.