Law School: Truth, law, and justice in the eyes of law students
Law School, South Korea’s first law school drama, presents a gripping and mysterious tale following a professor’s unexpected murder, opening the door to other related cases that shine the spotlight on the flaws of the legal system. Set in the prestigious Hankuk University, Law School takes us through the perspective of a group of law students and their everyday struggles in a competitive environment. Despite its serious premise, Law School also shows some light moments like the friendships and unexpected chemistry in between all the action, and the camaraderie of the professors and students.
The story opens with a mock trial spearheaded by a former chief prosecutor-turned-professor, Seo Byung Ju as law students tackle a murder case due to drug poisoning. Unexpectedly, when Seo Byung Ju was found dead in his office, notorious terror professor in criminal law and fellow former prosecutor Yang Jong Hoon finds himself accused of the murder, as pieces of evidence pointed to him as the suspect of the crime.
As the storyline poses an intriguing guessing game on finding the true culprit, Law School also blends in other cases and crimes that establish connection to the people caught up in the alleged murder, with aspiring law professionals, their professors, and corrupt forces with a hidden agenda in the legal world, all interwoven together in a web of lives. While the murder case of professor Seo Byung Ju unfolds in a series of trials within the court, other twists come out into the open as the characters step closer into the truth, revealing a much more complicated case than they thought.
Emphasizing the value of due process and the presumption of innocence in the courtroom, Law School takes a stance on standing up against injustice, a relevant message amid the landscape of unjustified persecutions and killings that has been happening today.
Law students and their professor work together to bring justice to light. Image Source: Han Cinema
The legal drama also doesn’t shy away from the struggles that hit close to home to the students’ experiences, such as stressing about grades, exams, strict professors, countless hours of studying and all-nighters, anything just to get to the top of the class or just to survive the semester. Oftentimes, schools in many dramas serve as a setting, a background where characters meet each other. But for Law School, it digs deeper into the experiences of the students as seen from the central characters who are in the same study group. From intelligent and self-assured law student Han Joon Hwi to passionate yet struggling Kang Sol A, the drama gives a glimpse on how the case studies and lessons in the classroom can unravel in the courtroom that they aspire to be a part of in the future.
Striving law student Kang Sol A persisting to keep up with the workload amid the mystery unfolding within the prestigious university. Image Source: Han Cinema
But more than this, Law School also emphasizes that what makes the law “just” are the people behind the books — the law professionals who choose the path of upholding truth and justice, and the next generation that will follow their footsteps.
