There comes a day for every parent
when they ask themselves if their kids could be special.
For my father, that day was November 17, 2000.
Young-woo.
Young-woo?
Young-woo.
Look at me.
Young-woo.
Woo Young-woo, look at me.
You said Young-woo can't talk even though she's five years old?
Yes.
Not even simple words like mom or dad?
No, not at all.
We'll have to look further into it,
but it seems as though Young-woo is autistic.
What?
Autistic?
Is that good, Young-woo?
Hey!
You stay right there, okay?
You…
You bastard.
I took pity on you for being a widower,
so I let you live here without raising the rent.
And you're trying to get with my wife?
Move out this instant, you bastard!
What are you talking about?
You always came to my place whenever I was away, right?
What did you do?
What did you do with my wife? You punk!
Your wife was just babysitting Young-woo because I had to go to work.
You dare come to my house whenever I was away
with an excuse of leaving your kid?
You bastard! You're going to die
after spitting your damn nonsense like that!
How can you swear like that in front of a child?
-What? -You have no right!
What did you say? You bastard!
You punk!
-What are you doing? Let go. -Damn you!
-What's wrong with you? -You bastard!
What are you doing?
Let go of me!
Move out, you punk!
How can we…
-Come on, what are you doing? -You punk!
Let go. Gosh, what's wrong with you?
Seriously!
What are you doing?
You bastard!
What's wrong with you?
-You bastard! -What's wrong with you?
"Inflicting bodily injury."
"A person who inflicts bodily injury upon another
shall be punished by up to seven years of imprisonment,
up to ten years of probation, or a fine of up to ten million won."
Young-woo.
Did you just talk?
Did you?
YEONGRAN VILLA
Did you hear?
You heard Young-woo talk, right?
Young-woo talks!
You heard, right?
Young-woo can talk!
Young-woo.
Young-woo?
Young-woo.
Where did you learn all that?
The law about inflicting bodily injury.
Did you see it somewhere?
Criminal law.
Criminal law?
Criminal…
CASEBOOK OF CRIMINAL LAW
Hey…
Did you read this book?
"Article 311, Insult."
"A person who publicly insults another shall be punished
with up to one-year imprisonment
or imprisonment without prison labor or by a fine of up to two million won."
"Direction and components of investigation."
"One, publicity."
"One, refer to Article 307, Defamation."
"Two, it holds the characteristics of not stating facts
and hurting one's honor and feelings."
"Two, action, insulting a person."
-"One, -Gwang-ho.
insult is not the statement of a specific fact,
-but harming a person's honor -Hi.
and feelings in a contemptuous manner."
I'm sorry.
My husband behaved so ridiculously.
Here, put some ointment on.
Thank you.
Are you crying?
Young-woo…
memorizes criminal law.
What?
She memorized this thick book.
Really?
She's a genius!
She must've been different from other kids because she's a genius.
My goodness.
Young-woo can grow up to be an attorney, right?
Thank you.
There comes a day for every parent
when they ask themselves if their kids could be special.
For my father, that day was November 17, 2000.
The day he found out that his daughter was an autistic genius.
CASE 1 EXTRAORDINARY ATTORNEY WOO
My name is Woo Young-woo.
Whether it's read straight or flipped, it's still Woo Young-woo.
Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar.
WOO YOUNG-WOO
Woo Young-woo.
CONSTITUTIONAL ACT BAR EXAM WORKBOOK, SUMMARY OF ADMINISTRATIVE ACT
THEORY OF CRIMINAL LAW
CRIMINAL TAX ACT A LECTURE ON THE CUSTOMS ACT
STATE PROPERTY ACT
2. PROHIBITION AGREEMENT OF CHANGING JOBS
Young-woo, I got you this as a gift. I took off all traces of the label.
HUMAN EMOTIONS
RESENTMENT, ANGER, FURY
WORRY, DISCONTENT, FEAR, SHOCKED
SATISFACTION, ENJOYMENT, HAPPINESS, LAUGHTER
HAPPINESS
One Woo Young-woo gimbap, please.
My daughter looks great!
One Woo Young-woo gimbap!
Here you go.
I always have the Woo Young-woo gimbap for breakfast.
Gimbap is reliable.
I can see all the ingredients,
so I will not be alarmed by unexpected texture or flavor.
Tell me the route to your office.
I walk to Hapjeong Station, take line number two,
and get off at Yeoksam Station.
I come out through exit number 4 and walk 312m straight.
A total of 38 minutes.
Okay.
Don't repeat other people's words and don't say anything weird.
But don't be too blunt, okay?
Refrain from echolalia. Saying weird and honest things are prohibited.
Especially, no talking about whales.
Well…
What if the situation absolutely requires whale talk?
Do you work at an aquarium?
In what kind of situation would whale talk be necessary?
But, despite all that, what if that kind of situation happens?
Then you do it.
Okay.
Wait.
-See you later. -All right.
FIRST-EVER AUTISTIC ATTORNEY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, WOO YOUNG-WOO
Yeoksam Station.
Whether it's read straight or flipped…
it's Yeoksam Station.
You can step in now.
Right here.
You can step out now.
The door is so confusing, right?
Thank you.
Where are you headed?
Right.
Attorney Jung Myeong-seok's office.
I'm headed that way too. Let's go together.
This way.
-Hi, Jun-ho. -Nice to see you.
-Hey. -Hey.
Good morning.
-Good morning. -Hello.
-Hello.
Jun-ho, where's the paperwork for Attorney Jang?
It should be at my desk.
Okay.
You got this.
Excuse me.
It's this way.
Right here.
This is Attorney Jung Myeong-seok's office.
-Do you want me to knock for you? -No.
I will do it.
Sure, I'll get going then.
ATTORNEY JUNG MYEONG-SEOK
Yes, come in.
Who are you?
I'm Woo Young-woo, the new attorney who will be working at Hanbada Law Firm.
Was the new attorney supposed to come today?
Well…
Hold on, the resume I got…
APPLICATION (LAW SCHOOL)
TAKE CARE OF HER, PLEASE. FROM HAN
Well…
My resume should have two pages. Do you not have the second page?
No, what does it say?
Special note, autism spectrum disorder.
Right.
I see.
Yes, well, do you have anything else to say?
My name is Woo Young-woo, whether it is read straight or flipped.
Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo.
Yeoksam Station.
That's very funny.
Yes.
So…
I'm going to leave for a bit, so get yourselves acquainted.
Yes, sir.
All right, it was nice to meet you.
You can't say those things at work.
Kayak? Deed?
"You can't say those things at work." Kayak, deed, forbidden.
But…
it's not easy to not do it.
Do you
know each other?
We went to law school together.
So how do you know our CEO?
There was a note that said to take care of you.
You memorized the CEO's handwriting?
No.
It says "from Han" here.
Who else here at Hanbada can refer to themselves as Han
besides the CEO?
Come in.
APPLICATION (LAW SCHOOL)
The new attorney you sent came in.
She did?
Did you get a chance to see the second page of her resume?
Apparently, it says she's autistic.
I did see the second page.
So you saw that and still accepted her?
Were you too fixated on the second page to check out the first one?
She graduated with top honors
from SNU law school and scored over 1,500 on the bar.
If Hanbada doesn't bring such a talent in, who will?
People can score well just by having great memorization skills.
I need an attorney who can meet with clients and go to trials.
Someone with good social skills and can speak eloquently.
How can I train someone who can't even introduce herself properly?
Did you introduce yourself well on your first day here?
Didn't I?
What I'm trying to say
is that she's different from me.
In what way?
Okay, if you insist, I'll assign a case to the rookie.
I'll test her to see if she's qualified
or if it's my prejudice against people with disabilities.
If Attorney Woo Young-woo is determined as being not up to standard
to meet with clients and go to trials,
can we let her go then?
Sure.
Okay.
It's a public interest case. Take out the materials.
"Take out the materials."
The defendant…
All settled?
The defendant is an old lady in her seventies.
The defendant takes care of her husband who has mild dementia
and they got into a fight on the day of the incident.
The husband was mouthing off,
so the defendant got mad and hit him on the forehead
with an iron that was in front of her.
"With an iron that was in front of her."
EVIDENCE THAT WAS FOUND AT SCENE OF THE CRIME IRON 1
This iron resembles
a sperm whale.
A sperm whale?
Yes.
A sperm whale is also called a cachalot
because it has a big, square head with a spermaceti organ inside.
The spermaceti organ contains a wax-like liquid, which is used to make sounds.
All right. Moving on--
Have you read Herman Melville's novel, Moby-Dick?
The whale in that novel is a sperm whale.
In the novel, it is described to be white,
but actually, its body color is dark gray or purplish-brown--
What are you talking about right now?
I'm…
talking about the sperm whale.
-Are you not going to focus on the case? -Right.
I'm sorry.
Whale talk is prohibited.
Gosh, my head.
It feels like it's about to split open.
Does it hurt that bad? Do you want some painkillers?
I want food.
Give me food!
You ate earlier. Don't you remember?
Gosh, my head.
Goodness.
-Delivery. -My goodness. Yes.
It must be the dried persimmon.
-Goodness. -How have you been?
You're the young man from before.
That was so quick. That was like lightning delivery.
-I have to work hard. -Yes.
Hard-working and handsome.
Top husband material. Do you have a girlfriend?
No, I don't.
That's too bad.
You would've been a perfect match for my granddaughter if I had one.
That's too bad.
What's going on?
-All right, bye. -Oh, bye.
Darn it!
Darn it.
Why are you all excited?
Chatting and giggling with another man in broad daylight.
There you go again.
What do you mean another man? He's young enough to be our grandson.
You're flirting with another man even when your husband is right here.
You would probably bring him into the bedroom if I wasn't here.
Gosh, stop it.
-Here, try this. -Darn it!
Always grinning from ear to ear whenever you see a man.
Do you think a person has to work at a bar to be a bargirl?
How could you say that to your wife?
I told you if you speak like that again, we're going to die together, didn't I?
Why would you flirt with men
as if you're a whore?
What?
Whore?
Are you out of your mind?
What are you doing?
Let's just die today.
You die, then I die.
Let's just end this.
You die, I die, we'll finally end this.
You old man.
In the last 50 years, not once did…
Honey.
Honey!
What's wrong? Honey!
Honey!
Hello?
Yes, my husband fainted.
Please hurry.
Yes, 314 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu. Yeongran Villa.
Eventually, the husband suffered a brain hemorrhage, requiring 12 weeks to heal.
The defendant was charged with attempted murder.
"The defendant was charged with attempted murder."
Why?
Why do you keep repeating what I say?
Right. I'm sorry.
-Use of echolalia is prohibited. -Echolalia? What's that?
The act of repeating after others. It's a common symptom of autism.
Yes, stop with the echolalia.
"Yes, stop with the echolalia."
Anyway, this old lady is in a pitiful situation.
She must also be aching all over since she's in her seventies.
But she has to take care of her 80-year-old husband with dementia.
But the good news is that the prosecution seems to think so too.
They haven't applied for an arrest warrant.
Even when it's suspicion of attempted murder?
But it's good. There's a low possibility for imprisonment for the defendant
who stands the trial undetained.
So what is it that Attorney Woo Young-woo should do for the defendant?
What should you do?
Get her probation.
Even if the charge is attempted murder, it's possible enough in this case.
Yes, sir.
Let's get ready to meet the defendant. She's coming to the conference room.
Hello, Attorney Jung.
Yes, hello.
I'm just here to make introductions.
She will be in charge of your defense from now on.
Hello, I'm Woo Young-woo. I will do my best.
Right.
This young lady is an attorney?
You won't be looking at my case?
I'll be looking at it too. But Attorney Woo is in charge.
She graduated from SNU.
-Really? -She graduated with top honors.
All right, then. Have a nice conversation.
I'm going to excuse myself.
I was surprised when I saw the address. You still live in that house.
-Excuse me? -My father and I lived there 22 years ago.
House 201 at Yeongran Villa.
House 201, 22 years ago…
Gwang-ho.
He graduated from SNU law school, right?
Are you Young-woo?
My goodness. You're Young-woo.
My goodness.
What in the world is going on?
The little kid really grew up and became an attorney.
My goodness. They said you're a genius, and you actually became an attorney.
Gosh, let me look at you.
You grew up well.
Gosh, you grew up so well. How's your father doing?
When was your husband diagnosed with dementia?
Right.
It's been about five years.
Even after he quit working at the district office,
he kept working, doing this and that.
He isn't the type to sit around doing nothing.
Then when he was diagnosed with dementia, he quit everything.
That was about five years ago.
Your husband was a public officer at the district office?
Yes, he was a section chief before he retired.
Then what is your source of income right now?
My husband's pension and the rent we collect.
We live off those two.
Whose name is the villa under?
My husband, of course.
The building is just named after me.
Why?
Will that cause some kind of issue?
Will it?
Yes, Attorney Woo, come in.
I composed an Attorney's Statement of Opinion.
What is this?
An Attorney's Statement of Opinion.
Yes, I'm aware.
Not guilty?
I plan on pleading not guilty of her attempted murder charge.
Attorney Woo.
Can you not see the obvious?
This is a case where the prosecution has decided
to give the defendant probation from the beginning.
Showing them that the defendant is remorseful
and that the victim doesn't want the defendant to be punished is enough.
They will sentence probation even when the attorney does nothing
and just sits still next to the defendant.
Why would I have assigned it to you if we had to argue over guilt and innocence?
To a rookie on her first day?
I think this is a case
where we need to argue over guilt and innocence.
Why do you think that?
This case is interesting.
It's like the whale quiz I enjoy.
If a female sperm whale that weighs 22 tons
ate a giant squid that weighs 500 kilograms,
then laid an egg that weighs 1.3 tons 6 hours later,
how much does the sperm whale weigh?
I don't know.
The answer is, "Whales cannot lay eggs."
Whales are mammals so they give birth instead of laying eggs.
If you only focus on the weight, you can't solve the problem.
-You have to look at the main point. -Okay, so what?
This case is a criminal case,
so people will generally focus only on criminal law.
But if you do that, you can't see the answer.
The key is in civil law.
-Civil law? -"Article 1004 of the Civil Act."
"A person who has intentionally killed or attempted to kill a lineal ascendant,
the inheritor, their spouse, or any person who has priority or in the same order
of inheritance cannot become the inheritor." In other words,
they cannot inherit from a person they have murdered or tried to murder.
The defendant lives off the pension of her husband, a retired public officer.
Even the building in which they collect rent is in her husband's name.
If the attempted murder is recognized,
the defendant will be in a huge financial crisis after her husband passes.
She won't be able to receive the pension nor will she be able to inherit the house.
It is true that the defendant hurt her husband,
so she won't be found not guilty of all charges.
Therefore, I will try to get her probation for the crime of inflicting bodily injury,
not attempted murder.
Well…
Nice work.
Good job.
You found the hidden issue.
I should've looked into something like this first.
I thought too little of it.
It's okay now that you realized that.
Hey.
You have to visit the hospital, right?
I'll send an employee with you.
Meeting with defendants and victims outside the office is difficult.
Even for ordinary attorneys.
Yes, sir.
I apologize.
-Pardon? -It was rude of me to say
ordinary attorneys.
That's fine.
Because I'm not an ordinary attorney.
EMPLOYEE LEE JUN-HO
It's around the time you usually feel sleepy.
The chocolate will help you feel energized.
Thank you.
I noticed you seem to like it dark.
So I got you the dark kind. 82 percent cacao.
Gosh, 82 percent. Thank you, I appreciate it.
Jun-ho, are you busy?
Gosh, is that everything you've received?
I'm so envious.
I don't even have anyone who offers to share gum with me.
I'm not busy. What's up?
I need you to visit the hospital for work.
The attorney you'll be accompanying is a rookie.
Really?
But they say she's a handful.
Do you want me to get the door for you?
No.
I'm not leaving yet. I'm waiting for someone.
Oh, okay.
I'm also waiting for someone.
An advantage of revolving doors is that
it allows people access to the building while completely blocking off
the flow of air between the outside and the inside.
It's beneficial for both cooling and thermal insulation.
Right.
I see.
But it's slower in handling traffic than the average door,
and children and the elderly might get caught.
Also, it's difficult to use for wheelchair users.
There's one advantage but three disadvantages.
Maybe we can get rid of it if we can persuade the landlord.
Well…
What if you think of it as dancing the waltz?
-What? -It's easy to go through it
if you get into a rhythm.
One, two, three.
-One, two, three. -One, two, three.
One, two, three.
-One, two, three. -One, two, three.
Yes, just like that.
That's right.
Let's do it together when we head out.
Excuse me, I have to make a phone call.
Hello?
You're an attorney?
Hi, I'm Lee Jun-ho from the litigation team.
I'm the one accompanying you to the hospital.
I see.
I'm Woo Young-woo.
Right.
Attorney Woo Young-woo.
Your name is quite interesting.
It's still Woo Young-woo backward.
You're not supposed to say things like that at work.
Is that so?
Then should we take it outside?
One, two, three.
-One, two, three. -One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One, two, three. You ready?
-One, two, three. -Two, three.
-One, two, three. -Three.
-One, two. Now. -Three.
One, two.
One, two, three.
Good job.
One, two, three. One.
This white thing right here is blood.
You see how blood is pooled under the dura mater of the brain?
So this is called a subdural hematoma.
A subdural hematoma is usually caused by external injuries.
It's the most severe out of all traumatic brain illnesses.
There's a mortality rate of over 60 percent and even if it's treated,
there are usually a lot of aftereffects.
But there's no fracture.
Maybe he has a strong skull.
We see cases like this from time to time.
Is there any chance that it might not have been caused by the assault?
That's unlikely.
He was hit on the head with an iron.
And the patient didn't normally have high blood pressure or anything.
There they are.
Ms. Choi Yeong-ran.
-Hello. -You're here.
My husband's asleep, so let's talk outside.
What?
Who's here?
He's up.
Come here.
Honey, do you recognize this young lady?
Who is she?
You know, the little kid from House 201 a long time ago.
Gosh, she was cute.
Her dad graduated from SNU law school and was really smart.
SNU Law School House 201. That bastard, right?
With the excuse of leaving his kid,
he always sneaked into our house whenever I wasn't home.
Look here, that bastard sneaked into our house whenever I wasn't home.
-What kind of nonsense are you saying? -Why is that jerk's daughter here?
You want to see me die of anger that bad?
-Sir, calm down. -What?
You better not show up in front of me again.
You bastard!
You're going to die after spitting your damn nonsense like that!
Damn it. I'm a sick person!
Go outside. Wait outside for a moment.
-What's wrong with you? -Attorney Woo, let's go.
Gosh.
I'm sorry.
My husband is suspicious of everything.
He's usually fine, but he goes nuts like that once in a while.
Goodness, this is embarrassing.
Right.
Let's get back to our discussion.
You told the police
that you wanted to kill your husband.
Yes.
I should have killed him when I had the chance.
Then I wouldn't have had to live with that mess.
So…
was the statement true?
That's how I feel right now.
How you feel right now is not important. How you felt when it happened is.
Gosh, I don't know.
Why does it matter what I thought?
If you wanted to kill him, it would be attempted murder.
If you wanted to hurt him, it would be inflicting bodily injury.
If you wanted to hit him, it would be an injury resulting from violence.
If it was just a mistake, it would be bodily injury by negligence.
The law takes intention very seriously.
How you felt changes your charge.
When I see my husband acting like that,
I think I might've wanted to kill him, to be honest.
Maybe it's because you're having a rough time right now.
It's hard to fathom how someone feels.
I don't think I would close the curtains
so the light doesn't disturb their sleep if I wanted to kill that person.
And I wouldn't mind if they woke up from the sound.
Isn't that…
what you do for people you love,
not for people you want to murder?
The direction of the trial…
Yes, come in.
Come in and sit down.
So Jun-ho went to the hospital with you?
How's the victim?
Not good. I think I have to get the letter of non-punishment next time
because he caused a scene today.
Gosh, his temper is no joke.
He cursed the second he laid eyes on Attorney Woo.
I could relate to the old woman. No wonder she hit him.
Cursed? Why?
He thinks my father and the defendant had an affair.
Your father and the defendant?
What did he say to you?
"You're going to die after spitting your damn nonsense like that!"
Okay, so I've been thinking…
I've been thinking…
What was I going to say?
Right, let's request a jury trial for this case.
If you only look at the evidence, it's clearly attempted murder.
It doesn't make sense that she didn't want to kill him
after hitting him with an iron.
We'll lose if this becomes a battle of evidence.
We have to show that she's in a pitiful situation.
Which is when a jury trial comes in handy.
Because we can appeal to the jury's hearts.
Then how about if I help Attorney Woo with the trial?
Knowing how to talk is crucial in winning over the jury.
And I've passed the news anchor exam in the past.
I came in first place in the speech competition for rookie attorneys.
Speaking clearly like a news anchor could actually have an adverse effect.
We need persuasive speaking to approach the jury in a soft manner.
What do you think, Attorney Woo?
If you can't speak eloquently,
you'll need to get help.
Well…
Isn't showing the defendant's pitiful situation the key point?
There's nothing more pitiful than a disability.
And I have autism spectrum disorder.
Then try to handle it by yourself to the end.
You're going to court as a Hanbada attorney,
so make sure you practice speaking to avoid getting humiliated.
Yes, sir.
So, now we…
What is Woo Young-woo supposed to be? Is she really a disabled person?
What if she's just pranking us by acting like she's dumb?
Do you know what her nickname was in law school?
Kayak? Deed?
We called her FWA.
Short for "First place is Woo Young-woo Anyway."
It hurts whenever I look at her.
I helped her out because I felt bad for her clumsy actions.
But in the end, I always fell behind while she got first place.
Whether at school or here, it's the same.
Then don't help her. Why would you help someone who's stronger?
One, two, three.
How can I not help her when she's doing that?
Then go help her.
One, two, three.
Come out.
If the revolving door is difficult, just use the other door.
-Well, I-- -Are you stupid?
Are you an idiot?
Goodness.
My name is Young-woo, as in "Flower" and "Luck".
It means a lucky charm as pretty as flowers.
But perhaps Young-woo as in "Clever" and "Foolish"
would've been a better fit.
Woo Young-woo, who remembers every single book she's read since birth
but can't even go through a revolving door.
Clever and foolish Woo Young-woo.
Give me 100,000 won, boss Give me 100,000 won
-Give me 100,000 won, boss -I don't have any.
Give me 100,000 won, boss Give me 100,000 won
-I told you not to come. -Give me 100,000 won, boss
-I said I don't have 100,000 won. -Give me…
Go away, stop.
I said stop.
-Give me 100,000 won -I said stop.
-Stop cleaning! -No! I'm going to!
-Why are you… -I want to!
-No! -You…
Woo to the Young to the Woo
Dong to the Geu to the Ra-mi
You didn't have dinner, right? Woo Young-woo seaweed-sushi as usual?
Yes, Woo Young-woo seaweed-sushi as usual.
Hey, how was your first day at work?
It was tiring.
My goodness, our Young-woo is finally getting a taste of society.
I'm proud of you.
Do you know the trial by jury?
Sure.
It's a trial that the public participates in, right?
I have to present my case before the judge and jury.
But since I'm not good at speaking, could you help me practice?
Of course. Do I start now? How should I help?
Okay, start.
-What? -Gosh.
Do you really think she will be of actual help?
She's probably never been to court.
What do you mean?
Who goes to court in person these days? It's all in the movies.
Hey, have you seen Innocent Witness?
"Attorneys are people too!"
-I haven't seen it. -Okay. What about The Attorney?
"Nation? What is this nation you speak of? Self-harm?"
-I haven't seen that either. -"You think you're a patriot?"
"Not at all, you're just a subordinate of the state."
"Speak the truth. That is real patriotism!"
"Shut up, you commie bastard!"
Wow.
Sorry, boss. I was too into it.
Hey, trials are no big deal.
You got this.
An attorney only has to be good at this.
Repeat after me.
Objection!
Objection.
No, you have to put your heart and soul into it more. Again.
Objection!
That was better. Good.
But you should work on your basic vocalization.
Repeat after me.
Woo Young-woo.
Focus.
Squeeze your butthole. Are you squeezing? All right.
Objection!
-Objection! -Objection!
Objection!
-Good. -Okay.
Great.
COURT
All rise.
Please be seated.
ATTORNEYS
Is Prosecutor Choi Hyeon-uk present?
Yes.
Is Attorney Jung Myeong-seok present?
Yes.
Is Attorney Woo Young-woo present?
PROSECUTOR
Is Attorney Woo young-woo present?
Attorney Woo, you have to answer.
JURY
-What's going on? -What's happening?
Attorney Woo Young-woo?
Yes.
My apologies. Attorney Woo Young-woo is present.
Yes, all right.
Okay, now we will start the trial of case number 2022,
criminal settlement trial 1017, in which the defendant, Choi Yeong-ran,
is charged with attempted murder.
Prosecutor, you may give your opening statement.
SEOUL CENTRAL DISTRICT COURT
Therefore, we hereby charge the defendant with attempted murder
based on Article 250 Paragraph 1
and Article 254 of the Criminal Act.
Counselor.
You may give your opening statement.
Counselor, what's going on? Are you not going to give your statement?
Right.
What's happening?
What are you doing? Get up.
Before I begin the opening statement,
I ask for your understanding.
I…
have autism spectrum disorder.
So for you,
my speech and actions might seem inarticulate and awkward.
But I love the law,
and my respect toward the defendant
is no different from any other attorney.
As an attorney,
I will do my very best…
to help the defendant shed light on the truth of this incident.
Keep silent, please.
You love the law?
Well, that's nice.
"I wanted to kill my husband because he kept being suspicious and spoke rudely."
This is the statement you gave to the police right after the incident.
Do you recall?
-That… -Please answer, yes or no.
Yes.
So why are you saying something else now?
Because back then, the police were right in front of me.
I was nervous, so I just said that.
But I never intended on killing him.
You did not intend on killing him. Should we take a look at the case records?
"If you speak like that again, we're going to die together."
"Let's just die today. You die, then I die."
These are what you said to the victim at the time of the incident.
Do you recall?
-Yes. -For someone who did not intend to kill,
don't you think you used the word "die" too much?
Objection!
Leading question.
Sustained.
Take a seat, Counselor.
This is the iron the defendant used to hit the victim.
Defendant.
Where did you hit your husband with this iron?
His head.
His head?
Defendant.
Are you sure you didn't have the intention to kill him?
Didn't you want him to die?
Objection.
Overruled.
Defendant.
Answer the prosecution's question.
I'm sorry, Your Honor.
I live for my husband,
and I felt bitter that he didn't acknowledge that.
I'm sorry.
Please, spare me. I'm sorry.
Prosecutor Choi, I thought you were interrogating a gang member.
Aren't you a bit too harsh to an elderly woman?
I had planned on being soft.
Can't you tell by how I didn't even apply for an arrest warrant?
You're the ones who came on strong.
What do you mean we came on strong?
I have to go all in since you wanted to determine whether she is guilty or not.
I can't be treated as the prosecutor who couldn't even make an indictment stick.
The prosecutor is determined to come at us.
We've got a problem.
How about if we call Mr. Park Gyu-sik to court?
Let's get him to say that he doesn't want her to be punished.
Even when we submitted a letter of non-punishment saying the same thing?
Did Mr. Park write the letter of non-punishment himself?
No, he just signed the form I provided.
No.
Mr. Park pleading himself is going to be more effective than a mere letter.
Especially to the jury.
But will he testify well?
He has a horrible temper and he has ill feelings toward Attorney Woo.
I'll be the one to question Mr. Park then.
You should write up the draft for the interrogation.
Yes, sir.
ATTORNEYS
"I pledge this."
"I solemnly swear
to tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth
and agree to receive punishment
in accordance with perjury should there be any falsehood."
Attorney Woo, you go.
What?
"I could relate to the old woman. No wonder she hit him."
This is what Jun-ho said after seeing Mr. Park curse at you.
Counselor, you may question the witness.
Attorney Woo, you go and get him to start cursing.
Go get cursed at.
Right.
Okay.
Counselor, are you not going to start the questioning?
We are.
WITNESS
Hello.
I'm Choi Yeong-ran's attorney, Woo Young-woo.
Hey!
You…
Did I or did I not tell you to stay out of my sight?
-Goodness. -What's wrong with him?
All of you are in cahoots.
You all want to see me die of anger, right?
Witness.
Did you tell me to come here just to show me this?
What's all this nonsense?
Stop.
Witness, what are you doing?
Damn it!
You're going to die after spitting
your damn nonsense like that, you bastard!
Can he just hit her like that?
Goodness.
You damn old man!
Just stop it!
-You're all in cahoots! -We're going to take a ten-minute recess.
-Are you even human? -You're all in this together.
Are you human, you punk?
-Stop it! -Let go of me, you punk!
As you all saw,
Mr. Park is not a husband who's easy to live with.
He's overly suspicious of his wife and uses severely abusive language.
Despite this, the defendant, Choi Yeong-ran,
lived with him her whole life
and did not object to taking care of him in his dementia.
The defendant might be a wife
who impulsively hit her husband because she lost her temper.
But she is not a wife who failed in an attempt to murder her husband.
To the defendant who acknowledges her wrongdoings and feels regret…
Your Honor, the victim, Mr. Park, died while being transferred to the hospital--
What?
What did you just say?
Who died?
My husband died?
Ma'am.
We would like to change the charge from attempted murder to murder.
Please allow for the change of indictment.
-What just happened? -How could this happen?
Seriously, how could this happen?
If
I wasn't the one to question him,
and if Mr. Park Gyu-sik didn't get so mad like that…
No.
If I didn't take on this case at all,
would Mr. Park Gyu-sik still be alive right now?
My first words…
My first words
in front of people
were "inflicting bodily injury."
And the first person who said I would become an attorney
was you, Ms. Choi Yeong-ran.
I was surprised.
That my first-ever case
was to change your charge to the crime of inflicting bodily injury.
What do you mean?
It was my first time doing everything.
So I wanted to be good at doing it.
Because I wanted to be good,
I was greedy.
I'm sorry I caused…
Mr. Park Gyu-sik to die.
Why is that your fault?
It was my husband's fault for cursing at the little neighbor kid
that he saw for the first time in 20 years instead of greeting her.
And it's my fault for swinging the iron at him without knowing his time…
was almost up.
He always complained about his head hurting.
I was too hard on him.
I…
Goodness.
My goodness.
My old man.
TRIAL BY JURY A PUBLIC INTEREST CASE
ASSAULT WITH IRON, CHARGED ON JULY 20
LIVING OFF HUSBAND'S PENSION VILLA UNDER HUSBAND'S NAME
Yes.
I brought Mr. Park Gyu-sik's autopsy report.
The cause of death is brain hemorrhage as we expected.
There was a recurrence of the subdural hematoma that he got surgery for.
That iron…
resembles something.
-The thing in Moby-Dick-- -The sperm whale?
Yes, the sperm whale.
Gosh, she really beat a person with that scary-looking thing.
I guess he's lucky not to have died on the spot.
What's the matter?
There are a lot of things that you can't do at work.
Repeating after others and saying weird things.
Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar.
And being blunt.
Is that so?
I didn't know.
Especially,
talking about whales.
Unless absolutely necessary.
But,
if it's just you and me,
wouldn't it be okay?
What?
If it's just you and me, just the two of us,
we can talk about whales?
Yes, of course.
Do you think it seemed that way to Mr. Park's doctor?
Do you think he might've missed the fact that whales don't lay eggs
because the iron looked as strong as a sperm whale?
What?
You can't only look at criminal law with this case.
You have to look at civil law to solve it.
We can't focus only on the iron.
PARK GYU-SIK, 81 MILD DEMENTIA PATIENT
He always complained about his head hurting.
The…
The police statement!
Line 7 of page 24.
"A package arrived when I was laying down on the couch because of a headache."
He had a headache from the beginning. Even before he was hit with the iron.
It might be
that the brain hemorrhage isn't because of the iron.
WITNESS
Counselor, you may question the witness.
With subdural hematoma,
there's subdural hemorrhage caused by external injury
and spontaneous subdural bleeding caused by illnesses.
-Is this correct? -Yes.
Why did you conclude that Mr. Park's brain hemorrhage was due to external injury?
Because he was hit with an iron.
I heard he even fainted from the hit.
Were there any fractures on Mr. Park's skull?
No, there weren't.
Were there any wounds or bruises on his head from the iron?
No, there weren't.
He said he blocked it like this.
So were there wounds on his arms?
Yes, but there was nothing too severe.
Then why did you assume that the iron was that threatening?
It didn't cause fractures, severe wounds, or bruises.
I mean,
I'm not a detective.
They said he was hit with an iron and that he fainted because of it,
so I diagnosed him based on that.
Do I have to investigate whether or not it was really caused by the iron?
If the defendant might end up in prison due to your diagnosis, shouldn't you?
Objection.
Argumentative.
Sustained.
Counselor, only question the witness.
"Counselor, only question the witness."
Yes. Pardon?
Mr. Park was 81 years old. Are you aware of this, Witness?
Yes.
And Mr. Park had dementia. Are you aware of this?
Yes.
Severe headaches are typical early signs of cerebral hematoma. Are you aware?
Yes.
On the day of the incident, Mr. Park was experiencing
-a severe headache -Gosh, my head.
-even before he was hit with the iron. -It feels like it's about to split open.
Are you aware of this?
What?
"A package arrived when I was laying down on the couch because of a headache."
This is the statement Mr. Park gave during the police investigation.
I wasn't…
aware of that.
A spontaneous subdural hematoma is typically seen in the elderly
and is a common occurrence for patients with dementia. Is that correct?
Yes.
The old age of 81 and medical history of dementia.
Despite the severe headache he complained about right before the incident,
are you still certain
that Mr. Park suffered from a subdural hematoma caused by external injury?
Is there any possibility that it was a spontaneous subdural hematoma?
A spontaneous subdural hematoma…
would've been possible.
Based on Mr. Park's medical record and autopsy report,
we submit a diagnosis that states his illness
and cause of death as a spontaneous subdural hematoma,
written by three medical specialists as further evidence.
Your Honor,
as the witness testified, Mr. Park's brain hemorrhage
did not occur from being hit by the defendant,
but it's possible that it was caused by a pre-existing illness.
Therefore, there's no causal relationship
between the defendant's infliction of injuries and the victim's death.
Please allow the defendant to be tried for the crime of inflicting bodily injury.
What do you think?
Are you inclined to apply for a change of indictment?
Yes.
Attorney Woo.
The ruling just came out.
Right.
Not guilty of murder and probation for the crime of inflicting bodily injury.
Congratulations.
I see.
Thank you.
Ms. Choi Yeong-ran wanted to see you so I brought her here.
Hang on.
Ms. Choi, come in.
Attorney Woo.
Thank you.
INSTANT GIMBAP
I'm sorry. We're actually closed for…
Gwang-ho.
It's been a while.
There was an incident at the wedding.
The chairman's daughter was wearing a strapless wedding dress,
but when the bride and groom were walking down the aisle,
the dress slipped down.
What is that?
Dear Lord.
Are you determined to humiliate your father?
-Do you love your husband? -Pardon?
Sweetie?
How's Attorney Choi?
-She's out. -What?
You have to marry me, Jun-ho.
Woo Young-woo?
This is interesting.
Subtitle translation by: Hyun-soo Cho