Jung Kyungho completely shook off the accusation of fabricating a trial.
On the 10th (Sat) broadcast of tvN weekend drama PROBONO (written by Moon Yoo-seok/ directed by Kim Sung-yoon/ planned by Studio Dragon/ produced by Sequence One, Lotte Cultureworks, Studio Flow) episode 11, it was revealed that in the past Kang Da-wit (played by Jung Kyungho) had his ruling against Yoo Baek-man (played by Kim Yongjun) shown to be a choice not swayed by private feelings, leaving a thrilling aftertaste.
As a result, episode 11 recorded an average household rating of 5.5% in the Seoul metropolitan area, a high of 7.5%, an average of 6.2% nationwide, and a high of 7.9%, ranking first among cable and general programming channels in its time slot both in the metropolitan area and nationwide. It also ranked first among cable and general programming channels in tvN's target 20-49 male and female ratings. (based on paid platforms combining cable, IPTV, and satellite/ provided by Nielsen Korea)
Earlier, Kang Da-wit, who had admitted to feeling revenge toward factory owner Yoo Baek-man over his mother's death, clearly drew the line when asked by Park Gi-ppim (played by So Juyeon) whether he 'manipulated the trial.' Seeing the mother of Yoo Jae-beom (played by Yeon Je-wook) crying during the trial reminded him of his past, when his indifferent rulings left him with deep regret, and he said he could not stop himself. Afterwards, feeling Kang Da-wit's sincerity, Park Gi-ppim, Jang Young-sil (played by Yoon Na Moo), Yu Nan-hee (played by Seo Hye Won), and Hwang Jun-woo (played by Kang Hyung suk) agreed to pursue the truth and began reexamining the factory fire at Yoo Baek-man's plant, where allegations of a fabricated verdict had surfaced, from the beginning.
The PROBONO team, which first sought the bereaved families of the accident victims, learned that only Judge Kang Da-wit had listened to the families' stories that the police and prosecution had ignored. They also confirmed that a photo that Kang Da-wit had released to the public, causing a huge stir though it was not on the evidence list, had actually been submitted directly by the bereaved family but was not accepted as formal evidence, leading them to conclude that the allegations of a fabricated trial surrounding Kang Da-wit were far from the truth.
Furthermore, the PROBONO team, noting Kang Da-wit's persistent verification of whether the factory manager had emergency evacuation facilities and whether Yoo Baek-man had given separate instructions, examined the factory blueprint and found that escape routes existed near the victims, arousing suspicion. After pressing the factory manager, the hidden truth emerged that Yoo Baek-man had instructed him to lock the side door out of concern over employees' theft, and this became the decisive clue proving Kang Da-wit's innocence.
Just when it seemed everything had been resolved, another storm hit. The PROBONO team was all fired and the team disbanded for defending Kang Da-wit, who was not their client. At the same time, Kang Da-wit was embroiled in a damages lawsuit worth 1 billion won filed by corporate chairman Jang Hyun-bae (played by Song Young-chang), claiming that Kang had issued a ruling without clear evidence and testimony regarding repeated verbal and physical abuse of employees and the alleged sexual assault of a housekeeper, even though Kang had handed down a heavy sentence when he was a judge.
In addition, shock came as the secret surrounding PROBONO team member Jang Young-sil's birth was revealed. Jang Young-sil confessed that the father who abused her in childhood was none other than Jang Hyun-bae, and the team worried about her having to face her father in court. However, Jang Young-sil vowed to stand her ground to the end for herself as an abuse victim and for the people who had suffered because of the coerced lawsuits that pushed Kang Da-wit and others to the brink, leaving a heavy feeling.
Jang Young-sil's determination carried over into her courtroom performance. Facing Jang Hyun-bae, who appeared as a witness, she steadied her fear of her father and began questioning him, and to Jang Hyun-bae's denial of assaulting and verbally abusing a secretary she revealed a tip video showing his habit of making people kneel before beating them, which was identical to the behavior in question. Regarding the alleged sexual assault of the housekeeper, she called Jang Hyun-bae's cohabitant and her own mother as witnesses to add eyewitness testimony to counter Woo Myung-hoon's (played by Choi Dae-hoon) claim that there was no evidence.
Taking over Jang Young-sil's baton, Kang Da-wit petitioned to call Supreme Court Justice Shin Jung-seok (played by Lee Moon-sik), who had overturned Jang Hyun-bae's guilty verdict at the Supreme Court, as a witness, and he also released an audio file suggesting the involvement of Oh Gyu-jang, founder of O&Partners (played by Kim Kap-soo), arguing that Oh Gyu-jang should also be summoned. Kang Da-wit's assault on legal heavyweights one by one shook the courtroom and completed a powerful ending.
The final episode of tvN weekend drama PROBONO, in which public interest lawyer Jung Kyungho's final closing argument will unfold, will air today (the 11th) at 9:10 p.m.
[Photo] tvN
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