Judge Kim Hye-soo commands the courtroom in Netflix’s Juvenile Justice
by tccolb
Netflix drama Juvenile Justice is gearing up to be quite the think piece, delving deep into society’s differing views on juvenile crimes and how they should be approached.
Centered around a district court house, the drama presents a harsh perspective through our lead character Kim Hye-soo (Hyena). She believes that even if they’re young, perpetrators must learn to respect the law and be held accountable for their crimes. In contrast, Kim Mu-yeol (Grid) wants to show compassion. Taking the perpetrators’ youth and circumstances into consideration, he prefers to be understanding and give offenders the opportunity to right their wrongs.
As head of the court house, though, Lee Sung-min (Money Game) has to keep the bigger picture in mind, and often leans towards “practical” solutions that will wrap up the case. Lee Jung-eun (Law School), on the other hand, has become somewhat desensitized to juvenile crimes over the years and tends to think lightly of them.
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The newly released teaser opens with Kim Hye-soo sitting at her desk and going over case notes. As we watch the police arrest the young perpetrator, we hear the news report in voiceover. In court, Kim Hye-soo is alarmed by the boy’s laughter and it further supports why she hates juvenile crime. Kim Mu-yeol, however, is more upset by Kim Hye-soo’s attitude and confronts her about it afterwards. Kim Hye-soo firmly defends her view and takes it a step further by actively seeking young offenders potentially involved in her case. Lee Sung-min reprimands her for crossing the line into police duties, and Lee Jung-eun agrees that Kim Hye-soo is being extreme. Upset, Kim Hye-soo argues that the importance of the law — and its consequences — need to be taught.
We then jump to Kim Mu-yeol’s perspective and through the accompanying montage, we see the vulnerability of youth. Kim reasons that judges are positioned to help juvenile offenders and can give them a chance to better themselves. Kim Hye-soo isn’t easily convinced, though, and we see the examples of youth cruelty in the sequence that follows. After quick close-ups of the four main characters, the teaser comes to a close with Kim Hye-soo and Kim Mu-yeol standing in an empty court room. Kim Mu-yeol questions what happens after the young offenders have served the sentences she gave them, and Kim Hye-soo replies ominously that she’ll show him.
Written by Kim Min-seok and directed by PD Hong Jong-chan (Life, Dear My Friends), Netflix original Juvenile Justice drops February 25.
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