Innocent Defendant is a 2017 drama, which achieved huge success in South Korea. The drama is about a prosecutor who is arrested for killing his wife. Though he has no memories of the unfortunate day, he tries to prove his innocence. The drama got its actors many awards including a Daesang.
1. A Legal Thriller
A prosecutor ends up in prison. So this drama will surely have all the legal aspects you are looking for. Park Jung Woo has always been in the court room, but this time he is on the other side. The drama also explore some of the loopholes of the legal system which serves as a boon to criminals.
2. Ji Sung
Ji Sung plays Park Jung Woo, a prosecutor of the violent crimes department. But soon Jung Woo’s life changes and he ends up in the prison for the murder of his wife. Ji Sung plays a charming family man in the beginning of the drama and his transition to a death row convict with memory loss stays in the minds of the viewers.
3. Uhm Ki Joon
Uhm Ki Joon is the perfect choice for this character. He plays twins Cha Min Ho and Cha Sun Ho. His portrayal as the President of Chamyung group and as a heartless person who doesn’t value lives is definitely something to look out for. His dialogue delivery creates a mysterious aura around him.
4. The Cast
Excluding the actors who play the prisoners there are a number of others who are important to the story. Kwon Yu Ri stars as Seo Eun Hye, a defense lawyer and Oh Chang Seok plays Kang Jun Hyuk, a prosecutor. Uhm Hyun Kyung and Kang Sung Min take up the roles of Na Yeon Hee and Yoon Tae Soo respectively. The actors have successfully portrayed their roles and it doesn’t look like they are acting.
5. The prisoners
Since Jung Woo enters the prison almost in the beginning of the series, his prison mates give his life a crucial turn. Kim Min Seok, Oh Dae Hwan, Jo Jae Yoon, Woo Hyun, and others star as prisoners. There are some humorous incidents in the prison involving them but few stories about their reasons to end up here will surely make viewers emotional.
6. Amnesia
It’s true that amnesia is an overused trope in K-dramas but this drama will not disappoint you. Jung Woo fails to remember what happened to his wife and daughter though he repeatedly tries to. The shock has caused a memory loss. He tries to retrieve his memory in a step-by-step process. But this makes viewers question if he is faking it.
7. An Unpredictable Storyline
This drama is a roller coaster ride. You never know who is on whose side. The story is written in such a way that viewers suspect every character’s motives. The changes in Jung Woo’s and Min Ho’s life takes place simultaneously and everything seems to be going according to their respective plans, but there is a twist.
8. The Missing Child
Shin Rin Ah plays Park Ha Yeon, Jung Woo’s young daughter. She is considered missing but the police suspect Jung Woo to have killed her. The scenes where Tae Soo (Ha Yeon’s uncle) pleads Jung Woo to reveal the location of the buried body is heart-wrenching.
9. Interconnected Stories
If Min Ho had lead his life in a proper way or if Jung Woo hadn’t taken up the case, their lives would have been different. But one incident connects their lives so badly that their actions start affecting each other. It is certain that one of them have to give up for this to end but they won’t.
10. Harsh Reality
The drama clearly tells how some things can’t be changed. You can regret what happened or justify what happened, but you can’t change things to how they were before. But it’s always right to seek answers. Jung Woo knows he can’t bring back his dead wife, but he wants to know the truth.
