On the 13th, at 9:50 PM, MBC's Friday-Saturday drama 'Judge Lee Han Young' (directed by Lee Jae-jin, Park Mi-yeon/written by Kim Kwang-min) aired its 13th episode, showcasing Lee Han Young's (played by Ji Sung) meticulous plan to dismantle the power of Chief Judge Kang Shin Jin (played by Park Hee-soon) using former President Park Kwang To (played by Son Byung-ho), and Kang Shin Jin's ruthless counterattack.
In this episode, Lee Han Young recruits opposition lawmaker Kwak Sang-chul (played by Lee Jong-hyuk) to push for a special prosecutor law while recommending the upright prosecutor Park Chul-woo (played by Hwang Hee) as the right person for a special team to Kang Shin Jin. Kang Shin Jin, who aimed to eliminate Park Kwang To and rise to the top of Suo-jae, seemed to step into the trap set by Lee Han Young by accepting this proposal.
However, the power struggle at the top escalated into an unexpected tragedy. Kang Shin Jin attempted to assassinate Park Kwang To, who had returned to Suo-jae, using his confidant Kwak Soon-won (played by Park Geon-il), but the plan went awry when Park Kwang To survived and killed Kwak Soon-won. Lee Han Young intercepted the fleeing Park Kwang To, revealing the existence of illegal political funds and making a shocking proposal: "If you join me, I'll turn the prison into Suo-jae for you," drawing Park Kwang To into his revenge against Kang Shin Jin.
As the situation rapidly changed, internal divisions within Suo-jae reached a peak. Kang Shin Jin, during a fierce physical altercation with the Judicial Committee Chairman Woo Kyo-hoon (played by Jeon Jin-ki), accidentally committed murder. Realizing that Lee Han Young was the one trying to destroy him, Kang Shin Jin went berserk. Despite Lee Han Young's declaration that "evil can never become justice," Kang Shin Jin wielded a weapon, inflicting a deep wound on him.
The plot took an even more shocking turn with the betrayal of Lee Han Young's close associate Yoo Se-hee (played by Oh Se-young). Pressured by her father Yoo Sun-chul (played by Ahn Nae-sang), the head of Haenal Law Firm, who warned that the firm would collapse if Kang Shin Jin fell, Yoo Se-hee stole blood-stained gauze from Lee Han Young's hospital room and planted it at the scene of Woo Kyo-hoon's murder. Consequently, Lee Han Young, once a judge of justice, suddenly became a fugitive and a co-conspirator in the murder of Woo Kyo-hoon.
At the end of the episode, Lee Han Young, evading police pursuit, received a call from Kang Shin Jin. Taunting him to find him before the police if he wanted to clear his name, Kang Shin Jin provoked Lee Han Young, who responded, "I'm not dead yet," and "I started this to see it through to the end," foreshadowing a final showdown.
Reporter Chaeryeong Lim, TenAsia syjj426@tenasia.co.kr