I started the Korean legal drama Diary Of A Prosecutor in the year it began, 2019, but originally thought it seemed a bit dry, so put it off for another day. That other day turned into years until its lead actor, beloved Lee Sun Kyun, tragically committed suicide around Christmastime 2023. Then I felt prodded by my own nostalgic sadness for this actor to watch Diary Of A Prosecutor from the beginning and finally completed it early 2024. Instead of feeling it was rather dry I suddenly realized that it was instead cerebral, humorous, informative, and compelling. Ah, the hazards of quitting on a drama too soon and missing its sublime growth as a story about amazing human beings! Plus I fell in love with Lee Sun Kyun all over again, just like I had in his hit dramas My Mister, Pasta, and Coffee Prince. This is a legal drama that will make you think, not just feel.

I am fond of our leading lady in the drama as well, the graceful Jung Ryeo Won (Midnight Romance in Hagwon, Wok Of Love, The King Of Dramas, Autumn Shower (my favorite!), Love Story At Harvard, My Lovely Sam Soon). It seems I've been watching her in dramas for, like, FOREVER! But with each new drama I watch her in I feel closer and closer to her. She's perfectly expressive in every scene of every drama she's in.

 

Director Lee Tae Gon did a good job with the pacing of this legal drama, based on a popular novel by Kim Woong. He also had a hand in the production of the screenplay. I remembered how much I had liked his work on an older drama he directed, The Last Scandal Of My Life, which had been the swan song of the late actress Choi Jin Sin who had also tragically committed suicide.

The Story:

Set mostly in the fictional city of Jinyeoung, Korea, we meet a group of hard working, salaried legal professionals, and we learn about their everyday personal struggles and legal case challenges. The story is told through the main perspective of Prosecutor Lee Sun Woong (Lee Sun Kyun) of Criminal Investigation Team 2 at the District Prosecutor’s Office. He is a brave attorney with a keen sense of justice, who handles most of his cases with serious dedication. Jinyeoung is his hometown and he's at ease there, helping to support his extended family, though he himself is not married.

One portion of the prosecution’s job is issuing summonses, and another portion involves negotiating with numerous suspects, victims, witnesses, and sorting through legal documents that, if stacked together, would be taller than the building rooms they work in! There is an unofficial competition between the Criminal Investigation Team 1 and Team 2 at the Jinyeong branch.

The Chief Prosecutor Jo Min Ho (Lee Sung Jae, Jealousy Incarnate, Gu Family Book, The Suspicious Housekeeper) frequently compares Team 1 with Team 2 and finds 2 consistently wanting. One significant distinction is that they have a great deal of more unsolved cases than Team 1, so that increases their stress at work. Additionally, they rank second in the number of incidents in which the victims file formal complaints, the number of autopsies required, and the proportion of senior employees.

Sun Woong’s junior from the law school Judicial Research and Training Institute, Cha Myung Joo (Jung Ryeo Won) often competes with him, but not in a nasty way, rather in a serious but sometimes humorous way. Myung Joo, because of her success record, has become an elite prosecutor, one who was rising on the ladder of success at the Central Seoul District Prosecutor’s Office in Seoul before being assigned to the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Jinyeong. She is determined to serve her time in Jinyeoung quietly and diligently, with the ultimate goal of returning to Seoul as soon as possible.

Myung Joo meets a number of dedicated and overworked prosecutors in Jinyeong who work towards their aspirations by settling cases in the best ways possible. In time Myung Joo develops a new perspective on the role of law, order, and justice after coming to know about Sun Woong’s ideas of legal procedures, and observing the daily lives of the overworked prosecutors and how they handle the cases. Some of these overworked prosecutors are Hong Jong Hak (Kim Kwang Kyu), female attorney Oh Yoon Jin (Lee Sang Hee), Kim Jung Woo (Jeon Sung Woo), and female attorney Sung Mi Ran (Ahn Eun Jin, whom I had loved so much in My Dearest).

 

Loaded with comedy, pathos, and heartfelt moments, the drama depicts the actual and raw life of lawyers, taking a distinctive step forward from other dramas that glorify this profession. The series focuses on the prosecutors’ pragmatic attitudes while ignoring notions of a glamorous life and heroic resolution to crimes. Their daily lives are filled with challenges and obstacles. The drama depicts how they battle their inner demons, strive to better themselves every day, fight against all odds, and strive to bring justice in the greatest way possible with each passing day. Some of their cases help the disenfranchised, the handicapped, victims of gangs and gambling outfits, and workplace harassment.

The strong character bonds are a highly commended ingredient of the series. Their friendships are put to the test multiple times, but they remain unwavering, willing to lend a helping hand to each other in times of need. By allowing the characters to progress personally, the drama demonstrates good character development. Every one of them develops into a better person by the end of the story. Enjoy this great drama. Last I checked it is available on both Netflix and Viki.

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