Review | K-drama review: The Devil Judge – dystopian court drama goes all out with sensational finale, but why does it hate women?

Four of the five female characters in The Devil Judge meet unfortunate fates by the series end – unlike the male protagonists, who remain relatively unscathed

That aside, the show, particularly in its early stretches, was devilishly entertaining and derived thrilling catharsis from its live courtroom scenes

Reading Time:3 minutes

Ji Sung in a still from The Devil Judge.

Published: 6:30pm, 26 Aug 2021

This article contains spoilers.

3/5 stars

Colourful, dystopian drama series The Devil Judge, starring Ji Sung, Jin Young and Kim Min-jung, has been one of the more entertaining shows on air this year. Yet for all the Korean series’ progressive approach to social inequity, media manipulation and rampant corruption, in its second half it revealed a surprising core value: an almost pathological disregard for women.

Much like Vincenzo earlier this year, The Devil Judge is a slick and angry vigilante drama about a broken legal system populated by power-hungry bigwigs and icily charming manipulators, one that invites us to sit back and watch as all hell breaks loose. Another thing they share in common is teasing a K-drama-ready romance, but they differ in how they resolve their amorous threads.

Young judge Kim Ga-on (Jin Young) grapples with several moral dilemmas and his anchor is Yoon Soo-hyun (Park Gyu-young), the childhood friend who has spent her life pining after him.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x