Learning about Law in Fun and Friendly Way

A court is now on TV screen. `Solomon`s Decision,` an SBS primetime program aired at 6:50 to 8:00 p.m. every Saturday gives viewers legal tips and understanding about the law through interpretations by an expert panel comprising four lawyers, Goh Seung-deok, Kim Byung-joon, Jung Hyun-soo and Kim Dong-sung. The show is maintaining a high viewer rating of 16 to 18%.

MBC is airing `Real-life Drama, the Crime and the Punishment` at 11:05 p.m. on Monday, recreating high-profile crime cases such as `kidnapping of little girl Lee Min-joo.` By giving detailed accounts and seeking the truth behind the case, it is appealing to viewers late at night.

`TV Family Court` is a KBS2 program aired at 10:00 a.m. every Saturday in which lawyer Hwang San-sung appears as a judge to resolve real-life disputes between the concerned parties.

TV court programs are gaining such great popularity in the U.S. that there is a new term called `legal entertainment.` Lawyer Jung Hyun-soo, the only female panel member in `Solomon`s Decision` and actor Suh Tae-hee who plays a prosecutor in `the Crime and the Punishment` met near Seoul District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul on Feb. 14.

Jung = I think there is charisma in your eyes, and that makes you a perfect fit for the role you are playing. You look better than many attractive prosecutors I have seen. (She smiles)

Suh = I find the role really challenging. Prosecutors must feel pity about the accused sometimes, but still seek a harsh penalty for the integrity of the law, which must be very hard. I enjoy watching `Solomon`s Decision.` It is interesting to watch many likely cases that are not easy to solve out.

Jung = At first, there were people disapproving the idea of lawyers appearing in a TV show, but I did not think it was just an entertainment program. As the scale of the economy grows large, people are required to know the basics of the law. It will be too late to learn about the law after something breaks out. I wanted to contribute to promoting the law among the public, and that is why I have traveled between Daegu and Seoul for the last 8 months.

Suh = I was surprised to see that law programs such as `Solomon`s Decision` and `the Crime and the Punishment` are recording two-digit viewer ratings (10 to 16%). Real story shows and talk shows, in which people just play upon words, seem losing popularity among the public. Court programs are intriguing since there are intense intellectual games, not to mention useful information.

Jung =＂Solomon`s decision is very popular among the lawyers. However, my colleague lawyers and other prosecutors and judges said they are afraid of watching the program with their children at home. When cases are introduced, children usually ask about their fathers` opinion. When the decision of lawyers on TV is different from their fathers`, the children say, “You`re wrong, daddy”. They say it is very embarrassing.

Suh = After I was decided to play the role of prosecutor, I watched a trial in the court. Different from my expectation, it was quite dry. So we introduced a U.S.-type court system in which the prosecutor and the lawyer come in front of the audience and speak.

Jung = I think ＂Real-life Drama＂ is very interesting because the agonies of judges, prosecutors and lawyers are described considerably. Especially, ＂The Crossed Destinies of Mother and Daughter＂ was very impressive. As the first female lawyer in Daegu, I was in charge of many family violence cases. When I was appeared in ＂Solomon`s decision,＂ a minor prostitute appealed through the Internet bulletin board that she was sued by her pimp because of enormous debt, and I helped her.

Suh = As ＂ Real-life Drama＂ deals with real cases, we have to not only research the trial records but also meet the concerned persons, including judge or prosecutor and interview them. So, five teams including writers and producers are participating in the production.

Jung = But we lawyers can find some mistakes in the program. When someone was accused in a civil trial, he or she must be called as a defendant, and when someone was accused in a criminal case, he or she must be called as the accused. But there is no distinction in the program. It is also wrong to present the accused as a witness and examine him or her. I am also worried that the program judges and intervenes in the court decisions to make the program more interesting.

Seung-Hoon Cheon raphy@donga.com