‘Parole Judge Lee Han-shin’ has reached a good triumph over evil ending.

In the final episode of tvN‘s Monday-Tuesday drama ‘Parole Judge Lee Han-shin’ (directed by Yoon Sang-ho/written by Park Chi-hyung) that aired on December 24, Lee Han-shin (played by Go Soo), Ahn Seo-yoon (played by Kwon Yu-ri), and Choi Hwa-ran (played by Baek Ji-won) revealed all the crimes of Oh Jung-group’s Jimin-seop (played by Lee Hak-joo) and Ji Dong-man (played by Song Young-chang) and reached a good triumph over evil ending.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership ratings research agency, the final episode of ‘Parole Judge Lee Han-shin’ recorded an average of 5.8% and a peak of 6.8% nationwide for paid platform households, and an average of 4.8% and a peak of 5.6% in the metropolitan area, ending on a high. With this, ‘Lee Han-shin’ has ranked first in its time slot, including cable channels, for 12 consecutive episodes from its first broadcast to its last, and has achieved the feat of coming in second place among tvN‘s Monday-Tuesday dramas aired this year in terms of average viewership ratings.

On this day, Lee Han-shin obtained video evidence to expose Ji Dong-man and Ji Myeong-seop’s fatal evil deeds through Choi Won-mi (played by Hwang Woo-seul-hye). He called Ji Dong-man and Ji Myeong-seop together and used this video as an excuse to lead them to new evil deeds, and had Ahn Seo-yoon arrest them on the spot. In the process, Ji Myeong-seop died, and Chief Secretary Son Eung-joon (played by Kim Young-woong), who had been in charge of various evil deeds of the Ohjeong Group, was shot and injured. To the sobbing Ji Dong-man, Lee Han-shin coldly sent a message, saying, “You have come to pay for the evil you have committed.”

Ji Dong-man was tried on charges of murder and instigation to conceal a crime and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Son Eung-jun also had to pay for his crimes in prison. At the same time, Cheon Soo-beom (played by Cho Seung-yeon) was found not guilty in the retrial. Ahn Seo-yoon revealed the whole truth behind her younger sister Ahn Da-yoon‘s (played by Kim Ye-na) death and was promoted one rank, and Choi Hwa-ran announced a new beginning by taking over Oh Jeong Capital and establishing a scholarship foundation in her name. Lee Han-shin, who stepped down from his position as a parole officer, chose to stand on the side of the weak as a lawyer, raising expectations for the continued activities of the real-life hero.

‘Lee Han-shin’ featured a fresh profession called ‘parole officer’, and increased viewer immersion by dealing with realistic cases in each episode. Actor Go Soo held the center of the drama by maintaining a balance between the cheerfulness of Lee Han-shin, who implements justice in extraordinary ways, and the seriousness of a lawyer. The passionate performances of actors such as Kwon Yu-ri, Baek Ji-won, and Lee Hak-joo also added to the immersion of the drama. In particular, Lee Hak-joo’s chilling villain acting is said to have maximized the tension.

The message that ‘Those who commit crimes must pay the price’ runs through the entire drama, leaving a strong resonance with viewers. Director Yoon Sang-ho‘s sensational directing and fast-paced development provided refreshing soda-like excitement throughout the 12 episodes.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com reporter jhj@donga.com