SENIOR MANAGER, KIM HYEON-JEONG MIR LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
Ms. Kim.
He's ready to see you now.
Okay.
You're aware that the company is currently in the process of an M&A, right?
Yes, sir.
I understand Mir Life
will be acquired by SB Life, a German insurance company.
Since the owner of the company is changing,
we can't avoid restructuring.
This is the policy that was decided on by the higher-ups.
"Employees who are married within the company
are eligible for voluntary resignation."
Why?
Because they have relative stability.
Relative stability?
Employees who are married with a double income
must have a more stable life than single-income employees.
But even if I add up my salary with my husband's,
it wouldn't match up to the executives' salaries.
This is the company policy.
"If one of the employees of a married couple
does not voluntarily resign,
the husband will be subjected to unpaid leave."
So you're saying that if I don't quit,
you're going to fire my husband?
Think hard about which option would be more beneficial.
As a wife, should you really be getting in the way of your husband's career?
Excuse me?
It would be uncomfortable for the parents too.
What kind of parents would be happy to see
their son hanging around at home while their daughter-in-law goes to work?
This is when you should support your husband.
Ms. Kim.
What did the Head of HR say?
Right.
Your husband also works here right, Ms. Lee?
Yes. Why do you ask?
Ms. Lee.
He'll see you now.
Okay.
HUSBAND: WE NEED TO TALK
What did he say to you?
He told me to convince you.
To get me to quit?
That's what the company wants right now.
To get rid of the female employees.
Are you okay?
I worked so hard for this company.
You know that, right?
Of course.
Of course, I know.
I think I took maybe two weeks off
after I gave birth to Jeong-min.
I voluntarily gave up the remaining days of my maternity leave
and came straight back to work.
I know.
Everyone at work knows you did.
They expected me to drop all my roles as mother and wife
and be a dedicated employee of the company.
Now he's saying I should just stay home and take care of you as a wife.
He said I'll be getting in the way of your career…
if I keep working here.
CASE 12 YANGTZE RIVER DOLPHIN
Come in.
Gosh.
It seems as if…
-Did you spend the night here? -No, I went home at dawn and rested.
I see.
You're having a burger for breakfast?
Yes. I have a client meeting soon, so there's no time to eat a proper meal.
What can I do for you?
I'm on my way to visit Attorney Park Hak-su at the hospital.
I thought maybe you could join me.
But I guess you can't come.
Wait…
What happened to Attorney Park?
Is he ill?
Gosh.
You haven't heard yet?
Last night, Jang Jae-jin paid a visit to Attorney Park and caused a scene.
Jang Jae-jin…
Jang Jae-jin, the son of Hyeonbo Construction's chairman?
Yes, that's right.
He got out of prison a few days ago.
The reason he only got an eight-year sentence
after brutally murdering his own father is all thanks to you and Attorney Park.
I wonder what his problem is.
He went to Attorney Park's home and swung a knife at him for revenge.
Thank goodness his family showed up in time.
Luckily, he wasn't injured too badly. Just a bit rattled up.
Was Jang Jae-jin caught?
Not yet. The police are looking for him.
Jang Jae-jin probably remembers my face too.
So I told the security team
to pay more attention to the people entering the building.
We're going to increase the number of security personnel,
so don't worry too much. Okay?
Yes, ma'am.
-Get back to work then. -I'll see you later.
He went to Attorney Park's home and swung a knife at him for revenge.
Was Jang Jae-jin caught?
Not yet. The police are looking for him.
Hello.
You're Attorney Jung Myeong-seok, right?
Yes.
I'm Moon Jong-cheol, the Head of HR at Mir Life.
We've met once before. Do you remember?
Yes.
I'm sorry.
Let's go to the conference room.
Sure.
"If one of the employees of a married couple
does not voluntarily resign,
the husband will be subjected to unpaid leave."
I'm not sure why this policy is discriminatory toward women.
Since they're penalizing the husband, isn't it discriminatory toward men?
Exactly.
That's what I'm saying.
The opposing attorney keeps claiming
that it's discrimination against female employees
and it's so frustrating.
Well…
That may be true in a literal sense, but our society has patriarchal values.
If only one person of the married couple can work,
can we really ignore the prejudice that it should obviously be the husband?
I see.
In fact, out of the 112 married couples in the company,
ninety-eight of the wives have already resigned.
Exactly. You said you would penalize the husbands, but ultimately,
it was mostly the wives who voluntarily resigned.
And on top of that, they can't even make a complaint.
Because their husbands are being held like hostages by the company.
Isn't this probably why only 2 out of the 98 female employees
who resigned filed the lawsuit?
Was this policy created with all this considered?
What?
Well, I mean…
It's quite difficult to proceed with major restructuring without any issues,
so Mir Life just found the most efficient method.
Yes, that's right. That's what I'm saying.
All right. The two employees who filed the suit
are Kim Hyeon-jeong and Lee Ji-young, right?
What kind of employees were they?
They weren't particularly problematic.
You could say that Senior Manager Kim
was very dedicated to her work.
Since she received the Best Employee Award twice.
Assistant Manager Lee was good at her job too.
I see that she frequently took days off before her resignation.
I think those were for her doctor's appointments,
but I'll look into it more.
The more information you have on the plaintiffs, the better.
Please give us everything you have.
We're not trying to pick apart their flaws,
but it is crucial that we know of their situations or weaknesses.
Yes, all right.
But…
about the opposing attorney.
Attorney Ryu Jae-sook?
Do you know her well?
No, I don't know her personally.
I know that she usually takes on cases
involving women, human rights, and labor.
Is she famous in this field?
She did a lot of cases that stirred up the public.
For example, the case of "Seono Heavy Industry's subcontracting misconduct,"
"Gwangil Group's early retirement of its female employees,"
and the "workers' suit against Gyeongok Construction for causing pneumoconiosis."
But because she takes on big David and Goliath-like cases,
her winning rate is not that high.
She lost all the cases that were just mentioned.
It's as if she's an attorney that specializes in losing cases.
Do you have any particular concerns about Attorney Ryu?
Well,
she came by the company once, and she was…
How should I put this?
Loud?
Do not
inform the company of your marital status!
Mir Life is exploiting the law to force wives to voluntarily resign
to achieve gender discriminatory restructuring!
Come to your senses!
-Come to your senses! -Come to your senses!
Forced resignation under the guise of voluntary resignation!
Condemn the act of oppression!
-Condemn! -She is loud.
-Mir Life, come to your senses! -It's the pretrial hearing today.
-Come to your senses! -Is she warming up by protesting?
I've never seen an attorney like her before.
Condemn!
-Condemn! -Condemn!
And it seems like she is wearing matching colors with the plaintiffs.
And put on matching headbands too.
-Come to your senses! -Come to your senses!
It's almost time. Should we head in?
Judge Ryu Myeong-ha is known to be strict about everything.
Ryu Myeong-ha?
Condemn this act of oppression!
The judge of this case is Judge Ryu Myeong-ha?
Yes, you didn't know?
We have a problem.
That loud attorney, isn't her name Ryu Jae-sook?
No way…
She can't be from the Ryu family of Pungsan, right?
Mir Life, admit to this unjust dismissal!
-Admit! -Admit!
CONCILIATOR
Hello.
PLAINTIFF
DEFENDANT
Your Honor.
The plaintiffs and their attorney just held a protest
in front of the court regarding this case.
I'm concerned that the protest will affect you
and undermine the fairness of this trial.
The plaintiffs and I were merely protesting
against the * discriminatory restructuring of Mir Life.
We had no intention of affecting the trial.
Then why protest in front of the court?
You should've done it at Mir Life.
We are going to protest at Mir Life too.
We only did it here today because we had to be at this pretrial hearing.
Do we have to discuss where we protest with you?
That's not necessary…
Counselor,
what is your family origin?
My family origin is the Ryu family of Pungsan.
My goodness.
My family origin is also the Ryu family of Pungsan.
Then what generation name does your father use?
My father uses…
Your Honor, why are you asking about my father's generation name and not mine?
Well, that's because daughters usually don't use a generation name.
Right.
Because daughters become outsiders once they marry
and can't continue the Ryu family of Pungsan's line?
-No, I mean-- -Your Honor,
I think the essence of this case is * discrimination.
And * discrimination is an act that is strictly forbidden
by the laws of this country,
such as the Framework Act on Gender Equality
and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
I'm deeply concerned if Your Honor,
who is biased in that I wouldn't have used a generation name because I'm a woman,
will be able to see the essence of this case fairly.
What?
The "Jae" in my name, Ryu Jae-sook, is a generation name that denotes
the 26th generation of the Ryu family of Pungsan.
Your name has "Ha" in it, Your Honor,
so I'm assuming that you are of the 27th generation.
Yes, I am.
So that would mean in a way, I'm like your aunt.
Of course, it's not necessary for you to call me "aunt."
Okay.
Your Honor, may I bring up the protest that the plaintiffs and their attorney--
That won't be an issue.
Sorry?
I do not see the protest affecting my judgment in any way.
So,
it won't be an issue.
Thank you, Judge Ryu Myeong-ha.
I don't like the word "context."
It's as difficult as the word "tone."
When I was studying law, I didn't have to figure out the context and tone
that were hidden behind words.
But I think that's not enough for some cases.
I can't get into the specifics,
but I learned that even a seemingly neutral policy can be discriminatory
if you considered the context that this is a patriarchal society--
Hey, Young-woo.
Yes?
Are you…
seeing someone?
Why are you asking me that out of the blue?
Does this also have a hidden context that I don't know about?
No, there's nothing like that.
I'm just wondering if you're in a relationship.
Well…
No.
No?
I mean…
But…
you kissed?
Goodness.
I didn't think you had it in you.
It's like you're in a Hollywood movie, doing things the American way.
How did you know I kissed someone?
What do you mean how?
You were kissing right in front of the house!
Gosh, you little…
But what?
You're not in a relationship?
We haven't discussed it yet.
We're getting to know each other first by going on dates.
Then he's a total punk.
He's going around kissing you without even asking you out properly?
Who is he? Bring him home.
I need to see for myself what kind of guy he is, okay?
Goodness.
I didn't do anything wrong.
Hey, wait.
The gas gun.
"If one of the employees of a married couple
does not voluntarily resign,
the husband will be subjected to unpaid leave."
What was Mir Life's intention in making this policy?
Didn't you ultimately lead the female employees to resign
by threatening the wives that their husbands would lose their jobs?
No, Mir Life is a company that respects women.
Even in the middle of restructuring,
we came up with a policy that is more advantageous to female employees.
"As a wife, should you really be getting in the way of your husband's career?"
"What kind of parents would be happy to see
their son hanging around at home while their daughter-in-law goes to work?"
"This is when you should support your husband."
"When a husband loses his job, he becomes jobless."
"But when a wife loses her job, she's still a housewife."
"Are you going to make your husband's life embarrassing and pathetic?"
These are the words that you said to the plaintiffs. Do you recall?
Yes.
Didn't you just say
Mir Life is a company that respects women,
and that you came up with a restructuring policy
that is more advantageous to female employees?
But through these meetings,
you actively persuaded the female employees
to voluntarily resign.
Do you admit to doing this?
I was just saying how I felt.
They are my personal opinions that are irrelevant to the company policy.
Don't be ridiculous.
Your Honor. This type of questioning is very inappropriate
as it insults the witness.
Please restrict the plaintiff's counselor so she doesn't cross the line.
Mr. Moon is the Head of HR at Mir Life,
so he had meetings with the plaintiffs as a representative of the company.
Am I supposed to just accept that he expressed his personal opinions
and exchanged casual conversations at serious meetings like that?
I don't think so,
Judge Ryu Myeong-ha.
ATTORNEY RYU JAE-SOOK
Mr. Moon Jong-cheol
was representing Mir Life at the time of his meetings with the plaintiffs.
Do you admit to doing this?
Yes, but…
Put that on the record.
When you heard of the company's restructuring policy,
what did you think of it?
Did you think that they were ultimately leading female employees to resign
by threatening them, saying that their husbands would lose their jobs?
No.
If I thought that, I would have quit.
In our case, my husband was the one who voluntarily resigned.
I didn't feel that the company policy was *ually discriminatory.
Unless it's reverse discrimination.
You had a meeting with Mr. Moon, correct?
Yes.
Did he say something along the lines of,
"As a wife, should you really be getting in the way of your husband's career"?
I don't really remember.
Because that's not all that important.
What I remember is that if we applied for voluntary resignation,
we would be provided with a severance equivalent to 13 months of pay
and the opportunity to work as contract employees.
An opportunity to work as a contract employee?
Why are you saying that as if it's some kind of benefit?
Don't you know they're using the restructuring as an excuse
to turn female employees into non-full-time employees?
All these things about * discrimination and becoming non-full-time employees.
I don't get why people, who are usually so independent and smart,
are saying they were forced to make such a decision
because of what Mr. Moon said.
Things are already uneasy at the company with the restructuring and the M&A,
and now there's a lawsuit too.
The remaining employees are exhausted!
That is all.
Plaintiff's counselor, you may begin cross-examination.
Your husband is quite ill, right?
I heard he recently had an operation for colon cancer.
Yes.
But that wasn't the reason my husband quit his job.
Even if he wasn't ill,
we would have made the same decision.
Before your husband's surgery,
you received a month of paid leave, right?
That's quite an exceptional benefit for a company
that is currently under such difficult circumstances.
Does your being here today have anything to do
with you receiving such a benefit?
Ms. Choi Yeon-hui.
Did your husband's surgery go well?
We were occupied with the lawsuit
that we couldn't even visit you at the hospital.
It's fine.
His surgery went well. There's no metastasis either.
He's okay.
Really? That's good.
That's such a relief.
Hey, there's no need for you to feel bad about this.
Just focus on taking care of your husband.
Everyone has different opinions.
If I were in your position, I would have done the same thing.
Ms. Kim…
Ms. Choi, did you try the bungeoppang out front?
I'm not sure if it's because it's sold in front of the courthouse, but it's good.
Let's go get some bungeoppang together.
It's okay. I'll get some another time.
Come on.
Have at least one.
If all three of us were still at work together,
it would have been snack time right about now.
I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Why are you crying?
Gosh…
It's okay.
Yes, it's okay.
It's okay.
What's the point of all this?
Excuse me!
Here.
-What is this? -Bungeoppang.
We bought them for you while we were getting ours. Have some.
Thank you.
Sure. Bye.
Buying the opposing attorneys bungeoppang?
They're quite relaxed.
Do they think they're winning?
Well, they are winning.
Let's go.
Jun-ho.
I think we're going to have to look into the plaintiffs.
-Look into them? -Yes.
Is there anything that could show
that the plaintiffs voluntarily quit the company?
I'm sure they didn't quit because they wanted to.
But maybe any kind of proof
that they thought voluntary resignation was the best choice at the time.
I'll look into it.
What?
Taxi.
I want to see the ad on that taxi.
What? Taxi?
There's a symbol on the ad of that taxi
that looks exactly like Ms. Lee Ji-yeong's key chain.
I want to check what it is.
And why should we check that?
Right. If it's another one of your random obsessions--
Is everyone buckled up?
What's wrong with him?
Young-woo.
Attorney Woo. Take a good look.
THE START OF A NEW LIFE AT HUIMANG
"Specialization in infertility treatment."
"Huimang Women's Hospital"?
You said you work with Attorney Woo?
Do you think you can make Attorney Woo quit Hanbada?
Excuse me?
It doesn't matter if she quits or gets fired.
LEGAL CONSULTATION STATEMENT
What are you up to?
Work.
I'm working.
I see.
You don't mind me sitting here, right?
I have to get myself one of these.
Well…
So…
How is it
working at a major law firm?
What?
For me,
it can sometimes be
miserable.
You know, at major law firms, we have to do unjust things
and bully the weak as well.
Because those who can afford attorneys with high commission fees like us
are the rich and powerful.
Do you know…
who came up with Mir Life's strategy for the restructuring?
What?
We did.
What?
It was Hanbada.
I looked at the consultation statement Hanbada sent to Mir Life last year
and it was all written there.
"Officially, you have to say that the husband will be penalized
to avoid * discrimination."
"Even if it's not much, giving a small severance pay
will be advantageous to claim voluntary resignation."
"Make it seem like the switch to being a contract employee
is a benefit that is only offered to those who resign."
All this…
was a trick that Hanbada taught Mir Life.
Then did Mir Life come up with that policy
with the intention to fire the female employees in the first place?
Yes.
They used the M&A as an excuse to fire almost 100 female employees
and transitioned them into non-full-time positions
while receiving consultation from a major law firm
so they wouldn't face any issues in the future.
It's very clever * discrimination.
If only the Three Musketeers
could prove this, they'd have a chance of winning.
I guess that won't be happening.
Seeing Attorney Ryu on TV…
Have you seen her on TV?
Her office looked like some corner store.
Do you think she can get any proper investigation done?
Probably not.
Even if she wants to hire an employee like Jun-ho, would she be able to?
No, because she can't afford it.
Don't you agree?
I'm going to stop grumbling and get back to work.
Right.
This is the consultation statement,
and it has everything I just mentioned.
Would you like to give it a read?
Take your time.
LEGAL CONSULTATION STATEMENT
"Recipient, Mir Life Corporation. Sender, Hanbada Law Firm."
"Title, Review of…"
No, I didn't mean that
you should read it out loud right now.
Read it quietly on your own.
"Title, Review of Restructuring Policy for Married Employee Couples."
What's this?
The legal consultation statement that Hanbada sent to Mir Life last year.
Were you aware of the content of the statement?
Of course, I knew.
How did you even find this?
Then did Hanbada really help
Mir Life fire only the female employees?
Did you teach them
how to cleverly discriminate in a way that wouldn't be illegal?
No, that's not how it should be phrased.
We merely gave our opinion
so our client could achieve their goals without any legal problems.
If we win this trial,
we'll be playing a part in legalizing the firing of female employees first.
And in a shameful way at that, by taking issue with the fact that
Ms. Lee was treated for infertility.
It's a shame a dolphin jumped so high when I saw
the Huimang Women's Hospital logo.
What? Dolphin, jump, what?
If we can't give up representing Mir Life,
what if we at least keep silent about Ms. Lee's infertility treatment?
If we can't contribute to making the world a better place as attorneys--
Attorney Woo.
Who told you that attorneys contribute to making the world a better place?
-Excuse me? -What an attorney does is defend.
It's our job as attorneys to protect the client's rights
and do our best to prevent the client's losses.
Our legal expertise is supposed to be used for that,
not to make the world a better place.
And what would make the world a better place to begin with?
Isn't it the judge's job to judge that?
"The mission of any attorney-at-law shall be
to defend fundamental human rights and realize social justice."
It's Paragraph 1, Article 1 of the Attorney-at-Law Act.
Exactly!
Aren't we defending Mir Life right now?
It's the judge's job to decide which side is socially just, not ours!
Are you…
getting angry?
No, I'm not!
Even when your brows are lowered, your cheekbones are raised,
and your nostrils are flaring?
These are the typical signs of when someone is angry.
Anyway.
Do thorough research on infertility treatments,
and question Ms. Lee Ji-yeong properly. Okay?
If you don't, I will.
DOLPHINS BELONG IN THE WIDE OCEAN, NOT AN AQUARIUM
It's a dolphin!
-Hello. -Hello.
Hi.
This dolphin is so cute.
Come on, kids.
-Okay. -Okay.
STOP DISPLAYING DOLPHINS AND RELEASE THEM
There's also a protest in front of Mir Life right now,
but I'm turning a blind eye to that and instead doing another protest.
I'm not sure if this is a good idea.
You're not doing this protest to free the dolphins as an attorney.
We're…
on a date right now.
Then what am I supposed to do as an attorney?
Should I listen to what Attorney Jung said
and leave the judgment of what's right or wrong to a judge
and only focus on defending the client?
Well…
Working at Hanbada,
I've seen a lot of attorneys who were stressed about that same thing.
Rookies, junior attorneys, senior attorneys, all of them.
-Really? -Yes.
There are attorneys like Attorney Jung who have reached their answers,
but there are also attorneys who continue to contemplate.
And some attorneys end up leaving the firm because of that.
Is it because Hanbada is a major law firm?
But the funny thing is
there's no other place that's more active in public service than a big law firm.
I bet you there are no law firms in Korea
that take as many public interest cases as Hanbada and Taesan.
This is hard.
It's even more difficult after hearing what you said.
It's not an issue with an easy answer.
Just take some time, and think about it slowly.
I'll always cheer for you no matter what you decide to do.
"I solemnly swear that I will tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,
and agree to receive punishment in accordance with perjury
should there be any falsehood."
Defendant's counselor, begin questioning.
When did you find out that
Mir Life was going to be acquired by SB Life, a German insurance company?
Around last year.
You used a lot of paid time off last year.
And for a few months, you left work early three days a week.
Why is that?
I had doctor's appointments.
But it was only last year.
In the eight years I've worked for this company,
I had never taken time off as often as I did last year.
What is the name of the hospital you went to?
Huimang Women's Hospital.
Huimang Women's Hospital
is a maternity clinic specializing in infertility treatments, correct?
Yes.
For IVF, which is one of the ways to treat infertility,
one must visit a hospital three times a week for a month.
If one has a job, they would have to leave early.
On the days when eggs are collected or embryos are implanted,
one would most likely have to take the day off.
Did you also get off work early
and take frequent days off for IVF?
Yes.
Then to you, the suggestion of voluntary resignation
would've been a great opportunity to focus on receiving infertility treatments.
Since you had plans for pregnancy.
How is that relevant?
I failed to get pregnant,
but even if I had succeeded, I would've continued to work at the company.
Under the Labor Standards Act, female workers receive
90 days of paid vacation before and after they give birth.
At the last hearing, the plaintiff's counselor mentioned
the one month of paid leave that the witness, Ms. Choi, had received,
and said that it was an exceptional benefit for a company
under such difficult circumstances.
Then, doesn't this also apply to the 90 days of maternity leave?
Objection. The plaintiff received IVF way before it was suggested
that she voluntarily resign.
The plaintiff's infertility treatments and the voluntary resignation are irrelevant.
Well…
Overruled.
Defendant's counselor, continue questioning.
Plaintiff, please give an honest answer.
Didn't you decide that it'd be better to take this opportunity
to get severance pay and resign so that you could prepare for pregnancy
rather than to hold out at a company in a crisis?
Excuse me.
My name is Woo Young-woo.
Whether it's read straight or flipped, it's still Woo Young-woo.
Kayak, deed, rotator, noon, racecar, Woo Young-woo.
I'm Ryu Jae-sook.
If it's flipped, it's Sook-jae Ryu.
Okay.
I saw you in the newspaper.
"The first autistic attorney of the Republic of Korea."
I wondered what kind of attorney this person would turn out to be,
but I see you eventually ended up at Hanbada.
I thought you'd work somewhere cooler.
Somewhere cooler?
Yes. For example, somewhere like the Law Office of Ryu Jae-sook.
Right.
Isn't it cooler to stand on the side of brave women laborers,
instead of defending a client like Mir Life?
An attorney is someone who defends.
It's an attorney's job to protect the client's rights
and do the best to prevent the client's losses.
It's not an attorney's job to make a value judgment
about which client would make them cooler.
But attorneys are human.
They're different from judges and prosecutors.
-Sorry? -We all work in the legal field,
but while judges and prosecutors work to protect the law,
attorneys work to protect the people.
Each case might just be work for a judge or a prosecutor,
but it's different for an attorney.
We sit next to the client…
as someone they chose for protection
and as fellow humans.
"You weren't wrong."
"I support you."
Saying these things and showing them support
are also part of our job.
To do that, we have to judge for ourselves what is right
in terms of who we defend.
You can't lie to yourself.
What?
Attorney Woo is with Attorney Ryu.
What could they be talking about?
I wonder too.
-What are you doing? -What? Why do you ask?
You were trying to go into Young-woo's office. What is it?
I could have something to ask Attorney Woo.
What are you? The Kayak Deed Protector? Why does it concern you?
Young-woo left with Jun-ho earlier.
She's obviously not here. Her lights are off.
Where would she be going with Jun-ho at this hour?
I thought you live with Jun-ho. You don't know?
-The two of them… -What about them?
They're seeing each other.
They're seeing each other?
-Why? -What do you mean?
They just are!
You're so annoying.
Get out of my way.
LEGAL CONSULTATION STATEMENT
LAW OFFICE OF RYU JAE-SOOK
ATTORNEY WOO YOUNG-WOO
What's wrong? Are you looking for something?
I'm looking for my father.
What?
My father said he saw us kissing last time.
What?
He told me to bring you to meet him.
But I'm not going to.
Because we're not dating yet.
What…
We're not…
dating yet?
Well…
We never said we were dating, right?
Well…
Or did we?
Then…
are we dating?
If we're not dating,
why would I protest to free the dolphins on my day off?
What?
Do you not agree that dolphins should be freed?
Of course, I do.
But it's not the most ideal activity to do on someone's day off.
It's not like it's fun.
It's not…
fun?
I mean…
Honestly,
the list that you made.
"Things to do on dates"?
Yes.
I'm not…
used to those things.
People typically don't do those things on dates.
Things like picking up garbage while jogging by the Han River.
Jun-ho!
Hey…
That day, you really
only picked up garbage.
You picked up garbage again and again as the day got brighter
until that huge basket was full.
Would there be anyone else
who goes on these kinds of dates?
We did go on typical dates.
For example, we went to famous restaurants.
They were all gimbap places. We ate nothing but gimbap that day.
The list has things you want to do too.
We went to the arcade because you wanted to.
It was very loud, but I held it in.
Okay, but we only played "Find the Difference" for three hours.
Attorney Woo.
You're great at this.
And you were too good at it, so it wasn't fun for me.
Then…
Then why do you keep going on dates with me?
It's not even fun for you.
Because I like you!
I did the protest to free the dolphins, picked up trash while jogging,
and went to all those famous gimbap places because I like you.
And yet we're still not…
officially together?
That really…
just hurts me, you know that?
Right.
Plaintiff's counselor, you submitted new evidence, right?
Yes, Your Honor.
It's proof that Mir Life had thoroughly planned
the *ually discriminatory restructuring policy
with the intent to fire the female employees from the beginning.
An anonymous informant sent it to our office.
I present to you the original work notebook
of Mr. Moon Jong-cheol, the Head of HR at Mir Life.
I submitted the scanned copies of the pages in question today.
Wait, is that really your notebook?
The company gave them out to all the employees last year.
Mine should be in my office.
If you take a look at the notebook, you can see that Mr. Moon
has a habit of taking notes during his phone calls.
Those notes were taken during a phone call in April last year
with Mir Life's Executive Director, Choi Seung-cheol.
Executive Director Choi clearly gave Mr. Moon the order
to get the wives to voluntarily resign
by notifying them that their husbands will be penalized.
-Is that true? -That's undeniable.
-Goodness. -That's undeniable proof.
Mr. Moon, is this true?
Is that your notebook?
I did write that.
But I don't know how that…
ended up in their hands.
Your Honor.
Mr. Moon has not agreed to his personal notebook being used as evidence.
Therefore, this evidence has been collected illegally.
This pertains to the Criminal Procedure Act, Article 300…
Three…
The Criminal Procedure Act, Article 300…
What is it?
You know, the thing about the illegal collection of evidence.
Right.
"Article 308-2 of the Criminal Procedure Act. Any evidence obtained
in violation of the due process shall not be admissible"?
Yes, according to the article you heard just now,
Mr. Moon's notebook is not admissible as evidence.
Please exclude it from the evidence.
Well…
But that's a Criminal Procedure Act. This trial is a civil procedure.
Isn't it the discretion of the court
to accept evidence according to the Civil Procedure Act,
which adopts the Principle of Free Evaluation of Evidence?
I look forward to your wise judgment, Judge Ryu Myeong-ha.
ATTORNEY RYU JAE-SOOK
This notebook was sent by an anonymous informant?
Yes, Your Honor.
Then, even if the evidence was collected illegally,
the degree of violation of the procedure
is not large enough to refuse the acceptance of the evidence.
I acknowledge the admissibility of your evidence.
It's all right.
HEAD OF HR MOON JONG-CHEOL
You said all the employees are family. Aren't female employees also family?
Admit wrongful termination!
-Admit! -Admit!
A rally was held in front of Mir Life's HQ to denounce Mir Life's dismissal
of female employees first among married employee couples.
The rally was attended by female employees who were fired from Mir Life,
as well as dozens of members of women's organizations and labor unions.
Meanwhile, two of the fired female employees filed a lawsuit
to confirm the invalidity of their termination.
Participants of the rally
said they plan to file a written statement to the court.
The public are wondering whether the rally will affect the ruling.
Now, for the verdict.
Formal adjudication.
All claims of the plaintiffs are dismissed.
And the litigation costs are to be paid by the plaintiffs.
This court acknowledges that the defendant urged
the married employee couples to voluntarily resign multiple times
and notified them of their husbands' termination
or them being subjected to unpaid leave if they did not.
However, designating one of the employees
of a married employee couple for this while restructuring
is acceptable from the socioeconomic perspective,
and because they did not specify that it just applied to the wives,
it cannot be seen as an act against gender equality
or the discrimination against women as set forth
by the Constitution or the Labor Standards Act.
Furthermore,
the plaintiffs submitted their resignation letters
considering the conditions of voluntary resignation
as suggested by the defendant
and the various circumstances and interests regarding the options
of resignation and continuing to work.
Thus, this cannot be considered invalid.
My goodness.
Sir.
You don't look so good. Is everything okay?
The ruling was in our favor.
What's the point of that?
It doesn't do me any good, but the company.
What?
To be honest,
I think I'm going to be fired soon.
Weren't you aware?
No, I wasn't.
I see.
I thought perhaps Hanbada gave them another consultation.
"How to fire the Head of HR without any trouble." Something like that.
This is the first time I'm hearing of this.
Officially, they're firing me because I didn't succeed with the restructuring.
The trial, the rally, and the news reports.
Things did get out of hand.
But the more I think about it,
the more it feels like this was their plan from the start.
They want to give my job to the person that SB Life wants.
You went through a lot this whole time. It must be difficult for you.
No.
I fired almost 100 employees.
It wouldn't be right to hope that things would work out for me.
It's all karma.
Regardless of the ruling, we view this lawsuit positively.
That's right. We view it as being WLGF!
We Lost, but it was a Good Fight!
We feel good that we at least went to trial!
-We feel good! -We feel good!
We still have the second and final appeal.
So we will fight even more bravely for job security and equality!
-We will! -We will!
-Fight! -Fight!
I'm amazed by the fact that they're having an after-trial party,
and it's also weird that we're going just because we were invited.
We were the opposing side, after all.
I want to go. I'm curious.
Are you interested in those things?
Dealing with cases about human rights, women, and labor like Attorney Ryu?
Well…
I'm not sure.
Attorney Ryu
is like the Yangtze River dolphin.
Gosh, the Yangtze River dolphin. I haven't heard about that one in a while.
Can I tell you about the Yangtze River dolphin?
Can I say no?
Please.
Dolphins mostly live in the sea,
but some populations adapt to rivers,
and the Yangtze River dolphin is a model example of that.
Just like their name, they lived in the Yangtze River in China,
but they were declared extinct in 2007.
So how does Attorney Ryu resemble the Yangtze River dolphin?
Attorney Ryu
is the type of attorney you can't find at Hanbada.
I just hope she doesn't go extinct.
*UALLY DISCRIMINATORY RESTRUCTURING
THERE SHOULDN'T BE RESTRUCTURING!
You're doing it again.
Just leave it be.
It's not easy to just leave it alone.
Gosh.
I'M ROOTING FOR YOU, ATTORNEY RYU
MEANINGFUL LOSS!
I wonder what it's like to receive this kind of support.
Even when she lost.
Right.
Me too.
DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! LET'S OVERCOME! LET'S FIGHT TOGETHER!
Goodness! You're here.
We were on the roof. Let's head up together.
Okay.
Right.
Why don't you head upstairs first?
I have something to give to Attorney Woo.
Okay.
I wanted to return this.
LEGAL CONSULTATION STATEMENT
Why do you have this?
You didn't send it to me?
No, I didn't.
Your business card was in it.
As if you had sent it to me in secret.
It seems as though it's complicated within Hanbada as well.
You should watch out for yourself.
So you had this the whole time but didn't use it as evidence?
If I did, you would've been in trouble.
And it's not like I didn't have other ways to get evidence.
Come.
Hello.
Sit over here.
We were making bibimbap.
The vegetables Attorney Ryu grows up here on the roof are so fresh.
I'm a farmer on the side.
Roof farming.
But it seems like I'm better at farming than I am at my main job.
Do you only have bibimbap? No gimbap?
I can't see the ingredients in bibimbap all at once,
so I could be alarmed by any unexpected textures or flavors.
What?
Gimbap?
Alarmed?
Then don't mix the ingredients and eat them all separately.
Well…
Just eat what you're given.
Okay.
The bibimbap is so pretty.
We should have come earlier and helped you prepare.
We were just relaxing and taking our time as we made it.
Reciting poems.
Reciting poems?
It turns out that we all love poetry.
I recited one by the poet Kim Su-young,
and Hyeon-jeong recited one by the poet Ko Jung-hee.
And now it's Attorney Ryu's turn.
Is this the time to be reciting poems?
Don't you have an appeal to prepare?
-Right. -That's right.
You're right.
Hanbada's attorneys sure are different.
I think I'm going to lose again.
Come on, we can have fun today.
It's the after-party.
I'm so curious as to what poem Attorney Ryu likes.
Yes, we want to know. Recite it for us.
Ryu Jae-sook!
-Ryu Jae-sook! -Ryu Jae-sook!
There she goes!
"Though there are many sayings,
life is
to gladly become a piece of coal
for someone other than myself."
"From the day the floors grow cold to the day spring comes,
the most beautiful thing in the streets of the Korean peninsula
is a truck that fervidly climbs up the hill
with coal."
"As if it knows what it has to do,
coal burns endlessly
once its body catches fire,
but I was oblivious even though I had warm rice and soup every day."
"Because I feared becoming a lonely lump of ashes
after loving others with my whole being,
I haven't become coal
for anyone."
"When I think about it,
life is to shatter myself into pieces."
"I had never thought of
clearing the streets for others to tread
when the world is slippery from early morning snow."
That was great!
-Eat. -Okay.
-Thank you for the food. -Enjoy.
Damn it.
Yes, boss.
I got off on the wrong floor.
I got both a Phillips head and a flat head *driver.
Yes, I'm on my way up.
Damn it.
Attorney Jung, they caught Jang Jae-jin.
The police caught him all the way in Changwon,
so you have nothing to worry about anymore.
What the…
Am I sick?
Is there really a law that states that even those
who did not visit a cultural heritage must pay the admission fee?
May I go on a business trip?
-Where to? -Jeju Island.
I'll do my best to earn my keep
since I'm taking several rookie attorneys with me.
We're calling it a business trip, but isn't this an excuse to go on a vacation?
They're not open.
It looks like it's been closed for quite some time.
Don't be blinded by what you can see.
Keep in mind the essence of what lies beyond that.
You should bring home a girl who can make you happy.
Not someone you have to take care of.