Honour (아너: 그녀들의 법정)

(About 40,000 sexual assaults occur annually in South Korea.)

(Abuse-of-power sex crimes by superiors occur daily.)

(Victims still forced to be silent, causing secondary victimization.)

(Denial and inaction leave the victim isolated.)

(High schooler victim versus Actor Kang Eun Seok)

(5.2 percent of adolescents report experiencing sexual assault.)

(Voices break the silence, demanding change)

(Fans defend Kang Eun Seok: "We believe in him")

(Victim's info leaked, escalating secondary abuse)

Yes, I'm here.

Heading in now.

I just got here too. Let's do this.

Actor Kang Eun Seok, known as "the nation's son-in-law,"

is now sending shock waves after being sued by a minor,

a high school student, on charges of sexual assault and battery.

Mr. Kang! Do you admit to the sexual assault allegations?

Did you know the victim was a minor?

- Had you not met the victim before? - Mr. Kang!

Do you admit it?

This is ridiculous, Attorney Hwang. Why must Yoo Jeong go to court?

We already recorded her video statement.

That jerk, Kang Eun Seok...

He demanded she appear in person. He won't accept her video testimony.

So the victim has to show up just because the accused demands it?

Yoo Jeong's a high school student. How can she testify with him there?

I've requested a privacy screen and confirmed it's been set up.

She'll also be using the judges' private entrance,

so she won't have to see Kang Eun Seok's face in court.

What kind of justice system...

It's messed up, right?

But if you fall apart,

what will Yoo Jeong do?

We're strong. And his dirty tricks won't faze us.

We have to show her that. Right?

Yoo Jeong.

Are you in there?

Attorney Hwang, I just want to go home.

We will.

Right after you bravely testify and get this weight off your chest.

There's nothing to be scared of. Just think of it like our practice.

I'll be right by your side through the entire trial,

and you won't let them get to you or scare you.

Because we've prepared for every possible question.

All you have to do is tell the truth.

Let's go.

Attorney Hwang.

Yes?

It's nothing.

In many sexual assault cases, their testimony is the only proof.

What if a victim falsely claims they were raped or molested,

exaggerating their testimony or trying to frame the accused?

Without cross-examination, how can we challenge that testimony?

Should we trust testimony by default just because it's from a minor?

A defendant's right to a defense is guaranteed by the Constitution.

From a judicial standpoint, I believe this ruling was correct.

Attorney Yoon, what is your response to Attorney Lee's opinion?

I'm sorry, what was that? What did Attorney Lee say?

About the defendant's right to a defense.

The right to a defense?

It was so dreadfully boring, I'm afraid I tuned out.

Attorney Yoon.

You're not taking this debate very seriously today, Attorney Yoon.

Why don't you try me again? I'll be sure to listen this time.

- The nerve. - Don't want to? Then I'll ask one.

Yes. Go ahead.

Attorney Lee, why are you even here?

What's that supposed to mean?

I'm just wondering if you're here to drum up business, like on YouTube.

"Win Rape Cases. Beat a Rape Case." "Acquitted of Child Sex Crimes."

You made a fortune on sex crimes and bought a building with it.

So why bother coming on TV?

Oh, the mortgage.

Interest rates went up? Are things getting a little tight?

How dare you speak to me like that, Attorney Yoon?

But you do the same thing, don't you?

You use these kinds of insults, threats,

and intentionally badger victims in the courtroom.

Seoul Eastern District Court. Case 2023 Gohap 452.

"There was semen on your skirt."

"Isn't that proof you took off your underwear?"

Suwon District Court. Case 2024 Gohap 875.

"The day after your boss raped you,"

"you went to work and a team dinner."

"Is that how you'd expect a rape victim to behave?"

Seoul Southern District Court. Case 2024 Gohap 1102.

"You were on depression medication after the assault. Why call 911?"

"You didn't want to die, did you? You were just acting, weren't you?"

Just exercising the defendant's right to a defense, right?

Bravo.

Over 80 percent of sexual assault victims

face secondary trauma in court.

And because of that secondary victimization in the courtroom,

they end up dropping their cases.

That's the impact of the Constitutional Court's ruling.

"You liked it, right? Why not run? How could a victim possibly smile?"

That kind of nonsense

is what children now have to hear in a courtroom.

That's it.

Yoo Jeong.

Now, witness.

Witness, you claim that on the day you met the defendant at Club Eyes,

you were sexually abused and beaten at his home,

and you took a month to heal. Is that correct?

And is every part of your testimony so far unequivocally true?

- Yes. - Why did you go to his home?

You knew you'd be alone with him, didn't you?

Did you not implicitly consent to have sex?

He said he was going to give me a tour of his place.

And I took him at his word.

Witness, you're not a virgin, are you?

Objection. The question's irrelevant and inflammatory.

The question is to ascertain if the witness sufficiently resisted.

- Overruled. Witness will answer. - Darn...

He's every bit the scumbag I expected.

Don't get rattled.

Stay calm.

The entire time he was raping me,

I begged for my life and never stopped fighting back.

The photos of my injuries are proof of that.

(Evidence: Photos of Jo Yoo Jeong's injuries)

You're doing great.

In the past month, because of the Kang Eun Seok case,

378 articles have been published linking him to LnJ and Haeil.

And online negativity toward Haeil has increased by 35 percent.

Why is it always sex crimes? LnJ is already a money pit,

and you'll bring a swarm of flies into our own backyard?

Then what should we be doing, making wine in a pickle barrel?

LnJ was founded initially to help female victims of crime.

As you all remember, that was decided ten years ago,

with this board's full approval.

Besides, are you sure all this heat is just over the Kang Eun Seok case?

From where I'm sitting, it's about the Dongsung Chemical cover-up.

Or was it because of the acquittal of the vacuum sterilizer company?

CEO Kang...

In the past decade, Haeil funneled over ten million dollars to LnJ.

If you're going to speak that way about a public interest firm...

What then? Should I go hold a bake sale?

If you make the powerless suffer with one hand,

then you need to wipe away their tears with the other.

We may not be profitable, but I save you money in the long run.

On top of that, I also launder your image.

Social value, public interest, human rights.

Is there any other subsidiary that boosts our CSR score like LnJ?

Kang Eun Seok's company is planning to acquire S Entertainment.

And Haeil was supposed to get a piece of that.

But thanks to you and your team, the acquisition rights

will now go to Myeonghan, the firm defending Kang Eun Seok.

Do you have any idea how much money we just lost because of LnJ?

Is the Kang Eun Seok case worth taking this kind of hit?

Yes. Even if his company offered us half of Korea's entertainment world,

I would still insist on taking this case.

And why is that?

Because that man

is a total jerk.

Stop Myeonghan from winning the Kang Eun Seok case.

Or I'm cutting LnJ's budget by 50 percent.

That's not where you belong.

You're wrong.

This is exactly where I belong.

It's been ten years.

Isn't it about time you stopped wasting your life and came back?

After ten years, it's about time you learned to give up, Mom.

Don't forget. I raised you to lead Haeil.

It's the same argument every time. It's so exhausting.

For all your complaining, you seem to handle them just fine.

LnJ has been around for ten years now.

An attack like this is no big deal anymore.

So this is what you have to show for your ten years?

See? Like I said, an attack like this is no big deal.

Wait, you're not even going to wipe this off before you get in?

You think they'd have used something that just wipes right off, Mom?

Has the defense concluded its cross-examination?

No, Your Honor. I have one last, crucial question.

Witness.

Is everything you've said so far the absolute truth?

Yes, it is.

Then let me ask you this.

Witness. Are you absolutely certain you met the defendant at the club?

Answer the question.

Did you meet the defendant at Club Eyes?

This is the Club Eyes entrance CCTV and the entry log from that night.

Nowhere in this footage,

or on this log can we find the witness's name or face.

And there isn't a single witness who saw the two of them together.

Objection, Your Honor! This wasn't disclosed in discovery.

Counsel, please submit it as evidence.

Prosecutor, prepare a response for the next hearing.

Witness.

Did you or did you not meet him at Club Eyes?

Answer the question, Witness.

Witness.

Answer me.

No.

Then can you tell the court where and how you first met him?

Witness, you must answer the question.

How did you first meet the defendant?

Yoo Jeong.

This witness made false statements since the initial investigation.

She claimed a famous Korean actor sexually assaulted and battered her.