“Juror 8” (배심원들)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
March 2, 2022

Judge Kim Joon-Gyeom (played by Moon So-Ri)
Kwan Nam-Woo (played by Park Hyung-Sik)
↑Note: Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.

In 2008, South Korea held its first ever trial by jury in Dageu. In that trial, jurors deliberated for two hours before deciding that the 27-year-old man accused of robbing and assaulting a 70-year-old woman in her home was guilty. However, the assailant was given a suspended sentence of 2½ years and had to serve 80 hours of community service. The defense attorney later said that in a non-jury trial, his client most likely would’ve served at least two years in prison.

The only thing that “Juror 8” has in common with that real-life case is that it’s set in 2008. This film presents a fictional scenario: a man has plead guilty to murdering his mother and the first Korean jury will determine his sentence.

Moon So-Ri portrays the by-the-book judge who is annoyed at having to deal with civilians interfering with her trial. And Park Hyung-Sik plays Nam-Woo, a would-be inventor who hadn’t even realized that South Korea had instituted a jury system. He’s not overly smart, but proves to be vital to the trial, because he refuses to let others bully him into making a hasty decision that will determine a man’s fate.

Early on, his character is described as being tall, but average looking. haha Even dressed down, Park’s good looks aren’t hidden. Not at all. But he’s so convincing playing an everyman that viewers aren’t overwhelmed by his looks.

Though the police present what looks like solid evidence — the defendant blamed his mother for a childhood injury that left him disabled and killed her in a fit of rage — Nam-Woo is the lone holdout. Everyone wants to go home and no one questions what the police said. But Nam-Woo’s stubbornness isn’t unfounded. Regardless of the man’s guilt, the police didn’t conduct a thorough investigation.

There are some far-fetched moments in this film that would automatically cause a mistrial. For instance, Nam-Woo accidentally ends up in the holding area where the defendant is being held and has a small interaction with him. But what this film tells viewers is that you don’t have to have gone to law school to root out the truth. And that the most important element of determining a person’s guilt or innocence is your ability to look beyond the obvious.

Theatrical release: The 114-minute film premiered in South Korea on May 15, 2019. (I streamed this on Viki.)

Spoiler Alert: The defendant didn’t kill his mother. Knowing that her son would get a bigger disability check with her dead (than the meager amount she’s able to earn washing dishes), she chooses to die by suicide. What the security guard at the apartment complex witnessed wasn’t a man pushing the elderly woman over their balcony railing. It was her son hanging onto her arms, trying to save her life. When he was taken into custody, the police beat a confession out of him.

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