10 Top South Korean Legal Dramas So Good It’s Almost a Crime

The South Korean shows often tend to be a little bit extra in everything. If it's a romantic story, the love depicted in the show is pure and 100% believable, if it's a fantasy plot – then the magical parts of it are totally twisted and out of this world, etc.

It seems like there are K-dramas of every genre, and that's what makes it all so interesting. The unique perspective that the creators offer us, combined with what comes with the genre, creates a whole new experience in showcreating.

So be prepared when you tune in to one of these ten legal K-dramas, because they may bring you something you never expected to see.

1. Law School (2021)

If you ever watched the western series How To Get Away With Murder starring Viola Davis as a criminal law professor, then this show is definitely for you. But we have to warn you that you will probably want to become a lawyer yourself after watching this show.

The series focuses on professors and students at a very prestigious law school whose lives are disrupted after a murder occurs and one of the best teachers is the prime suspect. The best thing about this show is that the ensemble cast gives us the chance to see one event from many professional perspectives, which just makes everything multidimensional.

2. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)

While we're waiting for the second season of the show to be released sometime in 2024 (which means that season 1 was a huge success), it's time to watch the first part of the show. Extraordinary Attorney Woo focuses on a young woman named Woo Young-woo, a brilliant lawyer who suffers from autism syndrome.

With an IQ of 164, she managed to go through every step of law school being at the top, and became the professional she is now. However, life is hard for her because her condition makes her socially awkward at times.

3. Vincenzo (2021)

You have probably heard about this popular K-drama from at least one of your friends, but if not, we are here to help. If you are a fan of all things related to mobsters, then you should definitely check out this series about the mafia world with an Italian-Korean main character.

Vincenzo's foster father dies and he has to fly back to South Korea. But things get complicated when Vincenzo, who is a lawyer himself, becomes the rival of another feisty lawyer who will never stop until she gets what she wants. And what she wants seems to be taking down the Mafia family.

4. Divorce Attorney Shin (2023)

The series is focused on the life of Shin Sung Han, a divorce attorney who naturally spends his every day dealing with other people’s problems. The ruined marriage cases sometimes get so messy that it just seems fantastic that Sung Han never loses his mind in all of that. What helps him to be sane is actually friendship. He has two close friends with whom they try to live their best.

5. Juvenile Justice (2022)

Imagine the situation when something you hate to do becomes your life's work. Now you can understand how Sim Eun Seok felt when she was assigned to a local juvenile court. The thing is, she hates juvenile offenders more than anything else in the world, but now she has to find a way to make them a part of her everyday life.

To survive in this chaos, she decided to make the best of the situation and go out of her way to break the rules and implement her own methods of punishing the underaged criminals.

6. Diary of a Prosecutor (2019)

You may like this K-drama for the mere fact that it is totally different from what the industry often offers. We are used to having this 100% perfect storylines with ideal characters who never show how tired they are from life and work. This show does exactly that, while highlighting the mundane daily routine of overworked prosecutors and how the inner self of a person can be different from what is outside him.

7. The Devil Judge (2021)

This legal drama is also for the fans of fantasy as it is set in a dystopian version of modern Korea. The new world has no law and order and in a new reality people are not afraid to express their negativity even about the government of the country.

In this new world, the chief judge, nicknamed "Devil Judge," turns his courtroom into a reality show where he mercilessly punishes the guilty. But there's someone else who's not happy about the Devil being a king of justice…

8. Bad Prosecutor (2022)

Although the show may seem to focus too much on humor, there's of course a deeper story in it. The K-drama actually tries to reflect heavily on corruption while having a very controversial person as its main character. Jin Jeong is a rather unconventional prosecutor who likes to take different paths to serve the cause of justice, sometimes pushing criminals even more than needed…

9. Suspicious Partner (2017)

The K-drama revolves around the complicated lives of Noh Ji Wook, a brilliant prosecutor, and Eun Bong-hee, a new intern at the justice department. One day, Bong-hee is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend, and while Ji Wook tries to save her, he almost loses his job and his reputation. But this is only the beginning of a huge conspiracy that will be revealed later in the show's universe…

10. Lawless Lawyer (2018)

Just as the drama's title implies, this series is about a lawyer who does not really trust the legal system anymore. Bong Sang-pil is a lawyer that has a huge revenge plan in his mind. And he also has a secret, which makes it all so much more interesting: he is a former mobster.