Onedine

The writer took inspiration from many classic novels, legends, etc. Also from Grimm's "Beauty and the Beast". Besides, it seems to me that also from Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Dorian, the main character, hid his true face of a bad man. It was only after his death that it was obvious what a bad man he was and all his evil appeared in his portrait.

"He plays the telegenic judge Kang Yo-han in the Devil Judge, which is set in Korea in a dystopian future. In the drama, Yo-han presides over court cases that are televised and voted on by the public, much like current idol singing contests. While viewers in the drama applaud the show for bringing justice to the corrupt rich and powerful, there are obvious flaws to such a system. The public is easily influenced and some of Yo-han’s sentences are cruel. Also, he has an agenda that’s based on his own past trauma. While creating the complex character Ji Sung focused on Yo-han’s back story, “I trained myself to constantly visualize Yo-han’s life,” said Ji Sung. “I did my best to understand his life and create the kind of emotions he would have felt in his life. Even if I couldn’t understand him, I accepted him wholly. Throughout production, all I thought about was the life of Yo-han. And it made me wonder about the kind of justice he needed. Could a world with a legal system like the one in Devil Judge actually come to be? It’s possible. Some aspects of letting the public decide the fate of others already exist. “It is possible in real life and so I felt uneasy when I read the script,” said Ji Sung. “On top of that, I questioned myself if I could fully understand my role as Kang Yo-han. And there were also times when I felt uncomfortable with trusting my character during some scenes because there were moments when I struggled to grasp Yo-han’s thoughts and behavior.” The mysterious Yo-han makes some seemingly inexplicable decisions during the course of the drama, but if they seem hard to believe, it’s noteworthy that the drama’s writer is a former judge. “If our writer, Moon You-suk, wasn’t a former judge, my character might not even exist in this show,” said Ji Sung, with a laugh. “But I hope that our future will be nothing like that in Devil Judge. I hope that the generation who take their first steps into our world will see nothing but a positive future full of hopes and dreams.” Ji Sung has a theory as to why dystopian plots are so popular. “I believe the world we live in is important because it’s a place for everyone, not just myself,” he said. “However, at times, we cause each other confusion and pain. And as long as we are in this world, we are bound to live in this confusion. Despite this, humanity is precious. And that message, when conveyed through a dystopian future, holds more meaning and leaves a stronger impression on more viewers. Devil Judge exists in a dystopian world to deliver the significance that we must cherish the beauty of mankind instead of overlooking it.” Ji Sung hopes that the drama can serve as a warning about the possibility of such a dystopian future. “As an adult currently living in this world, I want to give the kids a beautiful future where hopes and dreams come true. I hope we won’t face such a dystopian future like in the show.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2021/08/03/ji-sung-discusses-his-drama-career-and-character-in-devil-judge

Ga On found a home in the Kang family, but Soo Hyun is the most important for him. He built a relationship with her almost all his life. If Yo Han weren't Ga On's "abyss", he would still be close to him and Elijah. He left their house to save his soul. Yo Han is Mephistopheles (the devil in Goethe's "Faust"), he tempts people to give their souls to the "evil". Yo Han is as Mephistopheles and at the same time is a combination of Batman and the Joker. This is mentioned in the interviews.

I think this "hero" is in the sense of "hope for the better without sacrificing one's humanity", not in the sense of a hero who has answers for everything and can fix everything. This drama does not feature characters that are easy to judge, easy to like, and always loveable. In "The devil judge" characters, even those on the "good" side, are imperfect, sometimes selfish, they often make mistakes, so in many cases it is difficult to accept their decisions. They are very human. That's why the drama is good.

Ep.12
VIU has corrected the wrong subtitles. Ga On called Soo Hyun. They made a fatal mistake because that is an important difference.
https://twitter.com/myjinyoungonly/status/1424941369156509699

Drama Episode Titles:
1. Star Judge
2. The Hunt and the Hunter
3. Chamber/Room of Secrets
4. Yohan's Cross
5. Scissorhands
6. Achilles heel
7. Dreams Come True
8. Resistance
9. Batman and Robin
10. Frankenstein
11. Macbeth
12. I Wish You Were Lonely
13. Hunger Game
14. -unknown-
15. -unknown-
16. -unknown-

"[악마판사] The Devil Judge Script Book
By Moon Yooseok
Now available for sale

Pre-order Benefit:
- Writer, Director & Casts' printed autographs
- Unreleased/unpublished scripts collection"
https://twitter.com/JustForJinyoung/status/1424975637215793154

"Gaon is the hope of this dystopian world, not Yohan. Gaon is also a representative of many viewers (common people).
People who doubt, anger, pity, misunderstand, regret, but never give up good faith.
The most important thing in the process of realizing justice is not a sense of justice. It is a fear of possible error. Those who raise voices in anger because of justice they believe in should ask themselves questions. Have I ever thought about the possibility that I was wrong.
If you've never thought about the possibility that you're wrong, or if you're making excuses even though you know you're wrong, you're more dangerous than the person you're angry with.
I think this is the reason why Min Jeongho is wrong, and it can also be the reason why Kang Yohan cannot be a hero, and one of the reasons why Kim Gaon left him in ep 12. Source : The writer’s comments from the scriptbooks"
https://twitter.com/je2sver/status/1424982020120141827

"The reason why Gaon is the hope. He is someone who question himself whether he is right or wrong. I said it before, writer isn’t saying yohan’s ways is the right way. Gaon is. To question, to doubt, to be angry, but also never give up goodwill."
https://twitter.com/peachietime/status/1425010925036208131
autor's worlds
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8an4gJVoAE9fw9.jpg

"Gaon has always been the hope, in fact the only hope. The hope is not the typical “hero” type where you can just magically solve problems in the dystopian era. It takes time. Eg: When he realised he’s about to turn into Yohan, he left the mansion. He does realise his mistake."
https://twitter.com/Dlatebloomer/status/1424996464644612101

For me, the screenwriter follows this path: democracy is not perfect, but it is better than dictatorship and tyranny.

Yes, the words "K" said were very important to the plot of the drama.

I liked the drama since the begining. But some people write that they started to like and appreciate drama after a few episodes. The importance of some characters to the story is understandable after many episodes.

The scene from the confrontation between Soo Hyun and Yo Han reminds me of "The Snow Queen" where Yo Han is the Snow Queen, Soo Hyun is Gerda, and Ga On is Kai. I liked the scene very much, Soo Hyun was desperate and Yo Han was as cold as ice.

In my opinion, the meaning of the whole drama is hidden in Yo Han's words about his story about the fire: "(...) people love stories like that". The screenwriter plays on the feelings of the viewers as Yo Han does with the feelings of the people.
I hope people don't get mad at the writer for deceiving them, but appreciate his great writing.

I think that the viewers will have to wait for the drama to end before assessing the behavior of all characters. This drama reminds me of some nice dramas surprises, such as "Duel". Not in the sense of the plot, but in a shock to the viewer what the drama really turns out to be.

After ep.12 I'm sure Soo Hyun will find some evidence of Yo Han's guilt in the fire from 10 years ego. There is a fight between evil and evil in this moment, and Yo Han's victory must be something terrible for the country. He eliminates everyone because he does not need them. He wants to establish his own rules in the country. The script is very manipulative with the viewers, because at the moment they are on Yo Han's side. When Yo Han wins, he will turn out to be the greatest of the monsters of this drama. The writer is excellent, and all the so-called "holes" in the logic will be filled at the very end of the drama.

Ep.1 Yo Han about Ga On": "He resembles him a lot."
Ep.11 Minister Cha about "K": "You resemble him a lot" ("K" and his father). It seems to me that these are the key words of the drama. Ga On is Isaac's son. Isaac was Yo Han's everything (obsession?/hope?/salvation?/love?). So now he wants Isaac's children on his side: Elijah and Ga On.
Ga On is not really on Yo Han's side. He is like Hamlet and Yo Han is like Claudius in "Hamlet". The nephew pretends to trust his uncle. The screenwriter said in an interview that he was inspired by motifs from classic novels. In today's episode it was "Macbeth". Is it possible then a finale like in "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Usher=Kang)? The atmosphere of the drama reminds me very much of Edgar Alan Poe's works. The fight of darkness with light, doom, death, cruel destiny.

KMJ is 39.

"So #TheDevilJudge is set in 2027, so the ages of the characters are:
Yohan 40yrs
Sunah 41yrs (born in 87)
Gaon 31yrs (born in 97)
Soohyun 31yrs (born in 97)"
https://twitter.com/breadboreum/status/1422220909377585158
or maybe it's set in 2025
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8BqAJSVEAU6ERG.jpg
"www.socialutopia.kr"- it's a lovely detail. The age of the characters is according to the Korean Age Caltulator.

As a couple? She is 16, he is 28/30 (the drama takes place in 2025 or 2027), maybe they are related.

"K"

I do not think so.