Jung Kyung Ho and Rising Actress So Joo Yeon Partner Up for Legal K-drama Pro Bono
Legal, medical, and procedural K-dramas are the tried and true three stalwart genres, when in doubt just bibimbap one of these with the usual elements but rejiggered. A new legal drama is coming titled Pro Bono which brings me back to my law school and early years of practice when I still had the fervor and energy for it. The drama will star Jung Kyung Ho as a famous star judge who ends up changing paths and becoming a pro bono lawyer, because of course it’s always the two polar opposite ends that lead characters in K-dramas ping-pong between. He will be working with rising actress So Joo Yeon as the female lead who is a public interest lawyer to help citizens and advocate for their rights and justice. The screenwriter is familiar with this genre having done The Devil Judge and Miss Hammurabi with the PD of Itaewon Class directing.
Jung kyung Ho is a good actor but I am not a fan of his. Morever I prefer fantasy dramas. Will pass.
He looks so different in real life with makeup n plastic surgery. How much do they smoothen out pics on mags!
They both are foreign to me. But K legal drama always has a lot to tell that makes me wonder if S. Korea is really that corrupt LOL. I was never been appealed to legal dramas before taking a break from Kdrama years ago. But I’ve watched quite a few law and order since picking up Kdrama again in 2023 and found most of them intriguing, some of which are impressive with depth. So, I will check this one out.
It’s interesting how legal K-dramas can open that can of worms about corruption — makes for compelling storytelling, for sure! If you’re just getting back into K-dramas since 2023, it makes sense that Jung Kyung Ho might be unfamiliar, but he’s actually been around for a while and has done a really wide range of roles.
Coincidentally, I recently brought up two of his older dramas — “Time Between Dog and Wolf” (2007) and “Heartless City” (Cruel City) (2013) — in a different discussion here on the blog (about how K-dramas have always been diverse and layered, long before the streaming giants came along). “Time Between Dog and Wolf” feels mostly dated now in terms of pacing and style, but “Heartless City” still holds up well and showcases his darker, more intense side. It’s a gritty crime noir where he plays a really dark, complex character — I love that drama.
In contrast, “Smile, You” (2009–2010) is a long, warm family rom-com that highlights his softer, more grounded acting in a completely different light. It’s not super well-known anymore, but has a nice, laid-back charm with slow slice-of-life storytelling — if that’s your thing. (Which I bet it’s not! 😄)
As for genres, this upcoming “Pro Bono” drama is his first traditional legal one, but he’s already done a variety — medical (Hospital Playlist, 2020–2021), procedural/time-travel (Life on Mars, 2018), and as mentioned above, action-revenge, noir crime, rom-com, etc. — showing range and believability throughout.
In “Hospital Playlist”, he balances emotional restraint with small, tender moments that reveal his character’s depth. The drama is really well-made and warm, but heads-up: it’s from the same director as the Reply series, so it’s slow-paced “healing” drama, more about slice-of-life vibes than big twists. The cast plays instruments and sings together, which is kind of fun, and refreshingly, there’s not much melodrama for a hospital setting. Some people love it — others find it too slow (aka boring).
“Life on Mars” is totally different — way more intense. It’s based on a British show, set in the 1980s, and has this cool retro aesthetic with time travel and crime-solving mixed in. He’s compelling to watch, especially as his character mentally unravels and evolves. It’s a layered, introspective performance in a (mostly) smart, gritty drama with character-driven mystery — though be aware the drama has its flaws, too!
Personally, I find him most captivating in morally gray or darker roles. And I’ll admit — sometimes I get distracted by how lean he is, which momentarily pulls me out of a scene. But hey, I’m easily distracted 🙃
I’m curious too about how “Pro Bono” will shape up, especially with So Joo Yeon as his co-star. Always nice to see fresh pairings.
Many have recommended Life on Mars to me. But I still haven’t watched it since many new dramas got in the way. I plan to watch it at some point. As to the older dramas before 2012, they may not be up my alley now compared with newer products cuz I found cinematography and camera works appeared very outdated even though plots might be very interesting and inspiring. I just checked hospital playlist and didn’t notice JKH was in there cuz I only knew Jo Jung-suk and Yoo Yeon-seok. I’m one of those who think HP too slow (aka boring as you suggested LOL).
I googled JKH and it said that he’s the bf of GG’s Soo-young. I do like Soo-young both as an idol and an actress. She is gorgeous! OK, that may have enough relevance for me to even check him out since I used to be a rabid 2nd gen Kpopper. LOL.
Fun fact , the writer of this drama is former judge
Wow, that’s even more interesting, and should we expect the plot more logically convincing?!
Nice write up.
You missed out the excellent Prison Playlist, the drama that introduced me to Jung Kyung Ho. He is part of a great ensemble cast, and this drama introduced me to so many good actors I didn’t know of before, checking out their history, most are from movies or musical actors background. Hospital Playlist is the continuation of the similar concept in a different setting, again with an established ensemble cast and slice-of-life, healing stories.
I’m not even remotely interested in Resident Playbook, it is obviously different with a young cast.
I liked Miss Hammurabi and heard good things about Devil Judge, which has been on my list. Glad the writer will be coming out with a new work.