Kang Han Soo, an attorney, isn’t ashamed to say that people’s tragedies are his source of income. An eccentric person, who goes with the flow and lives life as it comes, comes to Hanyang to make money but has a secret motive. Joseon Lawyer: A Morality is a tale of revenge and a dream of creating a peaceful Joseon. Kang Han Soo was born into a noble family; his father was a court official close to the king. His father’s unjust death led to his family’s destruction, and Han Soo became an orphan. Han Soo survives, and in his plan for revenge, he is joined by another person. Princess Yeon Joo wants to get revenge for her father’s death, who had died at the same time as Han Soo’s father. Their enemy, Minister Yoo, is too strong, and they would have to sacrifice a great deal for every minor victory over him.
Spoilers Ahead
What Punishment Does Minister Yoo Get?
Han Soo has trapped Minister Yoo such that he can either save himself or his son. Even though Minister Yoo is a cruel person who shows no mercy to his opponents, he only has a soft spot for his son. Han Soo found out his weakness and used it. Ji Sun is aware of it, and he knows that this is the only way his father will admit to his crimes. Yoo accepts that he instigated Officer Kang’s murder, but poisoning Yeon Joo wasn’t his idea. He demands to check if Yeon Joo is really poisoned or faking it to frame him. The royal physician confirms once again in front of the king and Minister Yoo that Yeon Joo is really poisoned and might not wake up. Minister Yoo gets arrested right away, but he is in disbelief. Yeon Joo poisoned herself because she knew Yoo would recognize a fake setup easily. Han Soo is worried about her, and he is not going to let her sacrifice go in vain. Yoo is bound to get a death sentence for all of his crimes, but Han Soo wants to keep him alive. During the hearing, Han Soo proposes that Yoo be sent into exile because his contribution to the country is big enough that he ought to be shown him leniency. However, the real reason behind it is to keep Yoo alive and show him how the country would prosper without him. Yoo always looked down on the king, calling him incompetent, but the king decided to keep him alive to show him how good of a king he would become.
Han Soo is on his way to see Yeon Joo, and he has bought the best medicines to cure her. However, her court maid comes to him with the bad news that Yeon Joo has passed away. Han Soo cannot believe it and wants to see her, but her funeral has already started, and the guards won’t let him go near Yeon Joo’s body. Han Soo can’t believe that Yeon Joo would leave him like this. He doesn’t know that it was the queen dowager’s decision not to treat Yeon Joo further because she had already lost her ability to bear a child. She couldn’t let Yeon Joo live a shameful life like that, and hence, she stopped her treatment. Meanwhile, Yoo has been sent into exile, and Ji Sun has followed him. Getting exiled is a worse punishment for Yoo than getting executed, as it is more humiliating for him to survive after getting ripped away from his power and status. Soon enough, Yoo starts suffering from dementia and even forgets his own son’s name. Ji Sun cannot help but feel sorrowful. He followed his father to take care of him, but his health only deteriorated.
Is Yeon Joo Still Alive?
Three years have passed, and Han Soo is no longer an attorney. He has passed the civil service exam with the highest rank. As compensation for his father’s unjust death, the king had given Han Soo the privilege of choosing the government position of his choice if he passed the civil service exam. As a top-ranker, Han Soo can get any big position, but he chooses to become the governor of his hometown, Cheongsan. He had to leave his hometown in humiliation after his family was arrested, but now he will get to return there with pride. He wants to make a change in society, and he is going to start in his hometown. Han Soo is friends with the king, and the king is concerned about him. Now that Han Soo has a government position, the king wants him to get married and also forces him to meet a woman. Han Soo meets the woman, but he is not interested in talking to her and leaves quickly. He still believes that Yeon Joo is alive, and with help from Master Cho, he has been searching for her all over Joseon. Master Cho is helping him because he feels guilty. If only he had agreed to be the witness earlier, Yeon Joo wouldn’t have poisoned herself. Most of them have given up on the hope of finding Yeon Joo, but they are still doing it for Han Soo.
Han Soo has started working as the governor of Cheongsan, but he still frequents Hanyang to get updates on Yeon Joo and to meet the king. The king is reviewing and updating the book of laws with help from Han Soo and Ji Sun. Ji Sun has returned to Hanyang as the king’s counselor to help him make the right decisions. The three of them have become good friends and argue a lot. All three of them belong to different social classes, but their genuine friendship is the beginning of a new era of peace in Joseon. They are rewriting the book of law, considering all the viewpoints from the different worlds they have lived in. Han Soo has everything now except for Yeon Joo, and his friends can’t see him suffering and yearning for Yeon Joo anymore. At the end of “Joseon Attorney: A Morality,” Han Soo’s friends come up with a plan to reunite the two lovers. Yeon Joo’s grandmother created a fake funeral so that Yeon Joo could be set free from the palace like she always wanted. Yeon Joo now lives in another town, and she misses Han Soo too. Ji Sun asks Han Soo to meet a young and talented attorney in a town near Cheongsan, and that attorney turns out to be Yeon Joo. Yeon Joo avoids meeting Han Soo because she wants him to have a happy family with children, but it doesn’t matter to Han Soo whether Yeon Joo can become a mother or not. Yeon Joo is still his family, and he is happy to have her back.
‘Joseon Lawyer: A Morality’ Season 2 Expectations
After a lot of drama, a lot of deaths, and betrayals, Han Soo and Yeon Joo got their revenge. They were young and driven and managed to achieve what they wanted, even if it meant they had to do extreme and dangerous tasks. Though it looked like luck favored Han Soo way too much, eventually, it was all balanced by Han Soo’s extreme loss of his sister and, later, Yeon Joo. The two were the main characters, but Yoo Ji Sun shone more than them, not only with his character arc but also with his acting. Joseon Lawyer: A Morality” has a happy ending, and there’s nothing one would rather change. Though the initial episodes were a bit sloppy, they paced forward with a strong grip on the story later on. If there is to be a second season, expectations would be to see the upgraded version of Joseon that the four youngsters dreamed of. The only problem that remained unresolved in season 1 was the fight over superiority between the two political parties of the royal court. These parties are an important part of the court, and if they cause trouble again, there will again be a new political drama, including crimes, and Han Soo has to return to Hanyang to solve them as one of the king’s trusted people.
