“I used to judge the powerful from behind a bench. Now I sit across from the powerless and realise I knew nothing about justice…”- Kang David
Welcome to ‘Pro Bono’, the 2025–2026 tvN legal drama that strips away the glamour of the courtroom to reveal the messy, underfunded, and deeply human fight for real justice. Starring Jung Kyung-ho and So Ju-yeon, the series follows two polar-opposite lawyers forced to work together at a nonprofit, where defending the powerless comes at a price neither of them expects.
Starring: Jung Kyung-ho, So Ju-yeon
Directors: Kim Sung-youn, Baek Sang-hoon
Writer: Moon Yoo-seok
Episodes: 12
Network: tvN
Where to Watch: Netflix
The Plot
Kang David (Jung Kyung-ho) has it all: a flawless work ethic, a clean-cut image, and hundreds of thousands of social media followers. Blinded by ambition and materialism, the former judge has reinvented himself as a legal influencer on the brink of even greater success. But an unexpected incident shatters his carefully built world. Forced to step down from the bench, he begins a new chapter as a public interest lawyer in a sunless hallway, trading his bench for the broken chairs of a nonprofit.
Park Gi-ppeum (So Ju-yeon) is his complete opposite. Once something sparks her interest, she throws herself into it completely. Her all-consuming passion for various pursuits eventually leads her to become a self-proclaimed ‘law enthusiast.’ As a public interest lawyer, she finds fulfillment not in prestige, but in purpose—defending human rights, striving for social justice, and helping ordinary citizens who believe in the power and fairness of the law.
Together, Kang David and Park Gi-ppeum join the public interest team of the nonprofit organisation ‘Pro Bono,’ where funding from defending conglomerates is channelled into legal aid for victims with nowhere else to turn. As these two opposing forces clash over every case, they begin to realise that true justice isn’t about winning or losing—it’s about who you’re willing to fight for when no one else will.
The Characters
Kang David (Played by Jung Kyung-ho)
A former judge turned public interest lawyer, blinded by ambition and materialism until his world collapses. Jung Kyung-ho delivers a nuanced performance as a man whose polished exterior hides growing cracks—a legal influencer forced to learn what justice means when the cameras turn off. His journey from arrogance to humility, from chasing followers to chasing the truth, anchors the series.
Park Gi-ppeum (Played So Ju-yeon)
A passionate public interest lawyer who dives completely into whatever captures her interest, including the law. So Ju-yeon shines as Gi-ppeum, whose relentless dedication to human rights and social justice contrasts sharply with Kang David’s pragmatism. She finds beauty in the law when it serves good people, and she refuses to let cynicism win, even when the odds seem impossible.
Why This Drama is Your Next Binge-Watch
- Jung Kyung-ho at His Most Complex: Fresh off acclaimed roles, Jung Kyung-ho portrays Kang David as neither hero nor villain, but a man forced to confront the emptiness of his ambitions. Watching his cynicism slowly crack is masterful.
- A Legal Drama That Questions Justice Itself: ‘Pro Bono’ doesn’t romanticise lawyering. It shows the exhaustion, the moral compromises, and the heartbreaking limits of what legal aid can achieve—while still finding hope in small victories.
- Electric Chemistry Between Polar Opposites: Kang David’s cold pragmatism vs. Park Gi-ppeum’s burning idealism creates sparks in every scene. Their relationship evolves from antagonism to reluctant partnership to something deeper, all without losing their fundamental differences.
- Case-of-the-Week with Overarching Stakes: Each episode tackles a new client—a wrongfully evicted family, a worker crushed by a conglomerate, a victim abandoned by the system—while weaving a larger mystery about Kang David’s downfall and the forces that want Pro Bono to fail.
- Timely Global Themes: From social media influencer culture to the widening gap between rich and poor, ‘Pro Bono’ asks questions relevant far beyond Korea: What is justice worth? And who gets to afford it?
A Deeper Look
At its core, ‘Pro Bono’ is a drama about moral awakening, systemic failure, and the price of principles. Kang David once believed justice was about applying the law correctly from an impartial bench. Park Gi-ppeum knows justice is messier; it’s about listening to the powerless, working with inadequate tools, and sometimes losing while doing the right thing.
The series also explores the tension between social media performance and authentic action. Kang David built a brand on a perfect image, but real justice has no filter—it’s ugly, exhausting, and rarely rewarded with likes or shares. His journey is a critique of influencer culture, disguised as a legal thriller.
And through the nonprofit’s funding model—defending conglomerates to pay for victims’ cases—‘Pro Bono’ forces us to ask uncomfortable questions: Is there such a thing as clean money for a just cause? Can you serve two masters? And at what point does compromise become corruption?
The Final Verdict
A Thought-Provoking Legal Drama With a Stellar Lead Performance.
While occasional pacing issues and an underdeveloped supporting cast keep it from greatness, ‘Pro Bono’ succeeds where many legal dramas fail—it makes you care about the cases, question your own assumptions, and root for justice even when victory seems impossible. Jung Kyung-ho and So Ju-yeon’s charged dynamic elevates every scene, and the series’ willingness to show the ugly, exhausting reality of public interest law is both refreshing and urgent.
A fallen judge. An idealistic lawyer. A nonprofit that fights for those who can’t pay. Sometimes the smallest cases demand the biggest courage.
Written by: Trisha Deka
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