A New Leaf (Repentance / Gaegwachunsun / 개과천선)

Today, at the Seoul appellate court,

the individual compensation claim trial is in progress

for the workers forced to perform in labor camps during the Japanese colonial era.

"Yamada Steel! Resolve compulsory manpower draft issue!" The first trial was already decided against the plaintiffs,

today, the second trial will commence.

All the lawyers have just arrived.

We will determine for which side he's the legal representative and try to proceed with an interview.

We do not acknowledge any of the claims by the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs were merely applying for employment during the Japanese colonial era,

after seeing the former Yamaha Steel Corporation's vacancy ad. Episode 1

It wasn't compulsory labor.

I object.

As the alter-ego of the defendant, Yamada Steel, the recruitment officer in charge at the time, made promises of

learning a skill set, assurance of a stable job upon returning home,

plentiful food at meal times, and guaranteed compensation,

as a way to sway the workers to move to Japan.

However, their tasks were to feed coal into the furnace

and crawl into the iron flues to scrape off the coal residue attached to the flues.

There were dangers of being scalded and of

being abused while doing work irrelevant to the skill(s) which were to be obtained.

Under a ruse that the wages could possibly be squandered, wages were forcefully garnished and deposited.

And, their bank accounts and identification seals/stamps were controlled by the dormitory headmasters.

If a worker was discovered trying to flee, they were battered for five days.

Around June 1945,

when the plaintiffs were reassigned to work at Cheong Jin Steel public construction site,

they returned to Korea without having received even one cent of wages.

As former forced laborers of Yamada Steel . . .

For damages to the forced laborers,

I assert that they have the obligation to pay each person a hundred million won.

Even if the compulsory labor is acknowledged, the principal agent is the nation of Japan,

not the defendant, New Japan Mining.

Everyone was in the war.

The former Yamada Steel Corporation was merely mobilized, during war time, to aid the work of its country, Japan.

This is something that cannot be attributed to be only one company's obligation.

The Defendant, the New Japan Mining,

as a company initially divested, then reincorporated from the former Yamada Steel Corporation,

I assert that they have an obligation to compensate the plaintiffs for their damages.

Do you acknowledge it?

We do not acknowledge it.

This drives me crazy.

Yamada Steel and

New Japan Mining are the same entity.

To say that if a person has changed his name . . .

Our position is that you cannot say that it is not the same person.

The new Nippon Steel Corporation, as well as its affiliates,

are all headquartered and based in Japan, where the Defendant's founding was established.

The existence of Yamada Steel Corporation's as a legal entity was extinguished upon its dissolution and dismantling

and liability ceased all as determined in accordance with Japanese law. And,

based on Japanese business law, the new Nippon Steel Corporation

has NOT succeeded to the liability of the former Yamada Steel Corporation.

Therefore, the plaintiffs cannot request compensation from the defendant.

That damned...

This is your third time receiving commendation as an exemplary tax-payer, isn't it?

Yes, that's true.

It can't be easy to fulfill the obligation of paying taxes so faithfully and continuously.

I've only done my duty as a citizen.

Not only in name but also in reality the law firm matured into the best law firm in the developed countries,

but also is famed for being the incubator of talent which fills essential government positions.

Yes.

In 1980, as Korean economy vitalized and gained strength,

and with the massive influx of foreign technology and capital into the nation,

the foreign capital for unfamiliar factories, patents, licenses and services, was introduced.

We started handling multinational corporations, and foreign banks as our clients.

As we took on foreign banks as our clients, the related tasks derived from such clients became ours.

We gathered the intellectual talent who were eager to grasp the new businesses and

those people voluntarily working day and night

and even without someone teaching them, they each became the specialist in their fields.

That's why they have the talent which is competitive today.

In the case of plaintiffs, Hong Chun Seon, Lee Gyu Soo, Yoon Jeong Cheol,

the compulsory labor was enforced with Japan's sovereign power.

Therefore, there is no jurisdiction in the courts of Korea.

The plaintiffs Lee Woon Taek, Kim Cheon Soo, who received judgment against them in Japan as well,

must have their suits dismissed under the final judgment rule, which excludes further litigation on the same issue.

Born in 1926, 91 years old in Korean age.

Among the 48 who started this lawsuit together-

Please sit down in your seat!

Now, there are only...just 17 left!

Are you just waiting for us to die and disappear?!

Please escort him out.

If you quell the sound of these old men by having them disappear through death,

does it become as if it never happened?!

Even assuming the legal liability were to exist,

the statute of limitations for a personal compensation claim has expired.

You've worked hard.

In Japan, they didn't think that a trial that had already been adjudicated would come afoot again.

In Japan they didn't think that a trial that was already lost would come afoot again.

Since, in the future, this trial will become the standard for indemnification,

the head office is paying very close attention to it.

No one can be prevented from bringing a lawsuit,

But the lawsuit can be won.

I will request your best efforts.

A New Leaf

The side acquiring Sinsung International sent us a message stating that the price wasn't right.

They want the price to be reduced by $1,000,000 and are asking for a response.

Is that right?

If we meet their price, they say that they'll increase the commission by 25%.

Now, at this time, what kind of sorcery could we use to cut the price?

If we use the company's real estate or review of assets...

That's already been applied.

You can review whether there are any lawsuits in progress against the company...

The review has been finished.

If the price isn't right, wouldn't the deal not go through?

Your salary?

Yes...

It's $105,000.

Do you know how much my hourly rate is?

I don't really know.

Then your monthly take-home pay is $10,500, and

you're being paid $350 a day,

You're wasting the expensive time of a partner.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Send him to a different team.

Have you not heard the rumors?

What rumors?

If you don't have the confidence, you shouldn't get on the same elevator as Lawyer Kim Seok Joo.

Do you know how many have been chased out to other teams because they couldn't give the answer before they got off the elevator?

How many are there?

--Get five months worth of e-mails from every department of Sinsung. --Yes.

And especially ask the person in charge of capital assets and the purchasing department to send six months' worth.

You confirm yourself whether there's anything missing.

I can do that part...

You do it!

I think there might be a way to reduce the price by 40%...

I mean, is there a way to reduce the price by 40%?

I think if we do well, it may even be 50%.

The rest of you search the emails to see if there's anything to be used to make an issue with the company.

What is it, huh?

We have procured them, but the sheer amount is tremendous.

If we were to look through all these, we'd have to stay up for two days straight.

And, if we do that, all other work will come to a full stop.

When will we be able to review all of this?

The contract finalization date is very soon.

Didn't you say that we were accepting interns tomorrow?

What about the official work?

I'll look into that.

Our company doesn't accept cases of this kind.

I will introduce you to an attorney who went out on his own. So, how about letting him handle yours...

CEO Cha.

I didn't see you as being that way. But you are just a businessman who only knows money.

At this age, do I have to go from law firm to law firm?

Do I have to anxiously request for someone to take my case?

When in reality I've fallen on hard times, you ignore me,

You just want to deal with money making, easy corporate cases?

If this case goes somewhere else, do you think that this case will be the only thing going elsewhere?

Do you know to what point the situation has gotten to?

After being investigated at the police station, it's pending whether or not it will go to the prosecutor.

That's the situation.

There might be a way if it is not distributed yet.

I'll try and work on the case distribution with our connection.

However, make sure to control the media.

I can't guarantee the result if it is revealed to the press.

I will take that as a 'yes'.

I will try.

I think it's better not to take this kind of heinous crime unless the client is innocent.

It is almost impossible to keep it as a secret.

Even though we disappoint him, it's still better to send it over to an independant lawyer.

Charged with rape and assault? That's so shameful.

Acquittal doesn't mean one is free of guilt.

It only means guilt can not be proven.

He wants to end it with a nolle prosequi (non-prosecution) disposition.

Whom did you send to the police?

Sung Hwa group's legal department team, a former police officer and their legal advisor,

Former prosecutor and lawyer Park Eun Ho just arrived.

I will handle this case personally.

By the way, the case has been already forwarded to the prosecution.

This is...

proceeding too rapidly.

You can sit on the groom's side.

Lee Ji Yoon Here it is.

Why does she want me to sit on the groom's side?

Do I embarrass her?

Jeon Ji Won

Thank you.

Lucky!

I'm sure you will like my seating plan.

Our lives are planned and intertwined with each other.

That's right.

And I... How can I live?

My body is here, but you took my heart.

Isn't it too fast?

Ah, you are talking about the book.

They are a tragic couple who drank the love potion which was for the king to fall in love.

You're right. Mothers, are too much from the past and still now.

They could have loved each other if they didn't have the potion, right?

My name is Jeon Ji Won.

I am Lee Ji Yoon.

-Law school? -Yes.

Law school students are busy and yet you read other books too?

I have a great interest in literature.

Ji Yoon, Mi Ri has arrived.

Has she?

Then, excuse me for a bit.

Director Park Dong Hyeon, I already have a headache because of the trade union for your company.

Don't call me for your girl problem. My phone is almost dying.

-Where are you? -Wow, Mi Ri!

My case has been forwarded to the prosecution.

Your firm didn't tell you to take the case yet?

Have you ever seen me taking on a criminal case?

For the corporate matter, you said you will do your best to learn from the first case?

Why don't you do your best to learn this time ?