Unique Prison Stories

Television Explores the Joys and Sorrows of Prison Life

1

Turning Space Constraint
into an Interesting Element

Defendant

¡°Defendant¡± is about a former prosecutor on death row after losing his memories. It seems like a typical TV series about revenge, but ¡°Defendant¡± maximized the tension by making the prison the main background of the play. The limitations of the prison space placed under 24-hour monitoring and control and the identity of a convict who is not allowed to move freely are used as plot devices. As the prison played an important role in leading the drama, the production team put an immense amount of effort into the set of the prison. For the first time in Korean drama history, filming was conducted in an actual prison to add a big spoon of realism, and a separate set for indoor scenes was built to make the most of the intimidating atmosphere.

2

Seeing the Prison from
a Different Perspective

© KBS, Doctor Prisoner

¡°Doctor Prisoner¡± is a medical suspense series set in a prison. The main character, Na Yi-je, was a very skilled doctor in the E.R. of fictional Taegang Hospital, the most prestigious university hospital in Seoul, but is kicked out from the medical community due to conflicts with his superiors. The gist of ¡°Doctor Prisoner¡± is Na Yi-je¡¯s struggles to get back on his feet in a prison or, to be more precise, a prison medical ward. Unlike most shows that have portrayed prison as a place without dreams and hopes, it is interesting that ¡°Doctor Prisoner¡± slightly twists the point of view and depicts prison as a stepping stone for recovery and revenge. In addition, it describes the goings-on of a prison medical ward, a subject never before explored on Korean entertainment television.

3

Laughter, Inspiration
and Perception

© CJ ENM

¡°Prison Playbook¡± is a hit TV series created by Reply Division, the team behind the commercial hits of the ¡°Reply¡± series. It is the story of a superstar baseball pitcher, Kim Je-hyuk, who was about to enter the major leagues, but ends up being convicted trying to protect his younger sister. His life falls apart overnight. Because the plot revolves around the criminals of a prison, some people worried that the show might glorify crime. But ¡°Prison Playbook¡± dispelled those concerns by focusing on portraying each inmate¡¯s life history and character as they truly were―that is to say, prisoners as both people and convicts. At the same time, critics call it a masterpiece that mixes laughter, inspiration and perception.