“I Hear Your Voice” synopsis by episode (Eps. 1-18, no spoilers)

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Jump to synopsis of Episode 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18 (Finale); How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers; Historical backgrounders and other information; Lessons in photography from “I Hear Your Voice”

From Wikipedia: “I Can Hear Your Voice” is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Lee Bo-young, Lee Jong-suk, Yoon Sang-hyun and Lee Da-hee. It aired on SBS from June 5 to August 1, 2013, for 18 episodes. Genre: legal drama, romance, and fantasy.

This drama had an average of 18.8% nationwide viewership, based on the AGB Nielsen Ratings. Episode 16 had the highest viewership at 24.1%.

“I Hear Your Voice” was nominated for Best Drama in the 6th Korea Drama Awards and in the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards. Its director Jo Soo-won won the Best Director award from the 6th Korea Drama Awards. Its lead actors and actresses won acting awards; for example, Lee Bo-young won the Grand Prize (Daesang) from the 6th Korea Drama Awards; Top Excellence Award, Actress from the APAN Star Awards; and Best Actress from the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards.

This drama was broadcast in Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. In the United Kingdom, the series is available to stream on Netflix.

How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers

1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.

2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode, without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.

3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.

4. With Episode 18 (Finale), however, I included spoilers through the screen captures. Reason — people who have not seen the drama want to know whether it has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it. And yes, this drama has a happy ending.

Episode 1: “I Hear Your Voice”

Park Soo Ha looks like an ordinary high school student, but ever since a car crash when he was a child, he has been able to read other people’s thoughts.

Jang Hye Sung is a lawyer who’s not interested in defending her clients to the best of her abilities; because of their tight finances, her mother pressures her to apply as a public defender. During the day of the interview, she meets a fellow applicant, a dorky guy named Cha Gwan Woo.

During the interview, Hye Sung recounts her childhood story of why she got kicked out of school. The interviewer says that if her story is good, she will be considered for the position of public defender.

Flashback ...

Hye Sung’s mother works as a house helper for Judge Seo. During a party, Seo Do Hyun (the judge’s daughter) gets injured in a fireworks incident. In the hospital, one of Do Hyun’s classmates accuses Hye Sung of causing the injury. Judge Seo kicks Hye Sung and her mother out of his house.

Later on, while Hye Sung confronts Do Hyun, they come upon a car crash; they see a man attacking the occupants of the car with a lead pipe. Hye Sung takes a picture of the man with her phone camera, but the man sees her and Do Hyun. They run, but the man corners them.

Episode 2: “Bad Girl, Good Girl”

Ep. 1 recap: Hye Sung and her mother reconcile after her mother uses the money that the judge gave to her to buy copies of the judge’s books and burns them. Despite her fears, Hye Sung testifies in court against Min Joon Gook, the man who killed Soo Ha’s father. After the trial, Soo Ha catches up with Hye Sung and promises her that he will protect her.

The girl who was saved by Soo Ha from being bullied falls to the ground after being pushed off from the school’s 2nd floor. The suspect is Sung Bin, the girl who has a crush on Soo Ha.

Hye Sung is appointed as a public defender, but she tells her mother that she will just use her position to find a husband. Her first assignment is to defend Sung Bin who has been charged with attempted murder.

From the news article about Sung Bin, Soo Ha recognizes that the public defender handling Sung Bi’s case is Hye Sung, the girl who testified against his father’s killer. Later on, he secretly follows Hye Sung as she goes home.

Depressed that no one, including Hye Sung, believes that she’s innocent, Sung Bin decides to take her own life by throwing herself on the path of an oncoming subway train.

Episode 3: “I’ll Be There”

Ep. 2 recap: Min Joon Gook, the man who killed Soo Ha’s father, is released from prison. The prosecutor assigned to Sung Bin’s case is none other than Hye Sung’s childhood nemesis, Do Hyun. Soo Ha saves Sung Bin from killing herself. Soo Ha is disappointed that all his ideals of Hye Sung are the exact opposite of who she is a lawyer and public defender. Before the trial begins, he forcibly takes Hye Sung out of the court building and shows her that he can read her thoughts.

Hye Sung takes a chance on Soo Ha’s claim that he can read other people’s thoughts. During the trial, she takes her cues from Soo Ha on what issues to argue against the prosecution. But the victim, Dong Hee, has just woken up from her coma, and Do Hyun asks her to testify.

Joon Gook (the killer of Soo Ha’s father) goes to the courthouse; he also continues to send text messages to Hye Jung.

Dong Hee testifies that Sung Bin pushed her off the ledge. Disappointed at the turn of events, Hye Sung tells Soo Ha to stay away from her. Later, she and Gwan Woo decide to go undercover to find evidence to support Sung Bin’s defense.

The trial resumes, but before Hye Sung could begin the cross-examination, Do Hyun warns Dong Hee that if she changes her testimony, she will be charged with perjury. Meanwhile, Soo Ha finds out that Joon Gook, his father’s killer, has already been released from prison.

Episode 4: “Him in My Vague Memory”

Ep. 3 recap: In order to protect her budding career as an actress, Dong Hee lied about what happened; when she was about to be caught smoking, she hung on the ledge but lost her grip and fell. After successfully defending Sung Bin, Hye Sung confronts Do Hyun, saying that she hasn’t changed one bit from what she was ten years ago. Hye Sung tells Soo Ha that because of their age difference, he should forget any romantic notions he has towards her. Soo Ha realizes that it was Joon Gook, his father’s killer, who has been sending text messages to Hye Sung. As he rushes to get to Hye Sung’s house, he gets into a fight with the young thugs who previously tried to harass Hye Sung.

Soo Ha breaks down Hye Sung’s front door; they find a cellphone, but no one’s there. The police officers arrive and assure Hye Sung not to worry because they constantly patrol her neighborhood. Later on, when Soo Ha tries to warn them about Joon Gook, the police officers says that he’s now living a model life.

Using a different name, Soo Ha volunteers at the church-run soup kitchen where Joon Gook works. Meanwhile, Hye Sung and Gwan Woo are assigned to handle the case of twin brothers who have been charged with robbing a store and stabbing its owner. Each twin has confessed as being the one who stabbed the store clerk.

Joon Gook finds out that Soo Ha was the little boy he failed to kill and who could read other people’s thoughts. He calls up Soo Ha and sets up a meeting between them.

Episode 5: “Words That Can’t Be Trusted”

Ep. 4 recap: Hye Sung gets drunk in a get together with her boss and her office mates; Soo Ha piggybacks her to her house. Hye Sung finds out from her boss that Joon Gook has been released from prison. Soo Ha is arrested after beating up Joon Gook. Hye Sung goes to the police station, and through the CCTV, she finds out that Soo Ha was the little boy who promised to protect her gun years ago.

In order to get Soo Ha out of jail, Hye Sung pretends that they are siblings living in the same house.

Gwan Woo begins showing his affections for Hye Sung; when Soo Ha fails to show up after office hours, he offers to escort her home.

Joon Gook tells the police officers that he’s leaving for another place because he cannot bear the guilt over having killed Soo Ha’s father.

In the courthouse, Do Hyun meets Hye Sung; she gloats that the judge handling the twins’ case is tough on crime. The twins have changed their stories, with each one now blaming the other for murdering the store owner.

Episode 6: “Me, Abandoned All Alone at the Edge of the World”

Ep. 5 recap: Joon Gook applies as a deliveryman in the chicken restaurant of Hye Sung’s mother. Hye Sung humiliates Do Hyun by succeeding in getting separate trials for the twins. But she’s stunned when Soo Ha tells her later on that both twins murdered the store owner.

Hye-sung refuses to admit to Soo Ha that she’s just like Do Hyun in her pragmatism or that she made a mistake. Later on, despite her protest, Soo Ha arranges a meeting between her and Do Hyun.

Gwan Woo refuses to talk to Hye Sung about the case since they’re representing different clients. Before the next hearing, Hye Sung offers her client two options: plead guilty and go free, or plead innocent and go down for murder.

Hye Sung’s boss reprimands her, saying that she’s a public defender, not a prosecutor. Meanwhile, after he gets a taunting text from Joon Gook, Soo Ha contacts the police officers who patrol Hye Sung’s neighborhood. When the officers say that they don’t know where Joon Gook moved to, he vows to find and kill him.

Later on, one of the police officers frantically calls up Hye Sung; he says that Soo Ha stole his gun.

Episode 7: “Is a Sad Premonition Never Wrong?”

Ep. 6 recap: Hye Sung and Do Hyun secretly cooperate to make the twin brothers turn against each other and admit in court that they both killed the store owner. To her shock later on, however, Hye Sung finds out that the twins killed the store owner after he raped the girlfriend of one of the twins. Hye Sung saves Soo Ha from being questioned by the police officers about the missing gun.

As romance begins to bud between Hye Sung and Gwan Woo, Soo Ha becomes jealous.

Hye Sung is assigned to handle the case of an ornery grandfather who stole a stack of newspapers. The case is later on transferred to Gwan Soo, but Hye Sung wants to help him out. Taking Soo Ha with her, she visits the victim-owner of the newspaper stand.

Hye Sung’s mother looks forward to getting her first paycheck as a public defender. When Hye Sung tells her that she will bring the money to her during the weekend, Joon Gook realizes that it’s the opportunity that he has been waiting for.

Episode 8: “For Whom Are You Living?”

Ep. 7 recap: After getting the owner of the newspaper stand to agree to drop the case against the ornery grandfather, Hye Jung rushes to the courtroom and submits the document to the judge. Through the phone tracker, Soo Han finds out where Joon Gook is. But Joon Gook has already taken Hye Sung’s mother as a hostage to force her to come to the chicken restaurant.

Hye-Jung’s mother dies in the fire that burned down the chicken restaurant, and Joon Gook is arrested. But Joon Gook claims that he tried to save Hye Sung’s mother from the fire but failed.

The judge refuses the plea of Hye Sung’s colleagues not to assign them to defend Joon Gook, and Gwan Soo is assigned as the defense counsel. Do Hyun, on the other hand, has been assigned to prosecute the case.

To Hye Sung’s surprise during the arraignment, Gwan Woo tells the court that Joon Gook pleads not guilty.

When Soo Ha tells her that the judge is thinking of acquitting Joon Gook because the evidence against him is circumstantial, Hye Sung visits Do Hyun at her house. She falls on her knees and begs Do Hyun to falsify the evidence against Joon Gook.

Episode 9: “If Even You Leave in Difficult Days”

Ep. 8 recap: Through a suicide attempt, Joon Gook convinces Gwan Soo that he’s innocent. With her father’s help, Do Hyun convinces Joon Gook’s former cellmate, Hwang Dal Joong, to testify that Joon Gook wanted to exact revenge on Hye Sung. But under intense cross examination by Gwan Woo, the cellmate’s testimony unravels. Soo Ha reads Joon Gook’s thoughts that his next revenge will be against him and Hye Sung. In the aquarium, after saying goodbye, Soo Ha kisses Hye Jung.

The judge finds Joon Gook not guilty. Later on, Do Hyun’s father orders her to drop the appeal.

Hye Sung becomes frantic when Soo Ha doesn’t answer her calls. But she remembers the phone tracker, and she rushes to the warehouse where Soo Ha arranged to meet Joon Gook.

In the darkness, Joon Gook attacks Soo Ha with a lead pipe again and again. Soo Ha manages to turn on the lights and fights back. He’s about to stab Joon Gook when Hye Sung arrives.

Hye Sung gets stabbed, and with the knife, Joon Gook attacks Soo Ha and stabs him on the back.

Episode 10: “Why Am I Lost Searching for Painful Memories?”

Ep. 9 recap: As Joon Gook escapes, he comes face to face with Gwan Woo. In the hospital, Soo Ha says goodbye to Hye Sung. One year later ... Gwan Woo has resigned from the public defender’s office. Meanwhile, Hye Sung has returned to her old disinterested way of representing her clients. A cut off hand has been identified to be that of Joon Gook, and beside it is a knife with Soo Ha’s DNA. The police begin hunting down Soo Ha as the suspect in Joon Gook’s murder. The police finally locate Soo Ha in a remote farm. But he’s using a different name, and he can’t remember anything or anyone.

After pleading with her boss, Hye Sung is assigned to defend Soo Ha. Her boss agrees after telling her of what happened to his friend who has been in jail for the last 26 years.

Gwan Woo also offers to be Hye Sung’s co-counsel.

Do Hyun tells Hye Sung that if Soo Ha pleads guilty, he will only have to serve a sentence of ten years, as opposed to a possible life sentence. But Hye Sung says that Soo Ha isn’t guilty.

Through his former classmate who reads for him the entries of his journal, Soo Ha begins to remember some things about Hye Sung. During the trial, Soo Ha has flashes of memories of himself confronting Joon Gook near a river.

When things go badly during the trial, Hye Sung becomes unsure of herself and thinks of changing Soo Ha’s plea to guilty.

Episode 11: “I’m Sorry, I Hate You”

Ep. 10 recap: Hye Sung stuns everyone in the courtroom by claiming that Joon Gook is alive and framed Soo Ha.

At the resumption of the trial, Hye Sung presents Joon Gook’s former cellmate, Hwang Dal Joong, as a witness. Do Hyun, on the other hand, calls to the witness stand the police officer who heard Soo Ha threaten to kill Joon Gook.

Gwan Woo reapplies to become a public defender again; he also decides to pursue his feelings for Hye Sung.

Intrigued by what Gwan Woo said, Do Hyun questions the woman at the fruit stand who reported Soo Ha’s whereabouts to the police. Unknown to her, Joon Gook is watching her from a distance.

Episode 12: “Etude of Memories”

Ep. 11 recap: The jury finds Soo Ha not guilty because of reasonable doubt. But Do Hyun rebukes Hye Sung for using her mother’s case as a way of swaying the jury. Joon Gook used the woman at the fruit stand to report Soo Ha’s whereabouts. He now has a prosthetic hand. Hye Sung rejects Gwan Woo’s proposal that they start dating again. Unable to contain her emotions, Hye Sung rushes back to the coffee shop under the pouring rain to see Soo Ha.

In Hye Sung’s house, Soo Ha tries to piece back together his memories. Meanwhile, Hye Sung hesitates in asking Gwan Woo to handle Soo Ha’s appeal.

After questioning again the woman at the fruit stand, Do Hyun decides to launch a manhunt for Joon Gook.

Over dinner with the chief of the public defenders’ office and a judge, both Hye Sung and Do Hyun get drunk. As they blame each other for what happened in Joon Gook’s trial ten years ago, they also express their regrets over their actions and the consequences.

The woman at the fruit stand dies in a hit and run incident.

As he begins to dress up, Soo Ha sees the scar on his back which reminds him of Hye Sung’s scar on her stomach. The memories come flooding back — the fight with Joon Gook, stabbing Hye Sung accidentally, meeting Joon Gook near the river, and Joon Gook saying that his father is to blame for everything that has happened.

Episode 13: “The One Word in My Heart That I Can’t Keep Inside”

Ep. 12 recap: Hye Sung remembers that her phone only had a blurred, unidentifiable image of someone trying to kill the young Soo Ha. On the other hand, Do Hyun regrets not having testified against Joon Gook. She used her father’s disappointment to drive her to go to law school and become a prosecutor. Joon Gook kills the woman at the fruit stand. When Hye Sung finds out that Joon Gook is alive, she excitedly tells Soo Ha that his acquittal will become final. But Soo Ha, who has regained all his memories and his ability to read people’s thoughts, fears that Joon Gook will target her next. He also agonizes over what Joon Gook said about his his father killing Joon Gook’s wife.

Hye Sung tells the police officers that they should put up more security cameras in her neighborhood. Later, Soo Ha reinstalls the tracking app in Hye Sung’s phone.

Joon Gook’s former cellmate, Hwang Dal Joong, stabs someone right after he was released from prison. Do Hyun is assigned to the case, but her father intervenes and gets the case transferred to another prosecutor.

Hye Sung’s boss pleads with her to defend his friend Hwang Dal Joong. As she thinks about it, Soo Ha arrives and tells her that Joon Gook has been spotted checking up on her house.

Hye Sung and her boss go to an adoption agency to check up on the whereabouts of Hwang Dal Joong’s daughter. But the case files are closed.

The police officers in Hye Sung’s neighborhood decide to patrol near Do Hyun and Judge Seo’s just to make sure. Unknown to them, Joon Gook has been waiting in the dark to attack his next target.

Episode 14: “Things That I Have to Be Silent in My Memory”

Ep. 13 recap: Soo Ha tells Hye Sung that Judge Seo connived with Hwang Dal Joong’s wife 26 years ago and that Do Hyun is the biological daughter of Hwang Dal Joong. Joon Gook attacks Gwan Woo.

Soo Ha finally admits to Hye Sung that he has regained his ability to read other people’s thoughts.

When Soo Ha visits Gwan Woo, he finds out that Joon Gook told him about how his father killed Joon Gook’s wife. Gwan Woo advises him not to tell Hye Sung about what really happened and that he shouldn’t feel guilty.

Do Hyun pressures her boss to reassign her to the Hwang Dal Joong case. After talking with Gwan Woo and consulting her boss, Hye Sung decides to confront Judge Seo about the case 26 years ago and about Do Hyun’s true identity.

Episode 15: “I Don’t Ruin Anything”

Ep. 14 recap: Hye Sung decides to be honest with her feelings for Soo Ha and open to others about their relationship. Judge Seo is unmoved even after Hye Sung tells him that she knows about how he connived 26 years ago with Hwang Dal Joong’s wife. Hye Sung reveals to Do Hyun that her real father is Hwang Dal Joong.

Conflict arises between Hye Sung and Soo Ha over Do Hyun. Meanwhile, through Judge Seo’s evasive answer, Do Hyun confirms that what Hye Sung said is true.

Joon Gook begins sending to Hye Sung and Gwan Soo letters containing newspaper articles written by Soo Ha’s father. But Soo Ha intercepts the letters and keeps them away from Hye Sung. Later on, after confirming from the police that the letters came from Joon Gook, Soo Ha and Gwan Soo track down the hospital and the doctor mentioned in the letters.

Hye Sung confronts Judge Seo again, but he still insists that he did nothing wrong. And Do Hyun defiantly continues as prosecutor in Hwang Dal Joong’s case.

Episode 16: “The Thieving Magpie Overture”

Ep. 15 recap: The DNA test confirms that Do Hyun is Hwang Dal Joong’s daughter. But Do Hyun has made Hye Sung promise not to ruin Judge Seo’s reputation. Soo Ha and Gwan Soo find out that the doctor mentioned in the articles died in a car accident eleven years ago. Hwang Dal Joong has found out that Do Hyun is his daughter, and Do Hyun breaks down after cross examining him.

Do Hyun begs Hye Sung and her boss to save her father Hwang Dal Joong.

After telling her mother the truth about how Judge Seo connived with the wife of Hwang Dal Joong, Do Hyun and her mother leave Judge Seo to think things over.

Hye Sung finds out about the letters that Joon Gook has been sending to her.

Soo Ha sees Hye Sung admiring a necklace in a mall store; he buys it and goes to her office to give it to her. But along the way, a pickpocket riding a motorcycle snatches his bag that contains the necklace and his cellphone. His detective-escort manages to get the bag back; the necklace is still there, but his cellphone is missing.

Episode 17: “Without Your Eyes, I Can’t Even See in Front of Myself”

Ep. 16 recap: Because of Hye Sung’s impassioned defense, the jury acquits Hwang Dal Joong; when the judge refuses to accept the jury verdict, Do Hyun moves for the dismissal of the case. Do Hyun asks Hye Sung for forgiveness over the fireworks incident ten years ago; later, she visits Hwang Dal Joong in the hospital. Joon Gook kidnaps Hye Sung.

Flashback ... Joon Gook lures Hye Sung into a trap inside an abandoned warehouse.

Present times ... Soo Ha takes his classmate’s cellphone and rushes off to the warehouse. But his detective-escort finds out from his classmate what he did.

With a bloody wrench by his side, Joon Gook meets Soo Ha on the rooftop of the warehouse.

Episode 18, Finale (with spoilers): “Through the Light in the Darkness, You Remain with Me”

Ep. 17 recap: Before going to the warehouse, Soo Ha calls up Gwan Woo, who rushes to the warehouse with the SWAT team. Because of the articles written by Soo Ha’s father, the heart that was supposed to be transplanted to Joon Gook’s wife was transplanted to Soo Ha’s mother. Remembering Hye Sung’s words, Soo Ha refuses to be coerced by Joon Gook into becoming a murderer. Gwan Woo and the SWAT team rescue Hye Sung and Soo Ha.

One year later ...

Do Hyun prosecutes the case against Joon Gook. But she also investigates the incident when Hye Sung was stabbed. She issues a summons for Soo Ha, and Hye Sung becomes afraid that this could adversely impact Soo Ha’s application to become a police officer.

Hye Sung finds her journal that she lost more than ten years ago and on which Soo Ha has been writing his thoughts about her.

Historical backgrounders and other information

1. In Ep. 15, Hye Sung uses the name “Shimchung” (“Simcheong”) for the daughter of accused Hwang Dal Joong because she couldn’t use Do Hyun’s name. Hye Sung purposely uses this name to prick Do Hyun’s conscience about prosecuting her biological father.

In Korea, “The Tale of Shim Chong” (“Sim Cheong-jeon”) is a “story about Sim Cheong who throws herself into the sea as a sacrifice so that her blind father can regain his eyesight. Her filial piety helps her to be resurrected and become an empress, and her father's blindness is cured.”

2. In Ep. 16, Hye Sung learns that Gwan Soo is listening to the opera titled “La Gazza Ladra” (aka “The Thieving Magpie”). During the trial, she uses the opera’s story to caution the jury about wrongful prosecution and hasty decisions of conviction.

 “La Gazza Ladra” (aka “The Thieving Magpie”) was composed by Gioachino Rossini, with a libretto by Giovanni Gherardini. Its overture was used in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film “The Clockwork Orange.”

3. Overview of the Korean legal system (arrest, Miranda rights, prosecution, double jeopardy, jury trial, etc.)

(a) “Criminal justice: Jury trials in Korea” (The Korea Herald):

Before July 2012, all criminal trials in Korea were bench trials, in which the judge decides what is true. This contrasts with a jury trial system where the judge acts like a referee, making sure the two sides follow the law, and the jury of ordinary people decides who to believe.

To qualify for a jury trial, the crime a defendant is charged with must carry a possible sentence of more than one year of imprisonment. Lesser crimes do not carry a right to a jury trial.

(b) Double jeopardy

In two episodes, this drama depicts the accused as being acquitted, with the prosecution filing an appeal against the acquittal. For those of you who are citizens of countries with legal systems similar to that of the USA, you might be confused about why the prosecution is filing an appeal against acquittal.

Under Korean law, if the prosecutor asks for the dismissal of the case because there aren’t sufficient evidence to convict the accused or there were procedural violations, the case can still be pursued later on.

Article 329 in Criminal Procedure Act states: “When a ruling dismissing public prosecution as a result of its being withdrawn becomes final, a new public prosecution can be instituted for the same offense only if it is based upon newly discovered material evidence.”

Lessons in photography from “I Hear Your Voice”

Symmetry and balance

Rim lighting

Lines of direction, conveying depth through foreground
and background blur

Background blur

High angle shot

Backlighting

Sidelighting

Low angle shot

Natural frames, triangular composition

Low key lighting

Symmetry and balance

Out of focus highlights

Background blur, compressed perspective

Symmetry and balance

Warm color (yellow)

Warm color (red)

Cool colors

Reflections

Low angle shot

Symmetry and balance, Rule of Odds

Background blur, lines of direction

Sidelighting

Low angle shot

Partial (natural) frame, background blur

“Assassination” 2015 Korean historical movie, synopsis (no spoilers)

(Click the picture above to view or download a much bigger copy.)

From Wikipedia: “Assassination” is a 2015 South Korean espionage action film co-written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon and starring Korean superstar Jun Ji-hyun (“Gianna Jun”) in a dual role.

As of August 26, 2015, it has grossed a total of US$77 million from 11.79 million admissions, making it the highest-grossing Korean film of 2015 as well as the eighth-all-time-highest-grossing film in Korean cinema history.

This movie won numerous awards: 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards (Best Film, Best Actress, Best Costume Design); 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards (Best Director); 11th Max Movie Awards (Best Actress); and the 35th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (Best Cinematography, Art Direction).

With a budget of US $16 million, “Assassination” filmed in both Shanghai and Seoul for five months. A special set of 13,500 square meters was created in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, to recreate the Seosomun Street in Gyeongseong. The rest of the filming took place at the Shanghai set in Chedun, which is 27 times the size of the Hapcheon set in South Gyeongsang Province.

How I made this synopsis spoiler-free

I divided the movie into seven parts; Part 5 is the halfway point of the movie, with Part 6 and Part 7 comprising the last 45 minutes of the movie. So, you can just read Part 1 to Part 4 to know what the movie is all about. (In Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7, I still did not include all the twists and turns of the plot, so they are also spoiler-free.)

Part 1 (from start to 7:05)

1911 ...

Kang In Gook is a Korean businessman who wants to enrich himself by collaborating with the Japanese colonial government. During an assassination attempt by a freedom fighter named Jin Seok Yeom, he saves the life of the colonial governor.

Kang In Gook’s wife has been secretly helping the freedom fighters; as a cover for Jin Seok Yeom’s escape, she leaves their home, bringing along her twin baby daughters. But Kang In Gook sends his men after his wife and orders them to bring back his twins.

Part 2 (from 7:06 to 19:35)

1933 ...

The Korean Provisional Government orders Jin Seok Yeom to bring to Shanghai a trio of misfits — Ahn Ok Yun (a sniper), Hwang Deoksam (explosives expert), and Chu Sang-ok (firearms expert aka “Big Gun”) — who are all locked up in Manchuria. In Shanghai, one of the leaders named Kim Won Bang orders the trio to go to Gyeongseong (modern-day Seoul) and assassinate Kang In Gook and General Mamoru Kawaguchi of the Japanese colonial forces.





Part 3 (from 19:36 to 1:02:33)

Ok Yun and her comrades arrive in Gyeongseong where they’re given shelter by a night club owner. But unknown to them, Jin Seok Yeom has hired a notorious hit man known as “Hawaii Pistol” to kill them.

With his identity as a traitor now revealed, Jin Seok Yeom decides to go to Gyeongseong. Meanwhile, on their way to Gyeongseong, Hawaii Pistol and his sidekick meet Captain Kawaguchi — the son of General Mamoru Kawaguchi and the fiancé of Kang In Gook’s daughter, Mitsuko.

Ok Yun decides to ambush Kang In Gook and General Mamoru Kawaguchi on a gasoline station. But while preparing for their assassination attempt, Chu Sang-ok and Hwang Deoksam are spotted by Hawaii Pistol and his sidekick.

Part 4 (from 1:02:34 to 1:11:16)

Despite Chu Sang-ok’s disappearance, Ok Yun decides to continue with their plans.

Upon reaching Gyeongseong, Jin Seok Yeom immediately warns General Mamoru Kawaguchi about the threat to his life; Kang In Gook thus suggests to Captain Kawaguchi a change in their travel plans.

During the shootout with the Japanese soldiers, Ok Yun comes face to face with her twin sister Mitsuko.



Part 5 (from 1:11:17 to 1:27:28)

Ok Yun and Hawaii Pistol escape from the Japanese soldiers escorting them to the police headquarters. Later, after having Ok Yun treated by a doctor, Hawaii Pistol and his sidekick leave her apartment. On the street, however, as they’re being accosted by Japanese soldiers, they meet Captain Kawaguchi again.

Mitsuko realizes that the woman she saw during the shootout is none other than her twin sister. She finds Ok Yun’s apartment and pleads with her to stop working for the freedom fighters and to live with her and their father.

As Mitsuko and Ok Yun are talking, however, their father Kang In Gook arrives, together with Jin Seok Yeom and some Japanese soldiers.



Part 6 (from 1:27:29 to 1:47:03)

Ok Yun assumes Mitsuko’s identity and plans to kill Kang In Gook and General Kawaguchi during the wedding.

Chu Sang-ok returns to the nightclub and asks the owner to get him some guns and explosives. Later, he infiltrates the wedding’s venue.

During the wedding, after recognizing Hawaii Pistol, Jin Seok Yeom orders him arrested and quietly brought out of the venue.

Ok Yun has hidden a gun in her bouquet, and as the officiating minister calls for the parents of the bride and groom, she aims her gun at Kang In Gook and General Mamoru Kawaguchi.



Part 7 (from 1:47:04 to the end)

Hawaii Pistol and his sidekick take Ok Yun (aka Mitsuko) and Captain Kawaguchi into the nightclub. But Jin Seok Yeom and the Japanese soldiers surround the nightclub.

Hawaii Pistol tells Ok Yun to continue pretending to be Mitsuko so that she can escape. Later, he and his sidekick escape through the sewers.

1949 ...

Jin Seok Yeom stands trial for being a Japanese collaborator. After the trial, as he goes through the public market, he sees Mitsuko and follows her into an isolated street.

Lessons in photography from “Assassination”

Shooting against the light (contra luz, contre jour)

Sidelighting

Reflections

Dutch angle or Dutch tilt

Foreground and background blur

Low angle shot, Rule of Odds

Line of direction, Rule of Odds

Out of focus foreground element as partial frame

Establishing shot

High angle shot

Lead room, nose room, looking space

Natural frames

Keystoning

Low angle shot

Natural frames, local frames

Linear perspective

High angle shot

Low angle shot, balance and symmetry

“Signal” synopsis by episode, Eps. 1-16 (no spoilers), with backgrounders on the actual cases this drama is based on

Jump to synopsis of Episode 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16 (Finale); How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers: Historical backgrounders and other information on the actual crimes this drama is based on; Lessons in photography from “Signal”

From Wikipedia: “Signal” is a 2016 South Korean police procedural television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Cho Jin-woong. It premiered on tvN on January 22, 2016. The series was inspired by real-life criminal incidents in Korea, including the Hwaseong serial murders.

The series received widespread acclaim from audience and critics alike for its story and performances. Also, it is the tenth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history with a peak audience viewership of 12.54%.

It received praise for its solid acting, tightly-constructed plot and detailed and sophisticated direction; and enjoyed success internationally in China and Japan.

The drama went on to win several awards from different award-giving bodies: Best Drama, Best Screenplay for Kim Eun-hee, and Best Actress for Kim Hye-soo at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards; Best Actress award for Kim and the Daesang (Grand Prize for Television) for Cho Jin-woong at the tvN10 Awards; and Daesang for Cho Jin-woong at the 1st Asia Artist Awards.

How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers

1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.

2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.

3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.

4. I followed this structure all throughout, except for Ep. 16 (Finale) where I included spoilers. Reason - most people want to know if this drama has a happy ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it.

Episode 1

July 29, 2000 ... a shy grade school student named Park Hae-young sees someone sheltering his schoolmate Yoon-jung from the rain and guiding her away from school. Later on, Yoon-jung is found murdered, but the suspect — a medical student named Seo — disappears.

Days later, based on a note, Detective Lee Jae-han goes late at night to an abandoned psychiatric hospital; in a waste disposal bin, he finds the body of the suspect. At 11:23 PM, he uses his walkie-talkie to report finding the body.

But the person who answers his call is Park Hae-young, who’s now a young police officer, a lieutenant working as a criminal profiler! It’s July 27, 2015, three days before the statute of limitations expires and when Yoon-jung’s killer can no longer be prosecuted for the crime.

Hae-young has just left the police precinct where he had a run-in with Detective Cha Soo-hyun and her subordinate Detective Kim. He finds a walkie-talkie in a parked truck, and as Jae-han reports that the suspect’s death was made to look like a suicide, Hae-young demands to know who he is talking to.

Hae-young finds out the walkie-talkie doesn’t even have batteries. Despite thinking that he’s going crazy, he goes to the abandoned psychiatric hospital and finds some skeletal remains. The next day, the forensics team searches the site, and Detective Soo-hyun demands that he tell her how he found the skeletal remains.

Despite Detective Soo-hyun’s protest, Section Chief Ahn takes the case records and then reports everything to Director Kim. Later on, in the frenzied presence of news reporters, Director Kim talks to Yoon-jung’s mother and tells her that they have found the suspect’s body and that he committed suicide. But Hae-young stuns everyone by shouting that the suspect did not commit suicide but was killed by the real kidnapper. As Director Kim’s men try to drag him away from the reporters, Hae-young faces the TV cameras and shouts that he’s got the evidence against the real kidnapper.

Episode 2

Ep. 1 recap:

In her early years as a police officer, Soo-hyun worked under Detective Jae-han.

Nurse Yoon misleads the police into thinking that her fellow nurse who worked in the psychiatric hospital is the real kidnapper. As Hae-young and Detective Soo-hyun find out the truth and as the statute of limitations is about to run out, they chase Nurse Yoon on the streets under the pouring rain.

As the forensics team checks the DNA evidence, Soo-hyun and Hae-young pressure Nurse Yoon to confess to kidnapping and killing Yoon-jung and setting up her boyfriend. But Nurse Yoon remains calmly defiant, and the statute of limitations runs out.

Because of the public outcry, the statute of limitations is extended for various crimes, and Director Kim is pressured into setting up a cold case squad in Seoul. Heading the squad is Soo-hyun, with Hae-young, Detective Kim, and forensic expert Heon-ki as her men.

August 3, 2000 ... Jae-han calls Hae-young again on the walkie-talkie. Bloodied and desperate, Jae-han tells him that it may be his last call. But he says that they will get in touch again and that Hae-young would have to persuade the young police officer Jae-han of 1989. After Jae-han says, “The past can be changed. Don’t ever give up,” a confused Hae-young hears a gunshot.

The cold case squad is assigned to work on the infamous Gyeonggi Nambu serial murders that happened in the 1980s. Meanwhile, Hae-young begins digging into the files of all police officers named Lee Jae-han.

11:23 PM ... as Hae-young’s walkie-talkie lights up, he excitedly asks why Jae-han hasn’t called him up earlier. But the Jae-han who answers is a newbie police officer from 1989, who, along with dozens of other officers, is searching for the 7th victim of the Gyeonggi Nambu serial murderer. Hae-young, not realizing the time difference, chides Jae-han by saying where the bodies of the 7th and 8th victims can be found.

November 1989 ... The newbie police officer Jae-han inquires at the police station about an officer named Park Hae-young and whether the 8th victim of the serial killer has been found.

Episode 3

Ep. 2 recap:

Soo-hyun arrests Nurse Yoon for the murder of her boyfriend Seo.

In 1989, the serial killer attacks a woman named Lee Mi-sun on an isolated part of the railroad tracks. Jae-han finds her bound and gagged but still alive.

In 2015, Hae-young becomes confused with the changes in the crime scene pictures and his whiteboard notes about the serial murders.

1998 ...

Jae-han captures the suspect who attacked Lee Mi-sun before he could board a bus. At 11:23 PM, he calls Hae-young and informs him that he captured the serial killer. But Hae-young thinks that he’s being pranked by someone claiming to be from 1989; he also warns Jae-han that if he’s truly from the past, the suspect whom he captured will die that night.

Worried about Hae-young’s claim about the serial killer, Jae-han musters up his courage and talks to his crush, an office employee named Kim Won-kyung; he gives her a taser to protect herself from any attacker.

While following up on the serial killer’s attack on Lee Mi-sun, Jae-han questions the bus driver and another employee of the bus company. But the driver says that no one boarded his bus at the stop where Jae-han captured his suspect.

2015 ... Soo-hyun continues to investigate the attack on Lee Mi-sun, but she’s rebuffed by Lee Mi-sun’s husband. Later, after noticing a pattern in the movements of the victims, she tells her squad that the bus plying a certain route holds the key to the serial murders. Hae-young, meanwhile, notices that the serial killer’s pattern changed.

Soo-hyun and Dae-young decide to visit the female bus employee who was questioned by Jae-han back in 1989. They knock on the door, but no one answers. When Soo-hyun peers into a window, however, she sees a woman on the floor, with her feet bound with ropes.

Episode 4

Ep. 3 recap:

Section Chief Ahn orders Soo-hyun and her squad to turn over the murder investigation of the bus company employee to the local police station.

In anger and guilt over the employee’s murder, Hae-young calls up Jae-han on the walkie-talkie and tells him to do something to help prevent the death of another woman. But Jae-han has been locked in jail for his continued railing about mysterious transmissions on a walkie-talkie from a non-existent police officer. He goes berserk when he hears Hae-young say that the next victim is someone named Kim Won-kyung.

1989 ... Jae-han escapes from the police station and begins frantically searching for Kim Won-kyung.

2015 ... Based on the black box videos and the fingerprints, Soo-hyun, Detective Kim, and their forensic expert believe that the bus driver Lee Chun-goo killed his former co-employee and that he could possibly be the serial killer. But Hae-young says that it’s not possible, and he goes to the bus terminal to interview the old-time drivers.

Lee Chun-goo surrenders to the police and confesses that he killed his former co-employee and that he is the Gyeonggi Nambu serial killer. Later on, during another transmission on the walkie-talkie, Hae-young tells Jae-han that Lee Chun-goo, the bus driver, confessed to being the serial killer. Enraged, Jae-han barges into Lee Chun-goo’s house; he finds Lee Chun-goo’s son and begins beating him up.

Because of Lee Chun-goo’s confession, Section Chief Ahn closes down the cold case investigation. Director Kim also arranges a press conference to announce that the Gyeonggi Nambu serial killings have finally been solved after 26 years.

But Soo-hyun and Hae-young refuse to give up; they investigate the former bus company employee’s credit card and phone records; they also contact one of her relatives.

Episode 5

Ep. 4 recap:

Jae-han finds Kim Won-kyung dead, bound and gagged on a dark street.

Through the taser that Jae-han gave to Kim Won-kyung, Soo-hyun finds DNA evidence confirming that the serial killer is Lee Jin-hyung, the bus driver’s son.

As Soo-hyun continues to regularly visit the National Forensics Service building, she remembers the days back in 1995 when she was working with Jae-han as a new member of the Violent Crimes Unit.

Meanwhile, as Hae-young investigates what happened to Jae-han, he finds out from the Office of Internal Affairs that he disappeared in 2000, with a bundle of money found in his desk drawer. He also finds out that Jae-han had a scar on his right shoulder because of a metal pin. But his investigation makes Section Chief Ahn and Director Kim suspicious about his connection to Jae-han; Section Chief Ahn also sees on the CCTV footage how Hae-young found the walkie-talkie.

September 1995 ... Jae-han and other police officers are ordered to catch the burglar who has broken into the houses of several wealthy families. One of the suspects that Jae-han questions is an ex-convict named Oh Kyung-tae. But the ex-convict says that he has reformed his ways, and his daughter Eun-ji says that the burglar is probably an amateur.

2015 ... Reaching home after his visit to Kim Won-kyung’s mother, Hae-young gets another call from Jae-han, who wants to know everything about the burglaries. But Hae-young says that the case files are missing; when Jae-han insists that he help him, he suggests that the burglar might have cased the houses and thus left some traces of his identity.

1995 ... Jae-han arrests the ex-convict Oh Kyung-tae for the burglaries. On their way to the police station, however, they see Eun-ji’s bus plunge as the bridge collapses.

2015 ... a female college professor (the daughter of a CEO) is kidnapped, but the police find the kidnapper’s fingerprint on a bathroom mirror, and his face is recorded on the CCTV footage. Director Kim thus orders a massive manhunt for the kidnapper and the victim.

Episode 6

Ep. 5 recap:

Oh Kyung-tae’s daughter died in a fiery explosion after the bridge collapsed; he thus blames Jae-han for her death.

2015 ... Several days after his release from prison, Oh Kyung-tae kidnaps the college professor.

Jae-han tells Hae-young that their transmissions should have never taken place because they have ruined people’s lives.

1995 ... Based on the evidence and despite Eun-ji’s pleas that her father is innocent, Jae-han arrests Oh Kyung-tae. As Jae-han takes Oh Kyung-tae to the police station, Eun-ji rides on a bus to go home. In the bus with her are the kidnapping victim Shin Yeo-jin and her father.

After the bus plunges into the collapsed bridge, the paramedics, Jae-han, and Yeo-jin’s father try to rescue those trapped in the bus.

2015 ... Yeo-jin manages to contact her father through her cellphone, and Section Chief Ahn immediately sends his men to rescue her. But Soo-hyun refuses to believe that Oh Kyung-tae could be so sloppy, and Hae-young tells her (what Jae-han said) about Oh Kyung-tae having been framed.

Hae-young suddenly has an insight that Oh Kyung-tae could be at the site of the collapsed bridge. While he arrests Oh Kyung-tae, Soo-hyun and Yeo-jin’s father approach a truck parked near the memorial site for the victims of the collapsed bridge. But unknown to them, Oh Kyung-tae has rigged the truck for an explosion.

Episode 7

Ep. 6 recap:

Soo-hyun dies in the explosion.

Detective Kim finds the missing files on the 1995 burglary cases; Hae-young learns that all the victims were schoolmates, and that it was the testimony of Han Se-kyu (the Chief Prosecutor’s son) that got Oh Kyung-tae convicted. In 1995, Jae-han also concluded that Han Se-kyu was the burglar.

During their next transmission, Hae-young asks Jae-han to find the items that were taken during the burglaries, thinking that these items can help convict Han Se-kyu.

Jae-han finds the stolen items in Han Se-kyu’s red car; he gets a warrant for Han Se-kyu’s arrest, and later on, Oh Kyung-tae is released. In 2015, Hae-young finds Soo-jin alive in her mother’s house.

1995 ... Jae-han finds out about the corrupt dealings between politicians and the “chaebols” over the Jinyang construction project; he also finds that among the missing items in the burglaries is a blue diamond necklace, which once belonged to Senator Jang Young-chul.

2015 ... During their next transmission, Jae-han asks Hae-young for information about the blue diamond necklace. But Hae-young says that their transmissions have almost led to the death of a police officer; he tears Jae-han’s profile and throws away the walkie-talkie.

Soo-hyun confronts Hae-young on why he’s digging up information about Jae-han. But they’re interrupted by a man who claims to have met Soo-hyun and Jae-han some 20 years ago. He asks Soo-hyun for help about his girlfriend Shin Da-hae, who committed suicide 20 years ago. To his shock, while he was in a cafe that he and Shin Da-hae used to visit, he sees someone who looks like Shin Da-hae.

1995 ... Jae-han picks up a lead on the blue diamond necklace, and he asks Soo-hyun to begin calling up the possible numbers of the woman who had the necklace appraised.

2015 ... As Soo-hyun’s team begins investigating Shin Da-hae’s case, Hae-young becomes convinced that she did not commit suicide but was murdered.

Episode 8

Ep. 7 recap:

After being released from jail, Oh Kyung-tae kills Yeo-jin’s father.

Shin Da-hae steals the blue diamond necklace from Han Se-kyu; in the necklace’s case, there is a floppy disk.

Based on the fingerprints on the book left at the cafe, Soo-hyun finds out that Shin Da-hae is still alive.

Through the former talent agency president, Hae-young finds out that Han Se-kyu sexually assaulted Shin Da-hae. Using the tape of the assault, Han Se-kyu’s friend pressure him to ask his father (the Chief Prosecutor) to stop the investigation.

Hae-young tells Soo-hyun that Han Se-kyu is responsible for everything -- the burglaries, the blue diamond necklace, and Shin Da-hae’s "suicide."

Soo-hyun’s investigation leads her to Shin Da-hae’s close friend Kim Ji-hee, who apparently came home to Korea a few weeks ago after 20 years of absence.

2015 ... Hae-young confronts Han Se-kyu in a nightclub about his crimes. But Han Se-kyu, now a lawyer, simply laughs off the accusation, saying that Hae-young does not have any evidence against him.

Soo-hyun finds the evidence of what really happened on the night when Shin Da-hae supposedly committed suicide. But during a private meeting, Section Chief Ahn warns Director Kim and Han Se-kyu about the evidence.

Episode 9

Ep. 8 recap:

Han Se-kyu killed Kim Ji-hee, thinking that she was Shin Da-hae, and made it appear that Shin Da-hae committed suicide.

Shin Da-hae took Kim Ji-hee’s identity and has lived in Germany for the last 20 years.

Hae-young tricks Han Se-kyu by not revealing everything that was on Shin Da-hae’s recording of what happened that night. Soo-hyun also brings Shin Da-hae into the interrogation room to confront Han Se-kyu.

1995 ... Director Kim (then the chief of the Violent Crimes Unit) gets hold of the floppy disk. He uses it to file a case against those responsible for the bridge’s collapse, but Jae-han confronts him and says that the floppy disk contained a lot more information.

Soo-hyun’s cold case squad celebrates having taken down Han Se-kyu. Later, Hae-young hears the static from the walkie-talkie; it’s Jae-han transmitting his final instructions to Hae-young back in August 3, 2000. Jae-han hides the walkie-talkie upon sensing someone come up to him. It’s Section Chief Kim, who shoots him pointblank.

Hae-young follows the static and finds the walkie-talkie in Section Chief Ahn’s drawer.

Section Chief Ahn warns Hae-young to stop digging into what happened to Jae-han. But Hae-young refuses to back down and takes the walkie-talkie with him.

Soo-hyun finds out that Hae-young’s elder brother Sun-woo was involved in the 1999 Inju gang rape case and that he killed himself after being released. Meanwhile, Hae-young finds a folded note in Jae-han’s old case notebook.

1997 ... a woman is lured into a dark street by a man looking for an injured puppy, brought home by her assailant, and then strangled to death, with a black plastic bag over her head.

During their next transmission, Hae-young asks Jae-han about the Hongwon-dong case (listed in Jae-han’s folded note), but Jae-han says that he hasn’t heard of it.

Jae-han finds that there’s a similar case of a woman who died with a plastic bag over head, but it’s being handled by a different precinct. He warns Director Kim (then head of the Violent Crimes Unit) that they could be dealing with another serial killer. But Director Kim brushes him off.

2015 ... A body of a woman wrapped in plastic and with a black plastic bag over her head is brought to the National Forensics Service. The crime scene photos trigger something in Soo-hyun’s memory, and she tells her squad that they might have a serial killer on the loose. Later on, Hae-young gets Section Chief Ahn’s permission to search the nearby mountain for possible victims.

1997 ... Soo-hyun retraces the steps of the two victims, hoping to find a clue or a pattern. Jae-han tells her to stop and go back to the precinct. But she continues walking on the streets alone, and later on, she hears a puppy barking in the dark.

Episode 10

Ep. 9 recap:

Soo-hyun is captured by the serial killer (the man working at the convenience store). She’s bound and wrapped in plastic, with a black plastic bag over her head. When the man leaves for a while, she stumbles to her feet, breaks down the door, and runs blindly out on to the street, where Jae-han finds her.

1997 ... Soo-hyun recounts to Jae-han and the other detectives what happened to her and how she escaped. Jae-han and the other detectives then begin scouring the area where Soo-hyun could have been taken.

2015 ... To avert the public outcry over the nine bodies that were found on the mountain, Director Kim assigns Soo-hyun’s cold case squad to find the serial killer. Based on Hae-young’s profile of the serial killer, Section Chief Ahn assigns teams to various locations. Soo-hyun, meanwhile, agrees to go through hypnosis to try and remember anything about the serial killer or the place where she was held.

During their next transmission, Jae-han finds out the the serial killer from 1997 is still active in 2015; he also finds out that Soo-hyun is now a squad leader of detectives. He compliments Soo-hyun for her great determination, but Hae-young tells him that he himself should tell it to Soo-hyun.

2014 ... a woman named Yoon Seung-yeon tries to befriend the convenience store clerk whom she doesn’t know is the serial killer.

1997 ... Soo-hyun becomes traumatized by her experience and thinks of quitting the police force.

2015 ... Hae-young finds Yoon Seung-yeon’s journal and deduces from it that the serial killer is working in a convenience store. Soo-hyun, meanwhile, retraces the steps that she took back in 1997 and suddenly realizes that, in her panic and confusion, she told Jae-han and the other detectives the wrong direction from where she escaped.

Episode 11

Ep. 10 recap:

The serial killer was abused horribly by his mother and becomes confused by Yoon Seung-yeon’s acts of affection for him.

Soo-hyun remembers the house where she was taken in 1997; without any backup, she enters the darkened house.

Hae-young finds out that the serial killer, Kim Jin-woo, plans to kill again. He rushes to Kim Jin-woo’s house where he finds Soo-hyun in shock. Later on, after searching the house, they rush to the mountain looking for Kim Jin-woo and his next victim.

1997 ... Jae-han arrests Kim Jin-woo, thus solving the Hongwongdo serial killing case. Later on, he does some small things in the precinct that makes Soo-hyun’s heart flutter.

1999 ... A scandal breaks out in Inju High School when someone posts on the school forum about a female student who was gang raped. After meeting Senator Jang Young-chul, Director Kim organizes a special task force to go after the suspects.

2015 ... After his confrontation with Director Kim, Section Chief Ahn resigns. He calls up Hae-young and warns him not to investigate the 1999 Inju gang rape case.

1999 .... Jae-han and Section Chief Ahn visit the victim Kang Hye-seung in the hospital. But they’re turned away by Kang Hye-seung’s father after he gives them the names of the 18 students involved; he also turns away Sun-woo (Hae-young’s brother) who’s hanging around in the corridor.

Jae-han finds out that seven of the suspects have parents connected to the Inju Cement Company.

Episode 12

Ep. 11 recap:

Kim Jin-woo killed Yoon Seung-yeon and his own mother. On the mountain, he tries to hang himself, but Sun-woo stops him.

After being arrested by Jae-han, Kim Jin-woo is sentenced to be confined in a psychiatric hospital.

Hae-young goes the hospital where he finds that Section Chief Ahn has been shot.

Before dying, Section Chief Ahn confesses to Hae-young that he killed Jae-han. Later on, Hae-young is accused of killing Section Chief Ahn.

Based on Section Chief Ahn’s cellphone records, the police officers question a gangster named Kim Sung-bum. The gangster reveals that Hae-young contacted him about the cases handled by Section Chief Ahn.

After his interrogation, Hae-young reveals to Soo-hyun that Jae-han was framed for extortion and that Section Chief Ahn killed Jae-han.

1999 ... Jae-han and Section Chief Ahn bring in for questioning a student named Lee Dong Jin, but Jae-han’s interrogation is interrupted by the student’s father. Director Kim then orders the Inju detective to look for a scapegoat on whom they can pin the rape case. Sun-woo is later on arrested.

2015 ... Hae-young recounts to Soo-hyun how he found out that his brother Sun-woo was framed.

1999 ... When Sun-woo maintains his innocence, Jae-han goes back to the crime scene to investigate. After talking with a witness, he confronts the Inju detective on why he framed Sun-woo. But to his surprise, Hye-seung declares that it was Sun-woo who led the students who raped her.

Episode 13

Ep. 12 recap:

Director Kim admits to Jae-han that he framed Sun-woo.

Soo-hyun and Dae-young finally find Jae-han’s skeletal remains.

1999 ... Jae-han resigns from the police force. Later on, after he disappears, a bundle of money is found in his desk drawer, and he’s accused of extortion.

2015 ... A funeral is held for Jae-han, with only his father, Soo-hyun, and Hae-young in attendance. Afterwards, Hae-young goes back to the pig skin restaurant that he frequented when he was young; he also remembers how he decided to enter the police academy.

Soo-hyun decides to investigate the 1999 Inju gang rape case, hoping that it will lead to whoever framed Jae-han and killed Section Chief Ahn. She and Hae-young begin looking for Hye-seung.

Episode 14

Ep 13 recap: Hye-seung tells Soo-hyun and Hae-young that she betrayed Sun-woo, who was the only friend she had in school. She also reveals how Director Kim pressured her to implicate Sun-woo in the rape case.

Hye-seung reveals that the person responsible for framing Sun-woo is Jang Tae-jin, son of the president of Inju Cement Company and Senator Jang’s nephew. Despite Hae-young’s pleas, however, she refuses to testify.

2000 ... Jae-han threatens Director Kim that he will bring him and Jang Tae-jin down. But Director Kim threatens him back.

2015 ... At 11:23 PM, the walkie-talkie lights up, but to Hae-young’s surprise, it’s Soo-hyun who answers. Later, as he rushes out of his house to confront a witness, Soo-hyun finds the walkie-talkie and recognises it as Jae-han’s walkie-talkie.

2000 ... After he’s released from prison Sun-woo goes to see Dong-min and asks him about Hye-seung’s red scarf. Later, he contacts Jae-han to turn over the scarf, but Jae-han, Soo-hyun, and the other detectives have been sent out to capture a burglar.

2015 ... Detective Kim tells Soo-hyun about a crucial piece of evidence — a red scarf — that the investigators back then missed checking. Meanwhile, Hae-young is in Inju Hospital, trying to trace Section Chief Ahn’s movements on the night he was shot; he also inquires into Sun-woo’s medical records. While he’s at the hospital, Sun-woo arrives and confronts him about Jae-han’s walkie-talkie.

Episode 15

Ep. 14 recap: Hae-young finds that Sun-woo did not take his own life but was drugged and killed. Senator Jang threatens Director Kim. Soo-hyun is stunned to hear Jae-han’s voice on the walkie-talkie but can’t believe Hae-young’s claim that Jae-han is alive.

Hae-young is arrested for the murder of Section Chief Ahn. At the police station, he’s confronted by a detective with the evidence (a bloody knife) and the testimonies of witnesses against him.

2000 ... Despite his injury, Jae-han rushes out of the hospital. But Director Kim has already reached Sun-woo at his house.

Jae-han later confronts Director Kim, but he’s dragged out of the office. Later, that night, he calls Hae-young on the walkie-talkie, but to his shock, it’s Soo-hyun who answers. Before the connection gets disrupted, Soo-hyun warns him not to go to the psychiatric hospital on August 3, 2000.

Soo-hyun and Hae-young realize that to clear his name and find out who killed Section Chief Ahn and Jae-han, they have to look for the gangster Kim Sung-bum.

When Kim Sung-bum learns that Director Kim wants him dead, he calls up Hae-young from Bucheon and sets up an urgent meeting.

On the way to the courthouse, Hae-young escapes from his police escorts and rushes to Bucheon.

2000 ... Jae-han receives the forensics report from the USA; he then contacts a prosecutor and asks him to file a murder case against Director Kim. But a short while later, Jae-han and the officers in his precinct are thrown into the investigation of Kim Yoon-jung’s kidnapping. Director Kim finds the forensics report in Jae-han’s desk.

Episode 16, Finale (with spoilers)

Ep. 15 recap: Director Kim kills Sun-woo. With Soo-hyun’s help, Hae-young escapes from his police escorts. Kim Sung-bum confesses that Jae-han was killed because he wouldn’t stop investigating Sun-woo’s case. As Kim Sung-bum escapes from Soo-hyun and Hae-young, Director Kim’s men catch up with him. When one of the men aims a gun and fires at Soo-hyun, Hae-young protects her and gets shot.

2000 ... Director Kim orders Section Chief Ahn to secretly follow Jae-han.

2015 ... Jae-han tells Hae-young that he found the kidnapper’s body at the psychiatric hospital and that it could be his last transmission.

As Jae-han sits stunned from the blow to his head, he tells Section Chief Ahn about what the red scarf can prove. Director Kim and Kim Sung-bum soon arrive, and Director Kim mocks Jae-han by waving the forensics report.

When Section Chief Ahn hesitates in killing him, Jae-han escapes into the woods.

2015 ... As he’s rushed to the hospital and looks at Soo-hyun before losing consciousness, Hae-young realizes that something in the past has changed.

2000 ... Police officers arrive and shoot Section Chief Ahn, but Director Kim escapes.

2015 ... Hae-young wakes up to a different reality, remembering how Jae-han told him and his parents that Sun-woo did not take his own life. But to his surprise as he visits Jae-han’s father, he learns that Jae-han has been missing for the last 15 years.

He goes to the office of the cold case squad, but Detective Kim and the forensic expert don’t recognize him.

2000 ... Jae-han finally catches up with Director Kim, but they’re attacked by Senator Jang’s men. Jae-han escapes with Director Kim’s duffel bag, but Director Kim dies. Later, the men catch up with him; as they pound on his car, he hastily writes a note that he hopes would be read in the future by Hae-young.

2016 ... Hae-young finds Jae-han’s note and the floppy disk that exposes Senator Jang and the Jinyang corruption case. Later, after reporters besiege him with questions, Senator Jang fights back.

Hae-young traces the postmark of the envelope that contained the floppy disk to a coastal town; there, he meets Soo-hyun who recognizes him, unlike the cold case squad officers. She tells Hae-young that she has been looking for Jae-han for the last 15 years.

Soo-hyun and Hae-young think that Jae-han may have been hiding all these years because he’s the suspect in Director Kim’s death. They realize that he could be hiding in a small nursing facility.

Despite their doubts, Soo-hyun and Hae-young travel to the nursing facility. But Senator Jang’s men have already reached the facility.

Inside one of the rooms in the facility is ... Jae-han.

Historical backgrounders and other information

1. The cases depicted in “Signal” are based on actual crimes that happened in South Korea. The video below, with English subs, discusses these actual crimes.



2. Episode 1 and part of Episode 2 involve the kidnapping and murder of lead character Hae-young’s classmate in grade school. These episodes are based on the 1997 “Park Chorong Bitnari Kidnapping-Murder Case” where an eight year old girl was kidnapped and later on murdered by her kidnapper — a pregnant woman.

The woman demanded from Bitnari’s parents a ransom of 20 million won (approximately 18,000 US dollars). But she was reported to the police by her own father; the police found Bitnari’s body in a bag outside an office. Convicted of kidnapping and murder, the woman was sentenced to life imprisonment.

3. In Episode 1, Lee Jae-han found the body of the kidnapping suspect hanging inside a waste disposal bin. This incident is based on the 2010 “Ochang Manhole Case” in Cheongju, the capital and largest city of North Chungcheong Province.

The victim, a building contractor, was found hanging inside a manhole, with his wrists bound together by cable wire. The police reportedly ruled the case a suicide that was made to look like a murder so that the victim’s family could collect the insurance.



4. Episodes 2 to 5 deal with the Gyeonggi Nambu serial murders. These episodes are based on the infamous “Hwaseong serial murders,” where 10 women were raped and murdered between 1986 and 1991.

(These murders became the subject of the 2003 film “Memories of Murder” directed by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, who became the first Korean to win the Palme d’Or and Oscar Award for his 2019 film "Parasite.")

“Man Confesses to Brutal Killings That Terrorized South Korea, Police Say” (New York Times):

For decades, the Hwaseong serial murders have spawned such fear among South Koreans that they became the best-known cold cases in the country. The victims, ranging in age from 14 to 71, were strangled to death after their mouths were stuffed with their stockings, bras or socks. Some of the bodies were mutilated with umbrellas, forks or razor blades.

5. In Eps. 5-7, a burglar victimizes several wealthy families. This case is based on a 1982 case involving a burglar named Jo Se-hyung, who was known as the Korean Robin Hood and Hong Gil-dong. Please read “Legendary thief caught stealing again” (Korea Herald) and “Karma Overtakes Wife of Big Thief” (Korea Times).

6. Episode 5 shows the collapse of the bridge, where one of the victims is the daughter of the alleged burglar. This episode is based on the 1994 Seongsu Bridge collapse that resulted in the 32 deaths and injuries to 17 people. The video below, which discusses the bridge collapse, is in Korean. But if you click the "cc" button and adjust the settings, you can get passable, auto-generated English subs.



7. Episodes 9 to 11 deal with the Hongwon-dong serial murders. Despite warnings, Soo-hyun tries to catch the serial murderer by herself, but she almost dies after being captured by the serial murderer.

This case is based on the 2005 “Sinjeong-dong Bizarre Rabbit murder case” (aka “Plastic Bag Murders”) where the victims were found with black plastic bags over their heads and with their hands tied with unique knots. A survivor told police that the place where she was taken had a sticker of the cartoon character Mashimaro (in Korean, “bizarre rabbit”).

8. Episodes 11 to 16 deal with the Inju gang rape case. These episodes are based on the 2004 “Miryang middle school girls rape incident.

From Wikipedia: The Miryang gang rape, known in South Korea as the Miryang middle school girls rape incident, was a criminal incident that occurred in Miryang, South Korea in 2004. At least 41 male high school students gang raped several middle school and high school girls over the course of 11 months. The case provoked controversy due to police mistreatment of the victims and lenient handling of the offenders.

Award-winning indie film based on Miryang gang rape case: “Han Gong-ju” is a 2013, award-winning South Korean film written and directed by Lee Su-jin, starring Chun Woo-hee in the title role. As it traveled the international film festival circuit, “Han Gong-ju” won several top prizes, including the Golden Star at the 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival, the Tiger Award at the 2014 International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the Jury Prize, the Critics' Prize, and the Audience Award at the 2014 Deauville Asian Film Festival. (Wikipedia)