Broadcast capture from MBC Fri-Sat drama ‘Judge Lee Han-young’
Actor Kim Beop-rae has etched a powerful presence with an impactful performance for home viewers.
In MBC’s Fri-Sat drama ‘Judge Lee Han-young’ (planning Namgoong Sung-woo, Jang Jae-hoon/series composition Kim Gwang-min/direction Lee Jae-jin, Park Mi-yeon/production OH Story, Slingshot Studio), Kim Beop-rae plays Jang Tae-sik, the S Shopping CEO who embodies the axis of evil, driving the show’s tension with a distinct brand of villainy.
Debuting in episode 1 while revealing his connection with Supreme Court Chief Justice Kang Shin-jin (Park Hee-soon), Jang Tae-sik laid bare the face of corrupt power. Flagged on the radar of Kim Jin-ah (played by Won Jin-ah) for creating slush funds and embezzling company money, he tried to cajole Lee Han-young (played by Ji Sung), a lackey judge for the Haenal law firm, into reducing his sentence, but instead received a fine of 24 billion KRW and 10 years in prison. He not only conveyed a fleeting sense of emptiness in that instant but then unleashed explosive fury, instantly seizing viewers’ attention.
From the moment Han-young returns to the past, Jang Tae-sik serves as the link tying together the fates of Han-young, Kang Shin-jin, and Kim Jin-ah, propelling the story forward. In the past, he instigated a self-inflicted injury scam targeting Jin-ah’s father, who had attended a redevelopment protest as hired muscle on the S Construction side, which led to Han-young’s fatherwho stood with the evicteesbeing falsely accused of assault and sentenced to one year and six months in prison. Kang Shin-jin took part in that trial as an associate judge, and Jang Tae-sik, who was present, left the scene with a sly smirk after the verdict. At the center of this tragic triangle, Kim Beop-rae asserted a presence that pierced the narrative, presenting the textbook of a top-tier villain.
Jang Tae-sik’s brazen attitude, devoid of the slightest remorse, recalled the naked face of an arrogant power-holder and maximized immersion in the drama. He sent a threatening letter to Prosecutor Kim Jin-ah and kept trying to buy her off. The line “I will cram money down your throat until it is packed tight” exposed his warped belief that money can solve everything. Kim Beop-rae overlaid this unbridled character with his signature sly yet chilling charm, completing a singular villain only he can pull off.
As the leash held by Lee Han-young and Kim Jin-ah tightens around Jang Tae-sik, attention turns to how his presence will act as a variable in ‘Judge Lee Han-young’ as it races toward the finale. With veteran-caliber control of tempo and charisma that dominates the atmosphere, Kim Beop-rae breathes vitality into the series and offers a new archetype of a compelling antagonist.
Beyond the small screen, Kim Beop-rae is also commanding the stage, appearing as Jerry in the musical ‘Sugar’ (SUGAR). ‘Sugar’, featuring Kim Beop-rae, runs at the KEPCO Art Center through February 22.
