The Devil Judge episode 4 starts with the findings of Kang Yo Han’s past. The insinuation that he is responsible for his brother’s death. We see the broadcast team is highly delighted with Kang Yo Han’s actions regarding the case. I love how he never fails to make sure his image is being portrayed well. He is aware of the public eye and acts accordingly. Minister of Justice reaches to Kang Yo Han for her son. He tells her if she announces to the public about a wrong prosecution she handled 19 years ago then he will let her son go.
Surprisingly the man who works for Kang Yo Han is the son of the politician whom Cha Kyung Hee wrongfully prosecuted. He shows gratitude for what Kang Yo Han demanded of her. This makes you see a different, dare I say authentic side of Kang Yo Han.
Elijah is annoyed by Kim Ga On’s presence but she warms up to him eventually. Cha Kyung Hee reaches out to Jung Sun Ah for help but the attempt is not fruitful. Kang Yo Han takes Kim Ga On with him for the event Jung Sun Ah invites him. You can see how Kang Yo Han enjoys Kim Ga On’s company and takes care of him. It could be because he reminds him of his brother. And of course like Issac, Kim Ga On does not have a bad bone in his body.
As Kim Ga On watches the event and the people behind the Social Responsibility Foundation, he feels disturbed with the way the people are acting. They seem too carefree, too focused on themselves. And give off a feeling that they could care less about the cause of the event. He sees Kang Yo Han is laughing right along with them.
A surprising scene takes place when we see Jung Sun Ah confronting the chairman of the Social Responsibility Foundation for his misdeed. It tells you where the real power lies in the Foundation. And how clever Jung Sun Ah is to hide behind the shadows to pave her path. She has a goal that we are still unclear of but it looks like she has the smarts to make it through.
When the other members of the Social Responsibility Foundation start discussing Cha Kyung Hee, Kim Ga On steps in to stop it as it is an ongoing trial. But Kang Yo Han refrains Kim Ga On from speaking and poses his question to the members. He asks whether Cha Kyung Hee is needed for them to secure their assets or a change can be accepted. This conversation takes place in a way that makes you see he is telling them to think about him as a Presidential candidate.
This realization hits Kim Ga On and he feels immensely uncomfortable about what he is witnessing. Jung Sun Ah comes up to him and shares a secret from the fire 10 years ago. She lets him know that Issac was about to donate all his assets to Social Responsibility Foundation before the fire. But after the fire took place and Issac died, Kang Yo Han canceled the donation. It was clearly said to make Kim Ga On wary of Kang Yo Han.
Looks like Jung Sun Ah will use Kim Ga On to ruffle Kang Yo Han’s feathers. While going back Kim Ga On acts sullen to which Kang Yo Han responds in a cheeky maniac manner. Honestly, his actions are so bizarre that it makes it fun to watch. Kang Yo Han comments on how this is the real world, humans are always after greed be it a poor or rich person.
I think the whole reason Kang Yo Han took Kim Ga On to the party was to make him see the real bad people who obstruct justice. But then Kim Ga On is so fixated on Kang Yo Han’s personality that nothing else is visible to him when it comes to the things he sees. He is unable to perceive the room or people beyond Kang Yo Han.
Minister of Justice surprises us, For a second there she had me thinking she will put her son before her but her greed for power wins. She apologizes in the press conference and asks to punish her son accordingly. She notes to herself that too much has been done for her to give up now. Nothing comes without sacrifice. This amuses Judge Kang. The second trial happens and Lee Young Min is portrayed as a child who was neglected by his parents. Without his parents’ care he grew up to this person and the lawyer urges to give him a chance to get better. His lawyer states that with Lee Young Min in prison it will not satisfy the victims as the prisoners are fed by the taxpayers’ money.
To this Judge Kang agrees and he decides that the punishment would flagellation which means beating for discipline. As he claims that his parents were unable to discipline him when he was younger, it seems fitting that he will now be disciplined as a punishment. It comes as a shock to everyone watching but people are happy with the verdict. The highest percentage of votes are in favor of it. Lee Young Min loses it and starts talking about why do the others have the right to judge to prosecute him when they are no better than him. He apologizes for his misdeeds and asks for another chance. But as the public has spoken, Judge Kang announces that Lee Young Min will receive 30 rounds of beating. And people will be able to see it live.
On the other hand, Kim Ga On and Yoon Soo Hyun ask questions to the detective who handles the fire case 10 years ago. The Detective gets angry when Kim Ga On says something that showcases Kang Yo Han in a bad light. This is how we know Kang Yo Han has managed to do what he sought to. People having his back. Though Yoon Soo Hyun finds his behavior suspicious and makes an observation. It makes you think whether Kang Yo Han paid him off all those years ago to hide the truth behind the Church fire.
The scene where Lee Young Min undergoes his punishment is hard to watch. You can say he had it coming, personally, it felt right for him to receive that punishment. But for it to be live for people to see it well that does not sit well with me. Though it helps Kang Yo Han as people supporting him see him deal with the ones who have brutally wronged them. Kim Ga On sees people chanting Kang Yo Han’s name while holding the country flag. He can see the goal of becoming President for Kang Yo Han happening. This pushes him to go confront Kang Yo Han about killing his brother.
As expected Kang Yo Han reacts strongly to this accusation but then he launches into a story about what exactly happened 10 years ago. He tells him how all the members of the Social Responsibility Foundation were present in the church with Issac’s family. They all fawn over Elijah and showcase their gratitude for Issac’s donation. You can see from the scene that they are merely keeping appearances for the money. All hell breaks loose literally when the fire catches the walls of the Church. People are pushing each other, stepping over others trying to get out of the church. Every man for himself but Issac and his wife look for Elijah as she was not with them before the fire.
Kang Yo Han sees the smoke from outside and he goes towards the church. He looks at people running away from the church and he quickly rushes inside it. The scene he witnesses cements the actions Kang Yo Han took in the present. We see a long bench is pressing on Elijah’s legs and Cha Kyung Hee is in front of her. Even then without trying to help her she pushes herself on the bench and goes forward to escape. This sight shakes Kang Yo Han to the core. Honestly speaking at that time I was thinking about Lee Young Min’s punishment and Cha Kyung Hee signing the punishment declaration.
Finally, Issac and his wife discover Elijah and they remove the bench and pick her up. As Kang Yo Han goes forward to help them a huge block of pillar drops on Issac and his family. Issac manages to save Elijah. Kang Yo Han comes forward and picks Elijah, he promises his brother that he will come back for him. But as he turns again a wooden structure falls on top of him. After some time, we see the man Kang Yo Han pushed to kill himself in the last episode. The man picks a watch from Issac and apologizes before leaving.
Well, Humanity at its finest. People hardly care about others it seems. Finally, when Kang Yo Han gets out of the church with Elijah he sees all the other members of the Social Responsibility Foundation. He looks at them and that look breaks me. It also makes me feel amazed that he has come so far now in the present, these people have no clue what is coming to them. With this, he ends the story and shows Kim Ga On his back to see the brunt of the fallen pillar. Kim Ga On apologizes for his behavior and walks away. This where my favorite parts come in because Kang Yo Han notes to himself how People love these kinds of stories.
The Devil Judge episode 4 messes up your head, right? So was the story real or he made it up to have Kim Ga On on his side? With Kang Yo Han, you just never know. But it could be possible that some elements of the story are real and some are still hidden. It’s too easy to believe Kang Yo Han is a savior. Even if we are unaware of everything there is to know, we cannot deny that he is a man on the path of revenge. Things will only get more thrilling from here!
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You can watch The Devil Judge episode 4 on Rakuten Viki.
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