A New Leaf - MBC Korean Drama 2014

A New Leaf is a South Korean drama from MBC. The story is about ace lawyer, Kim Seok Joo was given a lease of new life after he forgot his past memories besides his vast knowledge of law after an accident. He began to break free from his mentor, Cha Young Woo who had molded him into a puppet Ace lawyer to take control of his own life and faced a test of morals with realization of his own past deeds.

Cast

Ace lawyer, Kim Seok Joo (Kim Myung Min) who has used devious means to reach his current high status, meets an accident which causes him to lose all his memories but his knowledge of the law. And while he gains back his conscience to repentance during his hard road to recovery, he finds himself facing his past demons due to the wrongs he had committed but has no recollection. Seok Joo eventually battles his former law firm's cold, black-hearted colleagues heads on in the court as well with his re-kindled "human soul".


Cha Young Woo (Kim Sang Joong), the CEO of the lawyer firm whom had molded Kim Seok Joo to be an ace lawyer through his connections and teachings. And because of his previous help for building up Seok Joo to be the company Top Ace Laywer, he knows that Seok Joo is unable to reject his request to take up cases that he doesn't want to. Although he tries to remain an understanding father figure towards Seok Joo, he finds himself in a growing conflict with Seok Joo after Seok Joo restarts his new way of living after his accident and starts to rebel against him especially when it's going against the law firm's interests.



Lee Ji Yoon (Park Min Young) grew up poor and got an internship after much hardships to work under Ace Lawyer, Kim Seok Joo after she graduated from a 3rd-rated law school. As she believes in using law to help people in need instead of using it to up one's benefits, she is always at loggerheads with Seok Joo who will do anything to win. But strangely, their relationship takes a turn for the better after Seok Joo's accident which changes his outlook on life and as the memory-less Seok Joo began to reflect on his past mistakes, she finds herself standing by his side as he goes into battle to prove himself.



Yoo Jung Seon (Chae Jung Ahn) is the grand-daughter of a chaebol family who got engaged to Kim Seok Joo (Kim Myung Min), a fellow lawyer in an arranged marriage before his accident. Although she has been acknowledged for her working abilities by her grandfather (mom's side) through her hard work, she feels the need to appease him through the loveless arranged marriage and with a twist of fate, she feels real love from Seok Joo for the first time after his accident as the memory-less Seok Joo came to believe that their relationship was built on love. But how could she come clean to him that she is actually involved in his accident that caused his memory loss when she hopes to cling on to the reformed Seok Joo to get out of her own miserable life?



Jeon Ji Won (Jin Yi Han) is a former judge who became a lawyer after stepping down from his post. He joins Kim Seok Joo's law firm as the next ace lawyer that will be his greatest rival as he feels that he is not inferior in any way in comparison to Seok Joo, He developed a crush on the bright, happy "Lee Ji Yoon" whom he had met at a wedding reception and finds it funny as it happened too soon.



Cast
Main Cast
Kim Myung Min as Kim Suk Joo
Park Min Young as Lee Ji Yoon
Kim Sang Joong as Cha Young Ho
Chae Jung Ahn as Yoo Jung Seon
Jin Yi Han as Jun Ji Won
People around Kim Suk Joo
Choi Il Hwa as Kang Shin Il
Oh Jung Se as Park Sang Tae
People around Lee Ji Yoon
Ahn Sun Young as Lee Ae Sook
Lee Min Hyuk as Lee Ji Hyuk
Lee Joo Yeon as Lee Mi Ri
People around Yoo Jung Sun
Jung Han Yong as Kwon Jae Yoon
Law Firm workers
Lee Han Wie as Team Leader Kang
Choi Jung Hwa as Law firm employee
Others
Kim Suh Hyung as Lee Sun Hee
Jung Kyu Soo as Park Ho Jun
Go In Bum as Park Ki Chul
Lee Jung Hun as Park Dong Hyun
Kim Yoon Seo as Jung Hye Ryung

Production Credits
Production company : JS Pictures
Chief Producer: Kim Sang Ho
Producers: Lee Jin Suk, Park Joon Seo
Director: Park Jae Bum, Oh Hyun Jong
Screenwriter: Choi Hee Ra

Note
In Gyo Jin was previously cast as Park Sang Tae but replaced by Oh Jung Se later.

Episodes:

A New Leaf Episode 1 - One Night Stand

I find the story quite interesting and hope that they can show the legal world at least in some of its complexity and not just do a simplistic bad lawyer vs good lawyer thing. Also like the fact that though there is amnesia in this story, it is a central plot device and is not what harried script writers turn to when they hit the wall. The story sounds familiar, but it is all in the execution. I also love stories about people fighting for social justice and dramas raising questions about moral dilemmas when it is done with originality and insight and therefore this seems right up my alley.

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