Juror 8

In September 2008 in Seoul, eight ordinary citizens are chosen by lottery to serve as South Korea's first trial jurors. The case before them is a matricide that appears already settled, since the defendant has confessed and the evidence seems conclusive. Their assigned task is narrow: decide on the sentence rather than guilt. The trial draws heavy press attention, and the presiding judge wants a quick, tidy result. Among the jurors is a replacement who missed his summons and took someone else's place, and he is the one who starts questioning whether the accused actually committed the crime.

Hong Seung-wan directed and wrote this drama, which was released in May 2019 and runs 114 minutes. Moon So-ri plays the presiding judge, while Park Hyung-sik appears as the eighth juror, Kwon Nam-woo; Baek Soo-jang, Cha Mi-kyeong, Yoon Kyung-ho and Seo Jeong-yeon are among the other jurors in a credited cast of 33. The production came from CGV Arthouse and Banzakbanzak Film Production and took about 2 million dollars worldwide.

Audience reception is consistent across platforms, with a 7.4 rating on IMDb from around 1,300 votes and the same 7.4 on TMDB from a much smaller group of 31. The wider turnout on IMDb suggests the score rests on a broader sampling, while both figures point to a solidly received film rather than a divisive one.