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Netflix’s newest show is a worldwide sensation - ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ is currently the most popular show on the streaming site and for good reason. Led by Park Eun-bin and Kang Tae-Oh, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is about Woo Young Woo, a 27 year old lawyer who has autism - the portrayal of characters with neurodiverse minds being a rare site in the world of Korean media.
The k-drama has developed a huge fanbase in just a short amount of time due to how easy the story is to get into, the representation felt by the neurodiverse community, and because Young Woo is a main character you can root for. But before we get into that, let’s meet the actors who make up our wonderful cast!
(And for those who haven’t watched it yet, don’t worry - this article is spoiler free!)
Seasoned actress Park Eun-bin plays the title and main character Woo Young-woo; despite not having ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) herself, Eun-bin has stated “I was very cautious and afraid that I might create prejudice. I kept wondering ‘Is it okay for me to act this and that?’. Then I found the answer that rather than thinking about acting, I need to understand how I feel about it first. I added Eun-bin’s sincerity to Young-woo’s sincerity.” She has said that she has made an effort to make her acting as realistic as possible and met with a professor to understand the basic characteristics of people with autism so as to not offend anyone. Park Eun-bin has also starred in other popular dramas such ‘The King’s Affection’ and ‘Do You Like Brahms?’
Kang Tae-Oh plays our leading man Lee Joon ho, Young-woo’s handsome and popular co-worker. Best known for his role as Lee Young-hwa in ‘Run On’, Tae-Oh has described how different and difficult it is to play his character: “Through only small gazes and reactions, I have to express my thoughts and mental support for Young-woo. Since it’s not a character I’m expressing through extravagant acting, it was harder. In order to convey a restrained image of what I had prepared, I worked hard to cut down [my expressions].”
Next we have Kang Ki-young who plays Young-woo’s mentor, Jeong Myeong-seok. Kang Ki-young is famous for playing many different supporting roles like Park Yoo-sik in ‘What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?’ and Kim Dae-ho in ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo’. This is the first drama he has appeared in since 2019 after going on a break to get married. Ki-young says that he has had a lot of fun building the character of Myeong-seok and thought that he had to do this show after reading the script for episode one, “I thought to myself ‘I must do it’.”
[Official photo from Netflix]
‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo’ follows the story of Woo Young-woo, a 27 year old lawyer who has autism working at one of the most prestigious law firms in Seoul. Alongside her ASD, Young-woo also has Savant Syndrome, making her seem comparatively genius to her peers, and you as the viewer get to follow along with Young-woo’s daily struggles with social interaction, and her creativity when solving various different law cases. Unlike other law shows, Attorney Woo doesn’t focus on murder cases or have a darker tone, but instead focuses on cases involving monetary or theft of ideas, and the show also has a romantic subplot between Young-woo and Joon-ho.
Ultimately, the purpose of this drama is to bring awareness and understanding of autism to an audience where it’s not normally a topic of discussion. While in the West we have movies and TV shows that portray various types of neurodiversity such as ‘Rain Man’, this is still new territory for the Korean media scene. Attorney Woo shows a positive portrayal of someone with autism, as well as an honestl view of how people can be both accepting and discriminatory against those with autism.
The portrayal of Young-woo within the first few episodes allows you to understand Young-woo’s personality and interests right away, instantly making her more relatable. This in turn makes it so you immediately want to root for her because of how she works to manage her disability and succeed within the field of law, despite all of the obstacles in Young-woo’s way.
This type of story telling that influences the viewer's emotions is particularly powerful in this drama, as it forces those who would normally discriminate against those with neurodiversity to question their own prejudices. Every episode also includes some form of social issue which keeps the story fresh and interesting, bringing into question the morals, values and beliefs of both the characters and the viewers.
However, amongst all the praise, this hasn’t stopped this show from receiving criticism too. Some viewers critique that there are different types of autism and thus caution people not to watch the drama as if it were a documentary, since Young-woo’s type of ASD only occurs in about 10% of those with autism. However, conversely, some parents have said that they understand their autistic child much better now thanks to the drama, as they exhibit similar traits to Young-woo.
This divide was something actress Park Eun-bin also took into deep consideration, so you may be interested in listening to her thoughts on this matter too and how she careful crafted her character:
Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a delightful show that we would highly recommend as everyone has something to gain from watching, whether in terms of learning something new, challenging your own prejudice, or seeing yourself represented.
Young-woo is a compelling protagonist and positively shows an autistic character with her highs and her lows working in the professional world. It's a fun, lighthearted show that also gives a brief look at how autism and neurodiversity is viewed in South Korea - for a more deep dive look at that, keep an eye out for an upcoming article!
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Writer: Taryn Novak
Editor: Han (O.L)