Sign ~ What If the Crime Lab Gets Contaminated?

“Sign” is a 2011 Korean drama, 20 episodes, categorized as Crime, Medical drama, Forensics, Action, Romance, Suspense, Thriller, and Mystery; and it is streaming on KOCOWA+.

• Memorable Quote: “We must grant the victims’ last wishes.”

SUMMARY: Two forensic doctors must work together and fight against political and institutional corruption to reveal the truth about mysterious deaths.

♦ We Have an Expert Witness Too

In “Sign”, Lee Myung-Han is a competent forensic doctor who is called to provide expert testimony. He thinks his word should be accepted without question. If he says the person’s death was an accident or a suicide, or whatever the cause, his word should be accepted as an indisputable fact. Nobody would have a reason to doubt him unless another expert witness provided a reason to doubt him. Yoon Ji-Hoon is also a competent forensic doctor who is called to provide expert testimony, and what he said completely contradicted the testimony provided by Lee Myung-Han.

That wasn’t the first time those two guys butted heads with each other, and it won’t be the last time. It’s personal. But it’s also professional, and Yoon Ji-Hoon would never let his personal feelings interfere with his professional judgment. The testimony Lee Myung-Han had provided needed to be challenged. But why would Lee Myung-Han provide questionable testimony? Because Lee Myung-Han had political ambitions and his testimony is just a rung on the ladder of success that he’s climbing. The head of the NFS (National Forensic Service) will be retiring soon, and he intends to take his place.

♦ MEET Lee Myung-Han

Right now, the NFS has a heavy workload, but the organization is short on manpower and funding. With political connections, Lee Myung-Han can raise the reputation and status of the NFS, get funding to hire more forensic doctors, buy better equipment, etc. On the flip side of the coin, some political connections might expect “favors”. Let’s say, for example, a politician wanted a crime to be covered up. It wouldn’t matter if the police and investigators had done their job and the prosecutors had done their job IF … the EXPERT forensic doctors who worked in the crime lab CERTIFIED that a death, which is a murder, was an accident or a suicide.

Who would say they’re wrong? They’re scientists. Albeit, they may be overly ambitious scientists and willing to look the other way and disregard the TRUTH. They may be lacking in morals, ethics, and integrity. But that might be hard to prove scientifically.

♦ MEET Yoon Ji-Hoon and Go Da-Kyung

By contrast, Yoon Ji-Hoon has no political ambitions. He aspires to be honest and excellent in his profession, and most importantly, he believes that the bodies of the deceased DON’T LIE. The victims are the ones who can tell everyone what happened to them during their final hours of life. If they were murdered, that truth should be revealed. It is the duty of the NFS to grant the victims’ last wishes. The NFS can hear their cries for justice.

Go Da-Kyung is a rookie forensic doctor eager to investigate crimes directly at the scenes, not just work behind a lab desk. She visits the crime scenes and takes photographs, and also participates in the autopsy with Yoon Ji-Hoon. The first autopsy was on a body that had been stolen. Sort of. It was sort of stolen.

A young K-Pop celebrity died under suspicious circumstances. The head of the NFS told Yoon Ji-Hoon that since the deceased celebrity was, by all accounts, young and healthy, many people wanted to know the truth about his sudden death. The head of the NFS, who would soon be retiring, said that he had confidence in Yoon Ji-Hoon. He knew that if he performed the autopsy, he would be objective, apply the science, reveal the truth, and treat the deceased with respect.

Even though the head of the NFS said Yoon Ji-Hoon would perform the autopsy, strings were pulled behind their backs, and they were told that Lee Myung-Han would handle the autopsy. Yoon Ji-Hoon found out that “someone” was trying to cover up the death of the young K-Pop celebrity and did not want the truth made known to the public. Politicians, prosecutors, and law enforcement appeared to be working together to ensure that nobody knew what really happened to the deceased.

♦ Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

Yoon Ji-Hoon stole the body from the morgue, and together, he and Go Da-Kyung performed the autopsy. He proved that the celebrity had been smothered to death. But even though the body of the victim told the truth, someone went to the police station and made a false confession. The person said they killed the young man by lacing his drink with cyanide. However, the result of the autopsy did not show any traces of cyanide poisoning, nor was there a “peach smell”. The confessor may have lied, but the celebrity’s body told the truth. He was suffocated!

Yoon Ji-Hoon dared to defy the “unseen authority”, i.e., whoever it was behind the scenes pulling the strings. Those doing the bidding of the “unseen authority” showed their true colors. They were furious with Yoon Ji-Hoon.

♦ Desperate Measures Make Some People Angry

• Lee Myung-Han had career plans, and he was supposed to be the one to perform the autopsy of this popular celebrity. Yoon Ji-Hoon didn’t just steal the body, he stole Lee Myung-Han’s spotlight! For Yoon Ji-Hoon, his actions were professional, and he was doing the right thing by granting the victims’ last wishes. But Lee Myung-Han took it personally.

• Jung Woo-Jin, the lead prosecutor in charge of investigating the celebrity’s death, was following the directions from the higher-ups. She was told that someone (??) did not want the truth about the celebrity’s death to be revealed. Her “job” was to make that happen. But Yoon Ji-Hoon completed the autopsy and knew the truth, which makes a “cover-up” kind of complicated.

Jung Woo-Jin was so desperate to perform her “special assignment” that she got a warrant and removed everything from the crime lab, including the body. Can you imagine? A person whose real job is to uphold the law, and see that justice is served … IS CONTAMINATING THE CRIME LAB AT THE NATIONAL FORENSIC SERVICE!

It doesn’t stop there. Yoon Ji-Hoon and Go Da-Kyung work together investigating mysterious deaths, including high-profile cases and those involving hidden institutional corruption. While Jung Woo-Jin, Lee Myung-Han, and other power players engage in cover-ups, manipulating evidence, etc. Oh yeah. IT’S ON!

Almost forgot. Let’s not overlook Choi Yi-Han. He is Jung Woo-Jin’s subordinate, but he doesn’t trust his boss. The higher-ups may have told her what to do, but nobody told him!

Main Characters:

• Go Da-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong, “The Bad Guys: Reign of Chaos”, “Grid”, “Live Up To Your Name”)
• Yoon Ji-Hoon (played by Park Shin-Yang, “Lovers in Paris”, “My Lawyer, Mr. Joe 1 and 2”)
• Jung Woo-Jin (played by Uhm Ji-Won, “Dear Hongrang”, “For Eagle Brothers”, “Jung_E”, “The Cursed”, “Little Women”)
• Lee Myung-Han (played by Jeon Kwang-Leol, “Witch at Court”, “King Maker: The Change of Destiny”, “The Royal Gambler”, “Remember: War of Son”, “Jung-Yi, Goddess of Fire”, “Jumong: Prince of the Legend”, “The Flower in Prison”)
• Choi Yi-Han (played by Jung Gyu-Woon, “Wonderful Mama”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.6 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 7.7 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is 8.5 out of 10 stars.

“Sign” is about forensic doctors solving murder cases. Their expert advice can be extremely valuable as long as the laboratory isn’t contaminated. But when dirty games of politics and power and corrupt prosecutors covering up crime get injected into the mix, what’s an honest forensic doctor supposed to do to make sure that the victim can tell the world what happened to them?

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Park Shin-yang and Kim Ah-joong to star in drama “Sign” | Seoulbeats

Sign- Series Review | Carrotblossom Patch

Drama Review – Sign (SBS, 2011) | The cat that watches TV

Kdrama Sign (2010) review | Live Journal

Medical Drama “Sign” Starring Park Shin Yang To Get Japanese Remake | Soompi (J-drama released 2019)

TRAILER/TEASER:

SBS Catch. ““Sign” starring Park Shin-yang and Kim Ah-joong 《TV Classics/Drama Replay/SBScatch》.” YouTube, Video, 19 July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHs0SWKQN3U.

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