The five lawyers in ‘Law and the City’ meet over meals.
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Law and the City is a legal drama about five friends, all lawyers, who meet to discuss their lives and cases over a series of meals. Lee Jong-suk, Mun Ga-young, Kang You-seok, Ryu Hye-young and Im Seong-jae play the friends who share professional and personal challenges, and in real life, the cast also had no problem getting close, despite differences in age or professional seniority.
“This might be hard to believe,” said Im Seong-jae (Newtopia, When The Stars Gossip) . “But near the end of the filming I actually realized and was surprised by the ages of our five associate friends. We got so close, like real friends that I completely forgot about our ages.”
Im plays Ha Sung-gi, a talented lawyer who takes a special interest in helping interns, but avoids talking about his own past.
“Jong-suk and Ka-young have such a strong presence you hardly notice their age,” said Im. “Hye-young approached every scene like a veteran and You Seok often leads like a senior, even coming up with unexpected ideas. Because of this close bond, we didn’t really think about age while working together.”
At almost every meal Im’s character posted photos of the food they shared, but in real life, he rarely takes food photos.
“Probably because I don’t relly use social media,” he said with a laugh. “Honestly, I rarely ever turn on the camera.”
There are so many eating scenes in the drama it’s practically a mukbang and Mun Ka-young (My Dearest Nemesis, True Beauty) did have a favorite.
Mun Ka-young’s character became a lawyer because of what her own family went through.
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“There’s a famous tofu restaurant right in front of the Seoul Arts Center,” said Mun. “Since we started filming early in the morning, I had tofu stew and pan-fried tofu for my first meal pof the day. I remember suggesting to the cast that we should come back some time just to enjoy the food together, aside from filming.”
Kang You-seok (Resident Playbook, When Life Gives You Tangerines) notes that the frequent meal scenes did make them hungry. The cast met at restaurants, like their on screen counterparts, when they were not filming.
“We’d chat, review the script, and at other times just eat together,” said Kang. ‘Those moments definitely helped us grow closer.”
Kang plays Cho Chang-won, a lawyer unhappy with his current job and often abusive boss. His character occasionally says things without thinking, which can make things awkward.
“I think that’s one point where I’m similar to him,” he said with a laugh. “As I’ve gotten older I try to think before I speak, but even now there are still times when I say things before fully thinking them through. Another similarity is that we’re both cheerful and enjoy being around people.”
Ryu Hye-Young (The Nice Guy, Gangnam B-Side) plays Bae Mun-jeong, an attorney with a strong sense of justice.
“I think it comes from her deep affection for people,” said Ryu. ‘Bae Mun-jeong is full of love for others. Because she views the world positively, that belief seems to be her driving force.”
Two of the attorneys in the friends group discover they met once before.
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She was drawn to the script because her character is very clever at using the legal system to achieve personal justice for her clients.
“What’s most appealing is how the law lets you protect justice in many different ways within an established system,” said Ryu. “That makes it truly meaningful for me.”
Mun’s character Hui-ji became a lawyer because she wanted to protect the people she loves. Her own family went through a difficult incident.
“Hui-ji grows a lot through meeting many people and handling various cases,” said Mun. “She naturally listens to others’ stories with warmth and a genuine heart because she knows these stories are not so different from her own.”
Lee Jong-suk (Romance Is A Bonus Book, W: Two Worlds) plays Ju-hyeong. He’s an excellent attorney, the person his fellow lawyers consult when they’re in a quandary. It’s the first role for Lee since he appeared in Big Mouth in 2022.
“I had been thinking about what kind of project to take on next and I wanted to try something more relaxed and relatable—something I hadn’t explored before,” said Lee. “I was looking for a drama that viewers could comfortably watch at any time without feeling lost, even if they missed an episode, and Law and the City felt like the perfect fit.”
The lawyers work in the Seocho district of Seoul.
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The title itself was appealing to him, and although the story centers on lawyers, it leans more toward a slice-of-life and office drama rather than a traditional legal series.
“It highlights the small moments of every—friends sharing concerns, encouraging each other, and chatting over lunch,” said Lee. “I believed this was a story many people could relate to, which is why I chose to be a part of it.”
Ju-hyeong may be a brilliant attorney because he keeps his emotions in check. According to Lee, these traits help him judge cases more rationally. Because he approaches each case without bias or emotion, he can handle work objectively. However, he wasn’t always like this.
“There were times when he was deceived by clients and couldn’t understands their true intentions,” said Lee. “Times when he defended a case he believed in only to discover the truth. His logical and emotional control didn’t come naturally but developed over time. Through the challenges and experiences of being a lawyer he gradually learned to manage his emotions and began approaching cases more logically rather than seeing them solely from the client’s point of view. This approach likely proved to be more effective.”
This survival strategy developed after nine years of navigating the challenges of working life. Outside of his work, Ju-hyeong fortunately has supportive friends he can trust and relay on.
“Outside of work, I imagine he also views situations more objectively,” said Lee.
“Ultimately, we can learn that avoiding unnecessary emotional drain helps us focus on the core issues that need to be resolved. I hope everyone finds happiness.”
Happiness is what the five characters in this drama are striving for and they do find some happiness in sharing with each other.
Law and the City airs in the U.S. on Viki.com. the drama was directed by Park Seung-woo and directed by Seung-hyun.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2025/08/19/cast-of-law-and-the-city-had-fun-filming-and-dining-together/
