Phantom Lawyer: Hanpuri, Whimsy, and Heart

Ghost stories are often all about the thrill of the unknown, the unexpected, the chilling. Their tone is commonly scary and creepy, dark and upsetting. However, every now and then, writers subvert our expectations by creating more light-hearted ghost stories, transforming fear and horror into comedy and compassion. That’s the case with SBS’s Phantom Lawyer, a fantasy-dramedy that came to an end last Saturday.

Directed by Shin Joong-hoon and written by Kim Ga-young and Kang Cheol-gyu, Phantom Lawyer is reminiscent of the K-dramas of yore. Delivered in the now-rare format of 16 episodes, this is an emotionally resonant, fun, and playful series that doesn’t take itself awfully seriously and proposes a cosy, satisfying journey that might not be revolutionary, but it surely warms your heart.

Phantom Lawyer is the story of Shin Yi-rang (Yoo Yeon-seok), a kind and righteous lawyer who is struggling to secure a job because of his father’s reputation. Yi-rang is the son of a corrupt prosecutor who died in a car accident many years ago, but whose crimes continue to taint his son’s meagre job prospects decades later. He then decides to take matters into his own hands and opens his own law office, determined to prove to the world that he can indeed be an honest professional.

Yi-rang doesn’t have a lot of money, and so, he ends up renting a shabby office that used to be a shaman’s house. Nothing wrong with that if the problem was only the questionable décor for a law firm. No, the real challenge lies in an old incense burner which, when lit, gives Yi-rang the ability to see a spirit and be possessed by them. There are certain rules to this dynamic, of course: Yi-rang can only see spirits whose talismans are found at his office, the spirits can only remember their lives when their name and date of birth are spoken aloud, and the possession only takes place when spirits are faced with overwhelming emotions.

The spirits Yi-rang meets were wronged in life, which is why he takes it upon himself to make things right and offer them the closure they deserve. And so starts a mostly episodic adventure in which a shamanistic lawyer helps his ghostly clientele resolve their grudges with the living.

This review is spoiler-free! But if you’re in a rush, why don’t you pin this review for later? Our pin is at the bottom!

The Heart of Phantom Lawyer: The Concept of Hanpuri

Phantom Lawyer explores, in the most whimsical of ways, a very Korean concept: that of the “hanpuri“. While “puri” means to wash or resolve, “han” is almost impossible to translate. “Han” is an emotion intrinsically connected to Korean culture that roughly corresponds to a long-held resentment or sorrow. In the essay “Specters of East Asia: Okinawa, Taiwan, and Korea“, Professor Choi Jin-seok explains:

The Korean word han refers to a sadness that throbs, that has congealed and hardened; and also to something that “loosens” it. In the Korean expression “undoing han” (hanpuri), han refers to a congealed feeling that loosens and hardens again, loosens and hardens again—to a process of rumination that is repeated over and over. Han never disappears. It does not disappear, but hanpuri can also allow one to carry on with living—and without hanpuri one will become physically debilitated. Hanpuri, that is, could be called the very activity of human life itself.

The hanpuri is often associated with shamanism, in which it takes the form of a cathartic ritual that has the power to free people from their emotional pain. In the study “The Priest of Han as a Theme in Christian-Shamanist Interfaith Dialogue“, Kang Won-don writes:

Hanpuri is the central device of shaman rituals. (…) From a shamanistic perspective, illness is aroused by the spirit of the dead who is not at all free from his or her han or by the spirit of the ancestor who is not properly treated. In order to cure the illness, shamans must identify the han of the dead and release him or her from the han; shamans must suggest to the descendants the way to appease the spirit of their ancestor.

Kang also shares that shamans who successfully overcome their “possession sickness” can then “help others to be free from their han.” That’s exactly the core premise of Phantom Lawyer: by working alongside the spirits he sees and allowing them to make use of his body, Yi-rang frees them from their sorrows.

With such a concept as the story’s backbone, Phantom Lawyer distances itself from your usual legal drama or ghost story, embracing a journey that is unabashedly about emotional resonance. The mechanics of the legal cases Yi-rang works on matter little to the series’ thematic goal, establishing a narrative whose worldbuilding has consistent rules but whose events unravel through coincidence, convenience, and fantastical shenanigans.

Yes, what is logical doesn’t have much space in Phantom Lawyer. It’s a tad silly, a tad miraculous, but endlessly optimistic — and that’s exactly the kind of show it wants to be. This is a series that remains consistent in its objectives, developing its themes with such heart and sincerity that we naturally look past its predictability and clichéd antagonists to fully embrace its eccentricities.

The Case for More Humane Ghost Stories

Phantom Lawyer uses an intriguing mix of conflicts and an engaging narrative structure to support its commitment to emotional impact. The first six episodes follow a very simple pattern of meet ghost/investigate/resolve, with which Yi-rang has to comply. Then, Yi-rang is given the opportunity to actively embrace his quest, finally finding purpose and fulfilment in his fate rather than just being forced to accept the inevitable. From episode seven onwards, the show breaks away from the formula of the first few instalments, offering a welcome change of pace and allowing its protagonists to embark on an exploit of their own choosing.

That’s the point with Phantom Lawyer: the quest itself. The culprit, the sentence, or the destination is of little consequence. So it’s the charming characters who accompany Yi-rang throughout this experience that make it worth it. It’s comforting to see fellow lawyer Han Na-hyun (Esom) go from a heartbroken individual to a warm and open colleague (and eventually romantic partner). It’s adorable to observe Yi-rang’s family, in particular his brother-in-law Bong-su (Jeon Seok-ho) and mother Gyeong-hwa (Kim Mi-kyung), come together to help Yi-rang deal with and assist the spirits haunting him.

The tenderness of these relationships then complements and bolsters Yi-rang’s captivating personality. Yi-rang embodies profound kindness and empathy, creating continuous cycles of goodwill and generosity that establish the drama’s hopeful tone.

As a consequence, Phantom Lawyer finds its identity in the “humanisation” of the ghost story. Ghosts here aren’t supposed to be frightening or unsettling, but unique individuals that need understanding instead. The phantasmagoric gives space to the humane, replacing fear with relatability. Each and every one of Yi-rang’s clients illustrates the show’s themes of love, connection, and compassion. Their stories are all about how loving others and being loved in return define our existences. They remind us that a life is only well-lived if we appreciate the present moment, seeing it as an opportunity to be honest with those we cherish and to create bonds of care and trust that will shape our identity and fate, bonds of such strength that they can survive even death.

Bringing it all together, we have a marvellous score and some compelling visual language, which is executed with varying degrees of success (the cinematography is always on point, but the visual effects are a huge mess at times). But what makes it all so hypnotising is the performances. Phantom Lawyer counts on a wide cast with some incredibly talented guest roles, skilfully led by two exceptional actors. Esom is extremely charismatic, while Yoo Yeon-seok absolutely nails the kind of comedy this narrative relies on. It’s astounding to observe how he handles the physicality of his role, in which he has to portray all sorts of people, from a teenage girl to a little boy. Yoo offers some remarkable character work as Yi-rang and deserves a huge amount of praise for the result.

Should You Watch Phantom Lawyer?

Phantom Lawyer lives in a thoroughly entertaining corner of K-dramaland. Gentle and straightforward, with just the right amount of goofiness, this is a show that chooses to see only the good in humankind. It makes excellent use of the culturally unique and emotionally charged concept of hanpuri to deliver a universally resonant story of forgiveness, healing, and love. When it comes to cosy ghost stories that are all about the heart, Phantom Lawyer will surely live on as a prime example of the genre.

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