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| Scenes from the 12th episode of tvN's "Signal" /Courtesy of tvN |
By Kwon Ji-youn
tvN's "Signal" set another ratings record on Saturday, breaking 10 percent with a startling turn of events in the 12th episode.
The story traveled back to 1999, when Lee Jae-han (played by Cho Jin-woong) was in the fictional city of Inju investigating a case involving the sexual assault of a middle-school aged girl by more than 10 schoolboys. The boys are sons of wealthy and powerful families who team up with the police to have another schoolboy set up.
The boy serves time in a juvenile facility and commits suicide when he leaves.
The narrative then fast-forwards to 2015, when Lee, who had been aware of the truth about the rape case, is found dead by fellow investigators Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo) and Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon), the younger brother of the schoolboy who served time for a crime he did not commit.
The case is based on a true story. At least 41 male high school students gang raped several middle school and high school girls over the course of 11 months in Miryang in 2004. The case provoked controversy due to police mistreatment of the victims and lenient handling of the offenders.
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