Episode 6 of 'Labor Attorney Noh Mu Jin' is gaining widespread praise for its emotional portrayal of janitorial workers standing up to workplace abuse and institutional injustice.
Aired on June 14, the episode follows labor attorney Noh Mu Jin (played by Jung Kyung Ho) and his team—Na Hee Joo (Seol In Ah) and Go Kyun Woo (Cha Hak Yeon)—as they support university janitors who are subjected to degrading treatment. The workers are forced to take an irrelevant “liberal arts exam,” and when they resist, they face humiliation from the administration and indifference from students.
The emotional peak of the episode comes when Mu Jin and the janitors crash the exam room. In a powerful moment, the workers confront the administrator and sing the school anthem in protest. The scene, live-streamed by Mu Jin's team, reached the episode’s highest viewership rating at 6.3%, according to Nielsen Korea.
This storyline is earning attention for mirroring a tragic real-life case from 2021 at Seoul National University, where a janitor died after being overworked in a toxic environment. The worker had submitted repeated complaints that were allegedly ignored. In March 2024, the court ruled in favor of the worker’s family, ordering the university to pay damages for its role in the worker’s deteriorating health due to excessive stress and poor labor conditions.
Through this episode, 'Labor Attorney Noh Mu Jin' shines a light on the often-ignored struggles of essential workers. “The more we retreat and yield, the louder their voices become,” says Mu Jin in a scene that struck a chord with viewers. “We have to speak up—even if it’s too late.”
The series continues to earn acclaim for blending humor, heart, and social commentary while addressing serious labor issues.
'Labor Attorney Noh Mu Jin' airs every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m. KST on MBC.
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