The Judge Returns
| The Judge Returns | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 판사 이한영 |
| RR | Pansa I Hanyeong |
| MR | P'ansa I Hanyŏng |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Judge Lee Han-young by Lee Hae-nal |
| Written by | Kim Kwang-min |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Hwang Jun-young |
| Producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes[1] |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | MBC TV |
The Judge Returns (Korean: 판사 이한영) is an upcoming South Korean television series starring Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-ah. It is scheduled to premiere on MBC TV on January 2, 2026, and will air every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).[2]
Synopsis
A legal drama about just judge Lee Han-young, who cries out, "Let's not judge others' lives as we please," regains consciousness after an unjust death and returns to the past to punish the wrongdoers and change his fate.
Cast
Main
- Ji Sung as Lee Han-young: Judge of the South Chungcheong District Court.[3]
- Park Hee-soon as Kang Shin-jin: A senior criminal judge at the Seoul Central District Court.[3]
- Won Jin-ah as Kim Jin-ah: A public prosecutor in the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.[4]
- Baek Jin-hee as Song Na-yeon: A reporter with a strong sense of justice, working in the legal affairs department of the Daejin Ilbo newspaper.[5]
Supporting
- Tae Won-seok as Seok Jeong-ho[6]
- Hwang Hee as Park Chul-woo[7]
court people
- Kim Tae-woo as Baek Yi-seok: Chief Judge of South Chungcheong District Court[8]
- Kim Byeong-chun as Lim Jeong-sik: criminal judge of Chungnam District Court[9]
Kang Shin-jin's People around
- Jung Hee-tae as Kim Ji-han: Chief Judge of the Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court[10]
- Jang Jae-ho as Kim Yun-hyeok: Judge in Chungnam District Court[11]
Haenal Law Firm
- Ahn Nae-sang as Yoo Seon-cheol: President of Haenal Law[2]
- Oh Se-young as Yoo Se-hee: Han-young's ex-wife, the youngest daughter of President Yoo Seon-chul[12]
- Heo Hyung-gyu as Yoo Jin-kwang: The eldest son of Haenal Law[9]
- Baek Seung-hee as Yu Ha-na: The eldest daughter of President Yoo Seon-cheol[9]
S Group
- Kim Beop-rae as Jang Tae-sik[2]
- Kim Byeong-ki as Jang Yong-hyun[9]
Lee Han-young's family and neighbors
- Jong Jae-seong as Lee Bong-sook[13]
- Hwang Young-hee as Shin Nam-sook[9]
- Seong Byeong-sook as Park Mal-rye[9]
- Im Yul-ri as Han na-young[9]
Production
The series is based on the Naver Webtoon of the same name, created by Lee Hae-nal. It is directed by Lee Jae-jin, whose credits include The Third Marriage (2024) and Motel California (2025), and written by Kim Kwang-min. It is produced by OH Story, Slingshot Studio.[3]
On June 17, 2025, the main cast was confirmed as Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah, and Park Hee-sung. Filming was announced to begin on that day.[3] Baek Jin-hee joined the main cast on August 27, 2025.[5]
References
- ^ 판사 이한영 [The Judge Returns]. Watch CJENM. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c Kim, Ji-hye (November 12, 2025). ‘판사 이한영’, 내년 MBC 드라마 포문…지성X박희순X원진아 시너지 ['Judge Lee Han-young', the MBC drama of next year... Synergy between Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-a]. Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved November 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Lee, Joon-soo (June 17, 2025). '판사 이한영' 지성X박희순X원진아, 안방극장 접수 나섰다 ['Judge Lee Han-young' Ji Sung X Park Hee-soon X Won Jin-ah take over the living room theater.]. etnews (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-09-26 – via Naver.
- ^ Yoon, Seok-yeol (March 6, 2025). [단독]원진아, 첫 지상파 여주 꿰찼다..지성과 '판사 이한영' 캐스팅 [[Exclusive] Won Jin-ah lands her first terrestrial TV lead role... Cast alongside Ji Sung in "Judge Lee Han-young."]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved September 27, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ a b Ahn, Byeong-gil (August 27, 2025). 백진희, 새 금토극 ‘판사 이한영’ 출연···지성과 호흡 [Baek Jin-hee to star in new Friday-Saturday drama "Judge Lee Han-young" alongside Ji Sung]. kyunghyang (in Korean). Retrieved September 27, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Kim, Ye-eun (October 2, 2025). 태원석, '판사 이한영' 합류…지성과 연기 호흡 [Tae Won-seok joins "Judge Lee Han-young" and collaborates with Ji Sung.]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved October 2, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Han, Ho-joo (August 5, 2025). ‘판사 이한영’ 황희, 지성과 믿고 보는 케미 예고! [Judge Lee Han-young's Hwang Hee and Ji Sung's trustworthy chemistry is on display!]. bntnews. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Jung, Min-kyung (October 29, 2025). 김태우, '판사 이한영' 출연 확정…지성 조력자 된다 '몰입감 ↑' [Kim Tae-woo confirmed to appear in "Judge Lee Han-young" as Ji-sung's assistant, further increasing immersion.]. Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved October 29, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ a b c d e f g 판사 이한영 | 만나면 좋은 친구 MBC [Judge Lee Han-young - Character Introduction]. MBC (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-12-05.
- ^ Geom, Bich-na (November 14, 2025). 정희태, MBC ‘판사 이한영’ 출연...대법관 김진한役 ‘지성과 대립각’ [공식] [Jeong Hee-tae to appear on MBC's "Judge Lee Han-young"... Playing Supreme Court Justice Kim Jin-han, a standoff with Ji Sung [Official]]. MK Sports (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Yoo, Jung-min (November 25, 2025). 장재호, MBC '판사 이한영' 합류…지성 라이벌 된다 [장재호, MBC '판사 이한영' 합류…지성 라이벌 된다]. MBC Entertainment News (in Korean). Retrieved November 25, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ Lee, Na-yeon (July 29, 2025). 오세영, ‘전남편’ 지성과 호흡..MBC 새 드라마 ‘판사 이한영’ 주연 발탁[공식] [Oh Se-young stars alongside ex-husband Ji Sung in new MBC drama "Judge Lee Han-young." [Official]]. osen.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- ^ Geom, Bich-na (November 14, 2025). 정재성, MBC 새 금토극 ‘판사 이한영’ 캐스팅...지성 아버지된다 [Jung Jae-sung cast in MBC's new Friday-Saturday drama "Judge Lee Han-young"... becoming Ji-sung's father.]. MK Sports (in Korean). Retrieved November 14, 2025 – via Naver.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- The Judge Returns at IMDb
- The Judge Returns at HanCinema