The Judge Returns
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The Judge Returns (Korean: 판사 이한영) is a 2026 South Korean television series based on the Naver series of the same name by Lee Hae-nal and starring Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-ah. It aired on MBC TV from January 2 to February 14, 2026, every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Wavve and TVING in South Korea, and HBO Max in selected regions.
Synopsis
A legal drama about an unjust judge Lee Han-young, who cries out, "Let's not judge others' lives as we please," regains consciousness after an untimely 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.
- Park Hee-soon as Kang Shin-jin: A senior criminal judge at the Seoul Central District Court.
- Won Jin-ah as Kim Jin-ah: A public prosecutor in the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.
- Tae Won-seok as Seok Jeong-ho: Han Young's best supporter and friend.
- 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.
- Oh Se-young as Yoo Se-hee: Han-young's ex-wife, the youngest daughter of President Yoo Seon-cheol.
- Hwang Hee as Park Chul-woo: A public prosecutor in the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.
Court people
- Kim Tae-woo as Baek Yi-seok: Chief Judge of South Chungcheong District Court.
- Kim Byeong-chun[ko] as Lim Jeong-sik: Criminal judge of Chungcheong District Court.
People around Kang Shin-jin
- Jung Hee-tae as Kim Ji-han: Chief Judge of the Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court.
- Jang Jae-ho[ko] as Kim Yun-hyeok: Judge in Chungcheong District Court.
- Son Byung-ho as Park Kwang-to: Former President.
Haenal Law Firm
- Ahn Nae-sang as Yoo Seon-cheol: President of Haenal Law.
- Heo Hyung-gyu[ko] as Yoo Jin-kwang: The eldest son of Haenal Law.
- Baek Seung-hee as Yu Ha-na: The eldest daughter of President Yoo Seon-cheol.
S Group
- Kim Beop-rae[ko] as Jang Tae-sik
- Kim Byeong-ki as Jang Yong-hyun
Lee Han-young's family and neighbors
- Jong Jae-seong[ko] as Lee Bong-sook
- Hwang Young-hee as Shin Nam-sook
- Seong Byeong-sook as Park Mal-rye
- Im Yul-ri as Han na-young
Special appearances
- Kim Dong-jun as Prosecutor Kang
- Kim Song-il[ko] as Choi Jong-hak
- Bae In-hyuk as Kim Sang-jin: serial killer who was sentenced to death by Lee Han-young
- Kim Myoung-su[ko] as a judge Hwang
- Lee Je-yeon[ko] as Park Hyeok-jun
- Jang Hee-ryung as Kim Ga-yeong
- Park Kyung-lim as herself
- Park Jeong-hak[ko] as Um Jun-ho
- Shin Hyun-jong[ko] as Heo Dong-ki
- Jeon Jin-ki[ko] as Woo Kyo-hun
- Choi Hong-il[ko] as Lee Chang-hyo
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.
On June 17, 2025, the main cast was confirmed as Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah, and Park Hee-soon. Filming was announced to begin on that day. Baek Jin-hee joined the main cast on August 27, 2025.
Viewership
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | |||
| 1 | 0.829 | 0.806 | 1.032 | 1.138 | 1.783 | 2.125 | 2.109 | 2.047 | 2.449 | 1.992 | 2.354 | 2.167 | 2.375 | 2.369 | 1.827 |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | January 2, 2026 | 4.3% (12th) | 4.1% (11th) |
| 2 | January 3, 2026 | 4.4% (12th) | 4.2% (13th) |
| 3 | January 9, 2026 | 5.8% (7th) | 6.2% (6th) |
| 4 | January 10, 2026 | 5.8% (5th) | 5.9% (4th) |
| 5 | January 16, 2026 | 10.0% (1st) | 10.1% (1st) |
| 6 | January 17, 2026 | 11.0% (2nd) | 11.4% (2nd) |
| 7 | January 23, 2026 | 11.4% (1st) | 12.0% (1st) |
| 8 | January 24, 2026 | 10.8% (2nd) | 10.8% (2nd) |
| 9 | January 30, 2026 | 13.5% (1st) | 14.7% (1st) |
| 10 | January 31, 2026 | 10.9% (2nd) | 11.7% (2nd) |
| 11 | February 6, 2026 | 13.2% (1st) | 14.2% (1st) |
| 12 | February 7, 2026 | 11.5% (2nd) | 12.1% (2nd) |
| 13 | February 13, 2026 | 13.6% (1st) | 14.9% (1st) |
| 14 | February 14, 2026 | 12.8% (2nd) | 13.2% (2nd) |
| Average | 9.9% | 10.4% | |
| In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. |
Accolades
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2026 | Best Actor | Ji Sung | Pending |