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.
Contents
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.
Kim Tae-woo as Baek Yi-seok: Chief Judge of South Chungcheong District Court.
Kim Byeong-chun as Lim Jeong-sik: Criminal judge of Chungcheong District Court.
Jung Hee-tae as Kim Ji-han: Chief Judge of the Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court.
Jang Jae-ho as Kim Yun-hyeok: Judge in Chungcheong District Court.
Son Byung-ho as Park Kwang-to: Former President.
Ahn Nae-sang as Yoo Seon-cheol: President of Haenal Law.
Heo Hyung-gyu 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.
Kim Beop-rae as Jang Tae-sik
Kim Byeong-ki as Jang Yong-hyun
Jong Jae-seong 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 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 as a judge Hwang
Lee Je-yeon as Park Hyeok-jun
Jang Hee-ryung as Kim Ga-yeong
Park Kyung-lim as herself
Park Jeong-hak as Um Jun-ho
Shin Hyun-jong as Heo Dong-ki
Jeon Jin-ki as Woo Kyo-hun
Choi Hong-il 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.
