Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-ah stand face to face in a single courtroom. Even a single exchange of glances is enough to shake the balance of power.
Set to premiere on January 2, MBC’s new Friday–Saturday drama The Judge Returns is a reincarnation courtroom series that follows Lee Han-young, a corrupt judge who once lived as a puppet of a powerful law firm, as he returns ten years into the past and seeks to punish absolute evil through new choices.
On January 1, one day ahead of the premiere, the production team unveiled stills capturing the tense confrontation between Ji Sung as Lee Han-young, Park Hee-soon as Kang Shin-jin, and Won Jin-ah as Kim Jin-ah, heightening anticipation. The trio’s distinct presence immediately draws attention, signaling a new horizon for the reincarnation courtroom genre.
In the series, Lee Han-young is a judge who willingly served as a “servant judge” for the Haenal Law Firm, submitting to the logic of power. Choosing desire over justice, he became a symbol of judicial corruption by delivering verdicts tailored to the firm’s interests. Controlling him from above is Chief Justice Kang Shin-jin, a man who cloaks his convictions as justice while relentlessly committing wrongdoing in pursuit of greater power. Prosecutor Kim Jin-ah, who is chasing the truth behind her father’s death, becomes entangled with them, forming a sharp triangular dynamic around a single case.
In the released stills, Han-young, Shin-jin, and Jin-ah emanate a quiet yet lethal tension within the same courtroom. The unspoken exchange of gazes alone amplifies suspense, raising questions about what has brought them together. Han-young’s cold, unflinching stare in particular underscores his image as a ruthless judge and foreshadows the fate ahead.
The addition of Kim Dong-jun and Bae In-hyuk further adds to the intrigue. Kim Dong-jun plays Prosecutor Kang, who works alongside Kim Jin-ah, while Bae In-hyuk takes on the role of Kim Sang-jin, an attempted theft suspect harboring secrets, signaling a weighty presence.
Who will ultimately deliver judgment in a courtroom where power, justice, and revenge collide. The Judge Returns premieres on January 2 at 9:40 p.m. on MBC.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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