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MBC kicks off 2026 with " The Judge Returns" a legal thriller in which Ji Sung plays Lee Han-young, a corrupt judge who, after living under the thumb of a powerful law firm, suddenly finds himself thrown ten years into the past. This second chance becomes a veritable rebirth for him: rather than repeat his mistakes, this time he chooses to take on the powerful and punish the injustices he once spared.
Three new posters have just been unveiledeach revealing an essential aspect of the moral war that is shaping up between Lee Han-young and those around him.
Light versus darkness: a duel between two visions of justice
The first poster features a chilling face-off between Lee Han-young and Kang Shin-jin (Park Hee-soon), an ambitious judge who will do anything to rise to the pinnacle of power. The two men turn their backs in opposite directions: a symbolic image to illustrate their divergent paths.
Since his return to the past, Han-young has been on the side of light, determined to repair what he has destroyed. Shin-jin, on the other hand, is bathed in darkness, a metaphor for his unscrupulous rise. The poster announces an ideological confrontation in which each claims to defend "true" justice... but not with the same definition.
The second poster introduces Kim Jin-ah (Won Jin-ah), a prosecutor seeking revenge for her father. Although she meets Lee Han-young under unfavorable circumstances, their goals eventually align, forcing them to form a fragile but necessary alliance.
In the image, they look in the same direction, motionless, draped in light colors symbolizing their shared quest for "good". Conversely, Kang Shin-jin appears in dark clothing, his gaze averted, threatened by the darkness he himself nurtures.
A judge determined to rewrite his destiny
The final poster focuses on Lee Han-young himself, back in his magistrate's robes. A slight smile, a confident look, and that characteristic gesture when he adjusts his glasses: all evoke a man ready to face the truth... and strike hard where he once closed his eyes.
His return to the past is not just a miracle, but a promise: this time, he'll really punish the culprits, whoever they are.
The Judge Returns will make its debut on January 2, 2026 (no international broadcaster yet) and is already shaping up to be one of the most intense legal thrillers of the new year.
