"Judge Lee Han-young" PD, "President Park Kwang-to = Do you think of President Mo?" "Who are you aiming for? No" [an interview with]

*This content was translated by AI.

Producer Lee Jae-jin told the overall story of Judge Lee Han-young.

Producer Lee Jae-jin recently held an interview at the MBC M Lounge in Sangam, Mapo-gu, Seoul, about the end of MBC's Friday-Saturday drama "Judge Lee Han-young" (played by Kim Kwang-min, director Lee Jae-jin, and Park Mi-yeon).

"Judge Lee Han-young" is a return-to-justice drama in which Lee Han-young, a deep-rooted judge who lived as a slave at a huge law firm and returned to 10 years ago, punishes major evil with a new choice. It is based on a work of the same name with 10.75 million views of the original web novel, 10.191 million views of the webtoon, and a total of 110 million views. Director Park Mi-yeon and writer Kim Kwang-min, as well as director Lee Jae-jin of "The Banker," "The Spy Who Loved Me," and "Motel California," joined forces.

Judge Lee Han-young, which opened MBC's Friday-Saturday drama in 2026, broke its own highest ratings in each episode and recorded a maximum viewership of 13.5% in the ninth episode on January 30. "Judge Lee Han-young" hit global viewers' tastes by topping the 20th place in TVing's "Today's TOP," ranking first in four major Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand, and ranking first in the Disney+ Japan chart. "Judge Lee Han-young" was evaluated as a "luxury genre" beyond a simple "court" as well as maintaining the No. 1 spot in the Friday-Saturday drama, and ended with 14 episodes on the 14th amid enthusiastic responses from viewers.

In the play, Ji Sung played the role of Lee Han-young, a "red-down judge" who claims to be a "humming judge" of a Haenal law firm because of his humble background and makes rulings that suit the taste of the law firm while pursuing the darkness of power. Park Hee-soon plays Kang Shin-jin, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, who shakes a Haenal law firm in his hand, and Won Jin-ah plays Kim Jin-ah, the prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, who is sharpening his sword for revenge against the man who drove his father to death.

-How was the drama "Judge Lee Han-young" different from the original webtoon and web novel.

▶In the webtoon, the characteristics of the good and the bad were intuitive, but in the drama, it was hard to see right away, so I tried to make it easier to understand the character in other ways. It approached viewers to easily accept complicated events.

-There is an opinion that SBS's "Model Taxi," which was a competition at the same time, and the vehicle action scene gave some similar feelings.

▶I didn't take it with that in mind in advance, but the genre may be because it shows the villain being punished. At the time of filming, we didn't even know that the broadcast would be aired because we faced a "model taxi."

-How did the original writers react to the drama 'Judge Lee Han-young'?

▶I didn't receive any direct response from the author, but I was glad that it went well.

-What is the target audience rating for the last broadcast of "Judge Lee Hanyoung"?

▶I want to exceed 15% (laughs)

-I wonder if Kang Shin-jin is a villain and is glamorized in the play.

▶ Kang Shin-jin thought that there should be charm because he should be against Lee Han-young while being at the opposite point of Lee Han-young. Kang Shin-jin is easily deceived by Lee Han-young, because Kang Shin-jin resembles and touches Lee Han-young. Kang Shin-jin thought of Lee Han-young as his successor and drew him humanely.

-Regarding the character, President Park Kwang-to (played by Son Byeong-ho), there are also reactions that the real president comes to mind.

▶We were wary of a politically expanded interpretation, but each person may come to mind differently. Sometimes when I'm curious about the reaction, I say, "This is about someone," but they don't gather in one place. I thought they were having a frostbite dream in each other's camp. We didn't make it for anyone.

-Some question whether the character Yoo Se-hee (Oh Se-young) should have reunited with Lee Han-young in Lee Han-young's welfare.

▶I was glad that there were many reactions that liked the character. Korean dramas used to be "gi-seung-jeon-romance," but these days, I thought it would be okay to show it in a situation where romance is lacking a lot. In the original, Yoo Se-hee's character was popular, so I thought I should not disappoint her in the drama. I was grateful that actor Oh Se-young, a rookie, acted well. The scene with Yoo Se-hee and Lee Han-young did more rehearsals. I wanted the viewers to get a little excited in this romance.

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*This content was translated by AI.