"Judge Lee Han-young" PD, "Happy ending = something natural for justice.."The writer wrote it with Season 2 in mind from the beginning." [Interview 3]

*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.

-There was an issue that the timing of the organization of "Judge Lee Han-young" was delayed.

▶ As a result, it was aired at the beginning of this year. At first, I received an order for the first broadcast on November 18th last year, but the broadcast date was delayed. Thanks to this, there were more filming in the second half, so I was able to pay more attention to the finishing of the back.

-Since the work went well, do you have any plans for a reward vacation for the actors.

▶Since it was pre-produced, actors and staff are scattered, so I wonder if it is possible to take a reward vacation. I don't think that's what I can answer for now.

-Judge Lee Han-young had to compete with a number of OTT works that have increased rapidly these days.

▶In the end, I think, "If it's fun, I'll watch it." These days, how much more you look for it seems to be more important than the ratings, but we wanted to produce results that would satisfy us that much.

-What if you could give us a tip about the last episode of "Judge Lee Han-young"?

▶Of course, justice must be achieved, so I think it should be a 'happy ending'. I'm worried that the development is getting faster, but part 13 is particularly interesting. Our drama will not end in vain or upset. The writer wants to go to season 2 from the beginning, so he may leave room.

-What was the charm of "Judge Lee Han-young".

▶Everyone acted well, so I think they didn't leave and kept watching. Judge Lee Han-young was a fantasy hero and wanted to show it in a bright and cheerful way, but the actors played the character well in that part. I think it was fun to see the chemistry of the characters. Ji Sung was also so famous. When we were casting, we wanted to try out a character that was the opposite of the image we knew before. Actor Kim Tae-woo was recognized by viewers as an actor who was good at acting evil, so he casted him as a good actor. Actor Tae Won-seok showed a delicate performance hidden by his physicality, and actor Baek Jin-hee showed a mature appearance while having the freshness of the past, and a quiet but bright appearance. Wonjin, the actor also wants to try a strong acting because he's a melodrama. When I saw Won Jin-ah, I felt a lot of 'small giant'. Oh Se-young was very good at her previous work, but as expected, she was good. There were only actors to praise, so I thought, 'I'm the only one who needs to do well.'

-What do you think it takes to make a successful drama in a broadcasting company.

▶The biggest thing is the budget. When I entered MBC in the past, 400 to 500 million won was spent on one episode, and 8 billion masterpieces and 10 billion masterpieces were made. At that time, advertising made money. I know that the production cost of "20th Century Grand Prince Lady" (which will be aired on MBC this year) is also high, but now the budget is not easy even if I say, "This drama must be done." First, there are not many dramas that start by creating a profit structure. Fortunately, our drama doesn't seem to have a big deficit. There will be no drama that is 100% successful because there are many lucks such as programming. It's the same with movies. In the current media environment, broadcasters seem to have too little money. I have to make a way to keep the profit somehow, but I don't know how to do it. Anyway, it is true that the industry is in a difficult situation, and there are fears about the future. Korean viewers think that "dramas are all free," but in fact, the drama station is the most popular place in broadcasters. Drama plays a role in promoting K-culture, but it doesn't seem to return to money exactly. We need to think about making this industry work well.

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*This content was translated by AI.