MBC’s courtroom thriller The Judge Returns continued its run with episodes 7 and 8, broadcast on January 23 and 24, 2026. Led by Ji Sung, Park Hee-soon, and Won Jin-ah, the drama follows the fall and rebirth of Judge Lee Han-yeong.
After crossing a powerful conglomerate tied to serious crimes, Han-yeong is murdered. But death is not the end. He wakes up a decade in the past, back in his younger body. With his future memories intact, he chooses to rewrite history, working from inside the legal system to expose corruption and bring the untouchable to justice.
The Judge Returns episodes 7-8 recap: Han-yeong blocks the mayor’s cover-up and sparks a power shift in the justice system
Episode 7 opens with the arrest of the main suspect in the sinkhole case. Judge Lee Han-yeong meets the victim’s father and assures him that justice will be served, revealing that he himself will preside over the case. The focus then shifts to the courtroom as the case is formally prepared for trial.
At the same time, the mayor’s past is exposed. Once a street thug, he rose to power with the help of an assemblyman connected to illegal slush funds. The assemblyman grows anxious that if the mayor goes to trial, the investigation could trace back to him. Fearing exposure, he warns the mayor to either get the case dismissed or force a settlement with the victims.
The mayor begins coercing everyone who filed appeals, including the father of the young man who died in the sinkhole accident. Han-yeong instructs the grieving father to go along with the mayor’s demands and sign the settlement. He promises to deal with the mayor directly in court. Trusting him, the father signs the settlement papers. This convinces the mayor and the eldest daughter of the Hanyang Law Firm — who is representing him — that the case will be dismissed.
Meanwhile, Kang Shin-jin investigates Han-yeong’s background. He discovers that Han-yeong grew up in a redeveloped district and learns about his father’s past arrest. Since Shin-jin once assisted in the verdict against Han-yeong’s father, he confronts him. Han-yeong acknowledges the truth but says he has moved on from the past.
Han-yeong then makes his next move against the Chief Justice. With Shin-jin’s cooperation, he initiates a stock manipulation investigation into the Chief Justice. He also leaks information to the prosecution about the Chief Justice’s daughter being a drug user and ensures Prosecutor Jin-ah is assigned to the case. Wanting to work with her, Han-yeong proposes a deal: he will help her arrest the Chief Justice’s daughter, and in return, she will help him take down the CEO of S Group — her real target. He also admits that he is behind what is happening to the Chief Justice.
Jin-ah is cautious and does not trust Han-yeong. However, when she suddenly receives official orders to arrest the daughter and sees the Chief Justice summoned and stripped of his position, she starts questioning how a newly transferred, low-profile judge could wield this much influence.
The mayor’s case then goes to court. His legal team argues that since all appellants signed a settlement, the case should be dismissed. But as part of Han-yeong’s plan, the victims submit an audio recording of the mayor’s men coercing the families into signing. Based on this evidence, Han-yeong orders further investigation, ensuring the case is not dismissed.
After this, Kang Shin-jin — who is also tied to the same assemblyman who made the mayor — grows wary as the situation escalates.
Shin-jin sends his men to kill the mayor, but Han-yeong and his ally arrive in time and save him, delivering him to the police. Shin-jin then murders the assemblyman himself. Afterward, he contacts Prosecutor Park Cheol-u and instructs him to kill him as well.
Shin-jin later calls Han-yeong and asks if he is working with Park Cheol-u. Han-yeong realizes Park Cheol-u is in danger and tells Shin-jin that his only goal is to bring down the judge who wrongfully imprisoned his father. Hearing this, Shin-jin orders his men not to kill Park Cheol-u. He promises to hand over that judge to Han-yeong later but instead decides to make him the next Chief Justice and tells Han-yeong to make his move after the appointment.
After the call ends, Han-yeong rushes to Park Cheol-u. Finding him alive, he asks him to immediately report the assemblyman’s murder to the police.
The next day, Prosecutor Jin-ah confronts Han-yeong again. She asks how a no-name judge who was just transferred to Seoul is shaking the entire justice system. Han-yeong admits someone powerful is backing these moves. He tells her that learning this person’s identity would put her life at risk and that she must go all the way to bring him down to know the truth. He does not reveal the name, which makes Jin-ah even more curious.
Meanwhile, after saving the mayor, Han-yeong and Park Cheol-u interrogate him. The mayor confesses everything about the illegal fund network and the sinkhole cover-up. In court, he is sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption and for his role in the deadly sinkhole case.
After justice is delivered, Han-yeong is summoned by Chief Judge Baek and his direct superior. They are concerned by how closely Han-yeong has been working with Kang Shin-jin and fear he may be aligning himself with Shin-jin’s side. They question him about his intentions, but Han-yeong does not reveal the truth, believing the timing is not right yet.
Disappointed by his silence, Chief Judge Baek tells Han-yeong that their friendship is over. Han-yeong leaves without arguing, only saying that they will meet again.
With that tense confrontation, episodes 7 and 8 of The Judge Returns come to an end.
The Judge Returns airs on MBC every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 p.m. KST. Episodes 9 and 10 are set to broadcast on January 30 and 31, 2026. The series is also available on Viki.
Edited by Adrija Chakraborty
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