bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Pierce Conran

Lead cast: Park Shin-hye, Kim Jae-young, Kim In-kwon
Latest Nielsen rating: 9.3 per cent
A judge from hell gets her own taste of damnation when she is condemned to rise to the world of the living in the thoroughly enjoyable legal thriller The Judge from Hell, starring Park Shin-hye (Doctor Slump).
Park plays Kang Bit-na, a judge from the Seoul District Court who is stabbed by an unknown assailant in a park on a snowy night. After being compelled to walk through an ominous portal, she finds herself in a court of the underworld presided over by the demon Justicia (Oh Na-ra).


This court is reserved exclusively for murderers and Bit-na, as a victim of murder, is not among them. Nevertheless, the impatient Justicia condemns Bit-na for her impertinence, brands her with her devil stamp and sends her to Gehenna (in the Bible a place similar to Hades).
None too pleased by this is the head of the underworld, Bael (Shin Sung-rok), who appears before Justicia and forces her to atone for her mistake by sending her to the world of humans in the form of Bit-na, where she must track down and kill 10 unrepentant murderers in a year.
As Bit-na, Justicia awakes in a hospital and has a brief conference with a group of bemused doctors during which she claims that she is a demon.
She plays along and assumes the robes of the Seoul District Court, with her trusty assistant Valak by her side in the form of court clerk Koo Man-do (Kim In-kwon).

Fond of guzzling cans of cola and getting things over and done with, Bit-na rushes through her court cases to give her time to pursue her real work – identifying murderers and earning her ticket back to hell.
The first case of hers we see is that of police detective Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young, Love in Contract), who is on trial for attacking a knife-wielding suspect.
Bit-na sees right through the prosecution’s claims of excessive use of force and makes a mockery of them, and of the court to boot, with her devil-may-care attitude, before tossing the case out before lunch.
Mistaking her judgment as a sign of moral steadfastness, Da-on attempts to thank Bit-na before she speeds off in her red sports car.

Before the day is out the pair meet again, after Bit-na confronts Cha Min-jeong (Park Jung-yeon), who has been coerced into writing a letter seeking a pardon for her boyfriend, who is charged with committing domestic abuse.
Naturally, the police officer in charge of Min-jeong’s case is the righteous and handsome Da-on, who wants her vile boyfriend, Moon Jeong-hun (Jang Do-ha), put behind bars.
Bit-na is the judge in Jeong-hun’s case, and while she knows that he could kill Min-jeong if he is not handed a prison sentence, it is precisely for this reason that she lets him off with a fine. She wants him to kill Min-jeong, since this would give her the chance to kill him and be one notch closer to hell.
This is a pretty grim premise, but part of the fun of The Judge from Hell is seeing how the narrative avoids such as scenario. Bit-na may be a demon, but this is a Korean drama series and she is played by star actress Park. She may start out bad, but she sure as hell is not going to end up that way.

The actress may share top billing for The Judge From Hell with Kim Jae-young, but make no mistake – this is Park’s show through and through. With her dyed red hair, Chanel suits and collection of luxury handbags, she slinks around the courthouse like a tiger in the jungle, relaxed but ready to attack at a moment’s notice.
She delivers a formidable performance, oozing confidence and showing a keen sense of comic timing. Indeed, Park so dominates the screen that her co-stars have few opportunities to make an impression. Can anyone go toe to toe with her? Only time will tell.
This is the first Korean drama series directed by veteran filmmaker Park Jin-pyo. Active since the early 2000s, Park is known for films such as You Are My Sunshine, Voice of a Murderer and Closer to Heaven.
He stumbled recently with the action comedy Brave Citizen, a vehicle for Shin Hye-sun’s talents, but has returned to form quickly with The Judge from Hell, which is bouncy, stylish and shows a strong command of tone and pacing.

With nine more souls to claim, Bit-na has a long road ahead of her, and that is good news for viewers at home watching her devilish exploits.
The Judge from Hell is streaming on Disney+.
Headlines were written with the help of artificial intelligence.


Disney+ K-drama The Fiery Priest season 2: Kim Nam-gil beats up sinners in action comedy

Disney+ K-drama Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born midseason recap – Kim Tae-ri’s musical triumph

Netflix K-drama Mr. Plankton review: Woo Do-hwan, Lee Yoo-mi in disjointed road trip drama

Netflix K-drama A Virtuous Business midseason recap: Kim So-yeon challenges sexual mores

Korean drama reviews

In Disney+ K-drama The Judge from Hell, Park Shin-hye lords over court with devilish charm

Park Shin-hye as Kang Bit-na in a still from The Judge from Hell, a Korean drama series streaming on Disney+.

Park Shin-hye as Bit-na in a still from The Judge from Hell.

Kim Jae-young as exonerated police detective Han Da-on in a still from The Judge from Hell.

Park Shin-hye as judge Kang Bit-na in a still from The Judge from Hell.

7 of the best new K-dramas to watch in September 2024, including The Judge from Hell

Park Shin-hye in a still from The Judge from Hell, one of seven new K-dramas to watch this September.

Blackpink’s Jisoo eyed for Monthly Boyfriend and more Korean drama casting news

Blackpink member Jisoo has been offered a part in the upcoming K-drama romcom Monthly Boyfriend. Photo: Reuters

Blackpink member Jisoo has been offered a part in the upcoming K-drama romcom Monthly Boyfriend. Other Korean drama casting news includes Song Kang-ho confirmed for Inside Men, and Lee Jong-suk considering a role in Seochodong. Photo: Reuters

Seo In-guk in a still from Death’s Game. Photo: Tving

Lee Jong-suk in a still from Big Mouth. Photo: Disney+

Song Kang-ho in a still from Uncle Samsik. Photo: Disney+

Cho Seung-woo (left) and Lee Byung-hun in a still from the 2015 film Inside Men.

Roh Jeong-eui in a still from Hierarchy. Photo: Netflix

Amazon Prime K-drama No Gain No Love midseason recap: Kim Young-dae, Shin Min-a get closer

Shin Min-a and Kim Young-dae as sham newlyweds Son Hae-young and Kim Ji-wook in a still from No Gain No Love. Things are getting serious between the main characters in this unusual office romance K-drama, as they find themselves at closer quarters than expected.

Shin Min-a as Son Hae-young and Kim Young-dae as Kim Ji-wook in a still from No Gain No Love.

Shin Min-a as Son Hae-young in a still from No Gain No Love.

Kim Young-dae as Kim Ji-wook in a still from No Gain No Love.

Shin Min-a as Son Hae-young and Kim Young-dae as Kim Ji-wook in a still from No Gain No Love. It seems as though the pair’s wedding of convenience may not be a sham for much longer.

Netflix K-drama Love Next Door midseason recap: Jung So-min, Jung Hae-in outshone

Jung So-min as Baek Seok-ryu in a still from Netflix drama Love Next Door.

Jung Hae-in as Choi Seung-hyo (left) and Jung So-min as Baek Seok-ryu in a still from Netflix drama Love Next Door. Kim Ji-eun and Yoon Ji-on co-star.

Jung Hae-in as Choi Seung-hyo in a still from Love Next Door.

Jung So-min as Baek Seok-ryu in a still from Love Next Door.

Netflix K-drama Romance in the House review: relatable cocktail of comedy and family drama

Ji Jin-hee (left) as Moo-jin and Kim Ji-soo as the ex-wife he is challenged to woo again in a still from Netflix Korean drama series Romance in the House.

Choi Min-ho as unwitting corporate heir Nam Tae-pyeong in a still from Romance in the House.

Kim Ji-soo as Moo-jin’s ex-wife, Geum Ae-yeong, in a still from Romance in the House.

Son Na-eun as Moo-jin’s daughter Mi-rae in a still from Romance in the House.

Ji Jin-hee (left) as Moo-jin and Yoon San-ha as his wastrel son Byeon Hyeon-jae in a still from Romance in the House.

Lifestyle

K-Pop

K-drama

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Park is formidable as a judge from hell sent to Earth in the body of a slain judge on a quest to kill 10 murderers and return to Hades


Park is formidable as a judge from hell sent to Earth in the body of a slain judge on a quest to kill 10 murderers and return to Hades.
