Korean television drama
Korean television dramas (Korean: 한국드라마; Hanja: 韓國드라마; RR: han-guk deurama), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. Korean dramas are popular worldwide, partially due to the spread of Korean popular culture (the "Korean Wave"), and their widespread availability via streaming services which often offer subtitles in multiple languages. Many K-dramas have been adapted throughout the world, and some have had great impact on other countries.[1] Some of the most famous dramas have been broadcast via traditional television channels in other countries. For example, Dae Jang Geum (2003) was sold to 91 countries.
Format
South Korea started to broadcast television series in the 1960s. In the 1990s, traditional historical series transformed into the present miniseries format, creating the notion of fusion sageuks.
A single director usually leads Korean dramas, which are often written by a single screenwriter. This often leads to each drama having distinct directing and dialogue styles. This differs from American television series, which can rely on multiple directors and writers working together.[2]
Series set in contemporary times typically run for a single season and usually contain 12 to 24 episodes of 60 minutes each. Historical series may be longer, with up to 200 episodes, but they also generally run for only one season. This differs from American television series, where the first season does not have a definitive end as the plot is being setup to last for multiple seasons.
The broadcast time for drama series has been 22:00 to 23:00, with episodes airing on two consecutive nights: Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, or weekends. Most of these drama series appear on each of the nationwide networks: Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and on the cable channels, including Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (JTBC), Channel A, Total Variety Network (TVN), and Orion Cinema Network (OCN). Some of drama series might turn into seasonal serials just like famous American weekday drama series.
The 19:00 to 20:00 evening time slot usually have been reserved for daily dramas, which run every night from Monday through Friday. Dramas in these slots are in the telenovela format, rarely running over 200 episodes. Unlike American soap operas, these daily dramas are not broadcast during the daytime. Instead, the daytime schedule often includes reruns of the flagship dramas. The night time dailies can achieve very high ratings. During late 2000s, for example, not only the weekend series First Wives' Club recorded 41.3%, according to TNS Korea,[3] and also the evening series Temptation of Wife peaked at 40.6%, according to TNS Korea.[4] During early 2010s, as side footnote, KBS1 Weekend Household Opera serials for family like Please Marry Me, Ojakgyo Family, My Husband Got a Family, Wang's Family, and What Happens to My Family? gained such a popularity, reputation and influence.
Many Korean dramas follow the live-shoot model and thus are usually shot within a very tight schedule, sometimes finishing just a few hours before actual broadcast. Screenplays are flexible and may change anytime during production, depending on viewers' feedback, which can be difficult for production teams.
Plots and storylines
K-dramas have a multitude of different genres such as action dramas, historical dramas, school dramas, medical dramas, legal dramas, or even horror comedies. While most dramas carry romantic elements and deep emotional themes there are different styles & tones.[5]
The main themes of Korean television dramas are friendship, family values, and love, blending traditional values of Confucianism with Western materialism and individualism.[6]
However, it is an emerging trend amongst Korean dramas to showcase ongoing societal issues of Korean society such as stigma of mental illness,[7] gender inequality, suicide , classism, bullying, spy cameras, corruption, homophobia or racism.[8][9]
Historical
The term sageuk refers to any Korean television or film drama that is either based on historical figures, incorporates historical events, or uses a historical backdrop. While sageuk literally translates to "historical drama", the term is typically reserved for dramas taking place throughout the course of Korean history.[10]
Since the mid-2000s, some sageuks have achieved major success outside of Korea, such as Asia-Pacific, Central Asia, Greater Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America.[11] Sageuks including Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace), Yi San and Jumong enjoyed strong ratings and high satisfaction ratings in countries such Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Fiji and Iran. Jumong, which aired on IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) in 2008, had 85% viewership.[12]
Romance
Often centered around a love story, series set in contemporary times often focus on family ties and romantic relationships. Characters are mostly idealized with Korean male protagonists described as handsome, intelligent, emotional, and in search of "one true love". This has also been a contributing factor to the popularity of Korean dramas among women, as the image of Korean men became differentiated from that of other Asian men.[2][13][14][15] The romantic tension typically "is built up so expertly that it is more emotionally resonant when the main couple finally hold hands halfway through the series than when a full-blown bedroom scene happens in an American series". Also due to Korea's puritanical culture, "love scenes rarely progress past kissing" and "even seeing a Deep tongue kiss in a Korean drama is newsworthy".[16]
Story progress and second lead syndrome
The romance in Korean dramas is slow and develops as the story progresses. The romance in most Korean dramas involve love triangle which usually includes two handsome men and one pretty woman. In this case viewers sometimes develops a "second lead syndrome" which is a term to describe when the viewer wishes the protagonist would choose the second lead over the main guy although you know that's not going to happen.
History
Early years
Radio broadcasting, including the broadcasting of radio dramas in Korea, began in 1927 under Japanese rule, with most programming in Japanese and around 30% in Korean.[18] After the Korean War, radio dramas such as Cheongsilhongsil (1954) reflected the country's mood.[19]
Television broadcasting began in 1956 with the launch of an experimental station, HLKZ-TV, which was shut down a few years later due to a fire. The first national television channel was Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), which started up in 1961.[20] The first Korean television film was a 15-minute piece titled The Gate of Heaven (천국의 문, Cheongugui mun), on HLKZ-TV.[21]
The first television series was aired by KBS in 1962. Their commercial competitor, Tongyang Broadcasting (TBC), had a more aggressive program policy and aired controversial dramas as well.[22] The first historical TV series aired was Gukto manri (국토만리), directed by Kim Jae-hyeong (김재형), depicting the Goryeo era.[23][24] In the 1960s, television sets were of limited availability, thus dramas could not reach a larger audience.[25]
In the 1970s, television sets started to spread among the general population, and dramas switched from portraying dramatic historical figures to introducing national heroes like Lee Sun-shin or Sejong the Great.[25] Contemporary series dealt with personal sufferings, such as Kim Soo-hyun's influential Stepmother (새엄마, Saeeomma), aired by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) in 1972 and 1973.[26] As technology and funding was limited, Korean channels could not make series in resource-heavy genres like action and science fiction; American and other foreign series were imported instead.[27]
1980s–present
The 1980s saw a change in Korean television, as color TV became available. Modern dramas tried to evoke nostalgia from urban dwellers by depicting rural life. Kim Soo-hyun's first real commercial success, Love and Ambition (사랑과 야망, Saranggwa yamang), aired on MBC in 1987 and is regarded as a milestone of Korean television,[28] having recorded a 78% viewership. "Streets became quiet at around the airing time of the drama as 'practically everyone in the country' was at home in front of the TV", according to The Korea Times.[19] The most outstanding classical historical series of the era is considered to be 500 Years of Joseon (조선왕조500년, Joseonwangjo 500 nyeon), a serial that ran for eight years, consisting of 11 separate series. The serial was produced by Lee Byung-hoon, who later directed one of the biggest international successes of Korean drama, Dae Jang Geum.[23][25][28]The 1990s brought another important milestone for Korean television. As technology developed, new opportunities arose, and the beginning of the decade marked the launch of a new commercial channel; Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), which facilitated and re-initiated a race for catching viewers' attention.[29] The first real commercial success among Korean television series was Eyes of Dawn (여명의 눈동자, Yeomyeongui nundongja), aired in 1991 by MBC, starring Chae Shi-ra and Choi Jae-sung. The series led the viewers through turbulent times from the Japanese rule to the Korean War.[29] New channel SBS also produced successful series, one of them being Sandglass in 1995. Sandglass was a "trendy drama", which the Korean Culture and Information Service considers an important milestone, having changed the way Korean dramas are made by introducing a new format.[29] In this decade, the new miniseries format became widespread, with 12 to 24 episodes.[30] This era marked the start of export for Korean dramas, setting off the Korean Wave.
The beginning years of the 2000s gave birth to a new genre, called "fusion sageuk", essentially changing the ways to produce historical series, with successful pieces such as Hur Jun, Damo and Dae Jang Geum.[23]
Since the 2010s, "web dramas" has become a popular genre. It is a short form of drama mostly shoot through non-conventional broadcasting platforms, such as search engine (e.g. Naver) or video channels (e.g.YouTube). It started to take over the popularity of conventional dramas among 10s and 20s because they are shorter, hence easier to watch, and often feature trendy contents which teenagers are easy to sympathize with.[31] Some of well-known web dramas includes Idol Drama Operation Team and Pongdang Pongdang Love.
Production
Korean series were originally produced in house by the television channels themselves, but have been outsourced to independent production companies since the 2000s. In 2012, as much as 75% of all K-dramas were produced this way. Competition is fierce among these companies; out of 156 registered firms, only 34 produced dramas were actually aired in 2012.[32] The budget of the production is shared between the producing company and the broadcaster, with the broadcasting channel covering around 50% of expenses usually. If top stars and famous scriptwriters are employed, they may cover even more. The rest of the budget has to be brought in by the production company with the help of sponsors. In the case of product placements, income is shared by the producer and the channel. The channel keeps 100% of the advertisement income during airtime; this could amount to ₩300-400 million. A typical Korean drama may cost as much as ₩250 million per episode, and historical dramas cost more than that. For example, Gu Family Book cost ₩500 million per episode.[32]
In Korea, much of the budget is spent on the appearance fees of top stars since they are heavily dependent on celebrities' popularity.[33] In some cases, the actors may take up as much as 55-65% of the whole budget, while it is 20–30% in Japan, and roughly 10% in the United States as dramas there tend to avoid casting famous actors when starting off.[32] Everything else, including salaries of lesser-known actors, extras, and technical staff, location rent and other expenses, have to be covered from the remaining amount. Often, production companies overrun their budgets and cannot pay salaries. In 2012, actors held a demonstration in front of the headquarters of KBS, expressing their concerns. Actors are usually paid after the last episode is aired at the end of the month. In series made by smaller production companies for cable channels, there have been cases where the companies went bankrupt and could not pay their actors and crew, while the channel denied all responsibility, claiming all liability was with the bankrupt production firm.[34] Producer Kim Jong-hak spent as much as ₩10 billion on Faith, which was considered a commercial failure, resulting in the inability of Kim to pay crew salaries and other overheads. Kim, who had produced successful dramas such as Eyes of Dawn and Sandglass, committed suicide after he was accused of embezzlement.[35][36] The biggest stars may earn as much as ₩100 million per episode.[37] Bae Yong-joon, the star of Winter Sonata reportedly received ₩250 million per episode for The Legend in 2007.[32]
Filmmaking process
As producing a series involves high expenses, production companies seek to shoot the episodes in the shortest time possible. In contrast to practices elsewhere, the first four episodes of Korean series are usually shot in advance, but the rest are shot continuously as the series is being aired. Scripts are not finished in advance, and may change according to viewer feedback and viewership ratings, where popular characters receive increased screen time and plotlines are changed to match audience expectations.[40] These changes may occur a few hours before daily shooting, and the crew might receive only a few ready pages. The production usually works with three camera crews, who work in a rotating manner to speed up filming. Because of unregulated script changes and tight shooting schedules, actors are almost continuously on standby, and have no time to leave the set or sleep properly. The Korean media have a separate word to describe irregular, short sleeps that actors resort to, in often uncomfortable positions, or within the set: jjok-jam (쪽잠), or "side-sleeping". Dramas usually air two episodes a week, one after the other, with the following episodes having to be shot within the intervening five days. Some Korean actors have admitted to receiving IV therapy during filming, due to extreme schedules and exhaustion.[34][37][41] Nonetheless the live-shoot model remains widely used since the production team can react to real time audience feedback.[40]
Production teams originally sent two tapes to the channels; a primary copy and a backup copy. However, due to the tight filming schedules, a 70-minute episode might arrive at the broadcasting station on seven separate tapes in ten-minute installments. It happens that while the episode is being broadcast, the crew would be still shooting the last minutes or cutting the rest of the episode. During the airing of the nineteenth episode of Man from the Equator, screens countrywide went black for 10 minutes. Actor Kwon Sang-woo was openly complaining that he was still shooting Queen of Ambition 30 minutes before the last episode began airing.[34] In South Korea, some production teams still do planning and scheduling manually, instead of using dedicated software.[42]
From late 2014 onwards due to the popularity of Korean dramas abroad, especially the success of My Love from the Star in China, producers have increasingly been pitching and pre-selling the overseas broadcast and streaming rights of their dramas. This has given production teams the budget to move away from the live shoot basis to one in which the drama is completed before broadcast. In 2016, dramas such as Descendants of the Sun, Uncontrollably Fond, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth were all pre-produced before airing. Nonetheless, some pre-produced episodes are often re-edited or even reshot the day of airing, due to audience feedback.[40]
The larger broadcasting companies have their own dedicated shooting locations for historical dramas, with extensive and elaborate sets. MBC's series are shot at MBC Drama in Gyeonggi,[43] while KBS dramas utilize the Mungyeongsaejae Studio (문경새재 KBS촬영장) in North Gyeongsang[44] and their studio in Suwon.[45]
Production companies
Independent production companies are classified into:
- Those founded and/or owned by industry veterans (e.g. Kim Jong-hak Production, Logos Film, iWill Media)
- Owned by the broadcast companies (e.g. The Story Works, MBC C&I, Monster Union, Drama House)
- Owned by entertainment companies (e.g. Studio Dragon, studio&NEW)
- Big-tiered (e.g. Pan Entertainment, Chorokbaem Media)
- Small-tiered
Crew
Actors and actresses
The leading actors of Korean dramas have become popular outside of South Korea, due to the Korean Wave.
In the 2000s, it became customary to cast popular K-pop idols in dramas. Initially, this generated mixed reactions. Their appearance had provoked predominantly negative reactions outside their fandom because singers and dancers acting outside of their musical circle was regarded as unprofessional. Also, some idols were criticized for poor acting. Nowadays, this has become much more common feature in Korean dramas, as the public has been getting more used to the concept of "idol actors" and some idols have become known for their excellent acting skills.[46] Their critical reception is still mixed, however, some of them, like Bae Suzy, IU, Seo In-guk and Im Yoon-ah, became successful as actors and actresses.[47][48][49]
There were also instances of children taking up careers as child actors or actresses, usually portraying either the younger versions of some characters or the children of the adult characters from dramas. Subsequently, there were some child actors and actresses who continue pursuing acting careers even after reaching adulthood, and with some achieving success even after adulthood. Notably, such people include actors like Yoo Seung-ho and Yeo Jin-goo; and actresses like Kim So-hyun, Lee Se-young, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Shin-hye and Kim Yoo-jung.[50]
Scriptwriters and directors
Scriptwriters and directors of Korean dramas are often as well known as actors are. An overwhelming majority of scriptwriters (90% according to the Beijing Metro Reader) are women, who not only write love stories but action series as well.[51] Compared to Korean cinema, television is more appealing for scriptwriters as contract conditions are better, acknowledgment is greater, and the salary is higher.
Famous scriptwriters tend to have a say in their field.[52] The most well-known scriptwriters include the Hong sisters, who wrote popular series such as My Girl, You're Beautiful and My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox; Kim Eun-sook, the screenwriter of Lovers in Paris, Secret Garden, The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God; Lee Kyung-hee, famous for I'm Sorry, I Love You and The Innocent Man; male writer Choi Wan-kyu of Midas and Triangle; Noh Hee-kyung, the author of That Winter, the Wind Blows; and It's Okay, That's Love; and Park Ji-eun, who wrote My Husband Got a Family, My Love from the Star, The Producers, Legend of the Blue Sea and Crash Landing on You.[53]
Acknowledged TV directors include Lee Byung-hoon, who directed Hur-Jun, Dae Jang Geum and Yi San;[23] Kim Jong-hak, the director of Eyes of Dawn, Sandglass, The Legend and The Great Doctor;[54] and Pyo Min-soo, the director of Full House, Worlds Within and Iris II.[55]
While scriptwriters are mostly women, directors are usually men.[56] Some female directors have risen to prominence, such as Lee Na-jeong (이나정), who directed The Innocent Man,[57] and Lee Yun-jeong (이윤정), whose most famous works are The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince and Heart to Heart. The latter director is also the first female television producer employed by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC).[58]
Music
Music plays an important role in Korean dramas. Original soundtracks, abbreviated OST's, are explicitly made for each series, and in contrast to American series, fans have a need to buy the soundtrack album of dramas. This trend started in the 1990s, when producers swapped purely instrumental soundtracks for songs performed by popular K-pop singers. Tom Larsen, director of YA Entertainment, a distributor of Korean TV series, thinks that Korean soundtracks are polished enough musically to be considered standalone hits.[59]
During the 2000s, it became customary for lead actors to participate in original soundtracks, also partially due to the employment of K-pop stars as actors. Actor Lee Min-ho, and leader of boy band SS501, Kim Hyun-joong both recorded songs for Boys Over Flowers, while the actors of You're Beautiful formed a fictional band and held concerts, where they perform the soundtracks live.[60][61][62]
OST songs of popular K-dramas can also become hits on regular music charts, with good sales of both physical and digital albums. The chart performance of the OST songs usually co-relate to the popularity of the drama. Songs from the OST of Secret Garden for example, had high digital sales and high rankings on music charts.[63] My Destiny, performed by Lyn for My Love from the Star, led music charts in Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and other Asian countries.[64] It also won the Best OST award at the 2014 Baeksang Arts Awards.[65] The soundtrack album of You're Beautiful sold 57,000 physical copies.[66] Performers of OST songs for action series Iris held two concerts in Japan in front of an audience of 60,000 people.[67]
Although the songs in Korean dramas may have only a selective few or are repetitive, the choosing of the songs are not that easy of a process. An example of this can be found in the OST for the Korean drama: Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. Songs usually are made to convey emotions or scenes especially in dramas and the emotion was assigned to be conveyed by Rocoberry was suffering and beauty. Rocoberry is a Korean indie pop duo with the members of Roco and conan and they are famous for composing songs in Korean dramas. Even though they had quite the experience with composing songs, for Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, they had to create 12 different compositions for this drama until finally one of their most famous songs I Will Go to You Like the First Snow was chosen. Not only did it take 12 compositions for this song to be chosen but after the approval of this songs, there had to be 7 rewrites until it was finally complete and met the satisfaction standards of the production team. link The song was used in only two episodes despite the hard process. The song was placed in two scenes that later on were shown to be connected to each other and also became some of the most important scenes in the drama. This is only the beginning of understanding how much time and effort goes into the choosing of songs for these types of dramas and how they can enhance a scene in many different ways. [68]
OST composers usually look for singers who have previously had success in the genre. Songs are written to reflect the mood of the series and their structure. Sometimes performers give their own songs for a series. For example, Baek Ji-young thought her song That Man, originally written for her own album, would fit Secret Garden. There are popular OST singers who are often employed, like Baek Ji-young, Lyn, and Lee Seung-cheol.[69] Sometimes, foreign singers are invited to perform songs for Korean OST. For instance, Swedish artist Lasse Lindh sang several songs for series like Angel Eyes, Soul Mate, I Need Romance, and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.
Rating system
The television rating system is regulated by the Korea Communications Commission, and was implemented in 2000. According to the system, programs, including Korean dramas, are rated according to the following principles (ratings irrelevant to dramas are omitted):[70]
- : programs that may be inappropriate for children under 12, such as mild violence, suggestive themes or language.
- : programs that may be inappropriate for children under 15. Most dramas and talk shows are rated this way. These programs may include moderate or strong adult themes, language, sexual inference, and violence.
- : programs intended for adults only. These programs might include adult themes, sexual situations, frequent use of strong language and disturbing scenes of violence.
Reception
According to a researcher at the University of Vienna, popularity of Korean dramas have their foundation in Confucian values they transmit, which Asian viewers can easily identify with. Respect for elders, filial piety, family-orientedness, and the display of perceived "Asian moral values" play an important role in Korean series.[71] YA Entertainment, the American distributor of Korean dramas, believes that part of the attractiveness of these series come from the quality of camera work, scenic locations, and spectacular costumes, which make the "final product very stylish and attractive, with arguably some of the highest TV production values in the world."[72] Korean series follow their own formula, are innovative and don't conform to Western television productions.[72] Stephan Lee from Entertainment Weekly called Korean dramas "fascinating and weirdly comforting".[73]
Exports of Korean series yielded US$37.5 million in 2003, which was three times higher than the amount reached in 1999.[74] According to data from Korea Creative Content Agency, in 2013 K-dramas constituted 82% of the culture content export of South Korea, with an income of $167 million, which is four times more than a decade before.[42]
A driving force behind the rising popularity is the intense involvement of fans. Because of the live-shooting production of K-dramas, Korean-speaking fans have the opportunity to participate in their creation[75] —a unique phenomenon in the mass media world. They can influence the content of later shows in the series through complaints and suggestions, which are frequently adopted by the production teams.[76]
The global community of non-Korean-speaking fans, on the other hand, is more involved in the consumption aspects: Fans share their opinions through tweets and comments on newsgroups (for example, the Soompi discussion forum) as well as reviews and recaps on websites and blogs. However, the impact of their social media activity goes beyond the fan community. It spreads the word about the K-drama genre to social connections like acquaintances, friends and family (e.g. Facebook friends or followers on Twitter) and thereby generally raises its popularity. But it also has an effect on the creation of new dramas. It influences the popularity of certain dramas, leading to higher demand for those videos from streaming sites and additional income for broadcasters. When a substantial profit results, it raises not only the prestige of people involved in the production[77] but also provides feedback for production teams and indirectly influences future productions.
Asia-Pacific Countries
Korean dramas have gained popularity in Bangladesh in recent years.[82] Their rising popularity in the country has led to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE), an organisation which aims to distribute Korean dramas for free to countries, cooperating with broadcasters to distribute Korean dramas for free in the country.[83]
In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Korean dramas and entertainment have gained popularity particularly amongst youth. Prior to interest in Korean entertainment, Bollywood had largely been the most popular form of entertainment in the country. When the Bhutanese film industry launched in the mid-1990s, Bollywood was the only form of influence on the industry. However, in recent years Korean entertainment has made significant inroads in the country and influence the entertainment industry alongside Bollywood. Korean entertainment has managed to influence fashion, and many video shops now sell Korean dramas and movies alongside Bollywood films. The interest in Korean entertainment has also led to controversy with older generations voicing their concern that Korean entertainment will deteriorate Bhutanese culture and traditions.[84][85]
In recent times Korean dramas have experienced growing popularity in Brunei. The growing impact of Korean culture in Brunei led to the hosting of the ninth Korea Forum in the country at Universiti Brunei Darussalam in 2010. Korean television dramas, movies, music, and clothing have had a great impact on the people of Brunei.[86]
The first Korean drama to be broadcast in Cambodia was Winter Sonata; it was, however, Full House that launched the interest in Korean dramas and entertainment in the country. Following the success of Full House, more Korean dramas have been dubbed into the Khmer language. Korean dramas have become popular particularly amongst youth in Cambodia.[87]
In China, South Korean programs on Chinese government TV networks accounted for more than all other foreign programs combined in 2006.[88] Hong Kong has its own channel for airing Korean dramas, TVB J2, but ATV also airs Korean series in prime-time slots.[89] My Love from the Star received enthusiastic feedback from China. It was viewed 40 billion times on numerous Chinese video sites.[90] The drama also spurred interest about Korea, shown by China's increased consumption of Korean products such as Chi Maek (chicken and beer) and Korean cosmetics.[91] Due to the success of Korean dramas in China, some dramas have been compiled to create feature-length films by combining all episodes into one film. The prodigious popularity of Korean dramas in the country has, on some occasions, been caught in the crossfire over diplomatic issues between China and South Korea. Most notable being the THAAD deployment in South Korea which resulted in the blocking of Korean dramas on streaming services across the country in late February 2017.[92] Following the block, Chinese TV shows showcasing Chinese culture and other similar content replaced Korean content on TV networks' prime time schedules in the country.[93] In November 2017, the ban was uplifted unannounced following the appearance of Kpop groups on national TV and the move to resume importation of Korean dramas by Chinese streaming services.[94] In China, apps like IQiyi, which is currently available in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and some other countries in multiple different subtitles, are launched to stream and download Korean dramas for viewing.
In India, after the late 1990s and around 2000 Korean dramas started becoming popular through piracy particularly in north-eastern states such as Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Mizoram and Nagaland as well as parts of eastern state like West Bengal and more recently in southern state Tamil Nadu.[95][96] Hindi films and TV serials were banned in Manipur in 2000, as a result local television stations began broadcasting subtitled Korean dramas instead from Arirang TV and KBS World.[97][98] Many young people in north-eastern, eastern and southern parts of India mimic the hairstyles, clothes of Korean actors while Korean fashion became very popular in the region.[99][100][101] As part of cultural exchange, public broadcaster Doordarshan telecasted Emperor of the Sea and Dae Jang Geum.[102] Korean dramas are dubbed in Tamil on Puthuyugam TV such as 'Boys over flowers', 'My love from another star','Playful Kiss' and many more.[103] Full House and Hwang Jini started airing on Firangi channel in 2008. Reliance Big TV offered KBS World to its subscribers from 2009 on satellite television. Local fan clubs got help from Consul-General of the Republic of Korea while Korean Cultural Centre in India (KCCI) under South Korean embassy started mapping popularity of K-dramas.[104] As per KCCI, the motivation to understand Korean drama properly without subtitles is driving the uptake of Korean language classes among the youth with females outnumbering males.[105] Public broadcaster DD Bharati telecasted period drama Hur Jun in 2014 that received highest viewer ratings of 34 million from January to October 2014. Online streaming platform ZEE5 launched Descendants of the Sun to test the Indian market from 8 February to 1 March 2017 and found overwhelming positive response for Korean content with viewer-ship ran close to 56 million.[98] The telecast of Korean drama on Cable TV in 2017 stopped as Korean Broadcasting System Network wanted to raise syndication charges due to accumulation of large viewer-ship base in India that included pockets of Bihar, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh due to short 16 to 20 episodes format that are easier for binge-watching.[106][107] With increasing interest in Korean content among younger generation from tier-1 cities, Samsung through its My Galaxy mobile application is partnering with Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in 2019 to bring exclusive content for 20 million Indian users.[108] With COVID-19 pandemic, Dish TV started premium K-dramas dubbed in Hindi.[109] Korean dramas are also driving highest viewer-ship on Netflix with second season of TV series Kingdom attained the Top 10 series row as of March 2020. It's Okay to Not Be Okay is on Netflix Top 10 list in India for several weeks in August 2020 which has jumped to number 3 position. Netflix is increasing investment on Korean content to capture the Indian market.[110] Over-the-top media service (OTT) MX Player confirmed rising popularity and demand of Korean dramas among millennial population especially the women audience and is now making deals with South Korean television and radio network company Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) to bring more content in India. Korean dramas and films became most visited category for ShortsTV in India.[111] As per media experts, the relatable themes in Korean content is fast catching the imagination of general public of almost every age group that is going mainstream and driving highest viewing especially after 92nd Academy Awards winning movie Parasite due to the shared Asian cultural heritage and societal values.[112][113][114] As per Parrot Analytics report, k-drama series 'Crash Landing on You', is on demand 1.2 times than an average TV series that is 89.8% more than all drama titles shown in India forcing broadcasters to make extra slots as women are at the forefront of consumer demand in Korean content category.[115][116]
In Indonesia, Korean dramas have gained popularity and the popular Korean dramas Winter Sonata and Endless Love were aired on Surya Citra Media in 2002. Some Korean dramas have also been remade into Indonesian versions such as Demi Cinta in 2005 which was a remake of the popular drama Autumn in My Heart and Cinta Sejati, a remake of Stairway to Heaven. RCTI and Indosiar are examples of Indonesian television networks that air Korean dramas in the early times, but later Trans TV airing some of popular Korean dramas until today.[117][118]
The first Korean drama to gain widespread popularity in Japan was Winter Sonata, which was broadcast on the NHK satellite channel NHK BS2 in 2003. The program was aired twice in the same year due to high demand from viewers.[15] NHK also hosted a classical concert featuring Winter Sonata's tunes performed by Korean musicians.[15] Korean dramas boost tourism between Korea and Japan,[15] and is considered a possible way of improving strained relationships between the two countries, as series have become increasingly popular with Japanese viewers.[119][120] Conversely, the series Iris had several pivotal scenes shot in Akita, Japan, which led to an increase of Korean tourists in that part of Japan.[121][122][123]
The popularity of Korean dramas and pop culture in Laos has led to many Laotian tourists travelling to South Korea. Korean pop culture has gained popularity in Laos through the Thai TV channels broadcasting Korean dramas and K-pop bands in the country.[124]
In Malaysia, Winter Sonata began airing on TV3 in 2003, which started an interest in Korean pop culture in the country. Dae Jang Geum and Autumn In My Heart were also aired in Malaysia. The popularity of Korean dramas have resulted in a positive reception of Korean expatriates in Malaysia.[125]
In Mongolia, Korean dramas have become popular and are broadcast at prime time. Dae Jang Geum achieved success in the country and was broadcast five times due to this. Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata and Stairway to Heaven were other popular dramas. Popularity in Korean dramas has resulted in interest in the learning of the Korean language as well as Mongolians travelling to South Korea. It has also led to increased mutually cooperative relations between Mongolia and South Korea.[126]
In Myanmar, the K-drama Autumn in My Heart was broadcast in the country in 2001, which led to interest in Korean entertainment. When Dae Jang Geum was on air, the drama sparked an interest in Korean cuisine in the country.[127] The rising popularity of Korean dramas and music in Myanmar has led to the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) distributing Korean dramas in the country for free.[128]
Interest for Korean dramas in the Nepal began when Winter Sonata aired on Kantipur Television Network in the mid-2000s. This led to the popularity of other K-dramas such as Boys Over Flowers, Autumn In My Heart, You Are Beautiful and Full House to name a few. Popularity of Korean media products has also led to interest of learning the Korean language and has resulted in the emergence of Korean language tutorials that air on ABC Television in the country. Korean dramas have become popular among Nepali youth and markets are often frequented by teenagers looking to buy the latest dramas. The hairstyles and fashion of Korean actors have influenced the fashion sense of Nepali youth. Fascinated by the lifestyle and food of Korea, restaurants serving Korean cuisine have also been established in the country.[129][130]
Watching films or TV dramas from South Korea is a serious offence in North Korea, punishable by execution,[131] but people still manage to acquire them on CDs and DVDs.[132]
In the Philippines, Korean dramas are politically popular on free-to-air television since the 2000s, and continues to succeed in captivating audiences. GMA Network, ABS-CBN, and TV5 are regularly airing Korean dramas dubbed in Filipino language.[133]
In Singapore, Prime 12 (now known as Suria) originally aired the Korean drama Sandglass on a weekly basis in 1996 and aired Asphalt Man in 1997. Since 2001, they are shown on Chinese language channel MediaCorp Channel U daily.[134] The launch of KBS World, ONE TV ASIA, Oh!K, Channel M and streaming app, Viu in Singapore allows viewers to watch Korean dramas with a variety of subtitles in a matter of hours after the original South Korean telecast.[135]
In Sri Lanka, the Independent Television Network aired Full House in 2009 and it proved popular. Dae Jang Geum aired on Rupavahini in 2012 and was dubbed in Sinhala under the title Sujatha Diyani (සුජාත දියණී), meaning "The Pure, Valuable Daughter" and received a viewer rate of over 90%.[136] The Independent Television Network, Rupavahini, TV Derana, Sirasa TV, Swarnavahini and TV1 air Korean dramas dubbed in the Sinhalese language.[137][138] Streaming service, Iflix also streams many Korean dramas with English and Sinhalese subtitles in the country, some as early as 24 hours after their original Korean broadcast.[139] Additionally, the popularity of Korean pop culture in the country has led to an increasingly warm reception towards Korean people.[140]
In Taiwan, interest in Korean dramas began when Star in My Heart aired in 1999. Since then Korean dramas have become very popular and according to the South Korean mission 120 K-dramas had been broadcast in Taiwan in the first half of 2011.[141][142]
When Dae Jang Geum was on air in Thailand, Korean food started gaining wide popularity.[143] Due to the lop-sided nature of entertainment exports favoring South Korea, the Thai government requested increased introduction of popular Thai films to South Korean media outlets. This led to the signing of an Agreement of Cultural Cooperation between the two countries in August 2004.[144]
Korean dramas have also gained popularity in Vietnam, particularly among women and young people. The fashion and hairstyles presented in Korean dramas have become very popular among the youth of the country.[145]
Africa, the Middle East and Europe
Since the mid-2000s, Israel, Iran, Morocco and Egypt have become major consumers of Korean culture.[146][147] Following the success of Korean dramas in the Middle East & North Africa, the Korean Overseas Information Service made Winter Sonata available with Arabic subtitles on several state-run Egyptian television networks. According to Youna Kim (2007), "The broadcast was part of the government's efforts to improve the image of South Korea in the Middle East, where there is little understanding and exposure towards Korean culture" (p. 31).[148] The New York Times reported that the intent behind this was to contribute towards positive relations between Arab & Berber audiences and South Korean soldiers stationed in northern Iraq.[149]
MBC4 (Middle East Broadcasting Channel) played a major role in increasing the Korean wave's popularity in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). This broadcasting channel hosted a series of Korean drama starting 2013 such as "Boys Over Flowers" (أيام الزهور), "You're Beautiful" (أنت جميلة), "Dream High" (حلم الشباب ), "Coffee Prince" ( مقهى الأمير). Some Arab countries opposed Korean shows (dramas and reality TV shows) because of the fear they would lead to Islam youth to abandon their traditions wholesale in order to adopt Western modernity wholesale.[150] However, this did not stop the Korean industries from exporting more Korean Dramas to the Arab world in the following years such as "The Heirs" ( الورثة). The popularity of Korean dramas in the MENA region-and its continuous growth- originates from the content of these dramas. As the majority of the plots of Korean dramas focus on social issues (love between different social classes or family problems for instance),[151] the Arab audiences fit themselves and could relate to the Korean socio-cultural values as they seem appealing to them. So Korean dramas play the role of an equilibrium point where two, somehow, different cultures could create a new cultural space where these two different cultures could meet.
In the early 2000s, Korean dramas were aired for South Korean troops stationed in northern Iraq as part of coalition forces led by the United States during the Iraq War. With the end of the war and the subsequent withdrawal of South Korean military personnel from the country, efforts were made to expand availability of K-dramas to the ordinary citizens of Iraq.[152] In 2012, the Korean drama Hur Jun reportedly attained a viewership of over 90% in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.[152] Its lead actor Jun Kwang-ryul was invited by the federal government of Iraq to visit the city of Sulaymaniyah in Kurdistan, at the special request of the country's First Lady, Hero Ibrahim Ahmed.[152]
Autumn in My Heart, one of the earliest Korean dramas brought over to the Middle East, was made available for viewing after five months of "persistent negotiations" between the South Korean embassy and an Egyptian state-run broadcasting company. Shortly after the series ended, the embassy reported that it had received over 400 phone calls and love letters from fans from all over the country.[153] According to the secretary of the South Korean embassy in Cairo Lee Ki-seok, Korea's involvement in the Iraq War had significantly undermined its reputation among Egyptians, but the screening of Autumn in My Heart proved "extremely effective" in reversing negative attitudes.[154]
Iran's state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), aired several Korean dramas during prime time slots in recent years, with this decision attributed by some to their Confucian values of respect for others, which are "closely aligned to Islamic culture",[155] while in contrast, Western productions often fail to satisfy the criteria set by Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.[156] In October 2012, the Tehran Times reported that IRIB representatives visited South Korea to visit filming locations in an effort to strengthen "cultural affinities" between the two countries and to seek avenues for further cooperation between KBS and IRIB.[157][158] According to Reuters, until recently audiences in Iran have had little choice in broadcast material and thus programs that are aired by IRIB often attain higher viewership ratings in Iran than in South Korea; for example, the most popular episodes of Jumong attracted over 90% of Iranian audience (compared to 40% in South Korea), propelling its lead actor Song Il-gook to superstar status in Iran.[159]
The first Korean drama in Romania was aired on TVR in August 2009 with Dae Jang Geum, and in the following month it became the third most popular television program in the country.[160] Since then, Korean dramas have seen high ratings and further success.[160][161]
North America and Latin America
- Latin America
Between 2001 and 2002, South America began to absorb Korean programming. The 1997 series Star in My Heart began its successful broadcast in Chile, Peru and other countries in the area, but these last two were where More had repercussions, including an Ahn Jae-wook fan club founded.[162] In 2002, Winter Sonata, produced by KBS 2TV, became the first series in the region to match the success of Meteor Garden, attracting a cult following in Asia. Marketing sales, including DVD sets and novels, exceeded $3.5 million in Japan. In 2004, then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi noted that the series' male lead was "more popular than I am in Japan." [163] Other Korean dramas released in later years such as Jewel in the Palace (2003) and Full House (2004) had comparable levels of success.[164]
In Chile, which was one of the first countries on a global level, the phenomenon of Korean wave, which is also known as hallyu, began with the first drama aired that was the original 1997 MBC series Star in My Heart in 2001 by Chilevisión past midnight[165] and later years later in 2003 it was retransmitted by Canal 21 (Chillán) in Chillán, but it was not until 2006, when Stairway to Heaven was broadcast at 1:00 pm on the public television channel Televisión Nacional de Chile, which achieved notoriety of this genre being compared to La madrastra - an old very successful Chilean soap opera— due to the high audience figures in its schedule competing directly with other channels, it was also broadcast by TV Chile to other continents dubbed into Spanish.[166][167]
- North America
The Asian American-targeted cable TV channels AZN Television and ImaginAsian aired Korean dramas alongside content from China, Japan, India, Thailand and other parts of Asia. The dramas were aimed at the Asian American community before the channels dissolved in 2008 and 2011 respectively.[168][169]
In November 2008, Netflix [170] began offering several Korean dramas as part of its video selection. In August 2009, DramaFever began offering free subtitled video streaming service, with video advertisements, in the United States.[171][172]
Singapore-based Viki streams popular Korean dramas across the world including North America, with subtitles in 70 languages.[173] Companies in Asia have also designed streaming services available online and as mobile apps targeted towards overseas Asian communities. "MobiTV" created by the Sri Lankan company, Bhasha is a streaming service and mobile app aimed at the Sri Lankan community and streams Korean dramas dubbed in the Sinhalese language alongside other content aired in Sri Lanka.[174] "Roopa", created by the same company, is another service available as a mobile app also aimed at the Sri Lankan community, it too streams Korean dramas dubbed in the Sinhalese language.[175] Chinese company PPTV is another example, a mobile app, "PPTV网络电视HD" streams Korean dramas aimed at the Chinese community alongside content that is primarily available in Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean but also increasingly in English.[176][177]
Additionally, Korean dramas are available at online DVD retailers. Some Korean dramas, however, are not available for region 1 (North America) encoding and NTSC video format. Amazon offers streaming of Winter Sonata for a fee.[178]
KBFD-DT in Honolulu, Hawaii broadcasts a majority of Korean dramas on its daily schedule, as well as offering the programs on sale at its website and on demand through its K-Life channel on Oceanic Time Warner Cable. Another Honolulu outlet, KHII-TV devotes three hours of its Sunday afternoon schedule to Korean dramas.
KTSF, a channel aimed at the Asian American community in San Francisco, California airs Korean dramas as part of its schedule alongside content in Mandarin, Tagalog, Hindi, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Taiwanese and Cantonese.[179]
Viewership ratings
Viewership ratings are provided by two companies in South Korea, AGB Nielsen Media Research and TNmS. Originally Media Service Korea was the only company providing such information, and it was later acquired by Nielsen Media Research. In 1999, TNS Media Korea also began such service, and later changed its name to TNmS. AGB collects viewership data based on 2050 households, while TNmS has 2000 households with measuring devices. The series average ratings usually vary between the two companies by 2-3%.[180]
Since late 2018, TNmS stopped providing data to the public through their websites, and instead occasionally releases the ratings through news agencies.
List of highest-rated Korean dramas in public broadcast
The list was compiled from data by AGB Nielsen Media Research, based on the episode of the highest viewership since 1992, when AGB Nielsen entered the Korean market.[181]
-
Top 50 series per nationwide household rating # Series Network Nationwide
household rating
(Nielsen)Final episode date Ref 1 You and I MBC 66.9% 26 April 1998 [182] 2 First Love KBS2 65.8% 20 April 1997 [183][184] 3 What Is Love MBC 64.9% 31 May 1992 [185][186] 4 Sandglass SBS 64.5% 16 February 1995 5 Hur Jun MBC 63.5% 27 June 2000 [187] 6 A Sunny Place of the Young KBS2 62.7% 12 November 1995 [188] 7 Sons and Daughters MBC 61.1% 9 May 1993 [183][184] 8 Taejo Wang Geon KBS1 60.2% 24 February 2002 [189] 9 Eyes of Dawn MBC 58.4% 6 February 1992 [190][191] 10 Dae Jang Geum 57.8% 23 March 2004 [189] 11 See and See Again 57.3% 2 April 1999 [192] 12 Truth 56.5% 24 February 2000 13 Lovers in Paris SBS 56.3% 15 August 2004 [193] 14 Jealousy MBC 56.1% 21 July 1992 [194][195] 15 Blowing of the Wind KBS2 55.8% 29 March 1996 16 Men of the Bath House 53.4% 1 September 1996 [188] 17 Gook Hee MBC 53.1% 16 November 1999 [196][197] Trap of Youth SBS 15 April 1999 [196][197] 19 Tomato (토마토) 52.7% 10 June 1999 20 M MBC 52.2% 30 August 1994 [198][199] 21 Season of the Storm 52.1% 30 December 1993 [200][201] 22 Rustic Period SBS 51.8% 30 September 2003 23 My Mother's Sea MBC 51.6% 26 December 1993 [202][203] 24 Legend of Ambition KBS2 50.2% 25 October 1998 [184] 25 Ladies of the Palace SBS 49.9% 22 July 2002 [189] 26 My Son's Woman MBC 49.7% 13 April 1995 [204][205] Jumong 6 March 2007 [206][189] 28 Tears of the Dragon KBS1 49.6% 31 May 1998 [189] 29 My Only One KBS2 49.4% 17 March 2019 [207] 30 Star in My Heart MBC 49.3% 29 April 1997 [208][209] Bread, Love and Dreams KBS2 16 September 2010 [210] 32 My Lovely Sam Soon MBC 49.1% 21 July 2005 [211] 33 Ambition 49.0% 13 October 1994 [212] 34 The Moon of Seoul 48.7% 16 October 1994 [213][214] 35 The Last Match 48.6% 22 February 1994 [215][216][217][218] 36 All About Eve MBC 48.3% 6 July 2000 [219][220] Wang's Family KBS2 9 February 2014 [221] 38 How is Your Husband? SBS 48.2% 19 October 1993 [note 1] 39 Cinderella MBC 48.0% 13 July 1997 [226] 40 All In SBS 47.7% 3 April 2003 41 Seoyoung, My Daughter KBS2 47.6% 3 March 2013 [227] 42 Until We Can Love 47.1% 28 February 1997 43 My Rosy Life 47.0% 10 November 2005 [228] 44 Pilot MBC 46.2% 2 November 1993 [229] 45 Autumn in My Heart KBS2 46.1% 7 November 2000 46 Daughters of a Rich Family KBS2 45.9% 30 April 1995 47 My Husband Got a Family KBS2 45.3% 9 September 2012 [230] 48 Brilliant Legacy SBS 45.2% 26 July 2009 [231] 49 My Golden Life KBS2 45.1% 11 March 2018 [232] 50 Dear Heaven SBS 44.9% 2 July 2006 [233] -
Top 50 series per nationwide viewers (million)[note 2] # Series Network Nationwide viewers
number in million
(Nielsen)Final episode date Ref 1 My Only One KBS2 9.246 17 March 2019 [234] 2 My Golden Life 8.366 11 March 2018 [235] 3 Once Again 6.893 13 September 2020 [236] 4 Marry Me Now 6.669 9 September 2018 [237] 5 Mother of Mine 6.247 22 September 2019 [238] 6 Homemade Love Story 6.145 (currently airing) [239] 7 Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life 5.693 22 March 2020 [240] 8 The Penthouse: War in Life SBS 5.354 5 January 2021 [241] 9 Dr. Romantic 2 5.210 25 February 2020 [242] 10 When the Camellia Blooms KBS2 4.491 21 November 2019 [243] 11 The Fiery Priest SBS 4.325 20 April 2019 [244] 12 Unasked Family KBS1 3.950 17 April 2020 [245] 13 Hot Stove League SBS 3.921 14 February 2020 [246] 14 Home for Summer KBS1 3.897 25 October 2019 [247] 15 Brilliant Heritage 3.852 9 October 2020 [248] 16 Liver or Die KBS2 3.692 14 March 2019 [249] 17 No Matter What KBS1 3.596 (currently airing) [250] 18 Sunny Again Tomorrow 3.478 2 November 2018 [251] 19 It's My Life 3.459 26 April 2019 [252] 20 Man In A Veil KBS2 3.419 (currently airing) [253] 21 The Last Empress SBS 3.282 21 February 2019 [254] 22 A Pledge to God MBC 3.112 16 February 2019 [255] 23 Gracious Revenge KBS2 3.080 27 March 2020 [256] 24 Doctor Prisoner 2.832 15 May 2019 [257] 25 Return SBS 2.817 22 March 2018 [258] 26 Hyena 2.789 11 April 2020 [259] 27 A Place in the Sun KBS2 2.754 1 November 2019 [260] 28 VIP SBS 2.688 24 December 2019 [261] 29 My Healing Love MBC 2.660 3 March 2019 [262] 30 Mysterious Personal Shopper KBS2 2.613 20 July 2018 [263] 31 Fatal Promise 2.604 28 August 2020 [264] 32 Left-Handed Wife 2.488 31 May 2019 [265] 33 Vagabond SBS 2.472 23 November 2019 [266] 34 The King: Eternal Monarch 2.453 12 June 2020 [267] 35 Love to the End KBS2 2.445 31 December 2018 [268] 36 Hide and Seek MBC 2.421 17 November 2018 [269] 37 Royal Secret Agent KBS2 2.321 (currently airing) [270] 38 The Miracle We Met 2.198 29 May 2018 [271] 39 Should We Kiss First? SBS 2.195 24 April 2018 [272] 40 Good Casting 2.186 16 June 2020 [273] 41 Nice Witch 2.161 5 May 2018 [274] 42 My Contracted Husband, Mr. Oh MBC 2.155 19 May 2018 [275] 43 Doctor John SBS 2.129 7 September 2019 [276] 44 Never Twice MBC 2.122 7 March 2020 [277] 45 Secrets and Lies 2.075 11 January 2019 [278] 46 Alice SBS 2.037 24 October 2020 [279] 47 Nokdu Flower 2.020 13 July 2019 [280] 48 My Secret Terrius MBC 2.011 15 November 2018 [281] 49 Still 17 SBS 1.997 18 September 2018 [282] 50 Love in Sadness MBC 1.996 27 April 2019 [283]
List of highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television
- The following dramas air on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
-
Top 50 series per nationwide household rating # Series Network Nationwide
household rating
(Nielsen)Final episode date Ref 1 The World of the Married JTBC 28.371% 16 May 2020 [284] 2 Sky Castle 23.779% 1 February 2019 [285] 3 Crash Landing on You tvN 21.683% 16 February 2020 [286] 4 Reply 1988 18.803% 16 January 2016 [287][288] 5 Guardian: The Lonely and Great God 18.680% 21 January 2017 [289] 6 Mr. Sunshine 18.129% 30 September 2018 [290] 7 Itaewon Class JTBC 16.548% 21 March 2020 [291] 8 Mr. Queen tvN 14.946% (currently airing) [292] 9 100 Days My Prince 14.412% 30 October 2018 [293] 10 Hospital Playlist 14.142% 28 May 2020 [294] 11 Signal 12.544% 12 March 2016 [295] 12 The Lady in Dignity JTBC 12.065% 19 August 2017 [296][297] 13 Hotel del Luna tvN 12.001% 1 September 2019 [298] 14 Reply 1994 11.509% 28 December 2013 [299] 15 Prison Playbook 11.195% 18 January 2018 [300] 16 The Uncanny Counter OCN 10.999% 24 January 2021 [301] 17 The Crowned Clown tvN 10.851% 4 March 2019 [302] 18 My Kids Give Me a Headache JTBC 10.715% 17 March 2013 [303][304] 19 Encounter tvN 10.329% 24 January 2019 [305] 20 Memories of the Alhambra 10.025% 20 January 2019 [306] 21 Another Miss Oh 9.991% 28 June 2016 [307] 22 The Light in Your Eyes JTBC 9.731% 19 March 2019 [308] 23 Strong Girl Bong-soon 9.668% 15 April 2017 [309] 24 Stranger 2 tvN 9.408% 4 October 2020 [310] 25 Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) TV Chosun 9.062% (currently airing) [311] 26 Lawless Lawyer tvN 8.937% 1 July 2018 [312] 27 Record of Youth 8.740% 27 October 2020 [313] 28 What's Wrong with Secretary Kim 8.665% 26 July 2018 [314] 29 Graceful Family MBN 8.478% 17 October 2019 [315][316] 30 Misty JTBC 8.452% 24 March 2018 [317] 31 Misaeng: Incomplete Life tvN 8.240% 20 December 2014 [318] 32 Familiar Wife 8.210% 20 September 2018 [319] 33 Lie After Lie Channel A 8.203% 24 October 2020 [320] 34 Dear My Friends tvN 8.087% 2 July 2016 [321] 35 Live 7.730% 6 May 2018 [322] 36 Arthdal Chronicles 7.705% 22 September 2019 [323] 37 The Good Detective JTBC 7.609% 25 August 2020 [324] 38 My Mister tvN 7.352% 17 May 2018 [325] 39 It's Okay to Not Be Okay 7.348% 9 August 2020 [326] 40 Oh My Ghost 7.337% 22 August 2015 [327] 41 Something in the Rain JTBC 7.281% 19 May 2018 [328] 42 Second 20s tvN 7.233% 17 October 2015 [329] 43 Cheese in the Trap 7.102% 1 March 2016 [330] 44 Voice 2 OCN 7.086% 16 September 2018 [331] 45 A Korean Odyssey tvN 6.942% 4 March 2018 [332] 46 Live Up to Your Name 6.907% 1 October 2017 [333] 47 The Cursed 6.721% 17 March 2020 [334] 48 Romance Is a Bonus Book 6.651% 17 March 2019 [335] 49 The K2 6.636% 12 November 2016 [336] 50 Watcher OCN 6.585% 25 August 2019 [337] -
Top 50 series per nationwide viewers (million)[note 2] # Series Network Nationwide viewers
number in million
(Nielsen)Final episode date Ref 1 Sky Castle JTBC 6.508 1 February 2019 [338] 2 Crash Landing on You tvN 6.337 16 February 2020 [339] 3 The World of the Married JTBC 6.248 16 May 2020 [340] 4 Mr. Sunshine tvN 4.631 30 September 2018 [341] 5 Itaewon Class JTBC 4.425 21 March 2020 [342] 6 Mr. Queen tvN 4.094 (currently airing) [343] 7 Hotel del Luna 3.674 1 September 2019 [344] 8 Hospital Playlist 3.579 28 May 2020 [345] 9 100 Days My Prince 3.264 30 October 2018 [346] 10 The Uncanny Counter OCN 3.257 24 January 2021 [347] 11 Prison Playbook tvN 3.063 18 January 2018 [348] 12 Memories of the Alhambra 2.853 20 January 2019 [349] 13 Encounter 2.473 24 January 2019 [350] 14 The Crowned Clown 2.447 4 March 2019 [351] 15 What's Wrong with Secretary Kim 2.383 26 July 2018 [352] 16 The Light in Your Eyes JTBC 2.223 19 March 2019 [353] 17 Stranger 2 tvN 2.186 4 October 2020 [354] 18 Arthdal Chronicles 2.120 22 September 2019 [355] 19 A Korean Odyssey 2.115 4 March 2018 [356] Lawless Lawyer 2.115 1 July 2018 [357] 21 It's Okay to Not Be Okay 2.065 9 August 2020 [358] 22 Familiar Wife 2.039 20 September 2018 [359] 23 Record of Youth 1.999 27 October 2020 [360] 24 Voice 2 OCN 1.957 16 September 2018 [361] 25 Hi Bye, Mama! tvN 1.915 19 April 2020 [362] 26 Live 1.823 6 May 2018 [363] 27 Misty JTBC 1.820 24 March 2018 [364] 28 Lie After Lie Channel A 1.784 24 October 2020 [365] 29 Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce) TV Chosun 1.754 (currently airing) [366] 30 Life on Mars OCN 1.730 5 August 2018 [367] 31 The Cursed tvN 1.717 17 March 2020 [368] 32 Romance Is a Bonus Book 1.687 17 March 2019 [369] 33 Graceful Family MBN 1.685 17 October 2019 [370] 34 Something in the Rain JTBC 1.682 19 May 2018 [371] 35 Tale of the Nine Tailed tvN 1.657 3 December 2020 [372] 36 Gangnam Beauty JTBC 1.643 15 September 2018 [373] 37 The Good Detective 1.640 25 August 2020 [374] 38 Watcher OCN 1.602 25 August 2019 [375] 39 My Mister tvN 1.600 17 May 2018 [376] 40 Voice 3 OCN 1.534 30 June 2019 [377] 41 Player 1.515 11 November 2018 [378] 42 The Beauty Inside JTBC 1.460 20 November 2018 [379] 43 Room No. 9 tvN 1.421 25 November 2018 [380] 44 Start-Up 1.415 6 December 2020 [381] 45 L.U.C.A.: The Beginning 1.380 (currently airing) [382] 46 Designated Survivor: 60 Days 1.367 20 August 2019 [383] 47 Queen: Love and War TV Chosun 1.364 9 February 2020 [384] 48 True Beauty tvN 1.361 4 February 2021 [385] 49 When My Love Blooms 1.359 14 June 2020 [386] 50 Awaken 1.353 19 January 2021 [387]
See also
Footnotes
References
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- "[온에어 스페셜⑤]역대 방송가 드라마 승률 비교...'이브의 모든 것' 1위" (in Korean). E-daily. 2 April 2008.
- 고재완 (27 March 2012). "40% '해품달'로 본 역대 시청률 순위, 50%는 불가능?". Sports Chosun (in Korean). 스포츠 조선.
- "February 9, 2014 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말연속극(왕가네식구들) 48.3%
- Citation Source #1
- Citation Source #2
- Citation Source #3
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- 김태은 (1 November 2007). "드라마 배경, 방송사는 되고 영화사는 안된다?". StarNews (in Korean). 스타뉴스.
- "March 3, 2013 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말연속극(내딸서영이) 47.6%
- "'장밋빛인생' 47% '장밋빛 질주' 계속된다" ['Rose Life' 47%'Rose Sprint' continues]. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). 다음 뉴스 편집부. Monet Today Star News. 13 October 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- 박준범 (10 March 2007). "'흥행 보증수표'는 없어도 '시청률 보증수표'는 있다". OSEN (in Korean).
- "September 9, 2012 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말연속극(넝쿨째굴러온당신) 45.3%
- "July 26, 2009 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 특별기획(찬란한유산) 45.2%
- "March 11, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(황금빛내인생) 45.1%
- "July 2, 2006 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 주말극장(하늘이시여) 44.9%
- "March 10, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(하나뿐인내편) 9,246
- "February 4, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(황금빛내인생) 8,366
- "September 6, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(한번다녀왔습니다) 6,893
- "September 9, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(같이살래요) 6,669
- "September 22, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(세상에서제일예쁜내딸) 6,247
- "January 31, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(오삼광빌라) 6,145
- "March 8, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 주말드라마(사랑은뷰티풀인생은원더풀) 5,693
- "January 5, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 월화드라마(WARINLIFE펜트하우스) 5,354
- "February 25, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 월화드라마(낭만닥터김사부2) 5,210
- "November 21, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 수목드라마(동백꽃필무렵) 4,491
- "April 20, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 금토드라마(열혈사제) 4,325
- "March 19, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일연속극(꽃길만걸어요) 3,950
- "February 14, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 금토드라마(스토브리그) 3,921
- "October 1, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일연속극(여름아부탁해) 3,897
- "August 24, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일드라마(기막힌유산) 3,852
- "March 14, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 수목드라마(왜그래풍상씨) 3,692
- "January 14, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일드라마(누가뭐래도) 3,596
- "November 1, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일연속극(내일도맑음) 3,478
- "March 5, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS1) 일일연속극(비켜라운명아) 3,459
- "January 29, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (KBS2) 일일드라마(비밀의남자) 3,419
- "February 21, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 드라마스페셜(황후의품격THELASTEMPRESS) 3,282
- "February 16, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (MBC) 주말특별기획(신과의약속) 3,112
- "March 26, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (KBS2) 일일드라마(우아한모녀) 3,080
- "May 15, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 수목드라마(닥터프리즈너) 2,832
- "February 7, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 드라마스페셜(리턴) 2,817
- "April 11, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (SBS) 금토드라마(하이에나) 2,789
- "October 2, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 일일드라마(태양의계절) 2,754
- "December 24, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 월화드라마(VIP) 2,688
- "February 17, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
5th (MBC) 주말드라마(내사랑치유기) 2,660
- "May 22, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (KBS2) 일일드라마(인형의집) 2,613
- "August 28, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (KBS2) 일일드라마(위험한약속) 2,604
- "April 9, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (KBS2) 일일드라마(왼손잡이아내) 2,488
- "November 23, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (SBS) 금토드라마(배가본드) 2,472
- "April 18, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (SBS) 금토드라마(더킹영원의군주) 2,453
- "December 28, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (KBS2) 일일드라마(끝까지사랑) 2,445
- "November 17, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (MBC) 주말특별기획(숨바꼭질) 2,421
- "February 1, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (KBS2) 월화드라마(암행어사조선비밀수사단) 2,321
- "May 29, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (KBS2) 월화드라마(우리가만난기적) 2,198
- "February 27, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
4th (SBS) 월화드라마(리얼어른멜로키스먼저할까요) 2,195
- "May 5, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (SBS) 월화드라마(굿캐스팅) 2,186
- "March 3, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (SBS) 주말특별기획(착한마녀전) 2,161
- "May 12, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (MBC) 주말특별기획(데릴남편오작두) 2,155
- "July 27, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
4th (SBS) 금토드라마(의사요한) 2,129
- "February 15, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (MBC) 주말특별기획(두번은없다) 2,122
- "January 11, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
3rd (MBC) 일일드라마(비밀과거짓말) 2,075
- "September 5, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
6th (SBS) 금토드라마(앨리스) 2,037
- "April 26, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
4th (SBS) 금토드라마(녹두꽃사람하늘이되다) 2,020
- "November 15, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
4th (MBC) 수목미니시리즈(내뒤에테리우스) 2,011
- "September 18, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (SBS) 월화드라마(서른이지만열일곱입니다) 1,997
- "March 2, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
7th (MBC) 주말특별기획(슬플때사랑한다) 1,996
- "May 16, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(부부의세계) 28.371%
- "February 1, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(SKY캐슬) 23.779%
- "February 16, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(사랑의불시착<본>) 21.683%
- "Reply 1988 Writes Cable Television History". Stoo Asaie.
- "January 16, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 응답하라1988<본> 18.803%
- "January 21, 2017 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 쓸쓸하고찬란하신도깨비<본> 18.680%
- "September 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 미스터션샤인<본> 18.129%
- "February 29, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(이태원클라쓰) 16.548%
- "January 31, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(철인왕후조선중전영혼가출스캔들<본>) 14.946%
- "October 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(백일의낭군님<본>) 14.412%
- "May 28, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 슬기로운 의사생활<본> 14.142%
- "March 12, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 시그널<본> 12.544%
- "종영 '품위녀' 12.1%로 자체 최고 기록..무서운 뒷심". Star News (in Korean).
- "August 19, 2017 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(품위있는그녀) 12.065%
- "September 1, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(호텔델루나<본>) 12.001%
- "December 28, 2013 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 응답하라1994 11.509%
- "January 18, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(슬기로운감빵생활<본>) 11.195%
- "January 24, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 경이로운소문<본> 10.999%
- "March 4, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(왕이된남자<본>) 10.851%
- Kim, Tong-hyung (25 February 2013). "Childless Comfort looks like TV game-changer". The Korea Times. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- "February 24, 2013 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) JTBC특별기획드라마(무자식상팔자) 10.715%
- "November 29, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(남자친구<본>) 10.329%
- "January 13, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(알함브라궁전의추억<본>) 10.025%
- "June 28, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(또오해영<본>) 9.991%
- "March 19, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 월화드라마(눈이부시게) 9.731%
- "March 25, 2017 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(힘쎈여자도봉순) 9.668%
- "October 4, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(비밀의숲2<본>) 9.408%
- "February 6, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (TV CHOSUN) 주말미니시리즈(결혼작사이혼작곡) 9.062%
- "July 1, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 무법변호사<본> 8.937%
- "October 27, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(청춘기록<본>) 8.740%
- "July 11, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(김비서가왜그럴까<본>) 8.665%
- "October 17, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (MBN) 우아한가 8.478%
- 황소영 (18 October 2019). "[종영] '우아한가', MBN 역대 최고, 최고, 최고". 일간스포츠 (in Korean). Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- "March 24, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(미스티) 8.452%
- "December 20, 2014 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 미생<본> 8.240%
- "August 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(아는와이프<본>) 8.210%
- "October 24, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (채널A) 채널A금토드라마(거짓말의거짓말) 8.203%
- "July 1, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (tvN) 디어마이프렌즈<본> 8.087%
- "May 6, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(라이브<본>) 7.730%
- "June 9, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 아스달연대기<본> 7.705%
- "August 24, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 월화드라마(모범형사) 7.609%
- "May 17, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 나의아저씨<본> 7.352%
- "August 9, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(사이코지만괜찮아2부<본>) 7.348%
- "August 22, 2015 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 금토드라마(오나의귀신님<본>) 7.337%
- "May 12, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(밥잘사주는예쁜누나) 7.281%
- "October 17, 2015 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 금토드라마(두번째스무살<본>) 7.233%
- "February 1, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(치즈인더트랩<본>) 7.102%
- "September 16, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 놓치지말아야할소리보이스2<본> 7.086%
- "January 14, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 화유기<본> 6.942%
- "October 1, 2017 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(명불허전조선왕복메디활극<본>) 6.907%
- "March 17, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 방법<본> 6.721%
- "March 17, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(로맨스는별책부록<본>) 6.651%
- "October 8, 2016 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 더케이투<본> 6.636%
- "August 25, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) WATCHER<본> 6.585%
- "February 1, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(SKY캐슬) 6,508
- "February 16, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(사랑의불시착<본>) 6,337
- "May 16, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(부부의세계) 6,248
- "September 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 미스터션샤인<본> 4,631
- "February 29, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(이태원클라쓰) 4,425
- "January 31, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(철인왕후조선중전영혼가출스캔들<본>) 4,094
- "September 1, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(호텔델루나<본>) 3,674
- "May 28, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 슬기로운 의사생활<본> 3,579
- "October 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(백일의낭군님<본>) 3,264
- "January 24, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 경이로운소문<본> 3,257
- "January 18, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(슬기로운감빵생활<본>) 3,063
- "January 13, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(알함브라궁전의추억<본>) 2,853
- "November 29, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(남자친구<본>) 2,473
- "March 4, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(왕이된남자<본>) 2,447
- "July 11, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(김비서가왜그럴까<본>) 2,383
- "March 19, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 월화드라마(눈이부시게) 2,223
- "October 4, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(비밀의숲2<본>) 2,186
- "June 9, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 아스달연대기<본> 2,120
- "March 4, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 화유기<본> 2,115
- "July 1, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 무법변호사<본> 2,115
- "August 9, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(사이코지만괜찮아2부<본>) 2,065
- "August 30, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(아는와이프<본>) 2,039
- "October 27, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(청춘기록<본>) 1,999
- "September 16, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 놓치지말아야할소리보이스2<본> 1,957
- "March 1, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(하이바이마마<본>) 1,915
- "April 22, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(라이브<본>) 1,823
- "March 17, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(미스티) 1,820
- "October 24, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (채널A) 채널A금토드라마(거짓말의거짓말) 1,784
- "January 30, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (TV CHOSUN) 주말미니시리즈(결혼작사이혼작곡) 1,754
- "August 5, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 라이프온마스<본> 1,730
- "March 17, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 방법<본> 1,717
- "March 17, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(로맨스는별책부록<본>) 1,687
- "October 17, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (MBN) 우아한가 1,685
- "May 12, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(밥잘사주는예쁜누나) 1,682
- "December 3, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(구미호뎐<본>) 1,657
- "September 15, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 금토드라마(내아이디는강남미인) 1,643
- "August 24, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 월화드라마(모범형사) 1,640
- "August 25, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) WATCHER<본>1,602
- "May 17, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 나의아저씨<본> 1,600
- "June 30, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 놓치지말아야할소리보이스3<본> 1,534
- "November 11, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
2nd (OCN) 머니스틸액션플레이어<본> 1,515
- "November 19, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (JTBC) 월화드라마(뷰티인사이드) 1,460
- "October 6, 2018 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(나인룸<본>) 1,421
- "October 31, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 스타트업2부<본> 1,415
- "February 8, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(루카더비기닝<본>) 1,380
- "August 20, 2019 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(60일지정생존자<본>) 1,367
- "February 9, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (TV CHOSUN) TVCHOSUN특별기획드라마(간택여인들의전쟁) 1,364
- "January 13, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 수목드라마(여신강림<본>) 1,361
- "April 25, 2020 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 토일드라마(화양연화삶이꽃이되는순간<본>) 1,359
- "January 19, 2021 Nationwide Cable Ratings". Nielsen Korea.
1st (tvN) 월화드라마(낮과밤<본>) 1,353
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