More than twice the ratings of “The Tale of Lady Ok”: This Korean drama ranks first in ratings among all channels
Particularly notable, the drama has garnered more than twice the ratings of the currently popular “The Tale of Lady Ok”, showcasing its overwhelming popularity.
According to daily ratings data released by Nielsen Korea on Dec 15th, “Iron Family” recorded a viewership rating of 16.8% with an audience of 2.872 million, marking a 0.6% increase from the previous week.
The episode featured heightened romance between Lee Darim (played by Keum Sae-rok) and Seo Gang-ju (played by Kim Jung-hyun) as they began living together. A playful clash over unclaimed clothes from the laundry, followed by a surprise kiss from Darim, left viewers swooning. In the scene, Darim gazed affectionately at a sleeping Gang-ju in the rooftop room before kissing him and fleeing. After she left, Gang-ju opened his eyes and muttered “What’s wrong with her? She was glaring at me like she wanted to kill me… But she always does whatever she wants“, unable to hide a smile.
Viewers’ reactions included, “I cried, then laughed… Gang-ju and Darim are just the best”, “The acting is incredible!”, “How am I supposed to wait until next week?”, “So adorable, I’m dying of excitement!”, “There’s no guy as kind as Gang-ju… Even when Darim messed up, he was so understanding. But what was that ending? How am I supposed to wait until next week?”…
JTBC’s “The Tale of Lady Ok”, aired on the same day, achieved a viewership rating of 8.496% with an audience of 1.921 million, ranking third. Despite strong performances by stars like Lim Ji-yeon, Choo Young-woo, Kim Jae-won and Yeonwoo, its ratings were roughly half of “Iron Family”. However, it showed growth with an additional 255,000 viewers compared to the previous week.
SBS’s “My Little Old Boy” ranked second with 2.424 million viewers, boosted by actress Kim Hee-ae’s appearance, which resonated with viewers. This led to a significant increase of 522,000 viewers and a 3.2% rise in ratings from the previous week.
tvN’s “Love Your Enemy”, starring Ju Ji-hoon and Jung Yu-mi, maintained its steady rise with 1.375 million viewers and a 5.655% rating, adding 45,000 viewers compared to the prior week.
MBC’s news programs “Newsdesk” secured fourth place with 1.636 million viewers and a 9.1% rating, although it experienced a 369,000-viewer drop from the previous week, resulting in a 1.2% rating decrease. JTBC’s “Newsroom” rose by 0.769% with 1.021 million viewers and a 4.578% rating, while KBS1’s “KBS News 9” recorded 1.053 million viewers and a 6.2% rating.
In the entertainment sector, KBS2’s “2 Days & 1 Night” attracted 1.6 million viewers, while “Boss in the Mirror” gained 1.068 million viewers and a 5.8% rating, marking an increase of 129,000 viewers. MBC’s “Exploration Planning Straight” saw a decline, losing 118,000 viewers and dropping 0.5% to a total of 1.349 million viewers.
This week’s ratings trends reveal a strong showing for dramas and variety shows, with “Iron Family” and “My Little Old Boy” dominating their respective slots. The widespread appeal of family dramas and variety shows is expected to continue driving high ratings in the weeks to come.
