My Perfect Stranger, King of the Land, and more: A round-up of K-drama news

Love K-drama? From My Perfect Stranger to Dr. Romantic 3 finale here's a round-up of the latest in Korean dramas.

1. ‘King the Land’ and ‘See You In My 19th Life’ ratings rise

Two new weekend dramas are on the rise.

On June 18, both JTBC’s ‘King the Land’ and tvN’s ‘See You in My 19th Life’ enjoyed an increase in viewership for their second episodes.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership data analysis company, the second episode of ‘King the Land’ scored an average nationwide rating of 7.5 per cent, marking a significant jump from the premiere night (an average of 5.1 per cent).

K-drama fans are loving the pairing of South Korean singer and actor Lee Junho and singer and actress Im Yoon-ah (known as Yoona).

The drama follows the unlikely romance between Junho’s character Gu Won, a chaebol heir who can’t stand fake smiles, and the constantly-smiling Cheon Sa-rang (played by Yoona), who becomes known as the ‘queen of smiles’ while working her way up at the King Hotel.

Meanwhile, ‘See You in My 19th Life’ also enjoyed its rise in ratings, climbing to a nationwide average of 5.5 per cent (after premiering at 4.3 per cent).

Both the series can be watched on Netflix in the UAE.

Twitter user @jungguwa posted: “King The Land and See You In My 19th Life are here to save everyone's summer…”

Dr Romantic 3 finale leaves fans wanting more

Fans are hoping for the return of Dr Romantic as the third season finale arrived with episode 16 on June 17.

Directed by Yoo In-shik, the season featured Han Seok-kyu, Lee Sung-kyung, Ahn Hyo-seop, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Joo-heon, So Ju-yeon, and Jin Kyung, alongside other cast members.

“Just noticed Dr. Romantic season 2 and 3’s ending scenes have the exact same lines narrated by Seo Woo-jin and Kim Sabu, and are almost parallel in every way… looking forward to season 4!” tweeted @seoulkol.

According to an article on the K-entertainment website soompi.com, actor Seok-kyu, who starred in all three seasons of ‘Dr Romantic' as the genius Dr Kim, shared in his closing comment: “When we were doing Season 1, I couldn’t have even imagined Seasons 2 and 3. The reason ‘Dr Romantic’ was able to continue for seven years is all thanks to the viewers’ support. Dr Kim is a character I portrayed for a long time, to the point where he takes up a significant part of my acting career. While living as Dr Kim, I thought about living life in a meaningful way, and was also comforted. I enjoyed the time in which I was able to create memories with viewers, and I want to thank my colleagues and the staff I worked with. I hope that the romance of Dr Kim continues and I sincerely wish that everyone is always healthy and that everything you wish for comes true.”

UAE viewers can watch Dr. Romantic 3 on Netflix.

‘My Perfect Stranger’ ratings shine in Korea and worldwide

Korean mystery romance drama My Perfect Stranger, episode 15 aired on June 19. According to multiple reports, it continues to reign over Monday-Tuesday dramas ahead of its finale!

According to Nielsen Korea, the second-last episode of the series garnered an average nationwide viewership rating of 4.4 per cent.

On MyDramaList.com, which ranks dramas on user-based ratings, just a few hours before the final episode of My Perfect Stranger airs, the ratings are at 8.5 out of 10, with comments suggesting how much viewers enjoyed every episode of the show.

Similarly, on the video streaming website Rakuten Viki, the drama has a very high 9.4 rating out of 10.

The K-drama can be watched on viu.com, in the UAE.

Tweep @personallddiary posted: “One of Kim Dong-wook's projects that I waited for more than one year to air, finally comes to an end today.”

A new medical drama is in the works

Netflix’s upcoming drama ‘Severe Trauma Center: Golden Hour’ has officially finalised its cast! On June 16, the OTT (over-the-top platform) announced that Joo Ji-hoon, Choo Young-woo, Ha Young, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Jung Jae-Kwang will be starring in the upcoming drama.

Based on a hit webtoon of the same name, the medical drama follows the story of a genius surgeon who joins the severe trauma team at a hospital and restores it to its former glory.

Joo Ji-hoon will be playing Baek Kang-hyuk, a genius traumatologist with a stubborn personality, while Choo Young-woo will be seen as Yang Jae-won, his first disciple.

Meanwhile, Yoon Kyung-ho will play medical professor Han Yoo-rim, who holds a grudge against Kang-hyuk for “stealing” his mentee Jae-won.

Ha Young will play Chun Jang-mi, a nurse on the severe trauma team and Jung Jae-kwang will play resident Park Kyung-won.

SHINee’s Minho reviews a new K-drama offer

K-pop band SHINee fans might soon see their idol Minho starring in a new K-drama with Son Naeun, Ji Jin-hee, and Kim Ji-soo.

On June 16, Xportsnews reported that SHINee’s Minho, Son Naeun, Ji Jin Hee, and Kim Ji Soo are in discussions to appear in the new drama ‘Melo House' (working title).

In response to the report, Minho’s agency SM Entertainment confirmed that Minho has received an offer to star in ‘Melo House’ and is currently reviewing the offer.

South Korean singer Son Naeun’s agency YG Entertainment also shared that ‘Melo House’ is “one of the projects she has received an offer for. She’s currently reviewing the offer.”

Ji Jin-hee’s agency Ikkle Entertainment and Kim Ji-soo’s agency IOK Company also remarked that they are reviewing the offers.