‘Descendants Of The Sun’ Suspenseful Scene Hits Record Rating Of 40.9 Percent — Will Popular K-Drama Surpass ‘The Moon Embracing The Sun?’

For the past month, Descendants of the Sun has dominated not just Korean television, but Asian television in general. Originally releasing back on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, the popular K-drama has become a ratings juggernaut for the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

To truly understand just how big Descendants of the Sun is right now, by the airing of its third episode on March 2, 2016, the K-drama had surpassed My Love From Another Star. That is truly a feat because that K-drama starring Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun was so popular in China, the show itself would set popular trends in the country. For example, if the K-drama’s characters were to wear a certain outfit or eat chicken from a specific restaurant, fans would wear that outfit or eat that chicken from said restaurant the very next day.

Now Descendants of the Sun is breaking even more barriers and records as reports now show a suspenseful scene in one of its latest episodes hit a record rating of 40.9 percent. This has caused many K-drama fans to question if Descendants of the Sun may actually surpass Moon Embracing The Sun.

The episode receiving the accolades for the pivotal scene surpassing the 40 percent threshold was the 11th episode in the series, as reported by Soompi. (WARNING: SPOILERS) Near the end of the episode, there is a moment when Seo Dae Young (Jin Goo) is staring at the uniform and dog tags left behind by Yoo Si Jin (Song Joong Ki) with a worried expression on his face. Prior to the moment, Si Jin left his unit and risked his life to save the woman he loves, Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), who was kidnapped. It was truly and emotional moment for viewers who kept up with the K-drama.

To be frank, Descendants of the Sun was bound to become a ratings juggernaut simply because it is a military drama, and such a drama hasn’t been aired in quite some time. Also, the superb acting and direction, as well as the switching between suspenseful action and emotional scenes, has kept K-drama fans on the edge of their seats.

Anyway, with Descendants of the Sun now earning over 40 percent during one particular scene, K-drama fans are wondering if it will surpass Moon Embracing the Sun, as reported by the Korea Times. It should be known the period drama originally airing back in 2012 was the last time a K-drama ever reached 40 percent in any particular scene let alone episode. So when any K-drama actually comes close to that K-drama’s achievements, people take notice.

Unfortunately for Descendants of the Sun, it may not be able to surpass Moon Embracing the Sun. For starters, the former made its debut with high ratings when it comes to today’s viewership standards, but compared to the latter, it is still short by almost 6 percent. Every episode in parallel to each other shows that Moon Embracing the Sun generally has more in viewership ratings with its 10th episode breaking the 40 percent viewership threshold for the episode in general. Descendants of the Sun only managed a 40 percent rating for a scene. Finally, Moon Embracing the Sun is a longer series by four episodes, with its 18th episode almost breaking 50 percent on viewership ratings for TNmS Ratings for Seoul National Capital Area. Unless Descendants of the Sun can pull off something spectacular, most don’t see the K-drama coming anywhere near 50 percent in viewership in the upcoming final four episodes.

Descendants of the Sun is currently airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m. KST on KBS2. For those who do not have access to Korean channels, the K-drama can be watched for free, with ads and pending region, on both Viki and DramaFever. Take note that Viki had exclusive early airing rights, so they are on track with the release. DramaFever is behind by almost 10 episodes.

[Image via Descendants of the Sun Official Poster]