‘Chief Kim’ K-Drama Tops Ratings For Time Slot, Cast To Fulfill Ratings Promise

https://youtu.be/0dz6_z7W4-w

The current season of K-dramas seem to show that light-hearted romantic comedies are no longer the trend. Korean viewership ratings and international activity among video-on-demand (VOD) streaming sites, show that thriller-styled melodramas are popular. The most popular K-drama on Korean public television is Defendant , which airs on the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) and on Korean cable television, and Voice , which airs on the Orion Cinema Network (OCN).

However, there is one K-drama that seems to be breaking the trend this season and it is Chief Kim . Also known as Good Manager, and Manager Kim , the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) K-drama starring Namgoong Min ( The Girl Who Sees Smells; Beautiful Gong Shim ), Nam Sang Mi ( Goddess of Marriage; Gunman in Joseon ), Junho of 2PM ( Twenty; Memory ), and Jung Hye Sung ( Oh My Venus; Moonlight Drawn by Clouds ) suddenly attracted K-drama fans’ attention when it tied in viewership with Saimdang, Light’s Diary . Now it is a runaway hit, dominating in its time slot.

‘Saimdang, Light’s Diary’ — the SBS K-drama starring Lee Young Ae and Song Seung Heon — was the initial powerhouse K-drama in the same time slot as ‘Chief Kim,’ but eventually it dwindled down to single digits in viewership. [Image by the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS)]

Now Chief Kim has achieved a viewership ratings milestone, and Namgoong Min and the rest of the main cast of the K-drama will have to fulfill their “ratings promise.”

On February 14, 935 Entertainment , the entertainment agency where Namgoong Min is signed, made a statement in regards to fulfilling his ratings promise, as reported by Soompi . Unfortunately, the date and location of delivering the ratings promise has not been set because of the shooting schedule for Chief Kim .

“Namgoong Min will be fulfilling the ratings promise he made for Chief Kim . However, due to his busy shooting schedule, an exact date and location have not been decided upon as of yet.

“After distributing coffees to the production staff of Chief Kim , Namgoong Min will distribute coffees to office employees as well.”

Namgoong Min and the rest of the cast of Chief Kim promised to distribute a thousand coffees to office workers if the K-drama achieved over 15 percent in viewership ratings. According to the viewership ratings provided by both TNmS Media Korea and AGB Nielsen Korea , that milestone was technically achieved last week with the fifth episode. The former recorded 15.5 percent for the Seoul National Capital Area, while the latter recorded 15.5 percent for the nation and 15.8 percent for the Seoul National Capital Area.

Namgoong Min poses in front of the coffee truck sent to him and the cast and crew of ‘Chief Kim’ from his fellow ‘Beautiful Gong Shim’ co-stars. [Image by Naver ]

In a way, Namgoong Min is “paying it forward” with his ratings promise, as sending coffee seems to be a show of encouragement. On February 11, Minah of Girls’ Day and Seo Hyo Rim sent a coffee truck to Namgoong Min on the set of Chief Kim . They previously worked together on the SBS K-drama, Beautiful Gong Shim . The truck served coffee and other drinks and a featured a banner with a clever reference to Namgoong Min’s current and past K-dramas. Of course Namgoong Min was very thankful for the coffee truck, promising to work even harder during filming.

Chief Kim airs on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10 p.m. For those who do not have access to Korean public channels, it can be viewed on both Viki and OnDemandKorea .

[Featured Image by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS)]